Heavens Can't Wait
Over the phone and in the middle of touring, Skiba talks about how Heavens began. “Jo had some ideas on tape that I thought were really groovy and that I could write lyrics to and that was later turned into a record.” This division of labour persisted throughout the writing process as the duo worked diligently on their music in 2004. “There were times where he would come up with an idea and, as the melody and the lyrics started to take shape, it would sort of shift the progression of the style a little bit. So there was collaboration in the structuring, and there were a couple of guitar licks that I came up with, but for the most part they were Jo’s idea.”
Skiba and Steinbrick drew upon a myriad of influences to create the perfect sound for their new band, and as self described “music nerds” they had considerable expertise to draw from. “I almost regret using that terminology because it implies something negative; ‘we’re big music fans’ I should have actually said; it’s just an appreciation of music in general. We have a lot of influences and have listened to a lot of bands that have done things that impressed us, so we’re not trying to do anything anyone else has done. We’re just taking the things that we’ve fallen in love with about music and translated/recreated it for ourselves.”
Specifically, Skiba cites everyone from Neil Diamond to King Diamond. “I’ve had a lot of the same influences for a long, long time now, and as someone who sings in the low register I like guys low voices, [for example] Richard Butler and Peter Murphy. I grew up on a lot of post-punk stuff and I think that’s definitely been an influence.”
After they finished writing, Skiba and Steinbrick put their own money into producing the album, getting it all the way to the mixing stage before seeking out a record company. “Finding a label wasn’t a problem; it was a matter of finding the right one,” says Skiba, who has a number of friends in the music industry at various labels. They settled on Epitaph because they felt that they really understood their music best. “Even though this is our first record, we really wanted to come out strong and do it with people that we like and trust.”
Both Skiba and Steinbrick are still working on outside projects. Skiba is working on a new album with Alkaline Trio; in fact, he’s working on the album through the Internet and MP3s while being on the road with Heavens. This may sound like Skiba is stretching himself too thin, but he begs to differ, “I really enjoy what I do, and given everything, I just think of multi-tasking as my friend.”
To get the word out, Heavens is currently in the process of doing a short tour they put together rather fast, and while they aren’t getting a chance to hit every town they’d like, the band is still having a great time on the road. Once the tour wraps, Skiba will be returning to Chicago for a while and work on new material with Alkaline Trio before going back to L.A. and beginning pre-production. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you heard more from us at a later time.”
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