Marc Costanzo (Len) - Sound In The Signals Interview
Steal My Sunshine was a massive hit for Len and it became a late nineties staple and continues to be listened to and enjoyed by your fans. What was the original songwriting process like and did you ever have a moment in the studio where you thought the song was going to be a big hit?
It wasn't really process but more of a bunch of days of just messin around in the studio, which was under my bunk bed at the time. I mean, Len was just a music project that we put together so we can do whatever we wanted without worrying about what anyone thought. So the funnier and crazier it was, the happier we were. But that particular song just came about from me being at a huge outdoor rave . I definitely remember coming home which a bunch of lyrics written on my leg in black marker . We had an after party at my place and my boy Brendan Canning ( who ended up talking at the beginning of it ) was just playing ol school disco and soul records and he put on More More More by Andrea True Connection. I remember jumping up, freaking out, and right away looping it on the MPC60. That was pretty well it. Over the next few days, I recorded it in my bedroom. I spoke to Deryck Whibley a few weeks ago and he remembers being there when I recorded the vocals. This is before any of us had any kind of success so kinda cool . The master sat under my bed for a while until my friend Jason Jordan, who was at Columbia records at the time, freaked out over it and made sure it got into the right hands. It was mixed right off the original gear in hours. Rest is history.
Since the release of Steal My Sunshine the band has gained a ton of name recognition and it seems like nearly everyone has heard the song. How did it change your life and what do you think the legacy of it is?
All I can say is that it's awesome to make a song in your bedroom and say whatever you wanna say in whatever way you want to say it and somehow ends up on the radio. Even crazier is that it is still being played 15 years later. I mean, just the fact that a raspy voiced Canadian , with his sister singing completely the opposite, talking about whatever the hell he was feeling after too long of a party, singing over a disco beat that a pornstar originally sang on, actually made it to radio…well… that's some shit!
A remastered 15th anniversary edition of Steal My Sunshine will be out in June. For fans what can they expect from this remastered version?
I was always happy with the mix I did back then but felt that it could be a bit better, especially given the quality of monitors today. It was originally mixed on Genelecs and I just gave it some Barefoot and Adam love.
Alcopop! Records is releasing this and they are doing a ton of really interesting things for the release. Can you let are readers know some of those things and is there one thing in particular you are really excited they are doing for the release?
The whole thing!! Just them releasing this as their 100th release is so hilariously awesome. I'm genuinely a big fan of the label and the acts so got me happy as hell.
You Can't Stop the Bum Rush/Steal My Sunshine has fantastic artwork and it's artwork when I see I always instantly remember that period in time and it's almost an iconic piece of art for the late nineties. Why did you guys pick that artwork and what do you think about it now in 2014?
We actually got a friend who was an animator for some big tv cartoon shows at the time to do it for us. I remember just saying to Sharon how funny it would be if we became cartoon characters. We say a lot of funny things all the time but I guess we followed up on that one. We're just a bunch of regular weirdo moose loving Canadians so that was a good way to make us look like superstars. I definitely remember at one point trying to take a picture for the cover and thinking " Well those two face aren't gonna sell any records " so we went with the cartoon. Haha.
There's a whole city drawn if you open the album artwork. Still think it's kinda hilarious that we did it. The label wasn't down with it at all. At ALL .
The artwork for the re-release is slightly different. Can you tell me a little about the changes that were made?
The new artwork has Jack and Kev in it. New neighbors in Len land so we though they needed to be officially drawn in to the storybook. Bunch of nutters like us so it's perfect.
Outside of this re-release what all is going on with you musically are you currently working on anything new for 2014?
I mean, always doing tons of stuff. From producing to developing acts, It's basically non-stop over here. Family, food , friends and fusic. That's how it goes in these parts.
I guess that about wraps it up. Thanks for taking the time to answer the questions. Do you have anything else you would like to add?
Nope…but thanks man!
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| The 15 Year Anniversary Edition Will Be Released June 16, 2014 |
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