nnovation is the ability to see change as an opportunity – not a threat”. If any band out there knows innovation and adapting, its Emery. In a virtual hailstorm of…Ahhh I don’t even know what to call it anymore, lets say unoriginality and cookie cutter carbon copies of the band that plays after them, Emery has continued to stand on their own. They’ve held firm to the roots from which they came and remained a powerful force even when lumped into categories that they were blowing the lid off of and reinventing six years ago and tour packages with other bands that would be lucky to have the success and notoriety that Emery has worked so hard to obtain. The pioneers of this scene have a new record tentatively coming early next year but we thought we’d catch up with Josh Head (Keys/Vocals/Hair) and Toby Morrell (Vocals/Bass/Southern gentleman) early to see where they’re heads were at on topics such as labels and the ever speedy revolving door we call a music scene.

You guys have been around for a while and have certainly gotten a feel for how this industry works. As a band that has been around the block, how do you feel about the current trends in music?

Josh Head: I think there are a lot of great bands popping up all the time. Even though most of my favorite bands are from an older generation, I can still appreciate a lot of the newer bands that are popping up. It’s great to see friends of ours, like Anberlin, achieving so much success after so many years working their butts off. I also love the fact that it’s so easy to make music now. I can plug an interface into my laptop and record anything, and use software made by companies like M-Audio to make loops and beats and full songs when the mood strikes me. It’s an exciting time to be a musician!

But do you at all feel like the ease of making music that is coming with this age cheapens the art a bit? Does it frustrate you at all that it doesn’t seem like as much hard work is required to “make it” these days?

JH: I don’t know if I’d say that the art of making music has been cheapened. No matter how easy it is to record a song and put it on a website or iTunes, that has nothing to do with the quality of the song. Owl City is the perfect example of a modern day music success story. That kid was making songs in his parents’ basement, and posting them on MySpace, and he drew such a dedicated following that he got signed and got to go on tour, and the rest is history. The point is that if those songs were terrible, none of that would have happened. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, but I truly feel that the proliferation of new artists has actually made it way harder to “make it” than at any other time in history. For every garage band, there are probably 10 kids making songs on their laptop. That isn’t increasing the number getting signed, or getting big. Its just diluting the market a little, so fans have more outlets for their music expenditures. Now you can get a release out and tour and get popular without a label easier than at any point before, but you still have to do the work. The DIY spirit is alive and well.

From your point of view do you see your genre excelling or floundering?

JH: That’s an interesting question. I guess you’d have to define our genre. Are we screamo? Are we Christian rock? Are we a scene band? I think that a lot of the bands we’ve toured with are having a great deal of success, so if our genre is comprised of the bands we’re friends with and the bands we tour with, than I think the genre is doing very well for itself.

Your style has changed somewhat drastically from record to record, really taking a leap of faith with I’m Only a Man. What brought you back to the more angsty side of things on these later releases?

JH: We get this question a lot. I honestly don’t feel that I’M ONLY A MAN was that much of a departure. It was the next step for us. We do understand that it may not have sounded exactly like our first two albums, but that’s where our hearts and heads were at when we made the record. However, it’s obvious to anyone who has seen us live that some songs bring a different level of energy to the show, and those songs are really fun to play. We’ve tried to write more songs that not only boost our energy level, but also that of the listener.

How does it affect your creative process or even your attitude as a band to hear people reject an album you’ve made in favor of hoping you return to what you used to be?

JH: It makes us want to write hits! That’s a joke, of course. We write songs that we want to write and that we want to hear, but that doesn’t mean we ignore what our fans say. They, after all, are the reason we are where we are. If we’re going in a direction and no one’s following us, that means something. That doesn’t mean we’re going to pander to the lowest common denominator, but we also don’t want to alienate anyone. Above all, we don’t want to be repetitive. I think we’ve done a good job of evolving without completely falling off the tracks. You’re not going to hear an Emery reggae record any time soon.

That being said, what can we expect from future Emery releases?

JH: We’re working on a new record right now, but I don’t want to give away anything. It’s going to be great. If you love Emery, you’ll love it. If you don’t love Emery, hopefully this record will convince you to give us another shot. I’m really happy with it thus far.

As you get older and you see the business and scene change, what do you see happening in the long run for Emery?

JH: We’re going to keep playing shows and trying to increase the size of our audience. We also want to go to Japan and Africa and New Zealand and Argentina and all the places we haven’t been yet. The industry will not stifle our band’s efforts!

When that day does come, what would you hope that your band is remembered for?

JH: People should remember us for being the soundtrack to the best party they ever went to!

What do you feel like has been your biggest success and your biggest failure as a band?

JH: I’m still really proud of The Weak’s End. We played some shows and made a demo and got signed to a great label, and it was really amazing to put out that first album. It was so exciting. Every album release is exciting, of course, but we were so young in 2004 that The Weak’s End probably means a little more. I don’t think we’ve had a huge failure yet. We haven’t been to Japan, and I’d love to do that. If we get there, then we’ll call it another success!

Often Emery has touched lyrically on subjects that are more about real life situations, often involving girls and the like. I know you guys have taken some heat, people saying that you aren’t “Christian enough” (Whatever that may mean…) Where do you guys stand on all of this? Your views on God and where you feel that lies within your music?

JH: We all have strong relationships with God, and that has never wavered. He is the reason we are here, and the reason we are so blessed and able to do what we do for a living. That is never forgotten. The lyrics Toby and Devin write deal with not only their lives, but also their faith and the everyday struggles they’ve gone through. I don’t feel its been tough, or a balancing act. Its just a part of what they do, and what we do as a band. Thanks for the interview!