Originally published in ‘zine issue #20, 1997
Next on the agenda is an interview with Frodus from VA, specifically with the guitar player/singer Shelby Cinca. The day he did this interview with me, he and the band left for a two-month tour of Europe. Such is life in Frodus.
D.U.: So what’s it like being signed to Tooth & Nail Records?
Shelby: Being on Tooth & Nail is awesome. They treat their bands very well, provide tour support, and work as hard as the band is working to try and spread the rock ‘n’ roll.
You’ve had a revolving-door lineup with bass players. What’s up with the new kid?
Nathan is actually, like, our fifth bass player or something like that. We’ve had a lot of fill-ins. We actually liked him to play bass for us after our bassist Andy Duncan quit to go to college a couple years ago, but Nate was actually going to college too, so he couldn’t do it. We’ve known Nate for a while, so making music with him is very comfortable and things fell into place naturally.
I’m scared as shit to go on tour after reading Get in the Van. Is that what touring is really like?
For the type of band we are in this day and age, I wouldn’t say it’s as bad as Get in the Van at all. Independent music seems to have a stronger foundation these days with its fans, labels, et cetera.
I noticed on your newer material you guys are introducing some blasts. Is this R. Mason’s influence, the bass player on the split with Roadside Monument?
I don’t know. I think playing faster just kinda came since we wanted to induce more headbang than mosh. [laughs] Yeah, I dunno, Mason probably did influence me somewhat. I think everyone you play with for extended periods of time influences you.
What with your drummer sportin’ the Christ tattoos, are you guys a Christian band, and did that have something to do with you being on Tooth & Nail?
Tooth & Nail has a lot of “Christian” bands like Equal Vision having “krshna” bands, but they aren’t a “Christian” label; they branch out. We are not a Christian band and we never were. Our lyrics for the most part deal with social issues and hypothetical situations as well as personal dealings with. However, we don’t generally write too straightforward, so there is a lot of interpretation that can be had out of our lyrics. Remember, Frodus does not equal the Yellow and Black Attack.
One of the last times I saw you guys play, there was some different types of bands on the bill. Does Frodus align itself with the emo scene?
We’ll play with any band. I consider us just a spastic rock band.
What’s up next for Frodus, and what are your last comments?
In June we do a month tour predominantly on the west coast with Blue Bird. Then in August we tour the U.S. with Refused, and we will also be touring New Zealand and Australia with Refused in November. Other than that, our new record came out in March, and other releases we have planned is a picture disc 7” and a split 7” with The Swarm. We’re trying to do this rock ‘n’ roll thing full time. I love playing music, and doing this is a dream come true.
Frodus • http://www.artmonk.com/frodus/ ■
Photo: Frodus (taken from the split with Roadside Monument)
