COED Interview: 10 Years

Matt Wantland, guitarist/songwriter for 10 Years, dialed me up to inform me of how much better the weather was in Tennessee than New York. He mentioned a thing or two about his band, too.

The band, 10 Years, has not been together 10 Years…they’ve um…been together nine….But they’ve done a sh*tload more than most bands in the last nine years. The guys are from Knoxville, and they’ve toured all over. They just finished up the Family Values Tour with the freakin’ Deftones, among other bands, of course, and they’ve also toured with other big name acts like Hatebreed, Disturbed, Korn, Linkin Park…etc. Needless to say, they’ve been busting their asses and it’s finally starting to pay off.

Check out 10 Years’ “Beautiful” music video after the jump!

Despite their ethics that tiptoe into the sand of D.I.Y., 10 Years are still a commercial band in the making. Of course, balancing integrity with commercialism can be difficult, but Matt explained to me that the secret to this balance lies in decision making.

“Knowing what to say ‘No’ to is the key,” Matt advised. “Being able to say no is just as important as being able to say yes.”

But how long does a band stay interested in having to make decisions like this all the time? Eventually, most bands slow down and stop all of the touring and rock-star nonsense. However, as Matt told me, that isn’t the case with 10 Years, when I brought it up.

“Everyone’s in this for different reasons, but we’re in it for the music and we thrive on live shows. We just want to play.”

He painted a wonderful picture for me of New Orleans: a town where many a jazz and blues musician sit all day playing music for the sake of music; unconcerned with the radio or MTV. That’s the way I guess we all wish the industry worked, Matt included.

“Every thing’s a joke now. No one survives on talent anymore. Everyone is famous just for the sake of being famous.”

The guys in the band discuss this weirdo Tila Tequila-esque Hollywood phenomenon in their single, “Beautiful”. And I’d recommend that every guy out there who isn’t a fan of dumb famous girls watch this. (Below)

Needless to say, these guys put a lot of energy into their lyrics. And it seems like a lot of their lyrics are about girls with some serious emotional and commitment problems. When I asked Matt if he had any advice for the CoEd guys reading this in regard to girls who make boys want to write poems, he said:

“I don’t have any idea how to deal with girls. And from the cheating perspective…it’s just a disrespect for human life.”

That may be a bit extreme, but keep your eyes out for 10 years. Their single about famous people who are famous for the sake of being famous may just make them famous.

myspace.com/10years