Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.
Jennifer Bartlett Vocals
Kris Sosa Guitar
Evan Bartlett Bass
Joe Smith Drums
For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to Fine Fine Titans? How long has the band been around?
Evan: The band has been around just over 3 years and prior to this I was in Enso, The Tide, The Skies Revolt, and a bunch of other random bands.
Jennifer: The only legitimate and serious band I was a part of before FFT was Their Teeth Will be of Lions from Kalamazoo, Michigan.
What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?
Evan: We started with this name and never changed it. It doesn't originate from anything special, just our former guitarist’s brain.
Jennifer: I’ve wanted to change our band name so many times! I don’t mind it but it just always seemed like a placeholder. It’s too late though and somehow, it’s grown on me.
Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time?
Evan: The writing process is usually just the whole band collaborating. One of us may have the skeleton to a complete song written but once it's out on the cutting room floor, we all dismantle and rebuild with our own ideas and parts. As far as themes or topics go, Jenn writes the lyrics so she'd have to speak into that. Though I know with her that everything she writes is near and dear to her heart, all from life experiences.
Jennifer: My lyrics are extremely personal and I’m sure thats what many lyricists would say. I am not aware of how other people shape their lyrics but mine always undoubtedly start as a poem and lines are taken straight from my journal. Whether it’s about a relationships gone awry, the pressures of living and thinking just a little bit differently from those surrounding you or even the angst I feel about the current state of humanity...it’s all subjective. As I grow and become more attuned to my position in the world, those topics will unquestionably change. If they don’t, my writing will have failed me.
What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?
Evan: The bands we're inspired by definitely vary from member to member, but for me I would definitely say Every Time I Die, The Bled, Letlive, Glassjaw, Incubus, AFI, and Between the Buried and Me as of late.
Jennifer: Recently, I’ve been stepping back a bit into my childhood and gaining inspiration from some serious 90’s alternative. Live, Silverchair, Portishead, The Cranberries, Faith No More...these bands have been a great reminder lately of how I started to mold into my own. And man, I just loved the 90’s.
Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?
Evan: There's actually two bands that inspired me to start, Saves the Day and Boys Night Out. To this day I'm still in love with those things those bands have done.
Jennifer: I was raised around a vast array of music. My dad loved classic rock, my mother listened to mostly jazz and my older brothers really into hiphop, R&B and country...I loved to sing it all. However, the first time I saw Hole on MTV and watched as Courtney Love commanded the microphone, music seemed accessible. As a female, I started to see music a little differently than before and I wanted to be that. I wanted to sing in a band.
What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, etc...
Evan: I don't do anything special to prepare, just stretch, do hand exercises, and try to loosen up.
Jennifer: Vocal warm ups are an absolute must before any show as that is a muscle I am not prepared to injure. People may also see me doing jumping jacks or stretching my legs. We’ve got to be loose!
What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?
Evan: For me the biggest highlight would be the opportunity that we got when we were able to go out to LA to work with Erik Ron on our new album "Omega". It felt surreal to be out there in an amazing studio working on those songs and I'm definitely happy with how everything turned out.
Jennifer: Our trip to North Hollywood to record was a definite highlight of our band’s career! I also absolutely loved the making of our music video “Dance of The Omega.” Creating the storyline and being so intricately a part of the entire process was just a blast and working with Three Goats Moving Pictures couldn’t have been more pleasant!
If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?
Evan: If I could tour with anyone it would definitely have to be either Rush or Refused. Both bands have played such an important roll in my playing and I love what each has done over their careers.
Jennifer: Can we please just tour with AFI or Glassjaw?!? These bands have seriously held up over the years and have only progressed when I didn’t think it was possible for them!
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Evan & Jennifer: Thanks for reading and if we're playing your town, come out and say hi!