As alt-metal acts are inclined to do these days, SoCal quartet Trapt recently released a live EP with–to further tickle your buying bone–a T-shirt.
Well, they had to do something. After all, the band has been touring in support of its self-titled debut for almost two years now.
The juggernaut success of the incendiary “Headstrong” and lathery power ballad “Echo” has given Trapt free reign of the road and put them in the position to headline a tour that includes Smile Empty Soul, Finger Eleven and Strata.
RedEye caught up with Trapt guitarist Simon Ormandy by phone from somewhere in southern Illinois to talk to him about making money on eBay, being in a Pepsi ad and the band’s 9/11 showcase.
On eBay, they’re selling Trapt promotional posters for $2 a pop. You obviously have access to tons of them. Ever think about getting a bunch, autographing them and making even more money?
Yeah, I’ve thought about it. Never actually done it. Let’s see, I’ve about 50 or so of them, so that makes me … I don’t know how much money.
Is the need to release a live EP a response to losing money from illegal downloads?
Live stuff is always good. I think it’s all about playing live as a band. That’s where you really develop your style and your music. Especially today with all the Internet downloading going on, I really think it’s going back to being a live thing, as music should be.
ESPN recently aired a documentary on Roger Clemens’ last season with the Yankees in which your song “Still Frame” played in the background. Are you aware that stuff like that goes on?
Most of the time. I’ll give you an example when we weren’t aware: There are these Pepsi [print] ads that we’re in, and I had no idea that we were in them until I saw it in Rolling Stone. I’m like, “Oh, that’s great.”
Did you promptly call up your manager and ask him how much money you were getting for it?
Something like that.
You got signed to Warner Bros. after a showcase on, of all days, Sept. 11. That must really hold bittersweet memories for you.
Yeah, we already knew we were gonna get signed. The showcase was more of a formality. But it was definitely a surreal day. You wake up at 9 in the morning, and you see all the (bleep) going down on television, and they keep repeating it over and over and over. And then you’re driving around L.A., and it’s like a ghost town. And then to have to go and play and put on a good vibe … I mean, we did it, but it was just a surreal thing to do. It didn’t really set in until a couple weeks later. We were happy that we got signed, but it definitely was something that was a little bit depressed in our minds because of all the other stuff going on.
Trapt
When: 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday.
Where: House of Blues, 329 N. Dearborn St.
Tickets: $15, 312-923-2000.
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Edited by Cara DiPasquale (cdipasquale@tribune.com) and Kris Karnopp (kkarnopp@tribune.com)
