JIZO:
Wassap TAPT! Thanks for agreeing to answer some
questions for
JIZO-ENTERTAINMENT.COM. Lets start at the very
beginning, who exactly is Thomas Apartment? How many
of you are they exactly?
T'APT-Pete: There are six of us; Bao on electric
guitar, Billy on guitar and keyboards, Laine on
drums, Nam on bass, Thomas on lead vocals, and Pete
on guitars, keyboards, and vocals.
JIZO:
How did you guys come up with that name?
TAPT-Pete: There were actually a couple of
different names that were thrown around before
Thomas' Apartment was agreed on. We considered
Static September, because it happened to be the
month of September and we weren't doing much, and we
also thought about Schema, which was a psychology
term that's a little too obscure. But we always
rehearsed and jammed with each other at the
apartment belonging to Thomas (our singer), and we
thought it fitting that we call our band that:
Thomas' Apartment.
JIZO:
Where are you guys based out of? Is everyone in the
band Vietnamese American?
TAPT-Pete: We're mostly Vietnamese American,
but we've actually got a mix of other ethnicities
among us as well. Thomas is actually 3/4 Diojiu (a
Chinese variant), Pete is half Chinese, and Laine is
actually 1/4 Greek, 1/4 Italian, 1/4 Moroccan, and
1/4 Brazilian.
JIZO:
What inspired you to form this band? How long have
you guys been around?
TAPT-Pete: We all have a common love for music,
and we're all really close friends. Jamming with
each other, along with listening to different types
of music, and real life experiences come together to
inspire us to do what we do. Thomas' Apartment has
been together for 7 years and we're still going
strong!
JIZO:
What was the main sacrifice you had to make just to
grow as a band?
TAPT-Pete: Our biggest sacrifices are time
and money. We try to dedicate about three days a
week to band work, whether they be rehearsals,
logistical meetings, live performances, or technical
work. We do most of our work in-house, from writing
and recording songs to designing our own promotional
materials for print and web to planning the
logistics of our tour. Being an independent rock
band means financing all the costs ourselves, which
can skyrocket very quickly when you're a musician.
We all struggle to keep up with the costs with our
day jobs; it definitely isn't easy, but we're very
passionate about what we're doing.
JIZO:
As an all asian american band, What are some of the
biggest stereotypes you have been faced with so far?
TAPT-Pete: We definitely face the stereotype of lacking talent, because
Asian Americans are very new to the rock scene and
aren't seen as experienced. Fortunately we've been
able to pleasantly surprise people consistently,
through both our two albums and our live
performances.
JIZO:
Are you guys actually making a living out of music,
or does everyone have a real J.O.B?
TAPT-Pete: All of us have day jobs, though we
all share a common goal of making Thomas' Apartment
our living eventually. Thomas and Nam are computer
programmers. Laine is a mobile game testing
engineer. Bao is a doctoral candidate in Cognitive
Science. Billy is a 3D character animator. Pete is a
software technician.
JIZO:
Who do you consider as a role model? Why?
TAPT-Pete: A common role model to all of us
would be the band Linkin Park. They've got 6 guys
who make great music, and they work together so
amazingly as both musicians and friends, which is
what we strive to do.
JIZO:
I see that "Wong Fu Production" did your music
video? How long did it take to make it?
TAPT-Pete: Our current music video, Universe,
was actually completely written and produced
ourselves, the help of very talented upcoming
director, Michael Lowe. It took about a month from
the initial planning stage to post-production. Wong
Fu is actually slated to work on a music video for
our next single, Temperature, in August. Stay tuned!
JIZO:
What is your favorite track?
TAPT-Pete: We have many favorite tracks.
We're very fond of Universe, our first single, and
Temperature, our next single.
JIZO:
You guys are currently on a tour and will be soon in
Dallas (July 31st). Are you excited about coming to
Texas?
TAPT-Pete: We love Texas! We've actually
played in Austin at the Vietnamese American Student
Conference, VASCON, for three years in a row and
counting. They've been so awesome to us and we can't
wait to see them and play for them again.
JIZO:
Is there anything you would like to say about
yourself that few people may know?
TAPT-Pete: Billy likes long walks on the
beach and has perfect pitch. Laine is a graduate of
the Berklee College of Music in Boston and an avid
Red Sox fan. Nam is an avid player of Magic cards.
Thomas used to be an electronica DJ. Pete is also a
film score composer. Bao is a Ph.D candidate at UC
Irvine.
JIZO:
All the best of luck guys, and we will see ya at the
Belmont Hotel in Dallas on July 31st, 2007!
TAPT-Pete: Thanks! We can't wait! =)
