Sound Spike Interview with Shim

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Sick Puppies get unpredictable on "Polar Opposite"

Story by Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

Published March 28, 2011 06:30 AM

When Australian-bred rockers Sick Puppies released the acoustic EP "Polar Opposite" earlier this month, they weren't sure how their fans would react.

"It wasn't that we didn't think people would like it," lead singer Shimon Moore told SoundSpike. "We weren't sure how people would take it.... We didn't want to stick to one sound. You know how some bands have a trademark sound? We wanted to not be that. We wanted to be able to experiment and stretch the boundaries and know we had a future of being able to do that in the future.

"'Polar Opposite' was the first time we'd really stretched it that far. I wasn't sure if people were going to go, 'What's with all the strings?' It turns out our fans are actually quite open to experimentation."

Moore, whose band is now based in the United States, said the band decided on "You're Going Down" as the EP's opening track because it's so different than the band's original version of the song.
"'You're Going Down' is one of the most successful rock songs we had so far," he said. "It was the most opposite end of the spectrum musically, so when people turn it on, they're either going to like it or not. If they like it, hopefully they're going to get a good impression and actually be able to sit through the rest of the record."

"Polar Opposite" also features Sick Puppies' breakthrough pop single, "Maybe," which was released to rock radio last june.

"We didn't expect it [to be the breakthrough], but we hoped that it would be," Moore said. "We had a plan and our record label encouraged us to follow the plan of "Maybe" being the crossover song. They listen to songs, and that's their job. We write them and play them and they sell them. They help us to promote them. So they said, 'We think this song's going to connect. We think this is the one.' We had hopes. But we always followed the mantra of hope for the best, plan for the worst and ride with the wave. We're very happy with how well it went."

The catalyst for "Maybe" was the band's move from Australia to the United States to pursue a record deal, with a little more than a few phone numbers, a couple guitars and several dollars in their hands. However, fans lent a hand in writing it as well.

"It was kind of inspired by the move here," he said. "But also, more importantly, it was inspired by conversations that we had with our fans on SickPuppiesWorldCrew.com. It's a dedicated fan site that we went to every week when we were making 'Tri-Polar,' when we were writing the songs. We asked them, 'What are you going through? What are you doing? What's happening in the world outside of Sick Puppies?'

"We were so focused on making the record that we asked, 'What do you want to hear from the band -- because it's your band? You're the ones listening to the music. It's your band. What do you identify with? What are you going through.' The most talked-about issue was, 'I think I know what I want to do with my life, but I'm too scared to make it happen.' That was exactly what we felt when we were moving over from the States. We went, 'All right. That's a good topic for a song and 'Maybe' came out."

Moore said the band -- which also includes bassist/backing vocalist Emma Anzai and drummer Mark Goodwin -- had some trepidation, too, when it crossed the Pacific Ocean.

"It's scary. So we wrote a song [saying] that it's never too late, and maybe it's time to change. That's really very simple. And we're very lucky that a lot of people have used that as a soundtrack to the changes they've made in their lives. A lot of people say, 'You changed my life.' No man, you changed your life. We're just a soundtrack.

"It's always scary. It doesn't matter what you're doing or who you are or how old you are. Doing anything like that, it's scary. You have to just admit to yourself that it's scary. Anyone who says, 'Aww, I wasn't scared.' They're full of sh*t. It's OK . It's human. That's what the song's about. That's the whole point. I think part of the reason why it translated is because everybody feels scared, man. It's OK. It's not a big deal. Get past it."

On March 15, Sick Puppies begin a headlining jaunt with special guests Framing Hanley, Adelitas Way and a variety of other support acts. Moore, who will star as a cannibal in the Rock Mafia independent film "The Day" later this year, explained the band is creating something special for its fans.

"I implore you to write in this article: When they come to the show they'll get an experience that they seriously will not get anywhere else," Moore said. "We're creating a hybrid of both records. We mixed in the verses from 'Polar Opposite' into the choruses of 'Tri-Polar' and segues into Rage Against the Machine riffs and Muse parts. We're creating a completely new experience that you won't get anywhere, except for live."



I haven't seen this anywhere until now. But anyways....Shim....a new movie....i like it!

[Heather]

Great article & I can't wait for that movie!

[Rose]

Hopefully this movie will be easier to find then Selkie...

[stephb]

Hmmmmm interesting...

[crystal08]

yeah i heard shim talk about the movie in an interview earlier this year and i wanted to ask him about it at the last show i went to but failed. I lost my train of thought as soon as he said hello. lol

[Heather]