Show & Tell - Codeseven, a chat with Matt Tuttle

CODESEVEN
AN INTERVIEW W/DRUMMER MATT TUTTLE, 04.19.05

Several years ago, the submission of contributor Brooklyn's 5 star CD review of Codeseven's last album, The Rescue, was followed by several days of introspection. Did I have the right to change the rating? Should I leave the rating off? Could I post it as is? With 5 stars?

In the end, I couldn't bring myself to post it with a 5 star rating so I posted it without a rating at all. 5 stars was The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spider from Mars! It was Led Zeppelin IV, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, London Calling, Highway 61 Revisited. 5 stars was the pinnacle; perfection on vinyl [ed.s' note: vinyl?]. And, most importantly, 5 stars meant there was no room for improvement.

"Improvement" turned out to be the key word there. Had we given The Rescue 5 stars, where would we go now with Codeseven's latest release, and a marked step forward, Dancing Echoes/Dead Sounds? Codeseven seems to have reinvented its sound (again) on DE/DS, and while it suffers just a tad from "trying-too-hard syndrome," you can hear its potential; this album is great, the next should be even greater.

Codeseven is 3/5ths Tuttles (brothers Matt, James and Jon), a Weyer (Eric) and a Jenkins (Jeff). S&T's Argus WacWargus spoke to drummer Matt Tuttle 'bout some stuff. Here's how it went.

S&T: Are you in North Carolina now? Are you at home?

Matt: Yeah. We’ve been home I think about a week now, maybe two weeks. It's pretty good to be home.

S&T: It's beautiful there.

Matt: We have the Mountains about an hour away from us, the beach is about four hours. Can't really complain.

S&T: So you're going around with Classic Case.

Matt: Yeah, we’ve got, I think, it's 3 or 4 shows with them.

S&T: Are they still in New York or have they moved back to North Carolina?

Matt: I think they're back – I actually ran into the singer at the Muse show here in Raleigh, last week, and I think they officially moved back to Carrboro or Chapel Hill.

S&T: You guys are friends from back in the day...?

Matt: We've known them probably since '99. They used to be in another band before that and then they moved up to New York City for a while – they're not strangers.

S&T: The main thing I want to say to you is I'd like to compliment you guys for perpetually evolving. I think that's awesome tough I imagine you get some shit for that over the years from people who want you to stay the same.

Matt: Yeah, I mean you can imagine if people want you to keep doing the same thing. But things get old, you've written new things and sure, people want to hear your old things, but you know, what are you gonna do?

S&T: You’ve been together for so long, three of you are brothers.... Has that evolution been harmonious, or has it been a struggle? You know, somebody wants things to go one way...

Matt: Oh, that happens all the time. (laughs) It's not a bad thing. I mean, brothers do fight, don’t they? But we're not as bad as Oasis. (laughs) It's no big deal.

S&T: Do you guys feel your transformation has been directed chiefly by the band, or has there been pressure from labels?

Matt: Not at all, not at all. EVR [Equal Vision Records] is behind us, whatever we want to do. They trust us very much. And we trust them for their opinion, you know. We tried to record the album the best we could the way we wanted it. It's pretty much all of us putting our work together.

S&T: So you've been treated well.

Matt: Yeah, very, very well. They're great guys.

S&T: Tell me a bit more about your tour.

Matt: We do have – can't remember exactly what the dates are – in May we have a bunch of dates with MeWithoutYou and Bear Vs Shark. But then after that, in June, we're going on a tour with Anberlin, Saosin, Acceptance, and Terminal.

S&T: Yeah, through July 1st.

Matt: I guess you know more than I do (laughter).

S&T: Have you guys been able to quit your day jobs?

Matt: When we're at home, we work.

S&T: Does it feel like you guys have been touring a lot more than usual, especially last fall – has it been more intense than you're used to?

Matt: It seems kinda weird to say, but we have done a lot more than usual, and it's become more comfortable to be on the road than it ever has been.

S&T: You get in a groove?

Matt: We kinda have a little routine, you know, everything you do is the same thing every day, you kinda get used to it. It's kinda like being at home and going to work, it's the same routine. It's cool.

S&T: I have a friend who loves touring, and in the South he loves going to Waffle House.

Matt: Ugh! (laughs) I can't say I like Waffle House.

S&T: (laughs) It's not like it's the best food in the world. But it's a regular thing, you know, something you can rely upon when you're on the road, that's what he liked about it. And the grits.

Matt: I've got one, one exit down the highway, and I've eaten there maybe three times. I guess you've got IHOP, or Denny's, or Waffle House.... Whatever, I'll pass.

S&T: So you're not going to do a song for their jukebox anytime soon. [The jukebox in every Waffle House is full of songs about Waffle House by famous country & western performers. –Arg.]

Matt: (laughs)

S&T: Let me ask you a little bit about your new album, Dancing Echoes/Dead Sounds. I have to say, the first thing I thought when I heard it was the Sundays.

Matt: The Sundays?

S&T: Yeah, you remember them?

Matt: Sounds kinda familiar.

S&T: Early nineties. They had a girl singer, but definitely a similar atmosphere.

Matt: I remember the Happy Mondays....

S&T: (laughs) Nope, different band, different day of the week. (laughs) Lemme ask you about drumming influences. When did you start drumming, and what were you listening to?

Matt: Back when I was little. I probably got my first kit at 6 or 7, my first real kit. I guess I was listening to hair rock back then; Poison, Motley Crue, whatever else you got. Then there's the Dream Theater category.

S&T: Were you into progressive rock at all?

Matt: Well, mainly I just listened to Dream Theater.

S&T: I'd call them prog rock, you know, like I'd call Rush prog rock too....

Matt: The Rush category, yeah. I guess every musician goes through it; it kinda helps you get as technical as possible. But then I guess you can actually throw Fear Factory in there and that sorta genre too. Recently I've tried to adopt more of a simple kind of approach. If you listen to a song, it's not that complex of a beat. But without that beat, there couldn't be any other beat there. It's the right beat for the song.

S&T: Yeah, that's what I heard when I was listening to the album; simple, but so, so clear, and I could hear your technical background.

Matt: I appreciate it, thank you. I will say one of my favorite drummers would probably be... you know, I can't think of his name now, but he played with Shiner, if you're familiar with them. Their second record is one of my favorite drum albums probably ever [ed.’s note: Matt is probably talking about Shiner album Lula Divinia and drummer Tim Dow, now with Year of the Rabbit].

S&T: What's your favorite album right now? Anything you're listening to a lot on tour?

Matt: You know, trying to think of the last album I bought. I kinda do like the old British category, not the 80s exactly but...

S&T: Like Britpop?

Matt: Yeah, Britrock?

S&T: You like Blur?

Matt: Yeah, a little bit, I never did get into them too much. More like The Doves, Coldplay, all that category. Something about that style, the way they arrange it, all the textures that they put into the music, the layers of stuff, like a musical painting. Layers of stuff but it doesn't take away from the actual song.

S&T: Yeah, I heard a lot of stuff going on in the background on Dancing Echoes/Dead Sounds. Matt, thanks for your time. You have any closing comments?

Matt: I have no idea. I guess, listen to more Codeseven?

S&T: (laughs) Have a great tour, man.

Matt: I appreciate it, maybe I'll catch you when we're out there.

interview by argus macwargus