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We've covered all this before when it comes to Marianas Trench and myself. I truly love this band, and I sort of see them as the band that I brought forward to the entirety of The Sound Faction staff. When I finally knew when Masterpiece Theater was going to be released, I knew I had to talk to the band about it, and find out what we could look forward to hearing. When one of their label reps got back to me and told me I was going to get a chance to talk to Josh, I couldn't have been happier (I've wanted to pick this guys brain for awhile, folks).

Though admittedly a bit nervous, I was extremely excited for this interview, and I think it turned out really well. We talked about the new CD, his writing process, and just how different he feels Masterpiece Theater is from the bands debut CD, Fix Me.

"You have your whole life to write your first record, and then that comes out, you tour for two years, and then all of a sudden everyone's like, 'Hey! Let's do another album!' and you're like, 'Oh! Awesome! Uhm...Just... give me... a... bit... with that!'"
- Josh Ramsay: Marianas Trench.

For our readers who don't know who you are, roll call! Can you please introduce yourself and tell us what you do for the band?

Okay! I'm Josh Ramsay and I sing, and play guitar in the band, and write the songs.

So how did Marianas Trench come to be?

You know, it's kind of different for everybody in the band with that one. For me, it was... I just kind of waned to start a band and whatever, and started it up with some people- none of whom are in Marianas Trench, and it was kind of like slowly, over a couple of years, members left, and new members joined, and eventually the people who would become Marianas Trench joined, and it just sort of evolved into being Marianas Trench.

Alright. So your new album, Masterpiece Theatre, is coming out February 24th-

Uhh... I think so? (Laughs) I'm not 100% sure on the date, but yeah!

How does it feel after working on it for so long, finally having it released to the public, and what are you most looking forward to with the release of the CD?

Wow, uhm, I think... I'm excited about it coming out. I mean, it was a funny process recording it. It took us, in terms of actual time in the studio, it took us about as long as the first record, or maybe a little bit shorter. It seemed to take longer to everyone on the outside because I needed time to write the songs first! There's a really scary thing when you go in to write your second album, because when you do your first album, most likely, you've already got all of the songs done when you get signed, right? Or you at least have most of them. You have your whole life to write your first record, and then that comes out, you tour for two years, and then all of a sudden everyone's like, 'Hey! Let's do another album!' and you're like, 'Oh! Awesome! Uhm...Just... give me... a...bit... with that!' and you have to go in and write a good one! And I really didn't want to write a sh*tty album!

(Laughs) Understandable!

It was a bit stressful writing it for me and stuff, but I think in the end... there's something about your first album that's going to be more precious and stuff, because it's the first one. But in terms of actually being a good album? This one's much better than the first one. I think I'm excited for us to sort of separate ourselves from the sort of... pop punk, emo...sh*t. I don't feel like this album is really like that. I think "Cross My Heart" sort of bridges the gap between the first album, and the second album, and then it sort of moves away from that. This one is a much more sort of concept-y album than the first one was, and I'm really excited for us to just do something a bit different.

Nice. A lot of bands who have the kind success that you guys did with their debut CD end up going to the studio and shot-gunning a sophomore record, and I know that's something you refused to do. How did the label respond to you taking the time that you wanted to make the album that you wanted?

Oh they were super supportive! They were good about it. It's not in anyone's best interest to just release some terrible second album that you wrote in a week! (Laughs) The label were all really, really supportive about that, I was really lucky with that, and on top of that, they were really supportive with the way that we wanted to make the album and stuff. We sort of picked a whole bunch of different producers that we each wanted to do a couple of songs, then I wanted to do some songs on my own and stuff, and they were super supportive about the whole thing.

Always good to hear. So the first single from the album, "Cross My Heart" was a selected song on iTunes in January, so how did it feel to have the new song so accepted?

It was awesome! I mean, on our first record, it was such a battle! (Laughs) When you're trying to establish yourself it's really hard, you know? You release these songs that you think are going to do well, that don't, and we got so lucky with the last single from the first album, "Shaketramp", we got really lucky with that one, and I feel like that sort of finally opened the doors for us that we needed opened. Then when we released "Cross My Heart" and it was so, accepted, as you say, as it was, was a very vindicating feeling. It was like, all of a sudden, now we can release stuff and people will actually listen. It's awesome. I feel very lucky.

In regards to writing for the new album, I know you've mentioned that you feel that you've matured as a writer since "Fix Me",

Yup!

so how do you think this comes across in the new songs, and what is it that inspires your lyrics?

With the new songs, I think I was just a little more ambitious when it came to writing stuff. I really wanted to do something that was more interesting for me. You walk a really thin line with that one, because you can write stuff that's interesting to you as a writer, but isn't interesting for people to listen to (laughs). So you need to really take the time to make sure you're not just writing a whole bunch of self-indulgent music, you know? I think... I don't know, I think every writer just matures. When you do the first record, and then you tour it live, you kind of find out what songs work, and what songs don't work as well, and it's not always the ones you think it's going to be, and you sort of learn that from how the audience responds to it and stuff.

Then this time I really wanted to do this sort of concept thing where it starts with this one song, and then the same song has a sort of symphony style reprise in the middle of the record, and then a third reprise at the end of the record, and the third one will quote every song on the record like the climax in a musical. And that's what I wanted to do, and that's what we did do, and I just don't think I would have been ready to do that on the first album (laughs)! I don't think... I just don't think I... (Laughs) I don't know! There's just no way I could have done it! I don't know what I'm going to do next time, either.

Well, plus, like you said, you have your entire life to do your first album, right? You were younger when you wrote a lot of the other songs, so you probably just generally mature.

Yeah, and I think you're just exposed to more stuff, and you just keep learning. I think if you're in any job that's in the arts, I think you can never really feel like you've peaked. You always have to just feel like you're getting better, and improving and stuff, and that way, you can sort of always be at your best.

And in terms of lyrics and stuff, some song writers choose to write stories and stuff like that, and I've just never been excited by that sort of thing. I prefer to write from my own experience, and I think that it depends on who the song writer is, but if you've gotta go out on the road for months at a time, and you've gotta sing those songs on stage live every night? It really makes a difference to you if those are songs that are actually lyrically important to you, and they're actually about yourself, as opposed to some crap that you just threw together to play and it's about this boy, and some girl, and blah blah blah. So I guess, I don't know, I'd just say that they're always sort of autobiographical in nature.

Alright. So, I absolutely love the video for "Cross My Heart", and there are two things I want to ask about it.

Thank you! Go for it.

What is it that decided to help you pick the treatment for it that you did, and how was it being able to bring your fans out to share the experience?

Well, the way that that video happened was really funny, I had come up with the idea for that video, but for a different song. There's another song on the record where one of the lines is, "Please just follow me", and I thought, 'oh, well if we do a video for that song, wouldn't it be cool if I was just walking through somewhere and people started following me and it became a parade, just trying to get someone's attention!' I came in and I met Colin, who was going to direct the video, and I didn't have any ideas, really, for the "Cross My Heart" video, and I came in and was like, 'so what have you got, man?' and he was like, 'I don't know, I was thinking something like a parade,' and I was like, 'Oh dude! I have this idea for this parade thing!' And we both started talking about it, and we both sort of had the same idea without talking about it before hand, and we were like, 'Oh, I guess this is the right thing to do if we both thought about it,' so that's what we did.

And I think it was cool that we could have so many fans in the video and stuff, because our fans have been so good, requesting our stuff, and really strongly supporting the band, and I think that was a really cool thing to get to include them in, in something that we were going to make, and we were going to make it together.

So what is it that fuels your passion for what you do?

Uh... oh man (laughs). I don't know! The fact that I can't really do much else? I don't know!

That's good reasoning (Laughs)!

I think arts in general is the only stuff that's ever really made sense to me, and the rest of the stuff in my life is so disorganized and I'm so helpless in other things! Arts is the only thing where I seem to have any sort of affinity for anything! I mean, really, it's just basic survival. I mean, I'd get fired from an office job immediately if I had one. So... there's not really a lot of other options!

(Laughs) I think that's one of the best answers we've ever gotten for that question. "Survival!"

(Laughs) Well really, what else am I going to do?? I don't really have any other skills!

That's cool, there's nothing wrong with that at all! Do you have an ultimate goal for your music, and are there any things you know you want to accomplish with it?

A goal for just music in general, or this album?

Just in general. Overall.

Uhm... I don't know. I guess I really want to look back on it and feel that I did my best, and that I wrote the songs I wanted to write as opposed to the songs that I felt I needed to write to make money or something on the radio, that's certainly not my goal. I mean, there's sometimes when you need to at least gear certain songs in that direction, because you need those songs...

You need the singles.

Exactly! You need the singles, but there's still a difference between writing a single that you actually feel strongly about, and writing... "Who Let The Dogs Out" or whatever. There's a big difference between doing those two things. I want to keep writing stuff that's sort of honest for me, and if I can manage, one day I want to write a musical.

...I'm going to admit, you just gained twenty-five awesome points.

Oh? (Laughs)

Yeah! I'm a musical nerd, so you gained twenty-five awesome points!

Oh, nice! Me too! It was like... The way that we put together this record was kind of like a musical, and while we were doing it, I was like, 'F*ck! I really actually write a real musical!' Like, something that actually goes on a stage! I want to be in it, and stuff, and actually do a real one! I think it would be really cool to do a musical where you have other musicians that are sort of your peers and stuff in it together and stuff. I think that would be f*cking cool!

It definitely would be!

Yeah! I'd love to do that!

You definitely should. I'm going to say it right now, you should!

(Laughs) We'll see, we'll see.

Alright! So... something that's always impressed me about the band, has been the vocals, and how well all of your voices mesh together, so I have to ask, are we still going to get amazing a cappella Billy Joel covers during live shows? [In regards to their cover of "And So It Goes" by Billy Joel]

(Laughs) I don't know if we're going to do that one specifically... but... okay, I've gotta be honest about that song, though. It's easy to make that song sound good, because it's a great song.

It definitely is.

That always makes your job a lot easier, if you're doing someone else's material. I mean, yeah, I did the vocal arrangement for that and whatever, but the actual song is still the same song. It's a great song, I wish I had wrote that song(laughs). There's definitely going to be some a cappella stuff in the set. I wanted to have some stuff on this album that has that quality to it, but was our own. There's definitely some stuff like that on this record.

Fantastic!

You want to know the downside of doing those things? Is... it's really cool... when everyone in the band is at 100%. Then it's awesome. Then it's like, 'Oh cool! This band does this crazy a cappella thing!' I tell you when it's not sweet, it's when you've played the last six nights in a row, and you're fighting a cold, and it's March, and you're in someplace where it's really cold, like Winnipeg or something, and everyone's not feeling well! Then it becomes not so sweet, and it's like '...okay. This is kind of our thing... we have to do this... But none of us are at 100%'... Yeaaaah.... Those are the nights when you're actually in the band, that you wish you didn't do that stuff (Laughs)! It depends on the day, really.

I think, the last time you guys were in Toronto, you mentioned you were fighting a cold, and you still did it, and honestly, that's what jumped you guys from being a really good band, to one of my favourites, to be honest.

Oh wow, thank you! That's really nice. I think I was always interested in that kind of stuff because that's where my musical background was. That was something I kind of wanted to incorporate into our band. Matt's background was sort of in that arena, too, and then for Mike and Ian it was kind of a new thing that they had to learn about and stuff. You know, I think that more bands could do that if they were willing to take the time to practice it and write it and stuff. I just think a lot of people don't do it because it takes so much work and preparation in order to walk out on stage and do it, you know? Rehearsals are just real long for those things! I know because we're working on a new one right now, and, well, it's taking some time! (Laughs)

(Laughs) Wow, I can imagine! Alright, so, we at The Sound Faction aim to be five of the most random people you'll ever meet, so we like to end our interviews on a less serious note with just five, random, off the wall questions. Are you up for that?

Oh, f*ck yeah! I can't wait for that!

Alright, awesome! What's your favourite, and least favourite, dance craze?

Favourite, and least favourite, dance craze?

Yup!

Uhhh... Wow! That really is random!

We try!

Uhm... sh*t! I like... Well, see, the problem is, I don't really know a lot of dance crazes! I can't even really name that many! What's the ones... I like those sweet dances from the 30's!

Oh! Like, big band and swing and stuff?

Yeah! Like, you know those guys that are like, '[Puts on an old school mobster voice] I talk with a lot of Moxy! I like to kick high and I talk low,' like those kind of guys? I like their dance moves!

(Laughs) That's awesome. Do you have any that you can't stand?

Uhm... probably. ...Yeah! The ones that I can't stand are the ones that people do in real life when you go into some sh*tty bar! Like, there's some f*cking drunk guy that thinks he is just killing it right now and totally impressing that one girl, and I hate that. Yeah, those are the ones that I hate. Besides! You're never going to meet - (laughs) I don't know, this is related to some friends of mine, but like... you know what? If you go out to some f*cking bar, looking to meet the girl of your dreams? That's not where she is! Trust me! She's not there!

(Laughs) That is most definitely true! She's not!

And it's the same for the girls that go out. That guy? He's not there either! That's not where those people go.

You're going to get a creepy drunk guy who's dancing way to close to you, who's thinking that he's killing it, and impressing you, but he's not!

Exactly! And he's going to come up to you and your girlfriend and say something awesome like, 'So, uh... do you guys like to take baths?' something really horrible like that!

(Laughs) That's true! Okay. So. If "That's what she said"? What did she in fact, say?

...What? (Laughs) I don't understand that question! Try it again?

Alright, so, around here, we're all masters of 'Your mom' jokes, and 'That's what she said,'-

We're all masters of your mom? What the f*ck does that even mean?! (Laughs) I promise I'm not this dumb, but I'm really not following!

(Laughs) Okay, you know how to make a quick joke, people will say, 'that's what she said'?

Yeah...

...You know, we could just change the question...

No, no! Regardless of whether I answer it or not, I want to understand it! Just keep going, yes! I understand, people will be like, 'oh hey! Can you hold this for a second?' and you'll say 'yeah, that's what she said', I get the joke.

We just want to know what she said!

Like, what did she actually say?

Anything!

Oh! I see! You're just looking for the punch line?

Pretty much!

Oh! Okay... I got it... Uhm... Wow, this may be the most non-sequiteur question question I've ever been asked in an interview, and you know what? I commend you for that, I appreciate it! Uhm... okay! So if 'that's what she said', what, in fact, did she say...

Exactly!

Uhm, I think she said... oh sh*t! Now I have to think of one! I gotta put my thinkin' pants on for a second... Uhm... I think she probably said... you know, we're going to have to come back to it! I'm drawing a blank!

[Manda's note: ...You know, the 'hold this for a second,' counts, Haha!]

Alright! So, who would you want to win a date with?

Who would I want to win a date with? Hm... Uhm... Who would I want to win a date with... Uh... I don't know! (Laughs) F*ck, I don't know! Jessica Alba!

Awesome. If you had to be stuck in an 80's movie, which one would it be and why?

Oh! Wow, that's easy! "Footloose" or, any movie where the theme is: "Oh why won't you just let me dance?" And "I will have my rebellion in the form of dance!" And that is the reason why! Because that is the most ridiculously awesome thing ever!

You want to have your rebellion in the form of dance?

Yes! Absolutely! Absolutely! And I want to be in some situation where it makes sense to all of a sudden hear a crowd go, "Everybody cut! Everybody cut!" But seriously! There are so many 80's movies where that is the theme! Like, 'I'm rebelling against my father because he just hates dancing! And I'm going to dance and show him and I'm showing everybody!'

(Laughs) This is true! And you don't think about it until someone points it out! That is very true!

Whatever happened to those movies? Because there used to be a lot of them! But anyway! Yeah, "Footloose" is the biggest one, but there really are a lot of them! Like, "Dirty Dancing"? That's dancing! There's a lot of them, there really are a lot of them! But I would go with "Footloose" over "Dirty Dancing", personally.

Last one! If you had to be an inanimate object, what would you be?

Hmm... I'll tell you what I wouldn't be. I wouldn't want to be the rag that they use to clean up a nudey booth!

...You know what? I think I agree. That would suck.

(Laughs) Is that a fair answer?

It definitely is! It's a good one!

Alright, awesome.

That's it! Thank you very much!

No problem!

We'd like to take this space to thank Josh Ramsay of Marianas Trench for taking time out of his day to give us a call and talk to us! If you like good music (and we think you do), check out Marianas Trench on their MySpace Page. Or check out their YouTube Channel for a ton of great videos guaranteed to make you dance and laugh!

Also! Be sure to check out the band's new album "Masterpiece Theatre" in stores NOW! To see what Manda had to say about the new record, check out her review, HERE!