IE: How come no Minor Threat tracks? They seem like they would have fit in well on this CD.

Adam: Two reasons....We did a cover of “Salad Days” back in the mid 90's that a lot of people have already done, and also we wanted to steer clear of making choices that were too obvious on this record. We wanted to get off the beaten path a little bit, for example, with the Ramones, we could have covered “I Wanna Be Sedated” or “Blitzkrieg Bop” but we decided to choose a lesser known song. We could have covered another Minor Threat song or a Fugazi song but Embrace is a lesser known band who also happen to be incredible so we decided to go that route.

IE: Are there any other songs that were planned that maybe didn’t make it on to the final versions for one reason or another?

Adam: We discussed a ton of other bands but the main issue was time....we could only record so many songs in the time we had so we had to leave off some very worthy artists.

Toby: Yeah, songs that didn’t make it on were due to time, that’s all, we will make a “Don’t Forget Your Roots” Part 2 for sure.

IE: We mentioned earlier that there was a 3 year gap between the “Nothing To Prove” album and “Don’t Forget Your Roots”, when can you see the band going back into the studio to record new tracks?

Adam: We don't feel a particular amount of pressure to get in and do a new album. I mean, “Don’t Forget Your Roots” only just came out and we do take it as seriously as a "regular" record. I would think that we'll probably start demoing in the near future and putting songs together but we won't actually go in and make a record until we're confident we're ready. It’s hard to give a definitive time line but I would hope it is considerably less than the 7 years between “Go” and “Nothing To Prove”.

IE: What were the members of H2O up to in the time between the last 2 albums?

Adam: Well, we have been touring a lot and just generally living life. We were busy enough as a band that it always seemed we had something coming up. Toby has been working on his One Life One Chance (OLOC) project, Todd has been playing with the Offspring, Rusty has been working with his jewelry company, I studied acting at a conservatory in NYC and also moved across country, Todd Friend just enjoys his time home by relaxing and spending time with his wife and his cat.

IE: Toby, can you give us some background on your One Life One Chance project. What is the projects message?

Toby:  To inspire kids to make healthy life choices and be themselves and not to get caught up in peer pressure. Also breaking the typical musician stereotype that people have that all of us are drug addicts and party animals, especially if we are fully tattooed. People definitely look at us like “you are vegetarian for the past 24years? or drug free your whole life?”.. then say, “yeah right”.

IE: How many schools have you spoken at so far and where have they been?

Toby:  I have done 17 schools so far in NY, Connecticut, California, Ohio, New Jersey, and Massachusetts.

IE: Do you run into any skepticism at all from the people at the schools before you come in?  

Toby: Not at all they can just go to onelifeonechance.com and get any info they need about me, watch videos etc or even just go online and Google me.

IE: It seems to be gaining a lot of momentum, are the schools contacting you or are you contacting them?

Toby: They reach out to us which is amazing. The word spreads after each visit from the students to the parents to the teachers etc. It’s pretty amazing how it’s been going. Matt Pike who has booked H2O for over 10 years handles all the schools and answers all the emails from the site and sets it all up and does a great job.

IE: From looking at some of the photos from you speaking it looks like you bring up some references to hardcore music, do you talk about it a little or a lot in your speeches?

Toby: Only a little. It did have a big positive effect on my life personally, but kids ask mostly about how I abstained from drinking and drugs and if I was pressured or judged for not partying with my friends and are pretty impressed that I've been like this my whole life and look the way I do, and that I am in a band.  There are so many stereotypes out there and kids are exposed to so much these days. I just want them to know that you don't have to try this or that to be cool or fit in. I have a bunch of friends in my power point presentation who are respected, successful artists, actors and athletes who have fun lives and don't need to drink, smoke, or do drugs who I think are great role models for kids.

IE: What has the reaction been like at the schools where you go to?

Toby: I still keep in touch with teachers from all the schools that I have gone to. Students hit me up on Facebook and Twitter and let me know how they are doing and their friends as well. A couple have became H2O fans and have come to the last couple of shows we've played on the East coast and it’s awesome. One kid in particular is almost 400 days sober, which means since I visited his school with OLOC he became inspired and turned his life around that day which is amazing and it means the kids are listening.

IE: The H2O sound has stayed close to it’s origins from when the band first started but in the last few years the more melodic style you play has gotten very popular in the mainstream and in turn your fan base has really taken off. Does it ever become uncomfortable when the band starts treading into waters that most other hardcore bands before you have not?

Toby:  Not at all. We've never forgotten our roots…even when we played on the Conan O’Brien TV show we rocked Madball and Skarhead shirts, I was X’d up and we've always stayed true to who we are and what we believe in. 

Adam: If you are saying we have a big following I would say big is a relative term. I mean, we're able to play shows without barricades or security, be completely approachable to any kid that comes to our shows, and we're able to directly communicate via Twitter, Facebook, and email with anyone who wants to talk to us, etc. so as long as we can keep those things going, I don't think we'll ever feel uncomfortable. We're lucky enough that our audiences are made up of people who are just like us and who we can really relate to so it never feels fake to us.

IE: The core of the band has been together almost the entire 17 year plus history of H2O which is something rare in music and even rarer in this kind of music. Care to comment on the lineups longevity?

Adam: I gotta say it’s become more than just a band at this point...We are all tolerant of each other and loyal to each other. We have had our ups and downs over the years but after 16 years we have become a family.

Toby: Best friends, brothers, patience, unit, team work and love for the music and the message… still after all these years.

IE: Adam, you are from England and made a pretty long and interesting trip to end up where you are now.  Why did you initially move to NYC and how did you get into hardcore music?

Adam: I think I got into hardcore a little later in life.  I was probably around 18 when I was first exposed to it. The first music I really fell deeply in love with was metal, all my friends, everything I did, everywhere I hung out....all related to metal and I was pretty closed off to anything else. It’s funny, I can remember it so clearly, one of my friends, who was much more open minded that I was, playing me a live record by the Bad Brains and me just being floored by it. The energy, the power, the melodies....it seemed so much deeper than a lot of the bands I was into at the time. Then a few weeks later one of my friends showed up to a party with a copy of Gorilla Biscuits, “Start Today” and a copy of a Youth of Today record...he put them on and I was, once again, floored by it. From there, I started to pick up a lot of the Revelation Records stuff and scouring the thanks lists for clues for other bands to check out. Hardcore was introducing me to so many ideas that I hadn't considered before....straight edge and vegetarianism to name a couple and these ideas where having a huge impact on the way I was living and choices I was making. I became a big fan of Shelter and, would go to the temple on Sundays with my friends to take advantage of the free vegetarian feasts. One of my buddies introduced me to Graham from Shelter who was in London doing a side project, and we became friends. He went back to NYC to go on tour with Shelter, I think he decided he would rather focus on his other band and was looking to leave Shelter. He told me he had a dream one night that I had replaced him in Shelter and he woke up the next morning and called me to see if I would be interested in flying to NYC to try out. I had just graduated music school and Shelter were pretty much my favorite band, so I was super stoked to give it a shot. I hopped on a plane and flew to NYC and tried out....I remember the band at that time was Ray, Porcell and Sammy and I remember at my audition, being so pumped that I was basically playing bass on the "We're Not In This Alone", Youth of Today era line up. Anyways, I got the gig and moved right from my parents house in the UK to a Hare Krishna temple in Brooklyn, New York and started working on the “Mantra” record with Shelter.

IE: The entire band except for your drummer lives in California now, how long have you been living out in Cali and what made you move?

Toby: I have been here since 2001, I just wanted to start a family and buy a house and have a backyard. I really wanted more space.

IE: What have been the positives about moving?

Toby: Again, space, no winters, a big backyard, and a good school for my son.

Adam: NYC will always have a huge part of my heart but it has changed a lot over the years and a lot of what I loved about living there isn't there anymore. I figured it was time for a change. California living is a lot more peaceful and it’s nice to be able to walk down the street in February in shorts and a tee shirt. I live on an island and am literally 2 blocks from the water so it’s a huge difference to my NYC lifestyle. New York is a rush to live in and it teaches you a lot about yourself, other people, and life in general and I feel I have learned all those lessons and been deeply shaped by my time in the city and now it’s time for me to enjoy some time closer to nature. If someone cuts me off while I am riding my bike or something, I get right back into that NY state of mind and scream for them to go fuck themselves or something. I guess NYC is still in me in a lot of ways, even if I'm surrounded by palm trees and blue skies.

IE: And the negatives?

Toby: Driving

IE: You mentioned your son who is only 9 years old and has already made some cameos on your last 2 records. Is he into “dads” music?

Toby: He loves all hip-hop, goth, pop, rock, punk, blues and of course hardcore and daddy’s bands. He has been around music his whole life…been to Japan twice, the UK and this summer I'm taking him to Russia and Paris…Plus all his uncles are in bands. He already is a great drummer and has been playing since he was 3. He is learning bass now also.

IE: What is a regular day like when the band is not touring?

Toby: Get my son ready for school, work out, manage H2O with Adam, and work on OLOC. Pick up my son from school and we either skateboard, play hockey or soccer, or bike ride.  H2O are booked now from March until October. So I spend my time home laying with the fam. I'm truly blessed.

IE: I see on your Twitter page that you are friends with pro wrestler CM Punk and baseball player CJ Wilson, both who are straight edge like yourself. How did you end up being friends with them?

Toby: Through mutual friends. You didn't know that every straight edge person knows each other? (laughing) CJ and CM are great people who I think are amazing positive role models for kids.

IE: H2O played 2 very interesting shows and I would like to get some more background on them, the first one was when you did “Memory Lane” on Conan O’Brien’s show, what was that experience like?

Adam: I remember the actual performance itself was pretty straight forward. It was more the lead up in the weeks prior that seemed strange. Rehearsing the same song again and again and all that, it actually got to the point where, at least for myself, I was sick of the song. The day we shot it seemed to fly by. We had a show at Irving Plaza that night so it was very in and out and fast paced. I remember Will Ferrell was the guest and there being a bunch of animals, including a python backstage as Conan had an animal tamer on the show. The whole thing was very surreal. Conan seemed really nice and he is very, very tall.

IE: The second show was August 2010, you played on a boat that went around Manhattan, how was that experience?

Adam: The boat show was really fun...and it always makes a show more interesting when the equipment starts moving around mid set. I have to say from a playing stand point, it felt weird as everything was shifting around and we were tight on space. However, something like the boat show was about more than just the performance. It was great to be the soundtrack for bunch of people having fun on a boat going around the greatest city in the world. It was one of those things were everyone there seemed to be a friend and I really hope we get the opportunity to do it again sometime.

 

IE: Where would you like to see H2O in another say 5-10 years from now?

Toby: I have no idea man. We take it tour by tour these days with H2O which could also stand for Hard 2 Organize… (laughing)