Safety Suit Interview

By: Brett Merle

Tuesday May 13, 2008

Does It Suit You?
Safety Suit is a rock band with a truly magical like story. Although the band is based out of one of the country's best musical hubs, Nashville, TN, it wasn't always that way; the band had to sacrafice a lot. Members Doug Brown, Dave Garafolo, Jeremy Henshaw, and Tate Cunningham have been friends forever and left everything when they moved from Tulsa, OK to their current residence. The band realized it needed a new direction and a bigger place to spread its musical wings. Although they knew next to nobody at their new base in Nashville, they continued to grow as friends and as a band.

After relentlessly rehearsing all the time, Safety Suit had a chance encounter with Greg Archilla who has recorded artists such as Matchbox 20 and Collective Soul. In the summer of 2005 with Archilla'shand behind the controls, they recorded their first EP. Using this EP as a key, they began playing shows at dives, theaters, and clubs- often two to three times a week. Not surprisingly, Safety Suit began doing what it had done in Tulsa, amass an evergrowing fan base.

Soon there after, labels began taking notice and the band eventually signed with Universal Records. They recorded their first EP with Universal again under the supervision of Greg Archilla. The result was Life Left To Go, a powerhouse rock album filled with passionate lyrics and flavorful meloldies.

Taking to their new home in Nashville like seasoned regulars, we got a taste of Safety Suit's southern hospitality when we chatted with guitarist/vocalist Doug Brown. We asked him some questions about his music and the band, this is what he had to say.


Brett Merle: How difficult was it moving away from Tulsa to Nashville? How different are the music scenes?

Doug Brown: The move wasn't really difficult for us because the band needed the change to grow, but it's always hard to leave a place that you've made memories. As for the different music scenes, the scene is much more alive in Nashville. Tulsa has great fans with a lot of energy, but there aren't enough places to play and there aren't enough people purposefully trying to grow the scene. (at least when we were out there… if you are out there now, keep it up) There is great community amongst the bands in Nashville, that really helps.

How is your live sound different from your studio sound, do you find it difficult to duplicate?

We try to make our live sound the studio sound on steroids. We want the live show to be an exciting and sonically great experience for the listener. We put a lot of practice into our live show so we don't have too hard a time duplicating it on the stage. Knock on wood. J

What kind of music were you exposed to growing up?

We were exposed to all sorts of music growing up. If it was good, one of us had heard. And that has been awesome because we've all been able to introduce each other to some really great stuff that we might have never heard. Just realized that I gave no specifics… for me, I brought The Eagles, Crosby Stills Nash and Young, The Allman Brothers and Clapton to the table. Love all of that. Oh and some band you might not of heard of called The Beatles.

How was Greg able to challenge you professionally and bring out the best in SafetySuit? Are there any other producers you really want to work with?

He let us experiment, he wouldn't let us settle and he made the record that we all collectively wanted to make, not just his way. Greg is just a very talented guy. What separates him from a lot of people is that he is so laid back, but still so confident. He's able to pull the greatness out of you without all the ego. That kind of leadership in the studio really allows a band like us, who have a very clear direction of where we want to go with the songs, to learn, grow and stay open minded while making the record. It was the hardest, but greatest experience in our musical lives. As for other producers we want to work with... I think doing a rock song with Kanye West would be fun?

What would you say it is(if anything)about your music that makes it different from other music of similar genres?

I think there are going to be different things that a listener might think distinguishes us from other music, but for me I think it's that the theme of the music stays focused, for the most part, on empowering and inspiring the listener… not enough music does that these days and I think most people find it refreshing.

Touring can be very taxing, how do you guys keep spirits high and energy up?

The road is very hard, but at the same time it's incredible so there isn't too much room to complain. The key to staying up is giving yourself the time you need to recharge. When you have the chance, get out and do something that you love, but has nothing to do with music. For me, just give me 18 holes of golf with no one in front of me and I will be good for a while.

Why did you guys decide to go with Universal Records in the midst of so many other offers?

The pitching process was an interesting one. I think one of the main factors that sold us on Universal was Bruce Carbone. To have the Executive Vice President fly down to Nashville to see you says a lot in that situation and then after meeting him we knew that with him we could continue the family atmosphere we like to keep with the band. He and all the people at Universal are like a part of our family now and they couldn't be better to work with. You cant put a price on that kind of working environment.

Is ‘Life Left To Go' a theme album or something you guys just came up with?

I wouldn't go as far to say that it's a theme album because we touch on all different aspects of life that sometimes have no connection to each other at all, but it definitely has those undertones of empowerment and inspiration that we touched on earlier. Don't give up, no matter how hard it gets, just don't give up… that's when you lose. I think sometimes, even if its through music, people just need to hear that.

What is the next big step for SafetySuit?

Meet and play for everyone on the planet.

Looking back at how far you've come, is there anything you would have done differently?

I guess since our situation is the way it is I should say I wouldn't change anything, but you can always find something you could do better if given the opportunity. The important thing is to live in the present, learn from your mistakes and follow your heart. But I guess looking back had I known how much J's “Clooney-like” looks would steal my thunder I could have kicked him out of the band. Man I hate that guy.