Interview: The Devil Wears Prada - 10/10/09

Alter The Press! sat down with Mike Hranica and Jeremy DePoyster of The Devil Wears Prada whilst in the UK supporting Enter Shikari.

Mike and Jeremy spoke to ATP! about the success of their latest album, 'Roots Above And Branches Below', the Christian metalcore scene, signing to Ferret Music, The Office, new material and more.

Alter The Press: How does it feel to be back in the UK?
Jeremy DePoyster: Grim and grey and desolate! The shows have been awesome.

Mike Hranica: We've been overdue to come back and we're appreciative for the opportunity but yeah, the shows have been awesome since being here.

ATP: How did you hook up with Enter Shikari?
MH: We played a festival with them in Texas earlier this year. I don't know, maybe we made an impression on them, we were trying to get on this tour when we heard about it and they let us on it.

ATP: Your recent album, 'Roots'. It was number 1 in the US indie charts and 11 on the Billboard charts. What was your reaction when finding out?
JD: I cried and slept with my dogs! I can't really remember, I think I saw the e-mail and I just said, 'What the heck? Are you serious?' I thought we'd only sell about 18,000 copies and not even chart top 25. If we charted in the top 25, we would have been just as stoked with that. It was really surprising.

ATP: First album with Ferret Music, how did you end up signing to them?
MH: They expressed interest after we put out our first record and our manager had started talking to them. We obviously had heard of Ferret and heard it was a respectable label; we heard good things from other bands and ended up signing with them before we even put out 'Plagues' (TDWP second album). We hit it off from there and finally put out 'Roots' after knowing Ferret for a long time. We get along well; it's a good relationship.

ATP: Since then, a few of you're tracks have been featured on Rock Band and Guitar Hero, how did this happen?
JD: We signed a publishing deal and they try and get you featured on those sorts of things. We played our song in the Rock Band tent on Warped Tour (US summer touring festival) and it didn't go over too well. I'm not that good at it to begin with.

ATP: From 'Roots', what are you're favorite tracks and fan favorites?
JD: Fan favorite live has been, 'Danger: Wildman,’ kids go nuts for that song. I've had a lot of people say they like 'Dez Moines' but I think that's because we put it out on MySpace first and you don't have to buy the CD to hear it. My favorite is 'Give Me Half'.

MH: I like 'Give Me Half'. All of us are pretty collectively proud of that song. It’s more than what we've ever done in a song before. It feels good to develop.

JD: It's a good mix of the heavy side of things and melodic side of things. Some of my favorite screamy parts and screamy choruses are on that song. Parts that stick in you're head.

ATP: One of you're unreleased tracks is called, 'Assistant To The Regional Manager'. I'm guessing the band are fans of The Office so what are you're favorite moments/quotes?
JD: My favorite all time moment is when Toby comes back and Michael goes up to him, 'I just wanted to say that I'm glad to have you back and glad you're here' and he does the whole shpeel and he says afterwards, 'You want to know a lie? You're my best friend.' That's my favorite episode.

MH: I don't know. I do love The Office but I can't think of anything but I like anything later because I like Jim and Pam being together.

ATP: The band is a part of the Christian metalcore scene. Who are you're favorite bands in this genre?
JD: Underoath, definitely. Good dudes and a good band.

MH: As I Lay Dying. We are yet to do a four band bill tour with them, we want to do a club tour with them. They are a monumental band especially in the Christian scene.

ATP: What's been the best tour you've been on?
JD: The 'Sweet Bragg' tour (US tour with A Day To Remember, Sky Eats Airplane, Emarosa, Miss May I) was really fun but Warped Tour was probably my favorite.

MH: Since the Silverstein US tour at the beginning of 2008, every tour seems to get better. That was our first bus tour and every time has got better. We did Warped Tour in 2008, then the Underoath US tour, which was amazing.

ATP: Has the band been working on any new material?
JD: I mean we have ideas for stuff on our own that we'd like to put into songs but we haven't started anything in particular. Chris Rubey (lead guitarist) has a couple of demos but I think in a little while we are going to work on something. If it's running through you're head, you might as well get it out.

ATP: What's the plan after the Enter Shikari UK tour?
JD: We are doing a US tour with All That Remains called the 'Napalm and Noise' tour, we are doing a bunch of international stuff like Asia, Japan and Australia then, I don't know at the moment, nothing has been confirmed yet.

ATP: Any plans to come back to the UK?
JD: We are going to have to, after the response so far. I hate being here because of my phone not working, and being so far away from everyone, but we really need to get over here as the shows have been really good and it's a market we haven't been hitting at all.

MH: Nothing specific.

'Roots Above And Branches Below' is out now on Ferret Music.

- Jon Ableson