Com Truise chats with Moonset before leaving on tour
NV: Through your releases you've shared a sci-fi narrative from the eyes, or ears, of Earth’s first synthetic astronaut -- Com Truise.
At the end of Wave 1 he "...successfully makes contact with the far-off Wave 1 colony but, once he does, things get fuzzy. He falls in love; there is a war coming. A story that began in hope and dreams of discovery ends on an uncertain note."
Silicon Tare continued from there, and "...formed a prelude to the next full-length, which is intended to conclude the saga."
Six years have passed since your first full-length album, Galactic Melt. Where is Com Truise in Iteration? -- out June 16.
Does this album conclude the saga?
CT: Iteration definitely concludes this chapter of Com's journey. As to where it will go in the future, we might get a glimpse into the past, maybe the reason he was ever sent to make contact, or maybe his development. I haven't really put much thought into it as of right now.
NV: If you could make music of another genre, which one would that be?
CT: I'd love to produce straight-up funk!
NV: What does your last text say?
CT: A lot on my mind.
NV: The first artist whose music influenced you?
CT: Nine Inch Nails
NV: What is your go-to concession stand must have at the movies?
CT: I used to get all kinds of goodies. I'm all about regular old popcorn, no butter, and an Orange Fanta these days.
NV: What is the last song you remember signing out-loud?
CT: The Chemical Brothers - Not Another Drug Store
NV: If you had to choice one pizza topping to eat for the rest of your life, what would it be?
CT: Plain old cheese pizza, as I get older I find simple is better!
NV: What is your favorite city to play in?
CT: I love playing in New York, my home state. But his it’s a hard question, as every city has its own feeling. Very hard to pick a favorite.
NV: Coffee or Tea?
CT: Coffee. I love both and the both have specific places and times in my routine.
NV: What is a country that you haven't played in and have a desire to?
CT: Japan
NV: Describe the first time you performed live.
CT: It was in a sort of co-ed club house at Princeton University, it was Onra and myself. It was very strange but it was pretty amazing as it was really the beginning of my performance career.
NV: What is the craziest fan mail you've gotten?
CT: I've received a lot of fan art, nothing really crazy, that I know of at least. No fan fiction yet.
NV: What is the best gift you have received from a fan?
CT: It's not so much a gift, but I really enjoy getting notes in person from people who are just shy enough not to tell their story in person. I like knowing I've somehow helped someone through a hard time, its the most rewarding part of what I do.
NV: Name the city/show that has been the most memorable to you while performing?
CT: I was selling out the Bowery Ballroom with Phantoms and having it be the first time my Mom and Dad ever saw my show.
NV: Finish these sentences:
I can ... finish all the stuff I need to do before tour.
I can't ... figure out how I'm going to.
I have ... to make another cup of coffee, pronto.
I haven't ... left the house in days.
I want ... to vacation in the mountains this summer in between tours.
NV: You are about to go on a 40 day tour with Clark.
CT: Yes, I'm getting all the feels. Nervous, anxious, stressed, excited. I've been a fan of Clark for years so I'm very much looking forward to watching his set every night. I'm also looking forward to sharing my show and all the new tunes!
NV: What are some do's and don'ts on tour?
CT: Don't over do it with the booze, nothing worse than being hungover on the road, there's already a huge lack of comfort. Always have extra socks, my suitcase is literally filled with socks. I also try very hard not to eat late at night anymore, makes for a rough morning.
NV: What has been your craziest experience/encounter while touring?
CT: It was while on tour with Neon Indian. We were driving from Austin to Dallas and we had stopped for fuel. We decided to grab a bite in the rest stop, we sat down ordered food and around us was a group of guys in mover uniforms and a man, woman and child to our other side. The mover guys got up and left and the waitress came over and said something like "omg they left marijuana on the table!" So she comes over to us with this giant stem and says is this weed and my tour manager says, "technically it's a stem." We finish up and head back to our ride and pull around to fill up the tank. A few minutes later the guy with the woman and child walks up to us and starts asking us all these questions, he looked kind of off, I remember the first thing I noticed was he had flip flops on! He starts asking us if we ate at the restaurant and if we had any drugs because the found weed on the table by us. We're like "no it was the mover guys." He proceeded to tell us he was from the fugitive task force and that he wanted to search our car. We're like "no way man, this is crazy, you're talking to the wrong guys." Meanwhile this old man on the pump right on the other side of ours is looking directly at me and listening. He lifts up his shirt and I see a gun and a US Marshalls badge, so now I'm really freaked out. He comes over and starts talking to the guy with the flip flops, asking him for his ID numbers and agency info and the guy is ignoring him.
The US Marshall asks us all to go back inside and talk to the waitress, as soon as we walk in she's like "that's the wrong guys!" So the Marshall says we're free to go and he continues talking to the flip flop guy. What I believed happened was that the flip flop guy was trying to steal peoples drugs. I mean if you're in the fugitive task force, how are you going to catch any fugitives wearing flip flops. It made us so late for the show, it was just all so weird.
NV: What's next for Com Truise after your Spring tour?
CT: I'd love to write more music. This year is pretty crazy, so I'm not really sure I'll have time for much other than traveling. I'm excited for the future though!