The Attitude’s Jim Louvau Gets His Dance On

The Attitude got their start in 2005 making their breaking point in 2007 with their debut EP "Straight To The Middle" which caused quite a buzz and touring trek on their behalf. The years went on and the band took time to breathe and focus on performing and then of course write and record brand new material for their follow-up EP "Dance Fuck Suicide". This will all of course compress of more shows, more writing, and loads more of recording which shall surly lead to another EP due out later this year. Frontman vocalist and photographer Jim Louvau talks to me about the band’s previous works up until this point in time and place and where he sees the band heading too next.

1. So you decided to release another EP? How does it differ from your previous EP "Straight To The Middle"?

Jim: This EP really couldn't be more different then the "Straight to the middle" release. For starters that EP was all done digitally on a computer and there were no live drums, or miccd guitar cabs and we were a brand new band still trying to find our identity. This time around we went into the studio with Greg Norris initially to do some pre-production or demo's with the idea that we would be sending these new recordings to other producers to do the actual record with. After hearing what Greg was able to capture and contribute in the studio we changed our mind and eventually decided to make a record with him.

2 How many new songs are on the new EP "Dance Fuck Suicide"? Why the name "Dance Fuck Suicide"?

Jim: There are 4 album tracks on the EP, "Burn" and "Like Rats" had previously been demoed but never officially released "Dance Fuck Suicide" and "Own it on the Mattress" were both written in the studio and are brand new. The interludes are all very much brand new as well. The name "Dance Fuck Suicide" was something that Anthony came up with after we had almost all of the lyrics and vocals done, it's a pretty bold statement and each word is a part of a sequence of events.

3. You have a total of 13-tracks but 5 of those are remixed, why did you want to go in that direction?

Jim: We wanted to give people something more interesting than a normal rock record. In the same vain as singles and EP's we used to buy as kids where you'd get to hear different versions of songs and remixes, recently that had become a sort of lost artform. And speaking for myself I've been pretty bored with standard rock n' roll bands for a while now and have a hard time finding new things I like.

4. Where did you record the EP and who produced it?

Jim: We did it with Greg Norris in his home studio, and then he moved it into my old house and we finished it there.

5. How would you describe the overall sound of it?

Jim: The idea was to have many different sounds and vibes, that's why we liked the idea of including, remixes to have people take a different approach then we originally did.

6. Did you use any new instrumentation you've never used in the recording process before?

 Jim: No.

7. When did you start writing for this release? How was the songwriting process different/similar to the previous releases?

Jim: A few of the songs had been songs that were hanging around that we hadn't released yet and when we started recording they were the first ones we tracked. The week before we went in we wrote music for 3 songs that weren't even close to being finished or even structured for that matter. Some of my bandmates didn't want to finish these tracks in the studio but I felt really strong about them. With that said there was a ton of pressure to for these songs to turn out well. These eventually became "Dance Fuck Suicide", "Own it on the Mattress", and the next EP "Beautiful Disaster." The entire recording process was over a year long.

8. Can you go into one or two tracks on the new album? If so, can you give us the track title and brief description of how the track sounds and how it came about?

Jim: See question 7.

9. How was the vibe in the studio?

Jim: Fun at times, hostile at times, I almost kicked a door in, typical rock band stuff.

10. What about the artwork for the cover, what is the concept on that?

Jim: I had been trying to come up with something visually that fit the intensity of the song that really showcased each word of the phrase. Beyond that I leave it up to the person listening to the song, remixes, and interludes to paint the picture themselves of how she got their physically and mentally.

11. Will you be touring this release?

Jim: Touring sounds fun and expensive.

12. Are you worried about how the new tracks will translate live?

Jim: No, I think they are pretty true to the recording.

13. Besides music you’re also a photographer? What made you want to expand into that field?

Jim: I enjoy creating art in many different facets and photography is another outlet for me to be creative and work with others so it's been a natural progression.

14. How do you think being a photographer has affected the way you are as a musician?

Jim: Besides the opportunity of meeting more people that have been instrumental in my life as a "musician" it has helped me capture other in the same way I'd like to see.

15. What does The Attitude mean to you?

Jim: The Attitude is a giant pain in the ass but I like making music with Anthony.