So I had a chance to catch up with Jesse Hasek and Kyle Mayer of 10 Years at The Throne Theatre in Wilmington. They are currently headlining an acoustic tour with support from Evan Stone and Finger Eleven.
Side Stage Magazine: How has it been so far you guys?
Jesse Hasek: The shows have been well. Well we’ve really challenged ourselves to create a more eclectic sort of deep catalog set list that we ar e diehard fans. We wanted to challenge ourselves to give them more of what we typically would. But we are part of a transportation side of things and Kyle can at test for this hot and grueling.
Kyle Mayer: And I think we lose about nine pounds of water weight every day. I am ready to retain water I did not expect to be sweating so much in this t our but boy that just not the case.
JH: It’s just that time of year. August is the final part of the year and everybody is ready for a fall. It’s kind of a little bit of a different shift from what you normally do.
What made you guys want to do an acoustic tour?
JH: Well a long time ago we used to write a lot on acoustic. Just hanging out and stuff but radio station we do a couple acoustics here and t here it really started just when we did our “An Evening with” a few years back in Knoxville and open for ourselves and we get what six or so which was. Absolutely terrifying and nerve wracking. We brought in one professional string players and it was turned out so well we decided to give an actual acoustic tour a shot.
KM: I think it was around 2014 and we’d actually done that one. In two separate three week segments. Yeah. And this is this is our second full blown acoustic to her I think.
JH: Yeah and the difference between this one and the last one is the last one it was. It’s so out of our element to do it like a full on tour in stead of just like a few songs for a radio station but it was very nerve wracking. We’re kind of terrified for a moment and then after we got over it it’s just like anything the more you do it and the repetition you get used to it. Now this time around we really challenged ourselves to step up our acoustic show even more and get some more treats. So we’re pretty pleased with where we’re at right now.
One of the best things about an acoustic show is the ability to hear the music in its most raw form. How do you think fans will perceive these acoustic shows?
JH: It’s really more of an intimate celebration of the songs themselves and. The tone of the music and the lyrics and everything and sort of focusing on what that vibe really creates and what the song is about. Like the heavy shows are fun but it’s definitely part of an energetic in-your-face rock show. I’m walking across
people jumping from balconies. It’s the super energetic entertainer sort of thing mixed with the music. This was more like really hyper focus on the music.
Now, Funny enough that you mentioned jumping off balconies, you guys where here back in January and this place was known as the Ziggy’s by the Sea now known as the Throne Theatre. What went through your mind when you decided to go up on that second balcony and actually jump off into the crowd?
JH: Well honestly nothing really goes through my mind I’m just stupid enough to do it I guess because I get up too. Sometimes you get out there and look around and realize that it’s a whole group of like small teenage girls a breakthrough next level. But, that when the interview was going. I felt like there was enough of a crowd there. My biggest thing going to hurt people that I’m landing on but I’m not scared of jumping because I’m just a bit of an adrenaline junkie from skateboarding for twenty years.
KM: From the drums seat seeing you do that maybe a dozen times but I think to myself Oh God, can my friend’s bones stay inside of his body.
JH: It’s just it’s just years of skateboarding and throwing myself down stairs and stuff. Downstairs. So it’s just not really a big deal to me but I have had enough. Dislocated ribs, falling off from on the stage, falling in holes in between the stage. I’ve gotten my foot caught on a lighting rig. That was fun, and fell straight onto the stage from a lighting rig. Obviously you guys been around for a while.
What makes this round of 10 Years you know for 2016 different than that 10 Years from years ago?
JH: The beginning it was just a bunch of teenage kids that finally struck a little bit of success in their early 20s. The band didn’t get signed in 2005 so. It took forever to get it rolling in it could snap is just like hold on. So from like 2005 to 2007 it was absolute blur. We really didn’t know what we were doing it was just trying to find our place and then not act like giddy little kids for being backstage with Korn and the Deftones. We had to act like we were supposed to be there and now this many years later I think we’ve become a well-oiled machine when it comes to professionalism. It was a little more in the early days, it was either a really good or really bad. Now it’s consistently, even when it’s bad it’s not bad. You know like we learned it at least the hold some sort of level of professionalism.
KM: Yeah I think we’re much more critical of ourselves. I can say in full certainty that what we’re taking better care of ourselves to a degree. You know be in the past that invincible, you know mid 20’s, you just you can get away with anything. But we do that because we do care about the shows and we want them to be good and you know I think having done it for a while we take less for granted than ever.
JH: To still be alive in this business. It’s crazy because it’s a tough business. You can be on top of the world one minute and the next minute you’re plummeting all
the way down with the rug pulled out from underneath of you. The stability that we’ve maintained over the years is this is priceless and we can always thank our fans for that.
What kind of advice would you give a band that is just coming into the scene to help them with longevity in the business?
JH: A band in particular that I actually said this to a few years back. We took them out right before they got signed right before they blew up was Nothing More. They did a couple weeks with us in Texas and I remember them coming out and I was like man you guys are good it’s coming, just get ready. I said The biggest advice I can give is as a unit as a group you guys have to communicate with each other, be honest with each other and support each other because the success starts to happen, all of wolves come out and it’s not saying that this industry is a terrible thing but, this industry it gets paid off of you. So the more it can just take advantage of your ignorance or are being naive to the whole thing; they will. Age is knowledge in this business for sure. Now where we are at, we’re very comfortable in our own skin. Pay attention to your finances, pay attention to every facet of your band. That’s quite the biggest difference from what the band was in 2006 to where it is today.
KM: You know we try to control it and we do our own if we can because the more people you bring in especially younger bands that say, “all the stuff is going to get done great”.
JH: Oh really. Yeah those middlemen love it. But with all that money going slowly because you just pay everybody you do it. So always try to maintain that DIY mentality and always be hands on with your business and your business essentially. if you start letting everybody else do it you sit back. They love that they want you to do that. They want to keep you just blindfolded and happy and then take all the money.
Now I know it’s been a few years since you guys are off the record. I am pretty sure you get this question all the time. What’s in the works for 10 Years?
JH: Well what I was just saying we we’ve lost 8 pounds working in the rehearsal space in the dead of summer with no air conditioning. So we’ve already started the writing process. It’s really in its infancy stage right now. We just want to get in a room together and let music come out and just sort of develop organically. I think this time around it could be compared to the last record being was aggressive and had a lot of aches because it was really I mean even when you listen to the lyrics and, the album title for the burial It was acknowledging the fact that everything comes to an end and at that point in our career it was just the uncertainty of how much longer we keep going. And now I think we’ve come around the curve with a whole new lease on life with this band and and new life and a new vibe.
KM: And I would say that note I mean this band is gone from then on to change the last five years. You know you’ve got people call that people go, old people come back. But the heart of and soul of this band is very healthy. We still play with the old guys you know; I feel that we’ve played with Louis Cosby you know every other month he’s out there doing a song with us. We have Matt back now.
JH: Brian has always been kind of the Wizard of Oz behind the curtain. He’s just he’s an amazing producer head writer and just a great musician. So it’s a big family regardless of who’s touring and who’s at home. We try to keep the 10 Years family an open door policy.
