The Vinyl Sessions - 2000
Interview with S. Cinca
The new millinum has brought about many music news stories, but the news of a band
breaking up always hits the audience the hardest. The year 2000 brought the break-up
of the Smashing Pumpkins and Rage Against The Machine, but another break-up
was in the making. Hidden away in a studio, Frodus was creating a new
album, and they knew that it would be their last. Shelby Cinca (guitar/vocals)
said that while there may not have been a huge mass of people following
their music, there definitely was a crowd.
"Some people definitely were on to what we were doing, since we combined
elements of indie and punk to create our own sound," Cinca said. "We
had concepts and an encompassing feel and theme that people can get into".
Frodus was creating music for close to seven years, and Cinca said that quite a
bit changed musically. He said that the last album was much more mature then
what Frodus had done in the earlier years.
"At first, we were about being insane, spastic, futurist and punk. It was
about going completely bananas at shows," said Cinca. "What
we ended up doing on our last record was a more mature, moody sound with
more melody and dynamics".
Cinca said that the writing process in the beginning was about jamming and coming
up with songs while the band played together. He said that he used to
bring in more riffs in the early years, but in the end, the band soely
wrote during the jamming sessions. Cinca would not write any riffs outside
of practice, which enabled him to take a different approach to his guitar
approach. Cinca said that not much changed while the band recorded the
last album.
"Not much changed, other than the fact that we only had a month to record,"
Cinca said. "We paid more attention to details and the vibe".
Cinca said that the music of Frodus could be described as "a document of life
in a highly technology-driven world with a strong sense of the human element".
He explained that the live show was a major freak out. The members of
Frodus would run around with megaphones and scream at people in Japanese.
The last of the Frodus shows were highly energetic as well, but less spastic.
The band was more controlled and focused on creating a mood. Cinca said
that he did not feel that the band had a chance to develop the live show
into something better with the new songs.
With their strongest album just made and a growing live show, one has to wonder why
this band would want to part ways. Cinca said that in the seven years
that they were together, they were always going through different labels
for each album. He said that things were difficult because they were playing
the hardcore/punk scene, and they were somewhat misunderstood since they
were not hardcore nor indie. Cinca said that Frodus was definitely something
in between the two genres. Cinca said that the band members did not fight
with each other, but time did become their enemy, especially on the road.
"It was just time for a change and there was a lot of personal stuff that
we were going through with family and friends. Our drummer's girlfriend
was diagnosed with cancer and she passed away in March 2000; the album
is dedicated to her," Cinca said. "My dad had a stroke the same
week, 6/99, hence the song off the final record. Being in the band wasn't
fun anymore and was adding to the stress. Ultimately, time just had its
toll on us, and the fates wanted Frodus to end. And what a better way
to end respectfully then with the best record that we ever did".
Many Frodus fans are going to wonder what is going on with the band members.
In a nutshell, here is a list on what everyone is doing:
Jason (drummer) - is currently touring with Good Clean Fun in Europe and
Israel. He is figuring out what he wants to do musically by playing with
various people. He also wants to write a book about his experience with
his girlfriend and the struggle with cancer.
Nathan (bassist/vocals) - is with a new band with some of his friends. He
is playing guitar and singing. The new band is finishing up recording
an album.
Shelby (guitar/vocals) - is playing guitar and doing some singing with Blue
Bird from LA. He is working on releasing a full-length album with his
other band, The Cassettes, which he performs guitar and vocal duties.
He has also been recording the band Dead Meadow.
There will be no tour with this new album. Cinca, however, believes that
anything is possible. For Cinca, a show is a passing memory for those in
attendance. He feels that the last Frodus album was the best thing that
the band had ever done and in the end, he said that it is the recorded
music that will last forever.
"I tend to believe our record will speak for itself more than any show will,"
Cinca said. "It's honest".
Frodus members will continue to grow in their chosen paths. Fans can be updated on
each member at www.frodus.com. Shelby Cinca's last words were, "Rock and roll
is war".
It is a shame that such an amazing band has parted, but their music will survive
through the records.
Denise Couture