In 2012 this little band from Pennsylvania sent me an email asking me to listen to their album. The email said, “Please listen to us. We all think that your musical taste is bar-none and we think you’ll like our band.” Well, that band was Crobot and they were wrong. I really didn’t like the album. I fucking LOVED their album The Legend of the Spaceborn Killer. I loved it so much it make on top albums list 2012 and to this day gets regular spins in my car and in my house while doing laundry, cooking dinner, and being the domestic god that I am.
All I wanted was to see Crobot live but it seemed like that was never going to happen. The band recently signed to Wind-Up Records and now I feel like Crobot has been popping up all over the place. Luckily one of the places they popped up in was here in ding dang Atlanta, GA as support for the Truckfighters. I had the pleasure of doing a full band interview with these guys. Usually, full band interviews are a nightmare but this one was hands down one of the most fun interviews I’ve done to date. IT was like hanging out with old friends over beers and cutting up. Together we talked about the positive aspect to signing a record deal, the phenomenon now known as the Touritto, bowling, the new rhythm section, and what it’s like being a full on touring band now.
This was a really fun interview and I hope you all will dig getting to know Crobot: Brandon Yeagley (vocals), Bishop (guitar), Jake Figueroa (bass), Paul Figueroa (drums).
So welcome to Atlanta. I have to say that I am very excited to finally get to wear my Crobot shirt to an actual Crobot show.
Brandon Yeagley : Thanks so much, Don. It’s great to finally be here.
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What took you guys so long to get here? Did you guys get lost or something?
Bishop: We had a tour planned before but it got cancelled. It was just one of those things where we just had to find the right tour that made sense for us to be on. This past year we signed with Wind Up Records and that took a little bit of time to get settled to get some tour support because we’re the poorest dudes in the world [laughs].
Brandon: We were supposed to be here on previous tours but we also had terrible luck with tours getting cancelled at the last minute. That always changes up the dates and locations and what not.
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Back in 2012 Crobot had the honor being listed as one of the Great Southern Brainfart’s top albums of that year. Did this honor cause a shift in the cosmos for Crobot?
Brandon Yeagley: [laughs] Actually, we were very proud to be on that list among some of our favorite bands like Graveyard. It was totally an honor man.
Bishop: Honestly we feel like the cosmos has aligned for everything in this band.
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Crobot also managed to survive a pretty hefty lineup change.
Bishop: Yeah, We’ve had some rough luck with member changes and as soon as we got Jake and Paul in the band, immediately things just took off. Things have been working out great.
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So for the new guys, how was it coming into this band and having to pretty much learn an albums worth of material. Was it hard to come in and 
play other people’s parts at first before getting to do your own thing with the band?
Jake: Coming into it, it was definitely a little strange jumping into something that already had its developmental feet but me and Paul just started waking up every day and playing this stuff till our finger bled [laughs]. We literally moved into Brandon’s house and everyday Bishop would come over at like 11 or 12:00 and we’d play until 11 or 12:00 at night. We also really quickly started writing new music.
Bishop: Yeah, they learned the old album but at that point me and Brandon and already been working on new stuff. Once that first album was released we were almost already playing all new shit because it took so long for the album to come out. When Jake and Paul came in it really was like a fresh start for us.
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So with a lineup change, especially the rhythm section, comes a change in dynamics within the band. What was that change if any?
Brandon: These guys, being brothers, are tight already as a rhythm section. Not only that we had played shows with these guys in their previous band Thick Leather Brick. We had a real tight knit scene up in NJ/PA of blues rock/old school rock which was awesome. We all liked the same shit and were already best of friends so when we came together it was just super easy.
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So two years later and two new members later, what do you guys have in store for us?
Brandon: We’re about to release “The Legend of the Spaceborn Killer” again. We re-recorded that one and some new tracks that will be released as an EP sometime in May. It’ll be available as a digital download and physically on vinyl only. A full length album will be released around September.
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You guys signed with Wind-Up Records. What did signing to a label bring to the table that wasn’t there when on your own?
Bishop: You can definitely do things DIY but it’ll take longer. For us, we signed with Wind-Up and now that we’ve got everything locked down things are picking up very quickly and got us to a level that we really wanted to be at. Every horror story we’d heard about singing with a label has been completely opposite with Wind-Up. They were the first big label to get behind us and that really went a long way for us. They give us the freedom to be who we are and to play the music we want. It’s been a really good thing.
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That’s really cool to hear because you hear a lot of stories of bands having to compromise their sound and what not when signing with a label. That’s cool that you were able to find a label that allows Crobot to just be Crobot.
Brandon: Yeah they even told us, “We don’t want you guys to think you need to start writing a certain way.” We were like, is this fucking reverse psychology or something [laughs]. It just didn’t feel right but as the months progressed we got to really know everybody a lot more and got to be like family with them before we even signed on the line.
Bishop: We had our producer and we had everything ready to go before we even signed the deal. They put the faith in us and trusted us and they even gave us tour support before we signed. They knew we were good people and so were they so it all worked out.
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I’m so psyched to see Crobot for the first time. What can I expect from a Crobot live experience?
Bishop: You’re going to fucking love it [laughs].
Brandon: Sweat.
Jake: Lots of stink faces [laughs].
Bishop: James Brown baby!
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Crobot has quickly earned a reputation for being a really dynamic and great live act. Did the live show come together instantly or was it something you guys worked towards?
Bishop: It’s just who we are individually. In bands we were in before we always played like this. We’ve always just been really high energy performers.
Brandon: Jake sang and played guitar in his last band.
Jake: I just like to freak out [laughs]. Usually I look like I’m having a seizure but I’m ok with that because it feels pretty cool [laughs].
Brandon: This is the first band I’ve ever been in where I don’t have to think about anything. I don’t have to think about anything but the music and I’m just happy that people like it.
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As an old fuck like me, it’s so great to hear newer, up and coming bands playing this kind of music that I grew up listening to. What is it about this kind of music that is having bands bringing it to the forefront again?
Bishop: I think it’s just timeless music really. We’re all musicians and that’s the shit that we learned how to play when we were kids. It’s the music that we grew up loving because our parents loved it. I think, for us, we’ve all played different music and we all listen to different music but we always seem to go back to the roots.
Jake: I have to agree with that a lot. I think the rawness of this music is so appealing. As a younger kid, I realized that there’s that untapped aggression that all of the sudden is acceptable when you pair it with loud rock n’ roll. Being able to take a crack at harnessing that and being the projector of that just really gets you high and makes you want to go back to it.
Bishop: It is like counter culture now. There are so many bands out there doing this kind of music like Graveyard for instance. It’s cool because it’s almost becoming a bit mainstream now and that’s cool. Hopefully bands like us can take over.
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I just love the fact that old dude music is fucking cool now.
Bishop: [laughs] You should come to one of our shows in PA, man. It’s nothing but old dudes [laughs].
Jake: Old heads have the best drugs [laughs].
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And the hottest daughters!
Crobot: [laughs] Yyyyeahhhhh! [laughs]
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I don’t have any kids so I’m safe from you dirty fuckers.
Crobot: [laughs]
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Crobot has gone from being a band that plays one off shows here and there to being a full on touring band with bands like Clutch and now Truckfighters. Was this a hard transition for you guys to make?
Brandon: It’s not really that hard because we want to play every day of our lives. From going from not doing that to actually doing it has completely flipped our lives around but totally in the way that we wanted it to. Its complete relief and happiness. It feels good.
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So there hasn’t been any negatives to this transition?
Jake: I think it’s a way more negative impact on us when we have a few weeks off. We were stir crazy in February when a tour got cancelled. By the end of that month, even though we had a couple of local gigs here and there, we were tearing our eyes out. I’d much rather sit in a van for 14 hours smelling these guys’ farts than sitting at home doing nothing.
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Touring in a van can be pretty brutal. How do you guys managed to do so without killing each other?
Bishop: Well, there’s a little space beside the benches that dips down to where the door is. Usually that’s where someone sleeps and then everyone else gets a bench [laughs].
Jake: Beef Jerky with potato salad in a tortilla. It’s actually a lot more appetizing than you’d think.
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Are you fucking serious? That sounds fucking awesome. I’m totally going to come and eat your band food now. It’s like a tour burrito. The Tourito!
Crobot: [laughs]
Jake: And you can feed everyone on those for like seven bucks.
Bishop: He’s not kidding. We can eat that for the whole tour [laughs].
Paul: Just take whatever food you’ve got in the van and put it in a tortilla: The Touritto [laughs]
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Do you guys have any sing along songs you crank in the van while on those long trips?
Jake: Tammy Wynette: Stand By Your Man
Bishop: I like that song “Short People” [laughs].
Brandon: Brian “Hacksaw” Williams with “Push it to the Limit.”
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Man, I have to say, you guys have the quietest fucking drummer I have ever met in my life. Usually drummers can’t shut up and this guy barely says anything.
Crobot: [laughs]
Paul: I let these guys do all the talking [laughs].
Bishop: He’s stoned [laughs].
Jake: He’s just talking behind the beat [laughs]. He’ll be here in a minute.
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Is it true that drummers should never be allowed near a microphone?
Paul: I think so [laughs].
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If you could be endorsed by one junk food company, what would it be and how would your commercial look for that product?
Bishop: Probably mini donuts for me. We’ve already talked about that.
Jake: We call them Lil Bishops [laughs]. I would have to go with the Pizza Hut/Taco Bell Express chains. That’s my shit right there. Keeps this cheetah like physique in line [laughs].
Brandon: Man, Gummy Bears. Yeah.
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It seems to be a common case from bands like Motley Crue to current bands like In This Moment to use backing tapes. Thoughts on this practice?
Bishop: You know, I think for some bands it’s appropriate. Good for them. If that’s what they’re doing, good for them but it’s definitely not for us and not for a band like us. Blasphemy!
Brandon: We just try to not think about that shit at all [laughs].
Paul: We’d end up with a real fiasco of we tried playing to tracks. Like when Miley Cyrus was on SNL. [laughs]
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What’s with your fetish with hotsauce?
Bishop: I like Mexican food and just spicy shit.
Jake: He also like’s Spanish dudes…
Brandon: That’s how I got the job, man [laughs].
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So now you got Crobot Hot Sauce. What’s the deal with that?
Bishop: We’ve always wanted to have our own hot sauce. When we were talking with Wind-Up about our merch line we sort of said it as a joke and they said, “We can totally do that.” We found a couple of dudes who make some awesome hot sauce and tried it out, picked our favorite, and now we have El Sauco De Lucifer.
Jake: We also couldn’t really afford to keep on buying hot sauce so [laughs].
Brandon: One of our next products is going to be rolling papers [laughs].
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Man, you guys should do that and maybe even work on the frozen Touritto.
Paul: Just let it sit on the van. No oven necessary [laughs].
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So are you guys going to be doing a video or something anytime soon?
Brandon: The video’s going to be for “Nowhere to Hide” which is going to be the first single off of EP which will be out in the beginning of May. We’re just getting treatments for the video now so we’re not really sure what’s going to go down as to what it’s going to be like. After this tour we’ll be filming that one.
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What else is in store for the rest of the year for Crobot?
Bishop: We’ve got a couple of tours coming up but nothing that’s confirmed so we don’t want to jinx ourselves. We do have some cool rumors of tours with some really awesome bands in the works that we’re really excited about. We’re also really excited about Rock on the Range as well.
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I know you guys are big bowling fans. Who’s got the highest average?
Crobot: Probably Jake [laughs]
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What’s your average dude?
Jake: About 150 [laughs]. It ain’t that good.
Brandon: The whole fun of it is watching everyone suck together!
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Which member of Crobot is most likely to go to bed with she and wake up with a he?
Crobot: [laughs]
Bishop: I would have to say whoever drinks the most and that would be either me or Jake [laughs].
Paul: I hook up with Bishop all the time. It would be awesome to go to bed with a chick [laughs].
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Which member of Crobot is most likely to get left behind at a truck stop?
Crobot: BRANDON [laughs]
Brandon: Yesterday!
Bishop: We thought he was sleeping in the back and we started pulling off and we realized he wasn’t back there [laughs].
Brandon: I was actually shitting.
Jake: After that, we spent the next stop we made sitting in the parking lot for 20 minutes waiting for Brandon to get out but he was already asleep in the back of the van [laughs].
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Which member of Crobot is most likely to be a contestant on The Bachelorette?
Crobot: [laughs]
Bishop: Probably Paul. Look at him. He’s a classy dude.
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Which member of Crobot is most likely to show up on the TV show Horders?
Crobot: [laughs] BRANDON!
Bishop: You should see his tour bag. It’s a military style bag attached to bags [laughs].
Brandon: It’s a Russian Military bag actually.
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You guys have each other’s faces tattooed on each other, when are you guys getting me tattooed on your bodies?
Crobot: [laughs]
Jake: Tomorrow!
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Finish this sentence: If I wasn’t a musician I would be _____________________.
Brandon: I’d be fucking miserable.
Paul: I’d still be cleaning toilets.
Bishop: I’d be living in a fucking gutter somewhere.
Jake: I would probably be a typical dishwasher/pot dealer.
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Jake said that like it was a possibility that he was ok with it.
Crobot: [laughs]
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What is it that keeps you doing this?
Bishop: We love music, man.
Paul: Either passion or stupidity, I don’t know. I haven’t figured it out yet [laughs].
Brandon: Everything. The community factor and really, we can’t do anything else. WE really can’t
Jake: I just love doing it and I can’t imagine doing anything else. I did plenty of things before this and they all sucked [laughs].
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Guys, this was one of the most fun interviews I’ve done and it’s been great getting to know my bearded brothers!
Bishop: Thank you so much man, this was fun.
Brandon: Thanks a lot, Don.
For more on Crobot, head over to http://crobotband.tumblr.com/
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