Company of Thieves
By: Nicole Juliette Hetlyn
We caught up with Marc Walloch (Guitar, Vocals) of Company of Thieves to talk about their new EP, "Better Together," touring, and the DIY world. Check out Nicole's exclusive interview and photos!
You just wrapped up the “Press Restart tour” with Walk the Moon, how was it?
M: It was an incredible gift! Both of our bands have been friends for years and have mutual friends that have been trying to get us to tour together since we met. So, to be able to make it happen now, after returning from our hiatus, has been so helpful for us to get on our feet again. Walk The Moon's fans are so beautiful. Every night the entire crowd would come early to see us with open minds and open ears and were extremely receptive.
In January, you announced being completely independent (no label, funding, etc). What has been one if the biggest lessons that you have learned so far? How has this helped you grow, both as an artist as an individual?
M: I think it has helped us to truly learn how to manage this band as a smart business. We aren't saying yes to every single opportunity that comes our way if it overwhelms us, or we can't make something happen financially. When you are a part of a big machine, it's easy for a whirlwind to take over and you get lost in the madness of so much activity that you aren't even aware of, if that makes sense. We have learned that the most important thing is balance. If a band can pay attention to what rejuvenates them, its much more sustainable.
What advice do you have for DIY in the music industry, and how can we help support you? Savvage Media was a “DIY start-up,” and we are all about supporting other artists!
M: Right on! Congrats on your DIY success. We're still learning, so it's hard to give much advice at this point, but I would say as long as you aren't in a position of fear or desperateness ,you may not rush into bad decisions and you will learn to make a lot more happen on your own which will attract help in the future.
We absolutely love your latest single, “Treasure”. I feel like this is the perfect song after a few year hiatus. You really put your voice out there. Was there something that led you to think “this is the right time for this song,” or was it a mixture of everything at once?
M: It's never really a conscious thing for us. I think we are just alive and experiencing what's happening around us, which will always flow out through our music. On the particular day we wrote "Treasure," I was feeling like there was a lack of edge, grit, and bite energetically around me and within me, so I really wanted to get back into something powerful that day. So, I told Genevieve that so I picked up a baritone guitar and started playing this riff and it just got gnarlier and gnarlier. I think Genevieve's thoughts and feelings of the 2016 presidential election connected with the energy of what I was playing, so it was natural for her message to come out.
Better together EP was just released on 02/23. Is there a central theme on this album? What was your favorite memory well working on this EP?
M: Other than "Treasure," I think the theme would be about a longing for a connectivity within a friendship. We started writing "Window" and "Younger" before we took the hiatus and there was a lot going on at that time causing us to be unaligned. Having 5 years of growth and gaining fresh perspectives really helped us to approach these songs with a new alignment and fresh connectivity with each other just like how we started. So it's really come full circle and the songs are extremely current and fresh, considering we finished the EP the week before leaving for this tour.
What does 2018 have in store for you? We know the EP… Any other shows you can talk about?
M: We are going to continue to write and record as much as possible and experiment with who we want to be artistically right now. We have been away for a few years, so we want to make sure we keep a good flow of content pouring out before focusing on a full length record. Also, Genevieve and I will be heading out on a very intimate acoustic tour this May/June that we are really excited about! We did a tour like this in early 2013, and it was so much fun and felt like we were hanging out with our fans and singing songs together. When we first started, we used to test out new songs we were writing at open mics acoustically, so this has truly come full circle.
Check out Nicole's photos of Company of Thieves from the PRESS RESTART TOUR HERE!
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