EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Chris Taylor Brown (TRAPT)

Levi: So, my first question is, you're coming back to Australia and I believe you were only here about a year ago or even less. Firstly, how did the last tour go? I'm guessing it must have been pretty well if you want to come back so soon.

Chris: Yeah, oh, it was great to connect, you know, with the fans was just out of control, you know, they knew every word to every song and it was so exciting to come over there for the first time and have it be such a great time.

Levi: Yeah, I heard some of the shows were even sold out. Were you kind of surprised at, when you finally came to Australia, that, you know, you had a big fan base down here and you're even playing bigger venues on your next tour?

Chris: Yeah, man, it was great. We were really excited and to see the level of support that we had over there. So, we had a feeling it was going to be good, but just to have it really be even reality, you know, and just have it be just as good as the United States for us was pretty awesome.

Levi: Yeah. So, what can fans expect from the set list this time. I know it says you're going to be playing a lot of tracks from the first album, but you're also going to be playing your other hits as well. Are you going to be trying to cover all the tracks and albums?

Chris: Yeah, man, we're going to do a lot of the stuff from the first and self-titled for sure, and we're going to do, you know, the sets from the other albums and then we're going to play a new song on our set list called "Fire" from the new album we're going to be putting out this summer.

Levi: Oh, excellent, I was just going to ask you about a new album because I know you recently put out a new song called "Come Together" with An0maly. What kind of direction are you going for the new album? Is it going to be, you know, classic Trapt or are you going to be, you know, adding more guest rappers like An0maly?

Chris: No, that was just a one-off. An0maly is a buddy of mine and, you know, we, you know, talking about politics and social commentary and all that good stuff and he also is an artist so we decided to, you know, do some music together. That's how it, kind of, came together, no pun intended.
But the new album, it's just really good Trapt stuff, you know, it's like, what you'd expect from Trapt but it's next-level up, you know?

Levi: Definitely. When you guys first started, what were those early years like? Because I know you were basically just fresh out of high school and, you know, just a couple years later you're opening for Papa Roach and then you're getting signed to Warner Brothers Records. Was that a pretty hectic, you know, crazy time in your life?

Chris: It was awesome, you know. It was what we all wanted as a band, you know. You want all that to happen and it was amazing that it happened and we haven't looked back since.

Levi: Is it sort of scary at first when, you know, a couple of years ago you were just like anyone else? You were a student, you know, whatever, and then all of a sudden you're playing to crowds of thousands of people. Was that a bit overwhelming at first?

Chris: Not at all. It was what we wanted more than anything. And what we expected to have happen, you know, we didn't have a back-up plan. Only one plan and playing, you know, damned if you do, damned if you don't. So, we just went for it and made it happen.

Levi: I remember, you know, when the first self-titled album came out I guess that was the point in my life when I just started really listening to, you know, heavier music and, you know, nu-metal was big and Linkin Park and Korn and all those bands were big. Did you really enjoy those early years? Do you think, you know, those kinds of bands, it almost seems like there's a revival going on at the moment. See a lot of those bands that are still touring and still pulling big crowds.

Chris: Yeah and, you know, it's never stopped, so, you know, I think that these days there's no one genre that's taking it all. There's so many different little genres out there that are getting love, you know, and great bands within those genres and it's all over the place now as far as what music styles there are, you know?

Levi: What bands are you listening to most at the moment? What are you, you know, jamming in the car when you're driving around?

Chris: You know, I've been listening to a lot of country. New country, really, not old stuff but the newer country stuff. Like Luke Combs, Brett Young is awesome, you know, some of these guys are coming out with some really great songs. It almost sounds like rock, you know, but it's like a heavier, catchier, new kind of country that's kind of cool that I'm getting into, so, that's kind of what I've been listening to lately.

Levi: Is there any songs that you play that you really enjoy playing live? Do you have any favorite tracks to perform live?

Chris: You know, "Headstrong" is always a great song. We play that for sure and we just, every song we play on our set list get a great reaction, so I believe we've written 70-something songs over the course of our six, seven albums and, you know, we play the songs that get the best reactions. And so, every song we play, the whole set's just on fire every time we do this thing.

Levi: Awesome. You've played along some pretty awesome bands. Played alongside some really awesome bands in the past. Motley Crue, Papa Roach, a whole bunch of others. Who are your favorite bands to tour with? Is there any bands in particular?

Chris: You know, Papa Roach, yeah, great band. We've toured with Motley Crue, we've toured with Buck Cherry, just a whole bunch of great bands. And done a lot of radio festivals and, you know, I can't really say one band's the best to tour with, you know? Everybody's getting up there doing their thing and it's always a great time to play with any of these bands that have beautiful songs they're writing and a great stage performance.

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