Posted on Jun 25, 2008 by alwaysacoustic

So, dreams can really come true. Matt Bishop, Thom Kirkpatrick, Ollie Thomas and I discussed on the Switches’ tour bus their debut album Lay Down the Law , the bands’ inspirations, Thom joining Switches and iTunes.

AARON KEKER: Hey everyone! This is Aaron Keker from Always Acoustic™ on the tour bus with Matt Bishop

and––

MATT BISHOP: Thom Kirkpatrick.

AARON KEKER: Thom Kirkpatrick. So, how are you guys doing?

MATT BISHOP: Good!

THOM KIRKPATRICK: Good! Thanks!

AARON KEKER: What date did Switches U.S. tour begin?

MATT BISHOP: It began on the 8th of May in Anaheim.

AARON KEKER: I read on Switches’ MySpace page a while ago that you guys have played several acoustic shows in California and Texas. Do you guys enjoy playing acoustically?

MATT BISHOP: Yeah, it makes a change from playing electrically, it gives us a chance to just––

THOM KIRKPATRICK: You can actually hear what we’re singing as well for a change.

MATT BISHOP: Harmonies you know. It’s fun. It’s a change. It’s a good change.

AARON KEKER: Besides The Bravery and She Wants Revenge, are there any other bands or musicians that Switches would enjoy touring with?

MATT BISHOP: Weezer.

THOM KIRKPATRICK: Yeah, we’d like to tour with Weezer.

MATT BISHOP: Yeah, we’d like to tour with Oasis.

THOM KIRKPATRICK: Bowie.

AARON KEKER: Yeah.

THOM KIRKPATRICK: [laughs]

AARON KEKER: [laughs] That’s cool. I read two different Switches’ press releases some time ago and it had different bassists in each one. Did the band change bassists from Max to Thom?

MATT BISHOP: That’s correct.

THOM KIRKPATRICK: That’s correct.

AARON KEKER: [laughs]

MATT BISHOP: Max left the band on his own choice and Thom filled in.

AARON KEKER: Welcome!

MATT BISHOP: Welcome Thom!

AARON KEKER: [laughs]

MATT BISHOP: [laughs]

THOM KIRKPATRICK: Nice to be here!

AARON KEKER: [laughs]

MATT BISHOP: [laughs]

AARON KEKER: What was it like playing at Lollapalooza last year?

MATT BISHOP: Hot.

THOM KIRKPATRICK: It was really hot.

AARON KEKER: As hot as today?

MATT BISHOP: Yeah! Well I have not been outside today but I’m not sure.

AARON KEKER: Yes, that’s true.

MATT BISHOP: But it was boiling last summer. Hot at Lollapalooza.

THOM KIRKPATRICK: Ah, boy.

MATT BISHOP: But it was good fun you know. Good fun. Can’t complain. Good stuff. Good times. Yeah.

THOM KIRKPATRICK: Yeah. A nice little crowd there and they seemed to enjoy it.

AARON KEKER: What bands or musicians inspire Switches?

MATT BISHOP: There’s lots of them, bands or musicians we like, you know. David Bowie probably is as far as a lot of artists in our sort of league, which have the same style.

THOM KIRKPATRICK: Blur.

MATT BISHOP: Blur. Ben Folds.

THOM KIRKPATRICK: Ben Folds.

MATT BISHOP: … Weezer, we mentioned them. So, yeah there’s a few there.

AARON KEKER: It’s cool. How excited was the band when Lay Down The Law was finally released on March 18, 2008 in the U.S.?

MATT BISHOP: Very, very excited. It’s just nice to get our first album out in America. A dream of mine come true really. So, here we are right here trying to promote it but being on first at 6 p.m., probably not the best way. But you know.

THOM KIRKPATRICK: [laughs]

AARON KEKER: [laughs] No, but it’s all right. So, that’s your official U.S. debut album though?

MATT BISHOP: It is, yeah.

AARON KEKER: I noticed on the U.K. iTunes store that Lay Down the Law is not available. The album that is available is––

MATT BISHOP: Heart Tuned to D.E.A.D.

AARON KEKER: Yes.

MATT BISHOP: It is the same album but a different title.

AARON KEKER: Exactly.

MATT BISHOP: It’s basically because the record label in American wanted something more direct and easy to stomach. So we just chose the most catchy song on the album.

AARON KEKER: Right. So, does D.E.A.D. stand for anything or is it just Dead?

MATT BISHOP: Dead. D.E.A.D. are strings as well on the guitar.

THOM KIRKPATRICK: You can tune your guitar like that.

MATT BISHOP: It’s tuning isn’t it dead like that…

AARON KEKER: Okay. What are some of your favorite songs on Lay Down The Law ?

MATT BISHOP: I like “Step Kids in Love” and I like “The Need to be Needed.”

THOM KIRKPATRICK: I like “Coming Down” it has a nice… vibe to it.

MATT BISHOP: Yeah. That’s it.

AARON KEKER: Okay. Are there any songs that did not make it on Lay Down The Law that you wished they would have?

MATT BISHOP: “Give up the Ghost” that was a track that was on our U.K. release that got shelved which we all agree is probably one of our best songs...

THOM KIRKPATRICK: Sometimes we play it live...

MATT BISHOP: Apart from that no, I think we’re happy with the choices on the album.

AARON KEKER: Okay. Besides Drama Queen, do you expect any other videos like Lay Down the Law to be released on iTunes U.S.?

MATT BISHOP: I can’t tell you at the moment, I’m not sure.

AARON KEKER: Okay.

MATT BISHOP: I hope to put out another single, which is going to be the track “Lay Down the Law.” We already shot a video for that in England so we might just use that, I don’t know. I don’t know the answer to that question.

AARON KEKER: Okay. Yeah, I’m like a big iTunes video guy. So…

MATT BISHOP: Yeah.

AARON KEKER: I would love to check that out.

MR. iTUNES: Excuse me! [Sweeping the floor] Guys don’t worry about me. Just keep talking.

AARON KEKER: That’s all right. What about any bonus songs from your U.K. album like “Stephanie,” “No Hero” and “Solid Gold” will they be available on iTunes U.S.?

MATT BISHOP: I don’t know. You have to ask Mr. iTunes.

AARON KEKER: [laughs]

THOM KIRKPATRICK: [laughs]

MATT BISHOP: I’m not in any control of it––

MR. iTUNES: Mr. iTunes present!

AARON KEKER: [laughs]

MATT BISHOP: I’m not in control of anything in terms of what goes on iTunes. I don’t know. Can you not get them off iTunes U.K.?

AARON KEKER: Well you actually… I actually have to have a U.K. account. So…

MATT BISHOP: Okay. Well can that be arranged or…

AARON KEKER: Yeah. You know… I assume so if I pay someone to purchase them you know from the U.K. store, but…

MATT BISHOP: You probably can buy them on imports, I suppose––

AARON KEKER: Yeah.

MATT BISHOP: On cd’s.

AARON KEKER: Yeah. I’m big on buying imports too but I’m not sure.

MATT BISHOP: They’re all available on import cd’s those tracks.

AARON KEKER: It’s probably actually on that album too, right, Heart Tuned to D.E.A.D. anyway?

MATT BISHOP: Which songs are you referring too? “Stephanie.”

AARON KEKER: “Stephanie.” “No Hero,” maybe it’s not. No, I don’t think it is.

MATT BISHOP: “No Hero” was part of an EP release.

AARON KEKER: What was it like when you heard “Drama Queen” was the theme song for MTV’s Legally Blonde: The Search for the Next Elle Woods ?

THOM KIRKPATRICK: [laughs] Watching the program––

MATT BISHOP: [laughs]

AARON KEKER: [laughs]

THOM KIRKPATRICK: it kind of makes a lot of sense because it’s those exact kind of people that we’re having to poke at with in that song you know.

AARON KEKER: No, go ahead.

THOM KIRKPATRICK: But they kind of played with it a little bit much with the theme which was a bit of a shame.

MATT BISHOP: Yeah.

THOM KIRKPATRICK: You know it works well.

MATT BISHOP: It’s good exposure you know. Cheers Ollie! Nice work!

OLLIE THOMAS: Semi-success, I can’t find the sodas.

THOM KIRKPATRICK: Quite ironic with the content of the lyrics of the song that is kind of a poke to those particular kind of people.

MATT BISHOP: Yeah.

AARON KEKER: It must be at least nice to have a song like, you know, on TV?

MATT BISHOP: It’s nice. We’re really grateful for the opportunity to have it, you know.

AARON KEKER: Has “Drama Queen” been featured on any other show besides Legally Blonde ?

MATT BISHOP: Yeah, it has––

OLLIE THOMAS: Yeah, it has––

MATT BISHOP: but I’m trying to think. Was it––

THOM KIRKPATRICK: Was it Ugly Betty wasn’t it?

MATT BISHOP: Was it? I don’t know if it was. I mean––

OLLIE THOMAS: I think it was.

MATT BISHOP: I mean a lot of our tracks have been featured on America shows but I can’t remember which belongs with which.

THOM KIRKPATRICK: Grey's Anatomy .

OLLIE THOMAS: A lot of bad English guys. [laughs]

AARON KEKER: [laughs]

OLLIE THOMAS: Sorry Ollie! Nice to meet you!

AARON KEKER: Hi! Aaron!

OLLIE THOMAS: Hey Aaron!

AARON KEKER: How you doing?

MATT BISHOP: Yeah. I can’t remember the names of the shows but it has been featured on other things I think. It was part of a Rimmel ad that Kate Moss was on as well.

AARON KEKER: All right. Well, final question. When the tour concludes on June 12th, I mean June 21, 2008 in L.A., what’s next for Switches?

MATT BISHOP: We’re going to go home and record another album, I think.

OLLIE THOMAS: Yes.

AARON KEKER: You guys have a new album title?

OLLIE THOMAS: No, not at all yet. We’ve got some songs and I think we’re just going to rehearse them up and try this and––

MATT BISHOP: Make some recordings.

OLLIE THOMAS: Get some recordings. Stuff from there really.

AARON KEKER: All right guys, well thanks a lot! I will see you in I guess in a half hour!

MATT BISHOP: All right!

OLLIE THOMAS: All right! Cool!

THOM KIRKPATRICK: Yeah!

MATT BISHOP: See you later!

OLLIE THOMAS: Cheers man!

Taken At:

House of Blues in Chicago (USA)

Taken On:

June 12th, 2008

Interviewees:

Matt Bishop, Thom Kirkpatrick and Ollie Thomas

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• www.alwaysacoustic.com/2008int...

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