Thieves & Liars are the kind of band that keeps you guessing. Despite the fact that members of the California power-trio have done time in bands like No Innocent Victim, the band has more on common with bands like Deep Purple and Never Say Die era Black Sabbath than they do with any hardcore band. The group weaves out sonic tapestries filled with stadium-sized guitars, a driving rhythm section, and the kinds of melodic vocals that hook you in from the get-go! Fans of Kyuss and the aforementioned bands should definitely take notice of Thieves & Liars’ debut album, When Dreams Become Reality. SMN News spoke with guitarist Corey Edelmann about their new record.

The first thing that really jumped out at me about your sound is how much it’s steeped in 70’s guitar rock. I know you come from a hardcore background so was this an era that you’ve always followed or did you really get into it more recently?

I have always been into it a little, but really started getting into it about 8 years ago.

 

When I reviewed the album for Ultimate-Guitar, I mentioned how much When Dreams Become Reality is really a complete experience from the great songs to the gorgeous artwork and layout. It really brings that lost element to the fold. How involved were you in the packaging and how important was it to you guys?

It was very important to us, I really wanted the artwork to match the story and I think Dave Quiggle did an amazing job of illustrating what we did musically. He had the music before he did the artwork so he would listen to the song to help him with where the art should go.

 

While there are other current bands taking inspirational cues from bands like Deep Purple and Uriah Heep, there are certain nuances that you guys nail that others miss. How long did it take to construct the songs on the album? Well we have been working on the songs for years, and a lot of that time has been just learning to be a band.

With just 3 guys you really have to make sure things come out right because the sound is so stripped down. The hardest part of the songwriting musically would be that we would have to throw out really good songs because we already had certain chapters figured out. But the good part of that is we already have a handful of songs that we really like for the next record.

 

The harmonies on the album are really top-notch. Can we expect to hear them when we see you live?

Kyle our drummer does harmonies on some of the songs live and he does a good job, even though he didn’t sing on the record.

 

Can you talk a little bit about the story arc of the album? There are some very interesting things going on in there. “Run” really grabbed my attention.

“Run” is a key chapter in the story because Joseph is working as a slave in Egypt but had earned the trust of his master and worked his way over the years to be in charge of managing his master’s house and finances. His masters’ wife had the hots for Joseph and tried to get him to be with her on many occasions and was turned down, finally she gets all of the other servants out of the house the perfect time to seduce Joseph and grabs him, and he runs out of the house to get away. She is so upset that he turned her down that she tells her husband that Joseph tried to rape her and consequently Joseph is thrown in jail and would stay in prison for years to come. I like how the story applies to people today because telling a young man to think about the consequences of his actions when it comes to sex is not something I hear in a lot of songs.

I know you played the predominantly hardcore/metal Facedown Fest recently. How did those crowds respond to your set?

They liked it, most hardcore kids listen to mainstream bands anyways and I think we have enough energy live that we make most doubters believers.

What kind of gear set-up do you have? The album has a really warm sound to it.

I play through a Gibson 58 re-issue Les Paul, and a Gibson double neck for the dream songs which are in a different tuning, and for my amp I use the 1959 slp re-issue Marshall plexi head, and besides a couple pedals for effects on some songs that is it, I don’t use a distortion pedal and the plexi only has one channel so I use the volume knob to turn my guitar down to have a cleaner sound.

 

Which up and coming bands should SMN News readers keep an eye open for?

The Delta Spirit, they are not a guitar driven band, but they are awesome.

By Carlos Ramirez

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