SwitchBitch Noise’s Zack Lee : SBN // Misha Camacho : Misha
– Intro –
SBN: Can you tell us your name and role in the band?
Misha: My name is Misha Camacho, I am the singer for Broadway. I’ve been the singer for about 7 years now.
SBN: That’s a crazy long time.
Misha: Yeah it’s a crazy long time.
SBN: A few months ago you guys released the single “Artificial Love”, right?
Misha: Thats right. We released two singles, “Volcano Jack” in the Summer and we followed up with “Artificial Love” in October and it’s going to closely follow up with our newest release that is coming up soon. I’m just putting the final touches on it.
SBN: What is the new album going to be called?
Misha: The main title is Contexture, and the subtitle is Gods, Men, and the Infinite Cosmos.
SBN: Wow, that’s completely different from Kingdoms and Gentlemen’s Brawl.
Misha: Yeah, and even those two albums are different from each other. I go through phases of different expressions and I get on a roll with wanting to get that out. That’s kinda where our albums come from.
SBN: I noticed that you guys are going independent with this release right?
Misha: That’s right.
– The Dirt –
SBN: So what motivated you to leave Uprising Records and decide to release this record independently?
Misha: Well I mean truth be told, our relationship with Uprising Records was never like lollipop and flowers. We always had a contentious relationship and our ideas of what we wanted the band to accomplish were different. It was never a magical fit, but we were in a contract and we had obligations. So we had to fulfill those obligations, and we did until the time that they released us which was just before we were supposed to go in and record the third album. We had the entire album written and, between us we had considered this the best material any of us had ever written. So we scraped up our own personal funds, went to our producer friend Jon Arena at Sleepwalk Studios, we knocked it out and we’re all in love with it. That’s basically it we were in love with the material from the start and we wanted other people to hear it. We had been promising people a new album for quite some time now and we felt like this was the one to give them.
SBN: Has your attitude changed between being in an independent environment as opposed to being under a record label?
Misha: Yes, absolutely. Just because we now have to worry about the numbers at the end of it. That includes money coming from us. Labels are kinda like a bank. They give you a loan, they give you resources to go out and do this thing and you do it. They’re kinda like betting on you. They invest now to make money later. So now when the money isn’t coming out from them and it’s coming out of your own pocket, it’s a very scary feeling. Its money that could go to gas, to food, to rent, to clothes to anything else and you have to budget for it. The thought that that money might not come back is horrifying. But like I said, we were too in love with the material to not do.
SBN: Yeah, those two singles seem to be a combination of what made Kingdoms and Gentlemen’s Brawl great. It definitely shows that you guys still have that passion even though you guys kind of disappeared off most people’s radars for 2-3 years.
Misha: Right. I appreciate that. That was kind of our goal with the singles. Specifically with Volcano Jack, the first single, we recorded that one separate from the rest of the songs because we were going up there and to see if the magic was still there, to just record a single and to just see what came of it. The process was so smooth and we all vibed so well, especially with Jon. We picked that song specifically because we felt like it was the middle of the road as far as like the genre and appealing to our fanbase because like you said, we have a split fanbase between Gentlemen’s Brawl and Kingdoms. There are a lot of people who like both, but there are a lot of people who like either one or the other. We wanted to bridge that gap and wanted to marry those fanbases together. That was our intention with those two singles.
– Band/Label Advice : Signed or unsigned? –
SBN: So going independent and having all these struggles, what advice would you give to an up and coming band when asked about the choice between going independent and signing with a label? The debate between the two are somewhat of a hot issue nowadays. What would you say to this?
Misha: I would tell them to quit music. I would tell them to pick a different career and I’m not kidding. I’m being completely serious. Because the truth is most of these musicians, it’s all sacrifice. It’s all just pain mostly. I know this sounds grim but it’s the truth. You only do it because its like a drug. You have to do it. I can’t stop writing, I can’t stop recording, I can’t stop making music. I literally can’t and if there is ever a part of you that’s like maybe I should be a dentist, go be a dentist. Go do that. So whether to sign to a label or be indie, I think it depends on your preference. I mean you are pretty much guaranteeing that you’re going to be having another career lined up if you go with a label and you are pretty much guaranteed that you’re going to need another job right now if you go indie. So its like whatever evil you want most.
SBN: Yeah, it sounds a bit grim.
Misha: It is man, it is. It really is. It’s a lifestyle that you kind of get stuck in more than you pick it because you don’t realize what it is until you’re in it. So a lot of people that quit, they have no time and they’re just like, “You know what? I had a great time, did a couple of tours around the world, I’m good on music. I’m going to do something else.” There are just people who literally can’t do anything else and this is all that they can do. They’re just in this circle of hoping that the next release cater to enough people that they can pay their bills.
SBN: What’s surprising to me and I’m sure to your fans is that you guys weren’t signed to one of the big record labels within the scene, such as Rise Records or Fearless. Yet you guys still managed to garner enough fan-base from each album to challenge and be on par with some of the more established bands.
Misha: Right, I mean speaking on that, we signed pretty much on the first contract that we were offered mostly because we were like a little band and just the thought of being on a contract was impossible to us. At the time we had another guitarist, Nick, he was considerably older than the rest of us. He was 24 and we were all teenagers and he was kind of like the dad of the band. He set up everything, he did the business etc he was like that guy for us. He said to us “Hey guys I think this is a good idea, I think this guy’s legit and I think this label can work for us and I think we should do it.” and we believed him, so we signed it. It wasn’t long after that we started releasing our demos for the next album that we had other labels calling us and emailing us but our hands were tied, we were in the situation that we were in and that was it. I wish that we would have held out but you know, shit happens.
– Up Next –
SBN: On a brighter note, what’s the big plan for Broadway for 2015?
Misha: 2015. Basically my entire focus is in getting this album out. It is way more work than you could possibly think it is. It requires my constant attention, so I can’t even think past the release date that I have in my mind right now. When it comes out we’ll see what happens but right now my entire focus is in making sure that we get it out right.
SBN: Would you guys be going on tour to support this album?
Misha: I don’t feel like touring anytime to be honest. Just because of what I was mentioning before with the money thing. We never made a lot of money from touring and the tours that we did, we did because we wanted to play for people and financially we’re not in a place where we can handle that kind of bill anymore. If there were ever a situation where like one of the many bands that we’ve played with wants to bring us out and we have a secure money line coming in then maybe but for the most part we’ll probably stay at home as it is, except for maybe a few shows here and there.
SBN: It sounds like you guys have a lot on your plate right now with just getting this album out. It’s such a great insight to be able to see you guys not signed to another big label and doing your own thing.
Misha: Yeah, it’s important for people to understand what goes into the art that they’re buying and in some cases not buying, some cases just downloading. There’s a whole process and entire industry of people that they require money to live and this is what they do to make that money. I feel like there is a glamour that people have and it doesn’t help that most band guys or girls, they have to front in public. They have to sell the image that they are super successful in that their entire life is a rollercoaster because nobody wants to hear somebody complain about how hard it is. You listen to music to escape any kind of bullshit that you’re putting up with in your own life so let alone you don’t want to hear the people that help you vent, venting to you. So its like a double edged sword. Now people think it is literally this great thing you have handed to you and it’s actually this cold thing that you have to work for and dig out of the dirt with your own fingers. But if it’s what you love it’s always going to be worth it, always.
SBN: Very inspiring words. Thank you Misha.
Misha: Thank you for the interview.
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