A Static Lullaby Reflects on 25 Years of "...And Don't Forget To Breath" And Drops the Live Studio Version

The California American post-hardcore band A Static Lullaby arose from the city of Chino Hills, California, in 2001. They released their debut album, "...And Don't Forget To Breathe , " and are coming up on their 25th year since the debut LP. The band is celebrating this milestone with a live, in-studio performance album. I had the pleasure of talking to the band about how they think they have grown.

"All right, we have music, scenes, media, and A Static Lullaby. We're here with Daniel Arnold. Dan, it's been 25 years since the band's debut album, "...And Don't Forget to Breathe," Kyler Gillam leads into the interview.

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What words of wisdom would**** A Static Lullaby have for us? "What do you think are some of the biggest and most important ways that the band and its sound have changed and grown since the debut album's release?"**** Gillam asks, conducting the interview and recording the answers for me.

"I think that, you know, the more we went through stuff along the way, we got a bit more angstier, a bit heavier. Songwriting obviously progressed as far as the structures and things like that. But as far as the core sound, I think it's still there. It still lives and breathes underneath somewhere, which is why we've been able to retain so many of our original fans. Even though the overall sound seems a bit different from record to record, it still has this, you know, whether it's just me and Joe singing or whatever, it still has this structural, A Static Lullaby, underlying,"**** Arnold**** explains.

"You all have made a lot of music together with a discography that spans multiple albums. Can you tell me some of the band's favorite songs you have recorded or play live?" Gillam continues.

"Let's see, some of the favorites. I think "Withered " is one of the favorites. It just feels like such an in-the-pocket song. I love playing that song. It just flows. The vocals aren't too high, which is very nice. You know, "Withered" and then, see, "Rattlesnake! " is a good one. It's like another, I like when songs have a good pocket, and they don't stray,"**** Arnold replies.

"All right! Back when you released "...And Don't Forget to Breathe", did you expect any, or did any of you expect that**** A Static Lullaby was going to get the attention that it has?" Gillam asks, moving into the next topic.

"I think, yeah, we did expect it. Just kind of what the music scene was doing, and Joe had recently gone on tour with Finch as their merch guy and was handing out our demos and was kind of seeing where the scene was going. He, you know, he basically brought back all this music, Taking Back Sunday's stuff like that. Like, it's crazy that this is, you know, coast to coast, and everyone, you know, it seemed like a giant movement. So, us releasing that and then Thursday coming out, I think Coheed and Cambria came out possibly before us. It just all seemed like it was a movement, and we were kind of at the forefront, what Finch came out to as well. We're at the forefront of it, and everything was coming out around the same time. We felt like we were going to be, you know, one of the bigger acts in that scene for sure," Arnold**** says**,** reflecting on the ideas they had for the music they were making and the band they wanted to become when their debut album dropped.

Gillam**** presents the next question, "With the live releases of the album in celebration, looking back, is there anything you would change about the tracks if you were to have written and released them in the current times?"

"No, I don't think so. I don't think there's anything we would have changed. I think that album was a perfect representation of where we were at the time, and the sonic quality of the album is there, and it feels really good. It definitely has a time capsule feel, so no, there's definitely nothing I would change." It's great that even over time, Arnold knows**** the album wouldn't change.

Gillam takes us to the next part of that question, "All righty. Having made it as a surviving band for over 25 years, is there anything you would have changed about how the band got itself up and going?"

Arnold adds on to the solidity of their choices in their earlier stages as a band, "No, not about up and going. I think of how we progressed as a band, like signing to a major probably wasn't the best idea. We were not a radio band or ever wanted to be a radio band, but I think if you wave that kind of money in front of some young 20-year-old faces, they're gonna jump on it. I think we weren't thinking about longevity. We were thinking about just getting to the top and trying to sustain that, but it really wasn't sustainable for our sound."

"Can you give readers some details on what it's like to record a live album and what that was like for the band personally?" Gillam**** asks, delving into a new topic.

"I mean, it was super fun. I mean, it wasn't technically or not technically, but it was live, but it wasn't like a live performance at a venue with a crowd. It's because there are so many variables that go into it. It takes a lot of setup, takes a lot of money to isolate everything, do that, and really it was kind of like, it was an idea we had, and two weeks later we were doing it, and it just kind of all happened, and we had been playing shows with the "...And Don't Forget to Breathe" record. We had been practicing and rehearsing all those songs anyway, so it felt good. We had done a couple of runs with it, and we kind of knew the songs front to back and had it all plotted out, so it was really easy to get in the studio with a film crew and just kind of do it. And we did like two takes for each song. If that, like I don't even think some of the songs had two takes. They had one, but it was super breezy, super easy, and it just felt nice," Arnold says, painting us a scene of what the experience is like and what it means in the industry.

"Easy, breezy, lemon squeezy. Easy, breezy, beautiful Cover Girl. Yes, exactly," Gillam adds in.

Arnold leans into the fun, "I like the role you've taken on, full interview. Yes, I am here to interview you."

Photo Credit: Jack Lue

"People are pretty hyped. Could you tell us some of the most important things you learned about music and being in a band that you have learned over time?" Gillam**** asks,**** flowing back into interview mode.

"It's hard to be in a band, especially when you're kind of the majority, as far as the music and the instrumentation goes, the majority writer of that. It's really hard to, especially when it's something you've created as a child; it's really hard for me to let up on being that kind of north star in the band. Depending on the members you get, you've got to pick really carefully. Especially if they're not original members, you've got to decide really carefully what types of personalities you want to bring in. And not to say that everyone's input isn't invited." Arnold**** gives us some knowledge, adding, "Don't oversaturate markets. It's a killer in the end. Even if you're a popular band, people don't have to go the third time in a year to see you."

Gillam then prepares for conclusion, "Last question. Is there anything else you would like to add?"

"Go check out and "...And Don't Forget To Breathe" live. Soon to be on vinyl. The video is released on our YouTube. We have a podcast called Good Guys Bad Band. It's on the band's YouTube. It's not its own YouTube. If you're in California, we have a couple of shows coming up with I Promise the World." Arnold**** remarks**,** closing us out.

After 25 years of "...And Don't Forget To Breathe," A Static Lullaby is a band I remember jamming to in my teens and still do to this day. Here's to 25 years and hopefully more to come!

A huge thank you to Dan Arnold and Kyler Gillam for helping make this interview happen!

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