The Start

Back in '98 a band caught my ear that re-ignited my interest in music at a time when, it must be said, it had got to an all-time low. Hailing from Huntingdon Beach, California, Human Waste Project's 'E-Lux' debut album rarely left my CD player and, despite being linked with the 'nu-metal' movement emerging from Los Angeles at the time, the band tended to come across as something rather more than just another one of those bands. There was a certain harshness about their sound, but they possessed truck loads of melody and were fronted by a female singer of real character. Her name was Aimee Echo.

But Human Waste Project were not long for the world. Despite garnering a heap load of press and an increasing fanbase in the UK, the band parted after their appearance on the OzzFest bill in the summer of '98. The next anyone heard of the individuals concerned they had split into two camps; Professional Murder Music and Hero. The latter included Aimee and HWP drummer Scott Ellis. The duo were joined by bassist Jeff Jaeger and, surprisingly, erstwhile Snot drummer Jamie Miller. The twist being that he was now playing guitar and synths!

Hero produced a superb four track demo (which can still be found online at  http://www.thestart.org/ ) before being snapped up to a major label deal with the WEA affiliated 143 Records . They recorded 'Shakedown!', their debut album, in 1999. However, the album's release met with delay after delay before finally seeing the light of day in 2001. By this time 143 had been swallowed up by Geffen and Universal Music.

An absolutely stunning slice of punky, synth-laden pop rock, 'Shakedown!' won my vote as album of the year. Yet the record just seemed to disappear without trace. Never granted a European release, an awesome album was allowed to die by an uncaring record label. Eventually the group found themselves dropped. It was back to square one for The Start, if you'll excuse the pun. An outrageous situation for the greatest new American rock band in simply years.

Determined to carry on regardless, Aimee and Jamie took their careers by the scruff of the neck and spent the next two years on the road, recording and releasing a self-financed EP (commonly known as the 'Death Via Satellite' EP) in 2002. They have now emerged with a brand new deal with US independent Nitro Records, home to AFI, The Vandals and TSOL, amongst others.

 Up until signing with their new label, Aimee had suffered at the hands of other US based companies. She is amazed at the incompetence and blinkered attitude of those labels she has had previous dealings with.

"I just don’t understand the mentality of those American labels. They had no interest in ensuring the bands they sign are promoted abroad."

How did you take the news that your original label no longer wanted you?

"Oh my god, I was heartbroken! The only thing that kept us going was determination. We were going to die before anybody could break us.

"We picked ourselves up, simplified our lives and went full steam ahead!

"We went over to Europe with no record label, but the determination to succeed. It’s funny, just after I got back from this mammoth tour we’d been on for the best part of 16 months, I ran into someone I hadn’t seen for quite a long time. She asked me which rock I’d been hiding under. I just told her: "I’ve been touring the US and Europe for over a year! Which rock have YOU been hiding under?!"

The loss of their record deal wasn’t without a cost. Scott Ellis and Jeff Jaeger would both depart.

"It’s funny, as I was just reading in the Siouxsie & The Banshees biography about line-up changes and the number of guitarists they went through.

"Our initial line-up was, of course, Scott, Jeff, Jamie and myself. But once we’d lost our deal and the money was no longer there, it did require a serious lifestyle change. For Jamie and myself there was no question that we were going to go with it. It was a different thing with Scott. But he’s in another band now called Melodrone.  Jeff wound up going back to college and getting married. They're both very happy.

"Jamie and I stuck together and over the course of the next year basically asked our friends if they wanted to play with us. That’s how we toured. There was never an official rhythm team replacement for Scott and Jeff, until we got Erick Sanger and Billy Brimblecom Jr. involved. We’d had enough of borrowing members from other bands. And it turns out it’s just as we enter another phase. And that’s easier to do with a label behind us."

Back in the heady days of '98, Aimee had experienced what it felt like to enjoy the support of a record label, although it was seemingly a rather strange situation at that!

"Human Waste Project were signed to Hollywood in the States, but we went through Polydor in the UK. The relationship between those two labels was very interesting. Hollywood had a regime change when we were making the ‘E-Lux’ record. They were without a president for quite some time, until they hired a guy who was an attorney. He wasn’t a music guy.

"Now Hollywood in the States had no intention of doing anything with us. But we encountered a really incredible crew at Polydor, who had been aware of the fact we were being really heavily featured in ‘Kerrang!’ and there was this word of mouth thing happening in the UK. Hollywood thought they were high, or something. But what Polydor did was amazing. They told Hollywood that if they wouldn’t get behind us then Polydor wouldn’t get behind any of the other acts the label had at the time. It was a great show of faith."

You seemed to get lumped in with the likes of Coal Chamber and Korn. I thought you were much more special than what that nu-metal scene offered.

"I don’t mean to sound full of myself here, but every one of those bands we used to rehearse with in the same studio complex in L.A. And the last show Human Waste Project played was at OzzFest in England. Nearly all of the bands we played with on that bill we knew.

"The bottom line is, you play with who you know. I’m into diversity and I like playing with all kinds of bands."

What ultimately happened with HWP?

"We just grew apart musically. What I wanted HWP to be was what I have now with The Start."

Indeed, and by listening to the 'E-Lux' album you can see exactly what steps Aimee has made to progress But her sense of melody remains the link between the harder edge of HWP's swaggering musical sword play and the post-punk pop rock offered by The Start.

As mentioned previously, the band first appeared under the moniker of Hero. Presumably the name change was due to others having prior use?

"Yes. We hadn’t researched the name at all. So our attorney told us of a number of other bands using the name. We could go after each one and buy the rights or change the name. It was easier (and cheaper) to change our name. So we became The Start."

Kinda apt, really?

"Indeed!"

The demo you recorded prior to the deal featured two songs that never made it to ‘Shakedown!’ Both were great songs though. Why were ‘Flying Machine’ and ‘Be Mine’ canned?

"It’s possible we may re-record them, but we didn’t include them on the album because the way they were going when we were recording them sounded a bit cheesy. And the producer (Josh Abraham) wasn’t keen either. So we were kinda influenced a bit on that level too. They could turn up as B-sides in the future."

I was amazed at the reaction of the likes of ‘Kerrang!’ to The Start, in comparison to the coverage you received with HWP. After the album was released they came down hard on you.

"I don’t think there was too much of a change in sound when we jumped ship, but the ‘Shakedown!’ record took two years to come out. We recorded it in 1999 and it didn’t get released until 2001. We were messed around, changed labels, but all the time I’d be telling people that the record was still coming out. I guess they just thought I was making it up. Thus some trust between band and press occurred.

"And when it did get released, The label had no care for anything outside of the US. We wanted to come to the UK. We knew we’d do well, but they just laughed and didn’t do anything with us. And in the States, what we made I don't think people just weren’t ready for."

I was amused by the claim in the ‘Kerrang!’ review that the record sounded like T’Pau!

Aimee laughs.

To me, it was like you took the best bits from HWP and added them to a mix of Siouxsie & The Banshees, The Cure and Missing Persons. And I loved the latter influence!

"You’re absolutely correct, especially about Missing Persons. I don’t think too many females are fortunate enough to play with great male musicians. They either get guys who are not good enough to play with the boys, or get nerdy Musician’s Institute kids.

"Boys were never afraid to play with me. And I feel fortunate about that. In terms of Missing Persons, there was a band full of brilliant musicians too.

"But we’re heavily influenced by the post-punk era. And I live and die for The Cure!"

‘Gorgeous’ was written about Robert Smith, wasn’t it?

"Y’know, you’re the first person to get that! He was the only guy who had the ability to write sappy love songs that were brilliant."

I relate an anecdote of L.A. based pianogirl Charlotte Martin wanting to go on a visit to Crawley to see where Robert Smith grew up. Aimee gets excited.

"I wanna go too! We’ll do the whole tour!"

Speaking of tours, The Start ventured over to the UK in late 2002 with punksters Strung Out…

"That was a great tour. It was as down and dirty as you can get. We were sharing a bus with Strung Out, so there was 10 of them and 4 of us. 13 boys and me. And 10 of them were pretty grubby!!! It was great. Lots of drunken nights. And the UK was amazing.

"We also went over to continental Europe. That was kinda scary and cold. We played in Italy, Germany, Holland….Amsterdam was amazing…"

How did the Nitro deal occur?

"It was interesting. It was down to Hot Water Music, who are one of our favourite bands. We were playing the VANS Warped tour in 2002. We’d just put together the EP and were selling it ourselves. We’d bought a van and were touring consistently and we got ourselves on that tour. Actually, it was a pretty overwhelming experience. There’s like 70 bands a day. It’s awesome! Like a huge circus.

"Anyway, Mitch - a guy from Nitro - had come out to one of the shows because he was a fan of Hot Water Music and was talking to Jason Black, the bassist. He wasn’t familiar with some of the bands on the bill, so he was asking Jason who he should go see. Jason told him about us and a couple of other bands and gave him our CD.

"That was Mitch’s introduction to The Start. The funny thing is that Mitch used to be in a band and he used to do shows with Human Waste Project.

"Anyway, we toured for 14 out of 16 months between 2002 and 2003. We only had December and January off. We were intent on building ourselves up as a band. Mitch and Sean from Nitro came out to several shows and were becoming more interested in us each time.

"After our bad experiences with incompetent labels and management, we’d become pretty phobic in terms of letting ourselves be exposed to other people interfering with our lives. So we were a bit reluctant to let anyone get too involved. We were doing our thing and it was going ok. But it’s weird how things turn out.

"Finally, Mitch and Sean asked us if we would sign with a label like Nitro. By this point we’d been paying attention to each other for awhile and the relationship was going well.

"Having now signed, I feel this is a pretty good relationship. It feels natural, it’s really enjoyable and they seem to work as hard as we do to get results."

The Start also have new management in Dana Sims.

"Dana had read about us in Alternative Press and was a fan. He used to work for Sub-Pop Records and is somebody who keeps his ear to the ground.

"He’d come to our shows whenever we were in Seattle or Tacoma. One day he contacted our then management about organising a gig for us. We got to know him and he mentioned to us that he was managing bands like Nebula. At that point I’d become the band manager as well as the singer. And I remember I was actually selling T-shirts when I asked him if he was interested in managing us. He immediately arranged lunch the next day and he wound up being our new manager!"

Presumably, you chose to have Nitro re-release the EP to get product out straight away, thus getting the name back in circulation before a new album arrives?

"That and the fact the EP was never officially released before."

At this point Aimee realises that today is the first time The Start has had a record officially released in another country besides the States. The ‘Death Via Satellite’ EP was issued by Nitro in the UK on Monday 26th January.

"We sold it ourselves by mail or at shows. We sold 6000 copies. No small potatoes for a bunch of kids driving round in a van!

"I’m really excited. We go in to record our new record on February 1^st. And the songwriting has been so pleasurable. I am so proud of what we’ve accomplished. We didn’t die. We prevailed. And it’s a big thing for me to say that I’m proud of something."

I believe one of the new songs is called ‘Peacocks’?

"It is. We’ve been playing it live lately. It’s about our struggle. The main line in the song is ‘When the world comes crashing down around us, we will rise, we will rise’"

Hmm. Sounds like echoes of the ‘rise up’ chorus in ‘Shakedown!’.

"The material we’ve been writing is a little darker. It’s a natural progression Just as the EP was from ‘Shakedown!’."

The new album, tentatively titled ‘Initiation’ ("because we have 2 new boys jumping in"), is due for a July release. At the time we originally spoke, The Start were looking to tour the States again in mid-March before venturing over to the UK in April.

" Theoretically the Strung Out tour was in support of the EP, but this is a new beginning so we need to support the record until the album is released."

However, the opportunity arose to return to the UK in early March with The Offspring and Ruffio. The band were then offered further dates with The Offspring in the US. Another selection of UK dates is tentatively scheduled for the summer, to coincide with the album's release.

Roll on July! This Is The Start!

For up to date info on The Start visit www.thisisthestart.com