NR: Where are you from?

Ryan: Las Vegas.

NR: So Panic! At The Disco, The Killers and Escape The Fate have all been signed out of Las Vegas. How do you feel about that?

Ham: I think it's a great thing. The more the merrier. It helps the scene not hurt it.
NR: What about the fact that they back lashed the Vegas scene?
Ham: It was expected. Vegas isn't the worst scene. There is something wrong with every scene. What do you think about it Jason since your the transplant?
Jason: I've lived in Vegas for about 2 1/2 years and I just recently started going to shows. I think it's really good. I have seen a lot of support in this scene. A lot of people go out to the local shows. I'm from Kansas City/Lawrence, MO. Lawrence is a college town. There isn't much to do there but drink cheap beer and see bands play. Here in Las Vegas there is so many entertainment options. I think it's harder for a band. The support that is in the scene is great.
Ham: I think that's why people are so quick to bash the scene. This is a tougher town to get seen.

NR: How do you feel about the scene being divided into two completely different scenes? A 21+ scene and an All Ages scene.

Ryan: We try not to get pigeon-holed into either scene. We try to play both. We wish there were more venue's that catered to both scenes.
Ham: They are two different worlds. These things happen on their own. That's not a bad thing. We play The Cheyenne one night to one crowd and the next night we play the Rock 'n Java to a completely different crowd. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing.

NR: With the live shows how has the crowd been taking to you guys?

Ham: The reactions been good I think. The reactions have actually been really positive. At this point we know that we don't sound like most bands. We're proud of that. The response to that has been incredible. Both scene's have shown a really positive reaction to our sound. Which is really inspiring. It makes us want to do something different. We don't want to cater to a certain sound that tends to be big in either scene. We have never wanted to do that in the first place.

NR: Are there any venues in Vegas that you refuse to play at?

Ham: Refuse to play? I wouldn't say places necessarily. I would say there are certain circumstances we won't play at. I know we refuse to play 'Pay to Play' type shows. Certain people tend to put bands in bad situations. Or some jerk-off trying to take all our money.

NR: For someone who hasn't heard you what are your guy's influences?

Ryan: We lot of bands that people really haven't heard. We like bands like Hum, Failure, Year of the Rabbit, Helmet. Then we like some more mellow stuff like Death Cab for Cutie.
Ham: We also like some heavier stuff. We recently had a conversation about the hardcore bands we like. Our biggest influences for sure are some of the more 'Out There' bands.

NR: How do you guys feel about Myspace and people whoring themselves out. Some bands have 200,000 bands but will only have 200 plays on their page. Do you think they have a chance to get signed from it?

Ryan: I think that is the way the industry is going now. I don't know how many bands I've seen on Myspace that have a million friends but I've never heard of them playing a show so they don't really exist to me outside of the computer.
Ham: There are a lot of bands that don't seem to exist outside of the internet. It's going to be like that with any new venue or any new sounds. There will be a lot of bands that won't exist outside of that. I just think it falls on the fact that a lot of bands are lazy and think that everything should be handed to them. Bands have been signed off of Myspace. That's honestly not the route we were going for. We don't even care about getting signed none the less having a million friends on Myspace. Some of our friends go to some of our shows some of the time.
Jason: I honestly didn't know what Myspace was until I met Ham. I'm the oldest one in the group.
Ham: He still has it. He still has a horse that he takes everywhere.
Jason: I do have a Myspace account now.
Ham: One time Jason and I got into an argument and he told me we were going to have showdown at high noon.
NR: It was going to be an old-fashioned duel?
Ham: Yea, we threw down with swords.
(Laughing)
NR: So you think that Myspace is making a lot of bands lazy. They seem scared to go out and work for it. To go out and do that hand to hand promotion.
Ham: I don't think it is making bands lazy. Bands have always been lazy. It's just a new medium to be lazy in. It's much easier to go to someone's profile and click on add friend as opposed to taking 1000 fliers out and making sure everyone of those fliers goes out before the end of the night. We all have hit this town for many hours on different nights like Thursday's, Friday's, Saturday's and Sunday's, to get fliers out there. I would rather meet somebody and get them to know my name and my face and build a relationship with this person as opposed to clicking add friends. I'm one of the worst at listening to bands on Myspace. I listen to bands at shows and on the radio. Maybe I'm different.
Ryan: It gives bands a new way to isolate themselves from the scene. Because you aren't going out there flyering Your not out there making your connections. Your not out at the bars supporting other bands. You just send out a bulletin and call it a day. We go out and watch other bands play. We see the same few bands going out to the same few shows. Where are all those other bands? They are not really part of the scene.
Ham: It's comfort in numbers I think. I could only imagine what it would have been like when I was in my first two bands while I was still in high school seeing that I had 6,000 friends. I would have been thinking about how huge I must have been. Bands have always been lazy. Not all of them but a good majority. I think some bands going to get it right. They are going to set a new standard on promotion. Ultimately I don't think the organic situation of a band is going to change.
Jason: I think it's a great tool to get your music out to the world. It's a great way for my friends back home to be able to keep track of what we are doing. They can log on and hear/see what we are doing. The only other way to really do that is to set up your own web site but that can be such a pain. With Myspace it makes it so easy to set up and page.
Ham: It has had a very big effect on things with bands and music. But when Korn came out they played 7 strings and next thing you know everyone is playing 7 strings. Limp Bizkit comes out wearing Adidas and backwards hat and everyone is wearing the same thing. Linkin Park comes out with two lead singers and then everyone had two lead singers. It's just another thing that is going to pass. I'm not playing down the effect it has had. But I think as time goes on and people find out truly the effect it has had ultimately it will just become a part of everything instead of the new big thing and people use solely.

NR: Which do you think is more organic and stays true to music: Digital downloads or going out and paying $5 more and getting that hard-copy CD?

Ryan: Ham and I have actually talked about this. I would rather go out and spend that $5 and buy the CD than just download it. Right the state the music industry is in they are less likely to take a risk or go out on a limb with an artist that doesn't sound like everything else. Because of the illegal download they are making less money. It's nothing to us but to them it's the bottom line. So they are going to stay with what they know works. That's why when artists like Korn and Linkin Park come out everyone follows the trend. It's the only way to have a shot of getting signed because the labels are less likely to make that risk and go out on a limb and sign a band that doesn't fit the mainstream.
Ham: The majority of the public doesn't care about that. To them it's a product and whatever makes it convenient. So to answer your question I definitely think it is more organic to go to a show and meet the band and pick up the CD than to download it online. Or go to the record store and pick up a CD. But will that stuff go away. No. That's like saying that movie theatre's are going to disappear because you can buy movies off the internet.

NR: You guys have been involved in past bands. Would you like to be known for the other bands or is this something completely new for you guys?

Ryan: It's completely different for Jason.
Jason: When I met Ham for the first time I had not heard of Ham's other bands. I didn't know the names or what they sounded like. Then after we started playing out a lot of people compared us to the last band which was completely foreign to me. I had never heard of that band.
Ryan: Ham and I was in a band called Not From Here. Ham had started that band a lot earlier and I finally joined on it's last leg.
Ham: It's last last leg.
Ryan: That band ended. It had been about a year and a half since we had talked. I know both of us had tried to be in other bands. We had both jammed and played a few shows with some of these other bands. Finally I called Ham one day and said lets give it a try. I don't want to do a Not From Here part 2 or anything like we have done before. Lets see what we can do now and that's kind of how it started. While we were writing our first couple of new songs we started to get a little concerned it was going to be Not From Here or something we had already done before. By the time we did our first show it was apparent it wasn't going to be.
Ham: I think the Not From Here stigma is a good thing. To answer your question I don't mind people remembering past things that we've been involved in. We all come from different situations. We all have done different things and some not so different. When I go out and talk to people I get people telling me how much they love Not From Here and how much they enjoyed the band. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing because they are talking about Not From Here and not mentioning other bands I've been in. Which I think is a cool thing. We are going to get comparisons because we are a 3 piece, we do rock, but I think this band is very different compared to past experiences. We're more mature. We're not trying to be the biggest band in town. We're not trying to be on every show that comes to town. We are all friends that like to write songs together. I think that's something that has been lacking for a long time in other experiences that we have had. This is a very organic band. So do I mind comparisons. No.
NR: So this is more of a family unit then? You are not just coming here and playing your songs and then leaving. You do hang out outside of rehearsal/shows?
Ham: Yea.
Ryan: A lot of the hanging out has to do with the scene and a lot of it doesn't have to do with it at all.
Ham: Just wasting time. We had a conversation the other day and we came to the conclusion we are friends with instruments before being a band. I know it's a cliche sort of approach to take. I don't understand why some people feel that they should put a band in front of everything else in that kind of situation. Realistically you can't really do that. If you put everything else in front of the band it becomes more of friends hanging out.
Jason: It has to be fun. You have to enjoy your time. When it gets to that point when you don't want to do that it's just not fun. I enjoy coming here on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and hanging out with these guys and seeing what comes out of here.

NR: What do you think about music being so image oriented right now?

Ryan: We coordinated our outfits. The theme is...
Ham: Old Navy/Target.
Ryan: The theme is spending under $20 for on everything you see here...
Ham: Including insurance. Music has always been image heavy. It's always going to be image heavy. People love seeing what they are hearing. More power to them. I can't fit into extra small girl pants and Chucks. I can't fit in Chucks. It's always been image heavy. I'm not a fan of that but if a guy wants to spend 6 hours doing his hair before the show instead of practicing more power to them.
Ryan: We all have jobs.
Ham: It's hard to have your hair look good when you have a job.

NR: If a label comes in asks you to change things would you for enough money?

Ham: Every label is going to want you to change something. They are obviously going to invest 20 trillion dollars into you of course they are going to want to change something. If they said you guys have to wear these name brand clothes and dye your hair and look more like a certain other band or that you need to change your name. Or if they said look more like N*Sync then I would have to say N-O.
Ryan: It would depend on what they would want to change. If they wanted us to clean up or something like that.. that's not a big deal. That doesn't change our music.
Ham: If they said they were going to bring in a producer to help you tighten up your sound or...
Ryan: If he was there to give advice that would be fine. But if all of a sudden we were in the studio writing how we write and the producer comes in with the new big mainstream album...
Ham: If they sent us to Canada to record our album and we came back with a complete different name, a complete different line-up and a complete different sound that won't happen to this band. We won't put ourselves in that situation. Some bands will do that. Some bands will bend over backwards to get that deal. That's not something we will do.
Ryan: They came in and said switch your bassist or switch your drummer. that's not something we would do. I know that has happened to a lot of bands.
Jason: I would appreciate honest criticism about the music from anyone. But ultimately it will be our decision if we will use that advice or not.
Ham: We don't mind help running the ship but no one will actually run this ship except for the band.

NR: If one member was to leave the band would you still consider it Hello Astro?

Ham: I don't know.
Ryan: I would love to think that this band is bigger than anyone of us. It's harder as a three piece. I mean if we had 8 members and we had to replace the DJ that would be one thing but it's harder with a three piece.

NR: How do you feel about bands that change members every couple of months?

Ham: Some bands that's what works for them. Some people have a different philosophy.
Ryan: It goes back to the whole being friends first before the band. In this group it would be hard to go on if we lost a member. It's part of what the band is. If there is a constant revolving door of members with one head member that controls everything it would work for them. If the other members have no real impact on the band than sure that could definitely work.
Ham: I have especially been in situations where there was a revolving door of members in more than one band. I think it comes down to people sometimes sort of do music for their own reasons. They sort of put that pressure on their band members to create that image or the style that that person may not feel like they are a part of it. I think that can be a big part of it. I've seen it happen in other bands and I've been in a band where that has happened. It's not a nice place to be. What do I think about it? It works for some people.
Jason: You have to be friends first. It is hard to be in a band. You have to coordinate practice times and shows.
Ham: Then of course having a regular life after that. And then take chunks out of your regular life to make it work. It creates a lot of pressure and some self created pressure. Some people can't handle that. Some people don't like having to tell their girlfriend they can't hang out because they have to go flier or practice. It is a tough thing to do. It's a tough balancing act and some people can't handle it.
Ryan: What makes it worth while is being able to become part of the scene and getting to go out and meet people, making friends with people in other bands and getting to play on stage. That's what I think it's all about.
Ham: My own philosophy is getting to play shows and getting to see our friends. We played a show once and they opened the doors late and I went outside to let everyone know to just chill out and they will open the doors soon. There was a ton of people that were my friends that were there to see us and that was way more important or way more exciting to see than getting signed or having the cool hair or getting all the opening slots for the national bands coming through. I think that is one of the best things about being in a band.

NR: What advice would you have for a new band that hasn't played out yet?

Ham: I get asked that all the time. Just get out there.
Ryan: I still think we are a new band. We don't have a lot of connections yet as of being a new band. We have been able to get some shows. But we have been in the same situation. Since the year to year a half between Not From Here and Hello Astro the scene took a dramatic turn. All the people we were dealing with before were gone. The venue's we were playing were gone. It was just like we were a brand new band with no connections.
Jason: You had some connections.
Ryan: Well we still had a few. But we had to go out and prove ourselves all over again to booking agents and promoters. We had to prove ourselves to a lot of people who didn't know who Not From Here was. We have done that now though.
Ham: The best advice to give someone is to get out there. I don't mean playing. It's not who you are it's who you know in this town.
Ryan: I had to get out there and shake hands and pass out fliers. Myspace doesn't cut it if your just starting.
Ham: I saw a band recently that I liked. I had never seen them before. I went up to the guitarist and introduced myself and told him my name and that my band was there and that I really liked his band and I hoped to see them soon. What we have achieved so far is from a million nights out shaking hands and getting a million numbers and things like that. It's the human interaction. That's what gets you shows. Not necessarily have cool hair, a cool recording or a great manager. You don't need any of that. If your just a cool person who goes out to shows and meets people that will get you shows.
Ryan: If you just go and act that your part of the scene you will eventually become part of the scene.
Ham: You have to be out in the scene to become part of it.

NR: Are there any plans to record an CD?

Ham: Yea. We have talked about it.
Jason: There is no plan. We will eventually record.
Ham: The plan is to have one sooner than later. Bands tend to think that you need a recording to get shows or to get things. Which isn't necessarily true. It always helps of course. The goal is to get out and play a lot of shows and play the songs that we have. See how they work and how people react. We started off with 6 or 7 songs that we thought were the best songs we ever wrote. Anybody who has ever been in a band for a long time knows that once you start playing the songs you start realizing that they are not exactly the songs you want to have. Our goal is to go out there and play and get sharp enough and mature enough to where we can go into the recording studio and be proud of our songs a year down the road without having to apologize when we hand out the disc. That's the worst thing when you get a CD or a demo from a band with an apology. Don't apologize for it. You have to have your heart into it. We want to be able to come up with a 3 to 4 song EP that we are confident about and that we get a good reaction live. Are there plans sure. Are we at that point yet... No.
Jason: If you were at a first show we don't play almost any of those songs anymore.
Ham: Our first show was 6 months ago.
Ryan: That's one of the great things about this band we are constantly writing and constantly moving forward. In other bands you will spend 4-5 months getting your set list down and then a year later your still playing that identical 6-7 songs. It never changes. In this band I don't think we have ever played two identical shows. We are always throwing out an old song, throwing in a new song, mixing up the order.
Ham: The goal is to have a lot of songs, to have a deep catalog to pull for the live shows and ultimately be able to record a lot. We don't want to put $10,000 into a 10 song CD and be paying it off for the rest of our lives. We want to be able to put out a lot of music at one time. We want to be able to lay it down real quick and hand it out to our friends. We don't even care about charging really. We want to make sure that the people that like our music can be able to listen to a lot of our music. A lot of bands tend to put all their eggs in one basket. We want to have many eggs in many baskets.

NR: For people who haven't heard of Hello Astro do you have a web site address for them to be able to check you out?

Ryan: We sure do. HelloAstro.com
NR: Is there music on the page for them to be able to check out?
Ham: Yea we have a couple of demo tracks for them to listen to.