www.facebook.com/complicatedarrangement
From: Nassau County, NY
Sounds like: Punk
1. Your "Indecisive" album has been out for a little bit now, what do you want people to take away from it?
CV. I'm very proud of that record and it'll take a lot of branching out and beating myself up to compete with it. That being said, art is interpretive and I believe that it's up to the listener to take whatever is relevant to them or what they're feeling and what they believe in, that's the beauty of music and art. There's no 2 people who hear it the same. I've actually had people tell me that "Forever" helped them while they were contemplating suicide and that "I Can't Take" got them through the toughest breakups of their life. None of them know exactly what I was feeling when I wrote what I did, but they take what they need and I love that. Even I take different things from the record as I grow and mature.
2. What's the word on new music?
CV. There's a lot of kinks we need to work out, considering we're pretty much a brand new band again. We're going to most likely be demoing before we get started on an album. There is talk of a new record, and the only reason Complicated Arrangement got back together is because of the death of Chester. He was always a huge inspiration to me as an artist and when I heard the news the world stopped for me. That being said, we are really taking our time to make this album. Ideas are being thrown around from every corner of the room but we are making this a very collaborative effort and as of right now the record is shaping up to be very heavy but we never know what may come our way. Stay tuned.
3. You guys have always been playing lots of live shows. What's a show memory that always sticks out?
CV. One of the best memories I have is when we played that summer show at Shakers in 2016. We put on the best show we ever have and got amazing feedback, but the best was the crowd response. It was very intimate and cooperative...I called Lucas Santora (ex-Bailout 42) Daddy because of something involving Free Bird, then everyone moshed. We actually got complaints because of everyone throwing each other into the wall...but nobody got hurt, everyone had fun and this was before "Indecisive" was finished. And we had a small wall of death during "Judgement Day".
4. What's new with you guys?
CV. Noza and I made the decision to reform Complicated Arrangement after the death of Bennington and brought on a brand new member. We don't have a real name for him yet so we've been calling him Drummy McDrummerface in the meantime. We also made a last minute decision to bring in a new bassist so I could stop playing guitar and be the frontman I always wanted to be. We call him Buff. As I said before. Working shit out.
5. What's a trend in the Punk genre that you wish would just go away?
CV. The need of a “scene”. What fucks up bands more than anything is the fact that when bands try new things they are labeled as fake or sellouts. We've had fans of "Forever" tell us they don't support us because “after Forever you made "14th & 8th" for more success” saying we're being untrue to ourselves. Yo dumbfuck 14th & 8th came out first and both songs had an equal amount of praise. But that's the issue. I'm okay with it if you like one song and not the other, but nobody's selling out. Literally we are semi-known on the Island for our diversity and stage banter. But I'm not going to apologize to the Pop Punk Scene that every song can't be about angsty relationships and fucking my cat. Get over it and stop whining, if you only like one genre we were never meant for you.
6. Are there any bands you'd recommend people check out?
CV. I love Obelisk, I've been rocking out to their demo a lot lately. I also like Nexus Canvas. But check out Obelisk. Really. Like now.
7. What's a pre-show ritual you have?
CV. I usually get really bad stage fright before a show, sometimes even end up throwing up. Noza normally just gets lost minutes before the show and finds his way to the stage at the last possible second.
8. Out of all of the tracks on the "Indecisive" album, which are your favorites to play live? Which get the best crowd response?
CV. "Heartless" is a real crowd pleaser even though I'm really not a fan of playing it live. Same thing with "Judgement Day". My favorite live song off "Indecisive" is "Forever" which we only started playing recently because of the bad memories it harbors. I break down every time I play it but try not to make it obvious. I love it because it's the most real to me.
9. What's next for Complicated Arrangement?
CV. Anything and everything. We never know what's next until it happens.
10. Any shoutouts?
CV. The Dirty Shovels for not kicking my ass and our former drummer Stix for his work on "Indecisive".
