Getting to Know Shirock

Not too long ago, I was able to ask some questions to the band, Shirock. I mainly spoke to band member, Chuck, although Pap was also available for a few questions. I meant to post this yesterday, however I forgot that Easter was yesterday, so I did not have the time to do so. I definitely recommend you buy this band's music and of course, enjoy the interview!




What does Shirock mean? How did you decide that it would be your band name?
SHIROCK is actually my last name - (Chuck). Pap came up with the idea for it as a band name after many attempts at trying to convince me it was a good idea! After a few times hearing it as a band name it started to catch with me.

When did you launch the clothing line, Irock and who came up with the idea to launch it?
We started Irock Clothing about 2 years ago. We’ve always been interested in fashion, but didn’t set out to start a clothing line. We just wanted to make really amazing band merchandise, and slowly it evolved into it’s own entity. There is a local boutique clothing store that asked if they could carry some of our band merchandise about 2 years ago, and within a few weeks they had sold out and a few country singers had worn it on award shows & in music videos...they ordered more of the band merch & it sparked the idea for us...soon we were making gloves, bags, hats & other stuff that we sold both in stores and on the road.

I love how you post excerpts of Chuck & Pap’s songbooks on your website, who came up with that idea?
We set up the Backstage section of our site (http://backstage.shirock.net) as a place for fans to get a deeper behind-the-scenes look into all we do & the creation of the music. On our old SHIROCK.net website I (Chuck) used to scan in pages of our songbooks on our “secret pages.” I wanted to have some interesting stuff for our fans – so I’d scan in the songs in their early stages, all of my notes for recordings, journal entries, Irock designs, etc. With the new Backstage we wanted to make it a little more accessible for fans (instead of hiding on a secret page). We’re constantly updating it – posting scans from the song books, song demos recorded on my & pap’s phones, and a lot more. Radiohead is one of my favorite bands & I’ve always loved reading the stuff they’ve posted on their site...we wanted to make the Backstage a place for our fans to spend some time in & explore a bit.

Your music is so positive, it is so refreshing compared to everything else. What do you have to say about that?
In our writing we try very hard to be honest. We’ve always been moved by the music that is most vulnerable & honest...we wanted our music & record to be the same for other people. We don’t set out to write positive songs, but at the end of the day we believe that there is hope & opportunity. For us it’s not enough to just acknowledge a problem...it’s too easy to just complain. We want to be honest about the both the good & the bad - but where we can, we want to be part of a solution & a change.

Explain the non-profit organization, Everything Burns.
We just officially launched Everything Burns the non-profit in February. The organization is based on the simple idea of “Living For Things That Matter.” We hope to encourage and equip people to get involved in making a difference on a local and international level. We’ve felt for a long time that people have a desire to be a part of something, but often don’t know what to do that will really make a difference. With our kick-off “Everything Burns Non-Profit Tour” we used Everything Burns to help connect the people that want to get involved with the people working to make change a reality. On this particular tour, we worked with groups working to solve homelessness & poverty in their cities. We’d talk at the shows about what was going on in the city & how people could get involved being a part of the solution. It was amazing to see the response!

What songs would you say best describe each other...if you could attach one song of yours to each other, which would it be?
Chuck: These songs represent both of our lives in a lot of ways because most of the time we write directly from life experience. But if I had to say one song that particularly represents Pap, it would be “Calm Inside the Storm.” “Calm” was written to those people in our lives that help get us through the uncertainty, and for me many times that person is Pap.
Pap: For Chuck, I would say the song “Man Inside” -- it’s talking about walking through a difficult time, and trying to be strong...about holding on to hope even when you don’t see it (whether personally, or in a more universal way).

What plans do you have for your organization?
We are going to do more “Everything Burns Non-Profit Tours” where we go out with a few bands and tour – in each city partnering with local charities that are working in their cities to solve social issues (homelessness, poverty, etc.). Also, we are launching the website in a couple of months, which, among other things will be a resource where people can see organizations that are functioning in their areas and all over the world, and how they can connect. People will also be able to encourage each other with their own stories of what they are involved in. Everything Burns is partnering with groups both in the US and outside of the country. As we grow we want to take groups of fans overseas with us to work and help out in other areas of the world, and at some point, run our own programs in certain cities.

What do you hope to accomplish by the time this year is over?
We are going to be busy! We have a lot of ideas & plans for the year. A lot of touring, both in the US and overseas. We will be launching a new line of Irock Clothing that we’re really excited about...we’re in the process of new websites for Everything Burns & SHIROCK.net. Our biggest goal is just getting out to as many people as possible with the music. We’d love to get on some good tours.

Have you ever had a college tour?
We haven’t ever done just a college tour...we’d love to though!

Chuck, what was it like growing up in the Philippines and Scotland?
Growing up in the Philippines & Scotland was amazing...at the time I didn’t realize the effect it had on me. It’s inevitable that anyone who spends time in places like the Philippines will comes away with fresh eyes & greater empathy towards people. My family went back to Scotland recently and I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was. And the people in Scotland are amazing – simple people who take time for the important things in life.

Pap, what was it like living in Turkey?
It was incredible to get to have the experience of living overseas when I was young. I think sometimes, growing up in the US, kids can get a sense that what they see and do here is all there is. It was just great to have parents that wanted us to know there is a huge world out there with so many different kinds of people. It helps you live with a bigger scope, and think about what you hear in the news, etc. because you realize those are real people living through those things, who are no different than us - they were just born somewhere else. When my family lived in Turkey I was 7...everyday my sister and I walked to the train station to take the train to school (a crazy experience itself!) where the lessons were all in Turkish. Needless to say, I think living there also made me kind of fearless, as far as trying new things.


What are your favorite songs to play?
We all love different songs live...but for me (Chuck) my favorite is usually the song “Everything Burns.” We often play it last in the show, and if it goes well it’s really emotional and a great “connecting moment” with the audience. As the title track from our album, and also the name of our Non-Profit, it’s really a theme that runs through much of what we do, so it’s a powerful song for us, and a reminder of the reasons behind doing what we do.

What are your favorite venues?
We have played so many amazing places (and a lot of horrible ones)...one of our favorites is 12th & Porter in Nashville, TN. They have a ton of lighting and it makes the whole show experience so incredible. After playing there a few times and seeing how much good lighting can add to a show we went out and put together our own lighting production to take with us on the road! Also, on the Everything Burns Tour we stopped in Detroit and played at The Majestic Theatre, which was a really great place.

Who would you love to tour with?
Coldplay, Kings of Leon, Switchfoot, The Killers