FEATURED INTERVIEWS 07                         

Robbers On High Street

With terrific hooks, heartfelt lyrics and an undeniable sound, Robber's on High Street are definitely making their way to the top of the crop. Their latest, "Grand Animals" is a step in the right direction and so far, it does not dissapoint. Ben Trokan, lead singer of ROHS enlightened us about their current tour plans and why you should not miss a ROHS show.

By: Gian Erguiza

Gian: Your newest record, "Grand Animals" is a beautiful blend of rock and different elements of music. How did you guys originally come up with the idea of the album title and what went into making this album?

Ben: We picked from a lot of songs, about 26 or so. The idea was to pick the best songs, obviously, but also to pick ones that weren’t repeating themselves. The goal was stylistic diversity so it sounded like a mix tape but every band was us. The name came from a veterinarian’s office near my old apartment in Brooklyn. Storefront signs are good for that, they’re already titles.

Gian: I took a listen to “Tree City” and found that I love "Grand Animals" much better. Do you guys feel like this is your best work so far?

Ben: We do.

Gian: "Grand Animals" is filled with melodic hooks and heartfelt lyrics. What do you guys think is the biggest contribution to your sound? Influences?

Ben: For this record I think a lot of it depended on the musical stylings of the elusive Mr. Morgan King. He didn’t play on our other stuff and it made all the difference. Influences: Macca, Jeff Lynne, Nilsson, Bowie.

Gian: My favorite song on the album is "Married Young," cause of the energy it presents.What is the bands favorite song to play live and why?

Ben: I don’t know if there’s one we all agree on. I like Crown Victoria because I get to harmonize with Moose for most it and then Steve comes in at the end and we do a three-parter. I get to take a ridiculous solo on Kick ‘em in the Shins. I’m not much of a shredder at all but sometimes it comes out...interesting.

Gian: Now I notice that there are only 3 pictures on the album insert but I hear all sorts of different instruments on the album. Do you guys play all of the instruments live or do you guys have some session players come in to fulfill the needed sounds?

Ben: There’s five of us live and it had been that way for about a year prior to Grand Animals. We’ve been through some line-up adjustments but me, Steve and Morgan played everything on the record with the exception of a couple things we had our friends play.

Gian: "Japanese Girls" will be featured in the new Showtime series "Californication." How did this come about, and how thrilled are you guys to have your song included?

Ben: Not sure, they called us out of the blue one day. We’re happy about it, though I’ve yet to see the show. I hear it’s about David Duchovny having lots of sex. I bet it’s used in a bar scene. They always use us in a bar scene.

Gian: Are you guys planning to do a tour anytime soon in the U.S. or are you guys planning to do a package tour with other bands of the like?

Ben: Yes, we are starting a tour on October 22nd in Chapel Hill, NC that goes until just before Thanksgiving. It’s with a band from LA called Great Northern.

Gian: I bet your fans would really love to see you guys make a video. Do you guys have any plans of making a video for one of the songs? "Fatalist" maybe?

Ben: We shot a video for Crown Victoria in August. It’s got a lot of stop-motion and projections and Steve in a spandex body suit and stuff so it’s still being assembled but it should look cool. Hopefully it’ll be done in the next couple weeks.

Gian: So tell me Ben, what do you guys do to pass the time when you’re not onstage or making music?

Ben: I guess we all work various jobs and stuff but that’s not too interesting. I dunno read, listen to records, sample cheese, quote the film "Twins." Me and Morgan moonlight in our friends band The Famous Letters, Mikey’s got Sonny Oaks, and Moose plays in a bunch of bands, mostly Goodbye Girl Friday and Grand Mal. Not sure what Steve does but I know not showering keeps him pretty busy.

Gian: Please enlighten our readers as to what they should expect when they see a Robber’s on High Street show?

Ben: It depends how high the stage is really. We’re all pretty short so I’m not sure if you can see anything.

Gian: What can we expect from you guys for the rest of 2007?

Ben: Well we got this tour coming up, and I’m fixing to silk-screen some posters for it as soon as I can get through this endless tunnel of depression the NY Mets have sent me down.

Gian: Any additional comments?

Ben: Oh, we’re gonna do a holiday song. We’ve always talked about doing some sort of holiday show but this year we’re gonna record one. Not sure which one, perhaps something from a claymation movie. I wanna do the theme song for The Riverbottom Nightmare Band from Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas but the song has nothing to do with Christmas. The plan is to rope our friend Steve Salette from the King of France into it whether he likes it or not.

Gian: Thanks Ben!

Make sure you guys pick up a copy of "Grand Animals," out now on New Line Records! ROHS will also be on tour until mid-November so make sure to get your tickets and check out ROHS live. Check on ROHS Myspace for more info!