The band once known as Kunek is now Other Lives. With this change, it seems a number of other evolutions are taking place with the band. I (Natalie Wright) took a minute to talk with bassist Josh Onstott to get an idea of the direction the band will be taking in the coming months.
SOPHIE ZINE: You have not played a live show in nine months now. What have you been working on?
JOSH ONSTOTT: We’ve been working on our record for the past two years now. About a year ago we decided to quit playing shows and focus solely on writing and producing the next album.
SOPHIE ZINE: Kunek has changed the name of the band to Other Lives. What was the motivation for the change?
JOSH ONSTOTT: There were a few reasons for the name change but the biggest reason was the loss of a band member. The band changed and the music changed so we felt a name change was appropriate.
SOPHIE ZINE: You are releasing an EP, and then your full length album later on. Can you tell me anything about these releases, and how they differ from the Kunek release?
JOSH ONSTOTT: The EP will be in stores on the third week of October. It will have two songs straight from the album and two b-sides that we recorded as demos. Then there’s a fifth song that’s a demo version of a song on the record. The release date for the record is less certain, but it looks like the beginning of 2009. Both will be released under TBD Records.
SOPHIE ZINE: These will be released by TBD, a division of ATO, which means your album will be released on the same label as Radiohead’s In Rainbows. What significance does this hold to you as a band?
JOSH ONSTOTT: Naturally we really admire Radiohead as a band and have always enjoyed their music. The association is nice, but being on the same label as Radiohead doesn’t necessarily guarantee us any kind of success. It will still come down to whether the album connects with people or not, just like any other album.
SOPHIE ZINE: What can your listeners expect to hear from you at the Sophie Event with The Neighborhood on September 26? How has your live show changed?
JOSH ONSTOTT: The live show has significantly changed. Like the album, many of the songs are more orchestrated and include heavy strings. The set will also be more song oriented as opposed to our previous set, which had more instrumental sections and interludes.