AMAZING BASS, How Sweet the Sound
An interview with TJ ARMSTRONG

Interview by Frank Wood, Attitude Recordz




[After Midnight Project - TJ, Christian, Danny, Spencer & Jason]

FW: "It's hard to believe it's been six years since you recorded with Toronto based prog rock band Dayjob Orchestra. What have you been doing since you moved to LA?"

TJ: "I moved down to LA in July of 2003 with a band called Eupharophonic. I was in that band 'til about November of 2005. Then I joined the band that I'm in now, After Midnight Project, in Aug of 2005. Since then I have toured a bunch. I recorded with several local artists and some international artists. People like Dave Shulz (Googoo Dolls), Bernard Fowler (Rolling Stones), and James Baker (War). I played in a bunch of really cool studios all over LA including: Sunset Sound, Paramour Mansion, Ocean Way, Steakhouse, Foxy Studios, the Village and it goes on and on. I did a bunch of different projects with producers including Andy Johns (Led Zeppelin) Dave Schiffman (System of a Down), Tom Panuzio, and Kurt Quomo. I also worked with some fantastic session players around town - some are just friends I was bouncing ideas off and some were paid sessions. I played with Guys like Jock Ellis (Ray Charles), Josh Eagan (Avril Lavigne, Pink), Jake Hayden (Missing Persons), Randy Cook, Jason Hook (Hillary Duff, Alice Cooper). I was really fortunate to jam with them or record with them."

FW: "What was it like working with John Feldmann? He has a reputation for being super hard on rhythm section players - how did you survive that?"

TJ: "Last Christmas I sent him a text message - we had just finished doing our record - After Midnight Project, “Let's Build Something to Break” - and I said “Hey John, Merry Christmas, and thanks for everything. I had a great time” - all that stuff - and he sent me a text back that said, “Merry Christmas to you. You're probably the best that I've ever had at my studio..."

FW: "Ha!"

TJ: "...which immediately made me poop..."

<laughs>

"...which was also unexpected. But it was great, because you know, he's John Feldmann."

FW: "When did you start getting radio play with AMP?"

TJ: "I think Take Me Home, the lead off single from our record, first started getting played on KROQ in Los Angeles about two years ago. Kat Corbett, who runs the Local's Only show on Sundays, heard us and she started coming out to shows & MC'd for some of them. While this was happening, Take Me Home was also featured in a popular X-Box 360 game called “Prey."

FW: "Pretty cool. I was recently on your MySpace page. That's some crazy intense progressive rock stuff I'm hearing. Is that from an upcoming solo record or just something you do in your spare time?"

TJ: "Spare time - what spare time? The hope of having a solo record one day is always there. I've been writing this kind of music for a long time. Working with someone like Pete Swann from DJO is amazing and pushes me to play and write better."

FW: "How do you go from DJO crazy progressive style to a radio-friendly melodic rock sound like we hear in AMP?"

TJ: "Well at the end of the day, it's all the same notes. The speed at which you play them doesn't really matter. If the song calls for 32nd note triplets in unison with two guitar players and a horn section...you do it."

<laughs>

"If the song calls for a steady bead of 8ths notes at 100 BPM, then I give it that. All the energy that I would normally be using to play fast shifts to the side of brain that plays solid and groovy and supporting. Notes, like words, are expensive - you gotta use them wisely."

<laughs>


[TJ holding it down while singing backup]



FW: "Let me read you a few of quotes from people who you've worked with over the years - kind of a 'this is your life moment. The first is from Jason Evigan - for those who don't know, Jason is the lead singer and primary song writer of After Midnight Project:"

"I remember the first time I heard TJ play - I was floor bound! The way he dug into the bass and committed to every single note was incredible. I knew he was going to be a full time member, not just some hired gun. I will bring a song to rehearsal and TJ will turn the track in to a beast. Armstrong's bass playing is like no other and without him After Midnight Project would not be where we are today, touring the country playing sold out shows with a major label deal."

FW: "What do you say to that Mr. Armstrong?"

TJ: "Well - he drinks a lot...and he was already on the floor so my playing had nothing to do with it."

<laughs>

"But seriously, on top of being one of my best friends, he's probably - you know - the best song writer I've ever met and someone who is definitely destined for great things. It's more than flattering for someone like him to say that about me."

FW: "And another quote from Spencer Bastian, one of two guitar players in After Midnight Project. He says:"

"TJ is as good a guitar player as he is a bass player... and that pisses me off. I'll be working on a guitar part for a week and he'll figure it out in five minutes... and then have to show it to me. His voice works so well with Jason's that I couldn't imagine anyone else singing the parts. He's got great musical ideas and the songs and the band is what it is because of his contributions."

TJ: "Wow. That's cool."

FW: "And here's a blast from the past. I have a quote here from your old band, Euphoraphonic, (Trauma Records 2003-2005). I received this just a few days ago. Dave Klotz, movie score writer and former Euphoraphonic keyboard player, had this to say:"

"TJ was - and still is - a pleasure to work with. He is an outstanding musician who has worked so hard for what he has achieved."

FW: "In addition Mike Wolf from Euphoraphonic said this":

"So much of what we did was centered around TJ's parts. Without him, there would have been no band or album, no record deal and no tours. Whatever band has him is lucky."

TJ: "Now those are the best two friends money can buy."

<laughs>

"Dave and I were instantly compatible on a musical level. Mike and I butted heads constantly on song ideas. To hear that now gets me a little choked up."

FW: "Well hold yourself together, there's a couple more here. Now Josh Eagan, drummer and producer from the infamous Steakhouse Studio in LA said..."

"It's hard to find a player in LA that plays the way TJ plays. TJ brings magic to the sessions. I find myself booking sessions around TJ's touring schedule, as no one else will do. TJ is the cat."

TJ: "Wow."

FW: "And finally, here's Canadian producer Pete Swann, who is also the guitar player for Dayjob Orchestra"

"Me & TJ arranged all that stuff on his MySpace page - and about 4 more tracks like those in about a week. We work real fast together. I keep telling him we have to record a bass solo record. He plays on all my stuff when he's in town or sometimes we work long distance and I get him to record parts for me in LA & send them back. I wish someone could come up with a rack unit bass machine that would spit out lines like he plays. My job as producer would be a lot easier - and then I wouldn't have to pay him! But seriously, he'll find the sweet spot between groove and melodic lines every time & makes the track epic."

"And that's the end of the 'This Is Your Life' Portion of the show ladies and gentlemen".

<laughs>

TJ: "That was ridiculous, where did you get those?"

<laughs>

FW: "I though you paid them."

<laughs>

[TJ with his new Schecter Riot-5 Bass]

FW: "Anyway, let's talk gear. What gear are you playing these days?"

TJ: "Let's start with amps. I'm using an Aguilar setup. I've got two AG-500s, a GS-412 and two GS-112s. It's a hell of a sound man."

FW: "Are you an exclusive endorsee of Aguilar, or do you just love the sound?"

TJ: "Well I fell in love with the sound long before I was ever working with them. They are a fantastic company of bass players who take care of their own. Luckily I'm a part of that family."

FW: "What about effects?"

TJ: "I'm still in the figuring-out-what-I-need stage. Right now I'm running a SansAmp straight through the front of my rig. That's it...unless you count the Aguilar preamp in all my basses. I'm hoping to use my EBS Octabass and my wah real soon. As the stages we play get bigger, I can start using my pedal board again."

FW: "And your basses?"

TJ: "I'm a very recent endorsee of Schecter Guitars and I just got a couple Riot-5's from them. They are also a company of players for players. My main bass for years has been a green Warwick Streamer 5-string. My fretless is an Ibanez that I hot-rodded to death. On this next tour I think I'm just brining the Schecters out. I've worked real close with my tech Hugh Thomas who runs 13th Street Guitars on designs and improvements on my existing gear. He's also working on my signature design which should be out in about a year."

FW: "So where can we see you play and where can we find you online"

TJ: "You can find me on MySpace - www.myspace.com/tjarmstrongtunes and the After Midnight Project Page at MySpace. Our YouTube channel is called AMProject, so check that out too. As far as tour dates go, we'll be doing Warped Tour between June 28 and August 9. For anything after that, check dates on MySpace.

FW: "Well good luck on the Warped Tour and all the best to you and AMP. I have a feeling we're going to be hearing a lot more good stuff from you and from AMP in the near future."

TJ: "Thanks for the opportunity to talk to you."

______________________________________________

Interview by Frank Wood, Attitude Recordz