Interviews : Rolo Tomassi (James Spencer) – 27/01/2009

Rolo Tomassi have been taking England by storm with their brand of ‘prog hardcore’ or Nintendo metal. Metal Obsession recently had a chance to ask James Spence of the band some questions.

Metal Obsession: Thanks for taking the time out to have a chat to Metal Obsession, could you give our readers a quick run down of the band, and your position in it?

James Spence: Hello, my name is James and I play keyboards in a band called Rolo Tomassi. We also have Ed on drums, Joe on guitar, Eva does vocals and Joseph plays bass.

MO: You’ve just released your debut album, Hysterics. Being in Australia, so far away from England, whats the reaction been like there to the new album?

JS: We have had an incredibly positive reaction to the release. Magazines have given us some good reviews and more importantly, the people who have bought it have given us some great feedback. It’s really good to see peoples reaction’s to the new material in a live environment too.

MO: What’s Sheffield like as a town to start a band in? Is there much of a scene there?

JS: We’re all from just outside of Sheffield in smaller villages. Sheffield, at one point, had a great scene for punk and hardcore music but that’s kind of died down now which is a shame. Indie bands are more so prevailant. It was a good place to start the band though. Lots of small venues to play and as a student city, if you promote your own shows well you can get a good crowd.

MO: With the internet being what it is, were you afraid of the album leaking early, or is that almost expected as a band releasing music now?

JS: It was a concern. Unfortunately theres not much that smaller bands can do about that kind of thing. I took the perspective that as soon as the record was released it would be online and that there was definitely the chance it could leak prior to the release and if people did download it, well that’s kind of complementary to us that people are that interested in the release. The people that will buy CD’s and LP’s will still buy them.

MO: In January you’re heading over to Europe for a tour. Have you toured outside of the UK before?

JS: We’ve done a couple of shows in Paris but other than that we haven’t been to the mainland properly. I’m incredibly excited about taking our music to completely new places!

MO: Has the bands sound evolved over the few years you’ve been around? For a young band, there is quite a technical sound to your music. Has it always been like this?

JS: We’ve always been in a technical place music wise. The music has evolved though as our tastes have changed and our ability to play our own instruments has progressed. With a sound like ours the music will always change slightly song to song and release to release.

MO: Its not easy to classify the band to a genre, and people who have tried have come up with some crazy ones to try and pigeon hole you. Do you have any favourites? And what are the main influences the band draw from?

JS: This is a question we’re asked a lot and I think the description we’ve all settled on is ‘progressive hardcore’. I think the lowest common denominator of our sound is, and will always be, hardcore but not in the original state which is why its progressive. We take the base sound of hardcore and mould it into something new. Obviously theres also jazz and some classical tones in there but more from a structural perspective.

MO: Whats it like being in a band with a growing fanbase, but you have to juggle recording an album with finishing school?  Are there plans for university, and how will this affect the band?

JS: None of us are actually in education at the moment. For the first couple of years in the band a few of us were finishing at college but we decided to put off university and make a proper go of the band. I definitely think that once the band is finished that a few of us will pursue education.

MO: Do you read reviews of the album and live shows, or try and stay away from that sort of stuff?

JS: I’m a music fan and always read music magazines to see what new bands they’re covering. I think it’s interesting to get other people’s opinions on our band but it never influences my own decision on what to do with our music or live show.

MO: Any plans for a trip to Australia in the not too distant future?

JS: Nothing is set in stone but I would definitely hope we’ll get to visit at some point.

MO: And any final words to your in Australia?

JS: Thanks for checking out our band, even if its just by reading this interview.

MO: Thanks for taking the time to answer some of our questions, good luck with Hysterics, and your upcoming tours!

And thanks to Inertia, we can offer Metal Obsession readers a free download of the track Scabs! Right Click to download

Rolo Tomassi’s ‘Hysterics‘ is out now on Pod through Inertia.

Our Review of Hysterics can be read here.

Band: Rolo Tomassi
Date: 27/01/2009
Origin: Sheffield, UK

Questions: Scott Boelsen (Metal Obsession)
Answers: James Spence (Keyboards/Vocals)