INTERVIEW: CHRIS MOTIONLESS of MOTIONLESS IN WHITE – July 2018

INTERVIEW BY: RACHEL CRAIG

Vans Warped Tour, July 30 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion

Motionless In White is currently playing on the final full cross-country run of the Vans Warped Tour, and they have been a huge supporter of the tour’s impact on the music industry since they first started playing it in their hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania in 2005. I caught up with frontman Chris Motionless at the Charlotte date about how it feels to be “cheerleaders” for the tour, along with plans for their next album.

Rachel: It’s the final Warped Tour, I’m sure you’ve been asked this a million times but how’s it been so far?

Chris: It’s been great. We’re right now on, I think, day 19 of a 20-day-in-a-row show stretch. So that’s been a really cool thing to look and be like, wow this is the first time we’ve ever played more than 10 shows in a row in our career and it’s like a new level up moment. I don’t know what we’re going to level up to next but it’s been great.

Rachel: Sounds like you guys have been working really hard. It seems like Motionless In White has been kind of “cheerleaders” for this final Warped Tour. You’ve been really involved and even released a short documentary about when you first started playing up until now. How does it feel to get on stage and know this is it?

Chris: It’s definitely emotional because Warped Tour has been such a integral part of our career. Like we have started essentially our career on Warped Tour. That was our first big show that we had ever played that was like the defining moment that made us say like, okay we can do this, you know? And to see that happen then and look at what’s happened throughout our career because of Warped Tour, I mean some of the biggest things that have happened to us is a direct result of being a part of this tour. So I’m just happy to be here on the last one, like had we been on it it last year and we didn’t get to play on the last one and say goodbye in our way, it would have been a little bit more heartbreaking. But to actually be on the last one and do it our way, just be a part of this whole special environment – we’re thrilled. Like you said, we are definitely like “Warped cheerleaders” especially this year because we owe so much to it.

Rachel: So the last album Graveyard Shift came out just over a year ago. Do you have any big plans after Warped Tour? Maybe start working on the next album?

Chris: We’re going to do maybe just some shows here and there for the rest of the year, but no more touring. We’re just going to get right back into writing and hopefully get in the studio, I would say maybe a little bit before the holidays and just start going. We want to put a new album out sooner than later and try just writing with the momentum we have from the last one. So it’s definitely going to be right after this tour, we’re going right in. Like we are in 100% writing mode, just getting it done.

Rachel: Can you give us a hint about a “vibe” of the new record? I know it’s probably in the very early stages, but I know that Graveyard Shift was a step back into a heavier direction, a heavier sound. Do you have any ideas you’re going for?

Chris: Right now with all the stuff we’ve written so far, it’s very much in the same vein as Graveyard Shift. I think that’s the happiest we’ve ever been with an album. And to see, more so, the fans’ reaction to it, that they’ve really clung to the album and really enjoy it, it kind of reinforces us to want to do what we like and what they like. So I think that’s probably where it’s going to end up, I mean it’ll sound very very similar, just hopefully the songs will be even better and more refined. Each time, obviously every band tries compete with their past material and beat it, and that’s something that we really do with every album, so it will be likely very much in the same vein.

Rachel: Do you have a favorite or funny moment from the tour? I saw your tweet about how Vinny (drums) got scurvy and you guys are just dead at this point.

Chris: (laughs) We were just playing off the Oregon Trail game, yeah, just trying to be funny and joke about stuff like that. Our favorite moment? I think playing our hometown in Scranton a few days ago. We started there. I mean, 2005 was our first Warped Tour experience and that was in Scranton and every single year that we’ve ever played it, which has been 9 years over a 13 year period, we’ve played at that venue. And to finally have our friends, our family and just all of our local, original fanbase foundation be present so we can say goodbye, that was just an incredibly powerful, emotional show. So I don’t know how I’ll be able to move on from how powerful and how emotional it was, I mean everybody was there, it just felt like the whole crowd and the band were like one central beating heart, to be dramatic about it I guess (laughs).

Rachel: So the last day is coming up very soon. Do you have any plans? I’m sure it will be emotional, too.

Chris: Yeah, I wouldn’t say there’s any plans. We really wanted to get a picture with Kevin [Lyman] and just say something to express our gratitude towards him and we felt that would be better to do at our home show, because as we said, that’s where our tour started. That was kind of our big moment that we got to share. I think for the last couple of days, if not the last day, it’s just going to be one more, final speech on our behalf to thank Warped Tour and Kevin and everything.

Rachel: Anything else you want fans to know about this final tour?

Chris: I just think if you’ve ever been to Warped Tour before and like this kind of environment, you definitely don’t want to miss this year because it’s been very special compared to the past, I would say, two times that we played it. It’s just, people are showing up and they’ve realized it’s the last chance to still enjoy it and they’re going all in.

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Category: Interviews