Vintage Zine - 1998
Interview with S. Cinca

Who's in the band and who does what?
Shelby: I (Shelby Cinca) play guitar/vocals, Nathan Burke plays bass/vocals, and Jason Hamacher plays drums.

How long have you been around?
Shelby: Probably around 4 years, but not really touring actively until 2 years ago.

Have you always pretty much been into that emo thing as a band?
Shelby: We never really felt that we were emo, we just kind of naturally came together screaming and playing dissonant chords.

Some zines label you guys more along the lines of a punk band, some call you a hardcore band, some label you emo... what do you consider yourselves to be? What are your main influences in Frodus?
Shelby: I consider us as futuristic rock. My main influences are: movie soundtracks, books such as: Brave New World, 1984, and the Band Rites of Spring.

How many national tours have you been on? how many times have you made it to the west coast?
We've been on 5 national tours and have been to the west coast 3 times.

Any funny show experiences? What's the craziest show you've ever played?
Shelby: We played a show in Luleå, Sweden where like 40 kids in the crowd dressed up like Cowboys and Indians. They had it down too.. .The Indians just wore little loin cloths and face-paint.

So do you like working with Eric or Brandon better? Which label do you think gets you the most publicity and actually cares about you as a band?
Shelby: Eric? As in Eric from Art Monk Construction? Well, we weren't really fully on Art Monk Construction. But working with Eric was great. Tooth and Nail is a larger label and has more resources so I have to say that Tooth and Nail is a bit more advantageous for us to work with but all the labels we have worked with have been great. The label we were on before Tooth and Nail was a label called 'Double Deuce' out of New York City. They were a great label, but it was hard for them to do too much since it was only 2 guys and they both also had full time jobs.

Since you are on Tooth and Nail, are you like a Christian band? What do you think about a lot of your records being introduced to the Christian market?
Shelby: We aren't a Christian band. And the fact of our records being in the Christian market is interesting.. I hope it causes some people who would normally never check us out to think.

Do you guys claim anything as a whole like: Christianity, vegan, SxE, etc.?
Shelby: We claim the future.

So what's the objective behind Lovitt records since you're like half owner or whatever? What are your main goals and what do you hope to see accomplished through Lovitt?
Shelby: We hope to do Lovitt for a living, helping our bands tour and make a living off of their music. We also just want to continue putting out music that we like without worrying about being stuck in a particular genre of music.

How was your tour in Europe?
Shelby: Our European tour was amazing.. very long. 2 1/2 months! Very enthusiastic crowds.

Whatever happened to Refused? You were supposed to be on tour with them, huh?
Shelby: Refused broke up at the 3rd show in the US and ended up only doing about 2 weeks worth. It was a bit unfortunate that certain members of the band didn't think harder before they committed to tour the US. But never the less, everything worked out well and we were able to continue despite the odds being against us (our van dying in Boston and us having to fly out to Seattle to continue the tour).

Overall how has this tour been?
Shelby: The tour has been the best US tour so far even though it has only been the West and East Coast. I think I prefer that since I like the idea of being near water.

Do you like the scenes and overall show atmosphere better on the East Coast or West Coast?
Shelby: It's similar and different based on the cities and the venue. I wouldn't say it's better or worse anywhere else, it just a matter of many variables.

What's the coolest thing about touring?
Shelby: Going to different cities, meeting new people, and having a lot of time to read.

Any closing comments that might change the world? If there was something you could change about the world what would it be?
Shelby: Increase the money in space exploration since I believe that through exploring space we can learn things about ourselves that can unite the world as a people and end the barbaric nationalistic boundaries that we still adhere to on this earth. I would also like to scatter the corporate structures or large monopolies and educate people to watch less television and be able to critically think and question advertising thus weakening the mass consumerism that is engulfing humanity today.