October 31, 2006 was Tuesday of Terror at Victory Records. The label unleashed five new albums on a single day, and while AIDEN, FOUR LETTER LIE, SCARS OF TOMORROW and ENDWELL all layered some kind of pseudo-dark lyrics over par-the-course Victory instrumentals there was band that remained quietly under the radar. While the lyrical content of I Saw The Devil Last Night And Now The Sun Shines Bright is rather dark, MOROS EROS’ actual music is full of dizzying riffs, danceable rhythms, and the genuinely nervous vocals of frontman Zach Tipton. To those paying attention, MOROS EROS immediately stood out from the rest of their release-day-mates, but unfortunately it seems that not many people were taking note. Pastepunk’s Mark Jourdian and Corey Schmidt had the pleasure of chatting with Tipton over this past December to learn about the origins of the Georgia quartet, being the oddball band on Victory, scene politics, and their debut album.

Pastepunk: How did MOROS EROS come into being?  

Zach: The band formed through the breaking up of a former band (albeit a not-so-good) one called GOODNIGHT GLORY that ended a little over two years ago. MOROS EROS was a little side project that Bobby and I had and it just turned out to be more fun than playing crappy pop rock. By the way, the original name of MOROS EROS was IN VITRO. We had to change our name from IN VITRO this past May about a week after we were signed. Some punk band from France decided to let us know that since they were trying to make it in the US after twenty years of staleness. They felt that there “wasn’t enough room” for two IN VITRO’S so we asked Victory for advice and changed our name.

Pastepunk: Your music brings bands like AT THE DRIVE-IN, MODEST MOUSE and THE VELVET TEEN to mind. Could you shed some light on what the band was going for when you were developing the MOROS EROS sound?

Zach: When we first started I was really into AT THE DRIVE-IN and I loved Dramamine-era MODEST MOUSE, but I was never going for any kind of sound. I just wanted, without trying to be cliché to let the music to take over. I knew I wanted to do something different than what was going on.

Pastepunk: In terms of what?

Zach: There is always good music going on. Even if its alt-country, jazz or folk. Let me rephrase that. I hate what’s popular. Like the emo slit your wrist thing.

Pastepunk: Like HAWTHORNE HEIGHTS?

Zach: Yeah I guess you could say that. I’ve never met them and I hear they are nice guys, but I would never pop their CD into my stereo. You’ve gotta understand, I don’t look down at any bands. I understand why other bands play certain styles or whatever, I just never wanted or I guess I never could give myself to that.

Pastepunk: Your bio says that you got your boost from being a featured unsigned artist in Alternative Press and they are on the forefront of the slit your wrists scene. Why not send the CD to Paste or Magnet?

Zach: Believe me, I tried! Paste and Filter would ignore me or say “no” to any questions I had for them. I understand though, I didn’t know anybody, I wasn’t connected. I think I just wrote the AP address down when I looked at it in the book store, but I never bought it. I just wanted someone to take notice of our band.

Pastepunk: Your thoughts on GOODNIGHT GLORY make being signed to Victory rather interesting. How did the relationship with Victory come about? Seems like quite the odd stylistic choice.

Zach: I knew this was coming. There was this one day I shoplifted The Musicians Atlas, which has tons of contacts. I was desperate, I went home wrote out around 200 separate emails to every label you can possibly think of. One said we need a lawyer, but I didn’t even have money for gas so that was out. I looked into Merge and Sub Pop and Touch and Go, but nothing came from it. I think it was basically because we had no following. After 2 months of no responses from other labels I focused all of my attention on convincing Tony [Brummel] that he needed our band and it worked. I was so happy.

Pastepunk: We were going to ask if you really “sought out” Tony Brummel but I guess you did (Laughs)

Zach: Yes, I definitely did.

Pastepunk: So before you signed to Victory you were still just an average local band?

Zach: Oh yeah, for sure. The point when anybody started to take notice was when Alternative Press put us in last March’s issue for being the unsigned band of the month. Then everyone was like “Oh, I love you guys.” You know how that goes.

Pastepunk: How did your band wrestle the arts/commerce aspect of being associated with Victory? Your music is very in line with the Vice, Magnet, Pitchfork crowd, but being on Victory makes people immediately assume that you are a third rate TAKING BACK SUNDAY. Now on the flipside, Victory is a label with big marketing budgets, great distro and a track record of breaking bands.

Zach: I liked Victory because they promoted the crap out of EVERYTHING. I told Tony that our band would open people’ eyes about Victory and now they sign bands like 1997. We got a lot of weird looks at first, but I think people are slowly coming around to the fact that we don’t sound like a typical “Victory” band. But it’s nice to see people surprised, you know?

Pastepunk: Do you worry that people who would love your band if you were on Touch and Go and produced by Steve Albini won’t give you the time of day?

Zach: I think that that is part of the fun for me, the trying to convince people to even listen to us. We’ve played with bands like SPARTA and THE BLOOD BROTHERS and those bands telling me how great we are totally takes all of the rest of that nonsense out for me.

Pastepunk: Come to think of it, does it matter to you who listens to your band and what their motivations for listening to your music are? Why do you think that a 15 year old girl at Warped Tour is often viewed as a less worthy fan then a person in the Pitchfork crowd?

Zach: I think they are both equal. One buys everything but rarely goes to shows and one goes to shows but never buys anything. I think that our music transcends age gaps; I have step-siblings that love it, friends who enjoy it and my parents’ friends who love it. I never intended for an audience as long I liked playing it.

Pastepunk: If you were to go on a Victory package tour and had to pick three of your label mates to tour with, who’d be on the list?

Zach: I enjoy THE SLEEPING. They are very cool dudes. BAYSIDE and probably ACTION ACTION or THE FORECAST because they are also very awesome guys and gal.

Pastepunk: I love THE FORECAST. Their new record with John Naclerio was a little whack, but I won’t hold it against them.

Zach: We did a two week stint with them in October which was fun. I haven’t really listened to their whole record yet. John Naclerio, he produced our album.

Pastepunk: Given his track record, John Naclerio was quite an odd producer choice. He is pretty slick and your band, not so much. Why work with someone more attuned to pop records as opposed to an Albini or an AJ Mogis?

Zach: Our budget was the opposite of a lot and trust me we wanted people like that, but either it was cost or they just couldn’t do it. I’m moderately happy with the record, but I’m never satisfied so that can go either way (laughs).

Pastepunk: Who are the top three producers you’d like to work with some day?

Zach: I’m not good with names, but whoever did SONIC YOUTH’S Daydream Nation, Rick Rubin because he seems cool and Dave Steik from TV ON THE RADIO.

Pastepunk: As far as the recording goes, how did you get the vocal part during the line “let’s all go to the ocean, let’s all drown ourselves tonight” to sound so different, and what point were you trying to make with those lyrics?

Zach: I meant that we should all just dive straight into things instead of just watching all of the waves break and things happening right in front of us. That was the ending of the song when the song was first created, but I don’t really know. I think we just wanted to do something really creepy but break-beat in the middle.

Pastepunk: How did “I Will Come Back Again” develop, it almost seems to be the only mellow track on the album, and what should a listener get out of the line “I will come back again, this time will be much better?”

Zach: It was basically me constantly following habit time and time again and making the promise that everything was going to get better soon. That’s one of our older songs we decided to add. I forgot about that one.

Pastepunk: What about “Madness Seems So Normal” – that seems like the only other mildly melodic tune, is there room for it in your set lists?

Zach: Oh yes. That one is a “favorite” of everyone so no matter what we will always play that song unless a jerk sound guy cuts our time short.

Pastepunk: With your recent video in album in mind, what inspired so much of the good vs. evil, devil vs. God, hell vs. heaven approach?

Zach: I guess just because it’s always a factor in anything I do in life. I thought it would be fitting to have something so universal for the first video.

Pastepunk: So you’re saying anything someone does is influenced by good or evil?

Zach: Yeah, I could hit the car in front of me who just endangered my life or I could just cool down.

Pastepunk: Chicago Tribune or Chicago Sun Times, which one would Satan want me to read today?

Zach: Not anything (laughs).

Pastepunk: This record just came out but have you thought at all about what direction the next record will take?

Zach: YES! I’m glad you asked. I am actually about seventy percent done with the next album. We actually play one or two new ones during every show anyways.

Pastepunk: At that rate you could have an album out in 2007?

Zach: Oh yes! I believe we will have our album out. October 16th?

Pastepunk: Wow, it’s already set into motion?

Zach: Something like that. I told Tony I was almost done with it and I wanted to release it as soon as possible. I have so much material and so little money to demo it that I just want to get in the studio before I forget everything. We have a joke name for the album title and a couple others we are throwing around. “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 I hope this record gets me into heaven” is one of the joke titles, but “Oh My Gawd” is the one I’m leaning too.

Pastepunk: What music will you be listening to as you drive from show to show on the CASKET SALESMAN tour?

Zach: I will be listening to lots of TOM WAITS, MY MORNING JACKET, THELONIOUS MONK and possibly some PRETTY GIRLS MAKE GRAVES because I just got the latest CD.

Pastepunk: (Laughs) A lot of times smaller touring bands have rough experiences at smaller shows, what’s the touring life like for you? You mentioned jerk sound guys earlier, but what about playing for no one and things like that.

Zach: You know what? We have been getting on some bigger albeit weirder shows so it’s not that bad. Our booking agent is great so she always makes sure everything is nice. People showing up? That’s never a problem. I mean it’s nice (when people show up), but we play the same no matter what.

Pastepunk: The room was buzzing with people singing your praises after your Victory Records CMJ showcase. What is it about your band’s live show that makes even jaded industry types take notice?

Zach: I don’t really know? I don’t like to do cheesy thing like flinging guitars around, I just try and be myself and I guess they don’t get a lot of that these days (laughs). I think the sound and tightness is better than smashing guitars I can’t pay for.

Pastepunk: Smash other bands’ guitars! Bands that are going on next!

Zach: (Laughs) I should. Then run!