8/17/2019 Waters Interview

1/5

Interview: WATERS Floats on Stage at the 9:30 Club

 Neon lights and twisting vines o bright! "lasti# lowers de#$ed the stage in the %o%ents beoreWATERS& entran#e'

The band boun#ed on stage! with all but lead singer (an )iers*alows$i s"orting bright green tan$ to"s to %irror the lighting! their ine#tious energ+ i%%ediatel+ a""arent' The+ tossed lowersinto the #rowd and dove into their o"ening song'

WATERS shared the 9:30 Club stage this "ast Sunda+ with bands CR,ISR and -isterWives!who% the+ o"ened or' This "arti#ular show #on#luded their two.%onth long tour! and that bittersweet $nowledge was a""arent in their "eror%an#es'

Ea#h a#t brought a uni/ue energ+ to the stage! $ee"ing the audien#e engaged throughout thenight' Their %usi# en#ouraged the audien#e to leave an+ worries or stress at the door there wasno s"a#e or negativit+ on#e the "ounding bass and ele#tri# notes o the $e+board illed the roo%'

CR,ISR $i#$ed o the aair! iring 1o$es between songs and ostering a sense o anti#i"ationor what was to #o%e' WATERS ollowed! $ee"ing u" the e2#ite%ent with an e#le#ti# arra+ odan#e %oves and visible "assion or their %usi#' -isterWives was last to ta$e the stage! neverletting the u"beat environ%ent alter'

The #on#ert #ul%inated with -isterWives& en#ore! #reating a dan#e "art+ in whi#h the band was 1oined onstage b+ both CR,ISR and WATERS' Not a single "erson in the venue was still' Theentire night elt li$e being at a "art+ with +our #losest riends! and no one was read+ to see it end'

Fu#$ing aweso%e!4 said 56.+ear.old Austin S#h%itt o (irginian when as$ed about WATERS&

stage "resen#e' The+&re a%a*ing' Their energ+ is reall+ "ositive and the vibe that +ou get when+ou see the% is reall+ good'4

S#h%itt #ontinued! 7Their %usi#8 is 1ust so ha""+' ou #an&t sit there and not %ove when +ou&relistening to it' ou have to %ove'4

ater that night! the ;lo# had a #han#e to sit down with WATERS lead singer (an )iers*alows$ito tal$ about

8/17/2019 Waters Interview

2/5

Well! %+ dad is a #o%%er#ial sal%on isher%an in Alas$a! so I s"ent a lot o %+ #hildhoodgrowing u" there and wor$ing on his boat' )ort =&;rien was %+ irst band! and that was! li$e!that was na%ed ater a ver+ s"e#ii# #anner+ in Alas$a' ;ut I wanted the new band to $ind o stillrele#t that sin#e it&s su#h a big "art o %+ lie! but I wanted it to $ind o be in#redibl+ %ore

 broad and %ore general! be#ause I alwa+s $new that I wanted WATERS to be! li$e! alwa+sevolving and #hanging' So I 1ust elt li$e WATERS was good'So%e "roble%s with ?oogle.abilit+ earl+ on! but I thin$ it&s o$a+ now'4

Q: Your newest album What’s Real  !ust came out earlier this year" What were some of

your bi##est musical influences while writin# and recordin# it?

I wanted to %a$e a re#ord that would $ind o stri$e a si%ilar #hord in "eo"le to the re#ords thatI grew u" with reall+ loving and that %ade %e want to "la+ %usi#' I never reall+ used those asinluen#es beore @ and what I %ean b+ that are the irst #ou"le Wee*er re#ords! irst #ou"le?reenda+ re#ords! Nirvana! S%ashing )u%"$ins! The Cranberries' Still with the little bit o indie

ro#$ that I had alwa+s used or inluen#e beore! li$e earl+ -odest -ouse! )ave%ent! The S"illand all o that earl+ )a#ii# Northwest indie ro#$ stu' ind o li$e #o%bining those twoworlds'4

Q: What sort of responses did you hope to e$o%e from people both with the music itself

and with your li$e performances?

I %ean! +ou alwa+s ho"e that "eo"le #an rea#t in a "rett+ vis#eral wa+ and in an e%otional wa+'I $now when I was growing u"! those re#ords that irst hit %e were so i%"a#tul' And it&s hard tore%e%ber s"e#ii# eelings! %ore so 1ust a sense o! li$e! awa$ening to the world' I thin$ %usi#does that to "eo"le' I $now it did that to %e' It&s the irst thing I ever e2"erien#ed where +ouhave li$e these @ it&s $ind o li$e a s"iritual e2"erien#e! listening to %usi#! and I was raised in aver+ atheist a%il+! and! +ou $now! I still a%! but %usi# to %e was the irst thing that ever reall+stru#$ %e in a s"iritual sense'I %ean! not that I have these huge things or "eo"le listening to our %usi#' I 1ust li$e the idea oeeling an+thing' )eo"le listening to our %usi# and eeling things @ whatever the+ want to eel!there&s no s"e#ii# eelings' Bust whatever +ou get out o it'4

Q: You #uys ha$e been on tour for a pretty lon# time at this point" What&s your fa$orite

part about playin# li$e shows?

=n this tour! I reall+ li$ed the last "art o the set @ we do our song -o% and

8/17/2019 Waters Interview

3/5

Q: (s that where the )*+s wor%out !ac%et came from?

ind o! +eah' This is! 7gestures to his 1a#$et8 %an! I love this thing' This is a#tuall+ an insanestor+'

We "la+ed in New or$ a #ou"le nights ago! and the ne2t %orning it was! li$e! tr+ing to get outin ;roo$l+n with this rig is tough' And there were #ars hon$ing at us and ever+thing! and wewere tr+ing to load in the van all our luggage! and %+ whole bag @ %+ huge suit#ase o all %+#lothes @ was 1ust let' et on the sidewal$! and I didn&t reali*e until li$e ive hours later! and I#alled %+ riend li$e! ?o outside and see i it&s there4 and it&s not there! it&s gone'

I a#tuall+ have no #lothes' I 1ust ha""ened to be wearing this' And that&s wh+ I&% wearing a-isterWives shirt! the+ gave it to %e! I 1ust ha""ened to be wearing these "ants' And %+ "arentswere in town so I&% wearing so%e o %+ dad&s bo2ers'4

Q: (t&s a minimalist life"

Seriousl+! it is though! all %+ #lothes are gone We "la+ed a headlining show in

8/17/2019 Waters Interview

4/5

It&s in#redibl+ "roessionall+ run! ever+one&s su"er ni#e! and thorough! and it sounds great' It&s 1ust the "ere#t blue"rint or a ro#$ and roll #lub' )ere#t si*e! great sound' I %ean! I don&t $nowas a an i +ou have that si%ilar e2"erien#e! but ro% the band&s "ers"e#tive it&s! li$e! it reall+ isthe best venue that I&ve ever "la+ed'4

Q: .ast ni#ht you #uys were at ,-*" ( %now that&s a smaller $enue/ does the si0e of the$enue e$er influence the way you play a show?

onestl+! that show last night at

8/17/2019 Waters Interview

5/5

Q: And finally what&s ne2t for WATERS now that the tour is o$er?

First! a ver+ long drive' And then a s%all headline West Coast tour in Februar+! 1ust in li$eCaliornia and )hoeni2 and those "la#es' We&ll start writing a lot! as soon as we get ba#$ in the

studio in -ar#h or so'4