(Funtime Records)
Interviewed on: 11/11/07
From: Tessenderlo, Meerhout
www.myspace.com/themapleroom
1. What are your names and roles in the band?
Band-
Jef: vocals
Dries: screams/bass
Niels: drums
Kristof: guitar
Tom: guitar
2. How did the name "The Maple Room" come about?
Band-
Kristof woke up one night and The Maple Room popped up in his head. So he got up and wrote it down and a few years later our band The Maple Room got its name. Some people look for a reason why we’ve chosen that name but it just sounded good to us, it didn’t mean anything at that moment, neither does it now.
3. How did you hook up with Funtime Records?
Band-
We already knew each other back in the days when we were playing about in our previous bands. Johan, the boss of Funtime Records also plays in 2 bands so we did see each other every few weeks when our bands played together. When we played our first show with The Maple Room, Funtime was really impressed by us. So you can maybe say we’ve sealed the deal that day.
4. I saw you played with a lot of national acts, from Funeral For A
Friend to Bullet For My Valentine, was there a show in particular that
sticks out as just being a fantastic show?
Band-
It think it’s different for everyone in the band. But my coolest memory of doing a support shows has to be the two shows we did with Alexisonfire in 2005. The first show was in Paris on a boat. We played on the Seine and it has to be one of the coolest places to play in Paris. At night when it’s dark you can see all the boats with their lights passing by. It’s just cool to be chilling on the upper deck and watch at that amazing sight. The day after we played in Belgium with them. It was one of their coolest shows on that tour they said. Those were some cool two days to be part of a band.
5. You guys shot a video for "A Glimpse Of The Inside", how did that go?
Band-
We hooked up again with the guys from Crooked House Productions. They did the video for ‘Emily Can Be’ of the previous album. So we knew them and they knew how we like to work and shoot so it was an easy choice to work with them again on our latest video. We shot it all in 1 day and 1 night, the result has just finished a month ago, we are now working on airplay in Belgium and UK.
6. How's the reaction been to the new album?
Band-
It started out a bit slowly ‘cause the album sounds different then the first one. It’s more produced and the songs have been more perfected in the way we like it. So it was an adjustment to people but lately it’s starting to get really nice. We’re getting a lot of cool responses and people dance and sing along so it’s a good feeling.
7. What's your favorite song to play live and why?
Band-
That’s a hard one. ‘Love Suicide’ is definitely a song I like playing for a crowd ‘cause it has those really catchy tunes in it. But my favorite is hard to tell. You end up playing all songs with a good feeling once it finds its way in your setlist I think.
8. With two lead singers, does that expand your sound more so than
just having one?
Band-
For sure, it gives you the opportunity to do something more than just being heavy or being a poppy band. And that’s what we like to do. You keep on searching for that right combination, so that’s what we’re still trying to define when we’re writing new songs.
9. What are you currently listening to?
Band-
It Dies Today - The Caitiff Choir
HIM – Venus Doom !!
Minus the bear – planet of ice
…
10. What's next for The Maple Room?
Band-
We’re leaving on tour at the end of November with Across Five Aprils(Victory Records) and we’re doing a short UK-tour at the end of December. Our main goal now is to find a label that can offer us some more opportunities and a wider distribution for our records. We want to have a new record out by the beginning of 2009. So we still have a lot of work on writing our new material.
11. Any shoutouts?
Band-
Check us out on http://www.myspace.com/themapleroom and try to give us a chance while you listen to it.
Thank you
