Introduce yourself…
Hey Harvey, I’m Lotfi. I play guitar and sing in Straightaway, Phil is on drums, Fab on guitar and Paul on bass. We’re from Paris, France and started off the band in late 1999, playing melodic punk rock ever since.
How did the band start?
The band was basically started by Digo (former drummer), Saul (former guitarist) and myself. We didn’t really know each other back in the days and were just looking into starting a punk rock band. Digo and Saul hooked up in the first place when one of them saw an ad at this indie music store about playing in a punk band, I met Saul later on, it was a real match and we were all set to go.
Where did you come up with the name?
There are two different sides to this name. When this whole thing started out we weren’t even 20 yet and being young, you happen to be way more impulsive and impatient. Straightaway is about wanting to have everything you’re aiming for right now out of excitement and impatience. The other meaning is actually a carpe diem related matter. If you ask me I think one of the hardest things we face as human beings is to be able to really live in the moment. We’re always stuck in the nostalgia, the memories or the pain we’ve grown from the past and keep projecting ourselves into the future as this is what makes us move on and keep going but it’s hard to get the ability to really appreciate that very present moment you live. It’s not an easy thing to achieve and the name of the band is about this quest, that chance to hold on to the present and let both the past and the future apart for a while.
Who are your influences ?
We all listen to different stuff but definitely have a common background which is punk rock. Bands we like or love include Strung Out, Bodyjar, Lagwagon, A Wilhelm Scream, Face To Face, Ignite, Propagandhi, Satanic Surfers, No Use For A Name and much more…
What is the French scene like?
At some point it kept getting better and better, bands sound a whole lot better now but conditions for punk rock and alternative bands to make this seriously are extremely shaky and it’s not easy. Touring in France ain’t the easiest thing either as much as finding skilled people ready to get involved in a project as demanding as a touring band. However we keep having passionate people promoting shows, supporting bands and trying to make this whole scene live.
What is the song writing process?
I come up with 99% of the riffs, I usually have several ideas for a song, show up to a practice and show them to the guys. We start working from there and build a song. I pretty much have a vision of the song already in mind but I let quite some room for changes and new ideas so that everybody is involved in the writing. I don’t really like the idea of a single guy composing songs all by himself and showing the whole track pretty much finished and done to the rest of the band. You can get a lot of ideas during the writing process of a song as a whole. I mean we can think of something new for the song inspired by a drum rhythm or harmonized guitars for example or anything else basically...
As a band, you guys went through a period of lineup changes between 2001-2005, tell us about that period of the band…
Man, if only it was just between 2001 and 2005 that would be awesome but we’re not through with this curse yet haha. Fab joining us was great and offered the band some relief for more than 3 years. Saul after 10 years in the band decided to call it a day and that was quite a shock as he was an original member but we understood his decision and him being willing to move on and experience other things with his life. We were sad about losing him and yet we’re still good friends. He even played a few shows with us to save our asses when we were short of a band member and that felt great! Fab got in the band on bass but has always been a guitar player basically. Being 3 guys left he started jamming with us on guitar instead of bass and enjoyed it a lot. It was obvious after a few auditions and a year later it wouldn’t be easy to replace Saul. Fab being a great guitar player, familiar with all the songs and not too keen about his bassist position anymore it felt natural to give him the job and look for a new bass player. Paul jumped in on bass. He’s a great musician, playing drums, guitar, bass, he sings too. Unfortunately after 10 years of drumming he got diagnosed with arthritis and had to quit drumming. The problem was that even playing guitar and bass was painful especially in a punk rock band. That would affect his live performance pretty badly not to mention his health. He decided to leave and let us find someone who can give his best. That was another letdown but it was great having someone so positive around us and I feel grateful we crossed each other’s paths. We’re good friends now. Not too long after Paul left, we got into an all time low when we decided to part ways with Digo. We shared our whole time in the band together which means 12 years now and he was an important part of our sound not to mention one of the best punk drummers I know but we’ve had our issues and he wasn’t willing to tour anymore which we couldn’t think for a second. Just play a few shows every now and then has never been an option to us. Fab and I decided we had to go through this test and try to keep this band going. With only two of us left we were not that optimistic about the odds of Straightaway making another record. Yet we’ve never had such faith in our future, our new songs and our will to live much more with this band which is a big part of our lives and our hearts. We had a couple of shows right after we decided to end it with Digo and thought we would have to cancel even though that was the last thing we wanted to do. We hate obviously to let promoters down. Paul offered to fill in on drums despite his serious injury, Fab went back to bass and Saul came back on guitar. We had only 4 practices before performing and the shows went so great. Seeing people singing along enjoying the show more than ever with a line-up that was different achieved to make us feel more willing than ever to get back on track. We had our fair share of chance for once and got a new drummer called Phil who’s an amazing drummer, can play all of Digo’s parts and has given right away 100% to Straightaway. It was the first audition, just a month after we started looking. We couldn’t be happier. We just need a bassist now and hopefully we’ll be steady for a while. Paul is now filling in on bass so we can play shows in the meantime and I’m taking this opportunity to thank him for all the time and help he’s put in Straightaway !
Tell us about the ‘Emotions & Anger’ EP…
It was our first EP, it’s not perfect in the recording, in the playing or in the songwriting but it represents a part of our spirit. I still love the songs. We still play Emotions And Anger live which is a track about us as a band and still can relate to it as the very first time I ever wrote the lyrics. It got released in Japan and Australia which was nice for a first effort.
In 2007 you released your first full length, ‘Democracy of Spreading Poverty’, tell us about the album…
DOSP was a big step up from Emotions And Anger. The production was much better even though I’m unhappy with many things sound wise like the drums and the vocals being too loud, the compression being overused, guitars not being equalized properly and so on. This kinda gave the impression all the songs sounded the same. I gotta say that was frustrating but at the same time I love all the songs on the record and enjoy playing them after all this time. We started writing better songs that would combine a catchier side and yet would remain interesting enough for us to play as musicians. The core of the band aka Saul, Digo and myself was eventually completed with the arrival of Fab on bass in 2005 and we found for the first time some stability. The release of DOSP definitely helped us then to tour in many places and play in front of more and more people singing along to our songs and it’s been a very rewarding experience! We got it released in Europe, Japan, Australia, Eastern Europe which has substantially increased our fanbase so it’s been very positive.
Are there plans for a release in 2011?
We have a new album in the process, it will be called Last Exit To Nowhere and all I can say is it’s gonna be great and so much worth the wait. I’ve been constantly writing new songs since DOSP but facing line-up issues over the last two years made it quite complicated to hit the studio and record a new album. There’s not point to us in recording if we don’t have steady members. As time’s passed by we’ve written so many songs that we have replaced the older ones. I guess by the time we record it we won’t have any more songs that we wrote a while back. We’re almost done with the writing and will hit the studio. The only thing we’re missing now is a bassist and I’m sure we’ll get the right guy.
Where have you toured?
We’ve toured so far in Europe only. We went to something like 17 countries, France, Belgium, UK, Luxembourg, Holland, Spain, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Italy, Eastern Europe and more. Our touring plans for the new record include Europe and Eastern Europe again but we’re looking into South America, Japan, Australia. We got a very strong demand in Indonesia too so that’s something we’re considering and thinking about including in the process.
Is there a favorite song you guys like to perform live?
Well I would say an old song “One Day Thought”. We wrote it back in 2001 but have always enjoyed playing it which is the reason why we put it on Democracy Of Spreading Poverty. We mostly use it to end our set list and I love it every time, I wouldn’t like to end up our shows with another song at the moment but who knows? Things might change with the brand new set of tracks we’re gonna have to include.
Who are some of the bands you have you done shows with?
We were lucky enough to play with great bands we grew up listening to or that we love. That includes Lagwagon, No Use For A Name, Bigwig, Coheed And Cambria, Satanic Surfers, A Wilhelm Scream, Ten Foot Pole, Belvedere, Venerea, we played with Strung Out many times, we toured Europe with Useless ID… Hopefully there will be more great names to add to the list when we start touring again for the new record. We’re playing with the Flatliners in August, we had a show with Rufio that got cancelled, we’re playing a few shows with A Wilhelm Scream again this summer.
Is there a favorite band you like to do shows with?
Speaking for myself I’d seriously love to play with Face To Face, these guys have been one of my favorite bands ever, it really broke my heart when they split up cuz I never got the chance to see them live. Luckily they’re back and I finally got the chance to see them, one of the best shows I’ve ever attended. I felt like 16 again watching them. I would have really loved to play with Bodyjar from Australia but they split up recently too which is a shame as they were amazing. There must be other bands but I can’t think of any right now. I’d love to go on tour with my friends from A Wilhelm Scream cuz they’re one of the best punk bands live ever and the sweetest, nicest, down to earth guys I got to meet in the scene. Knowing that makes you appreciate this band even more.
Is there a favorite place you like to do shows at?
So far I’d say we had some of our favorite shows in Spain and Eastern Europe. I remember this one night in Russia. We were playing a show in Moscow on a Saturday night. I was just getting off the stage and our booker let me know that our show the very next day day in Vladimir was cancelled. The singer of a band we shared the stage with the night before in Saint Petersburg offered to put on a show for us during the night and use the occasion to do a presentation for their new cd. It was in a city called Dubna around 100 km away from Moscow. We thought it would be cool and would be like a good practice in front of 10 people. When we got there the venue was awesome. It was an old strip club, the catering was nice so we thought it would be a show with great conditions in front of a very few people. God I was wrong ! A short time after the door were open there was 300 kids showing up and giving us some of the craziest support we ever got. That was such a surprise that it was breathtaking playing to a crowd of kids so enthusiastic about seeing you on such short notice.
What do you see is the future of Straightaway?
It’s always a hard thing to say but all I know is my love for this band and punk rock has never decreased and keeps going strong. I love practicing, I love the feeling of being on tour, meeting new people, seeing new places and old friends and faces, I still have the excitement and the chills when we write a kickass new song so there’s no way in hell I would give that up now. I think we’re gonna make a strong comeback with Last Exist To Nowhere and make the most out of it, tour everywhere we can and make it up for the wasted time. More than a record it will be a much bigger achievement than that with all that’s happened to us. I’ve seen many bands break up but we’re still here and built to last. Just to see people wanting so bad to hear another Straightaway record makes my day and feel like not letting them down.
How can people contact the band?
Well we’re pretty easy guys to reach cuz I think it’s really important for people to have a chance to get in touch with a band they like and it’s a very normal thing for me to give something back to people supporting us and be able to keep in touch. Our email addresses are listed on our website, we’re all on facebook, we’re on myspace and try to reply to comments, messages or emails we get. Facebook is a pretty good way these days to keep up with people’s questions and messages.
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