September 1, 2006
This Providence – Phil Cobrea

C = Cath, P = Phil

C: For the record can you state your name and what you do in the band?
P: My name is Phil Cobrea & I play bass & do backup vocals in This Providence.

C: How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard it before?
P: I’d say it’s rhythmically technical with a good sense of pop. It has a good pop aspect to it.

C: Right now you are touring with Paramore, Hit The Lights, & Cute Is What We Aim For. How’s that going?
P: It’s been awesome. Pretty much every night has been sold out, and we get along with all the other bands. It’s great, they’re all really awesome. We’ve been hanging out with Paramore a lot. They’re all just so awesome, so it’s been good. Hit The Lights & Cute Is What We Aim For are both awesome. All the bands are really so much fun to watch on stage and you never really get bored, so that’s really something.

C: Do you have any interesting tour stories?
P: From this tour? Uhm, nothing too crazy. There’s a huge craze of scooters – motorized scooters - and Paramore takes it to the extreme. They paint theirs all camouflage and one of them painted theirs all orange and put black rims on it. I don’t know, it’s just really funny. Nothing too crazy… yet.

C: I was reading in your tour journal that you guys are big fans of Guitar Hero. Who’s the best at it?
P: We haven’t really played head-to-head much yet. Paramore had it and we actually just recently got it, but we haven’t had a chance to play it yet. I’d probably say Dan or I are the best at it, but until we go head-to-head… I need to beat him.
C: What’s your favorite song to play?
P: My favorite song is a song called “Even Rats”. I don’t even know who it’s by, to be honest. There’s this part at the end that gets really sad. It’s like the song changes moods and it turns really pretty and it’s really fun to play for some reason.

C: If you could tour with any 3 bands, still together or not, who would they be and why?
P: The Beatles! I think [inaudible on tape] would be fun to tour with, because I’ve always looked up to them. I think The Academy Is would be fun to tour with also. They are an amazing band and I think they’re really tight and we could learn a lot from them. The Beatles are just a band that paved the way for music in so many different ways. Everyone in the band looks up to them so much. That would be a dream come true.

C: Did you guys do anything special for Dan’s birthday on the 30th?
P: We didn’t! That’s the day we were leaving. We were doing a bunch of running around and setting up and so we didn’t really have a chance to. I’m sure we will, but we’ve been so busy. We had a week’s break to be at home and then that was the day we left so we’re kinda just getting back in the swing of things, like being on tour and stuff.

C: Can you describe every member of the band in 3 words each?
P: Gavin is quiet, crazy, & A.D.D. Ryan is gentle, easy-going (which is two words but its hyphenated, okay?), and probably… uhm… I don’t even know. Let’s just have it so easy-going makes it three words. Dan is Australian. I know that’s not really a describing word, but it really is –laughs-. He’s crazy & he’s tidy. There you go. Those are horrible words.

C: Your new album is coming out on the 12th. Do you have a favorite song off of it?
P: I can’t pick one so I’ll pick two. I really like a song called “Losing Control” & a song called “What Will They Say”. Those are my two favorites. We actually don’t play either of them live yet but we will once the CD comes out.
C: Why are they your favorites?
P: I like “Losing Control” because it’s probably the heaviest song on the record. It’s fun. “What Will They Say” has a real melody and it’s different than anything we’ve ever done. The song is about first being afraid of what people think about you & who you are, and then just not caring. So like, realizing it doesn’t really matter, just let me be who I am. I really like the meaning of it.

C: The song “My Beautiful Rescue” has been getting a lot of positive feedback on your MySpace. Was the song written about someone in specific?
P: It was actually written about Jesus. Dan, who writes the lyrics, talks about his love for Jesus. In the bridge he has the “wash my hands, these bloody hands” part, and he’s saying “cleanse me and put a song on my voice, and I’ll sing it to you”.

C: My friend interviewed Fall Out Boy once and they said that they never thought that they’d make it onto MTV. But, look where they are now. So, I was wondering if you think you’ll ever make it onto MTV or TRL?
P: I hope so. That would be crazy. It would be so weird to see. There are a lot of bands like Panic! At The Disco. They just won Video Of The Year on the VMA’s. A lot of bands are kinda paving the way for us. Like Hellogoodbye & all those bands, they are just leading the way. Even Cute Is What We Aim For have been on MTV2 so… But I hope so. I don’t know, it would be really weird. I’ve never thought about it like that –laughs-.
C: If you were to be on MTV, what song would you like to see make it on there?
P: I’d like to see “A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing” or “The Road To Jericho”. Those songs would be really fun. “The Road To Jericho” is a different song than anything we’ve ever done. It’s more Beatles-y and I think we’d get a really big mixed response on that song, but I think it would be really fun.

C: Who are your musical influences?
P: Everything from Paramore to The Academy Is to The Beatles… Saves The Day, Gatsby’s American Dream, Jimmy Eat World… So many. I could go on & on & on.

C: Let’s say that This Providence never existed. What do you think you’d be doing instead?
P: I would probably have a desk job. I’d like to think I’d be in music somewhere. I’ve always liked the different aspects of it – I actually really enjoy the business & management side of things. Maybe a band Manager or something, that would be pretty fun.
C: Did you have a job before the band started?
P: Yea! I was a manager at a restaurant called “Mongolian Grill”. It was cool. You would put all your vegetables together and tell them what kind of meat you want and then they'd mix it all together on a little grill and put sauces on it. It was really good.

C: If you were stuck on a deserted island with no food & no one but your band members, who would you eat first and why?
P: Oh man! I’d probably eat Ryan because Gavin never eats, so he would have no meat on him, & Dan is super skinny. Ryan likes to eat and he’s got the tiniest bit of a gut.

C: Do you have any closing statements?
P: Pick up our record when it comes out.