Take 5 Interview
www.atnzone.com
Five young guys. Pop music. Originated in Orlando. Lou Pearlman. *NSYNC? Backstreet Boys? Think again. Take 5 is not the boyband next door. They have hip-hop beats, sultry ballads, and, if that isn’t enough, they have even collaborated with the likes of Missy Elliott and Timbaland! Want more? I thought so. Introduce yourself to Ryan Goodell, Tilky Jones, Stevie Schulthorpe, Clay Goodell, and TJ Christofore. They are no strangers to the stage considering they have been touring over in Europe and Asia for the past two years. And, yes, now the United States can be added to that list. They are young, determined, and ready to take on the already bulging pop-market. Can they do it? Find out for yourself!
The guys formed Take 5 in late 1997. They all were veterans to the entertainment industry, having worked in commercials, theater, and modeling (Yes, ladies, they are handsome!) Between the five of them, they have credentials that could knock any competitors out of the water; everything from performing at the White House to being in a local ska-punk band.
Take 5 released their first album overseas and began touring soon thereafter. They became the music sensation that every artist dreams about, sending girls into hysterics and being the envy of every male fan. Take 5 is now ready to take on that same responsibility here in the United States. They have started touring with, none other than the little pop princess herself, Miss Britney Spears. It is a chance of a lifetime and they are ready and willing to take full advantage of it, especially when it happens to coincide with their new album release.
Take 5’s new album, Against All Odds, is the boost that these five guys need to make their introduction here in the U.S. It is hot, fresh, and totally what the pop market does NOT have right now. This album is about to fill a void that has gone on for way too long. They are ready to be pioneers and bring a different sound, a sound all their own, to the ears of American listeners. Let me tell you, this album is the perfect opportunity. N-Zone had a chance to talk to the guys about all of this and more, so check it out!!!
N-Zone: Explain to me how the five of you became Take 5.
Clay: Well, Ryan, the oldest member of Take 5 is my brother and TJ is from Minnesota also. So all three of us are from Minnesota and we all knew each other ever since we were kids. Tilky and Steve knew each other from Florida and doing commercials and stuff like that. So TJ and I went down to Florida and were doing stuff and met Tilky and Steve there and we became friends and, you know, kind of hung out and got together and that’s how we just kind of started, and then Ryan came into it down the road.
N-Zone: What do you feel separates you from the whole boyband stereotype which is huge right now?
Clay: You know, we have a totally different style of music. If you listen to pop music nowadays, it is just the same producers and the same kind of music over and over again. We try to differentiate ourselves with a different style of music and our show; it’s a big aspect to us. We want to get out there and have an awesome show that nobody has seen before. And I think we kind of do.
N-Zone: How much creative control and input did the five of you have with your new album?
Clay: We actually had a lot of input. We are the ones in Take 5 and it is our careers and we pretty much get to decide what we want to do. They come to us…the record company and everybody come to us and are like, you know, how about these producers and how about these producers and we were like yes and no. We had a big say in what we got to do for the album.
N-Zone: Do any of you write?
Clay: Actually, Tilky co-wrote on one of the songs on the album.
N-Zone: I know you guys worked with some amazing people on this album. Tell me what it was like working with Missy Elliot and Timbaland.
Clay: We worked with Timbaland and Missy and that was just a really cool experience. You know, Missy was really cool. We helped each other out with the vocals and everything so it was just really fun. We have a song on there with Diane Warren, actually. It was really, really cool to work with her.
N-Zone: Do you guys still get starstruck?
Clay: Umm, I do. Some of the guys don’t.
N-Zone: Well, I would! Okay, describe your album for me in three words. I am sure that is a tough one.
Clay: Ohh, um,Tilky? I don’t know that is a tough one. Hold on. (Looking for some help from the other guys) Umm…very, very hype?
Stevie: Very! Very! Hype! (laughter from the others) Actually, though, I don’t know if you could describe it in three words. I mean, we are trying to take things to a new level and make music. Right now the pop market is going all in one direction. It’s following a pattern. We are trying to be like the ugly duckling of the group, of the pack. We are trying to break away from that and actually start a new sound. With the music that we have been doing, with like Timbaland and Missy Elliott and Delite and stuff like that, it’s like going off the path. We are trying to make a fork in the road. It might not hit as fast as we want it to but I think in the long run it’s gonna be more… I think people will respect us more for actually not following the normal pattern and actually being ourselves and doing what we like to do instead of just having to follow the same old pattern. I think it will grow on people.
N-Zone: I know you guys range from ages 16-20. How do you guys handle the age differences among the group?
Ryan: Everybody is young at heart. I think that we treat each other more like brothers than anything else. I mean we get along like brothers so it’s not really the age difference. It’s not that big of a deal.
N-Zone: Do you guys plan on continuing schooling…your education?
Ryan: I graduated high school already and I have started doing college stuff on the Internet. All the rest of the guys have a tutor that travels with us to finish them up in high school and anyone that wants to do college can do that too.
N-Zone: I know you guys started touring with Britney Spears just a couple of days ago. So tell me how it has been going so far.
Ryan: So far it has been great. All of our dates are sold out, so it’s big audiences.
Stevie: We have some things that we want to work out.
Ryan: Yeah, I mean, we’ve had a little bit of technical stuff that’s gone wrong just being the beginning of the tour. But besides that everything has been pretty cool.
N-Zone: How different do you think the reaction over in Europe and Asia is than over here in the States?
Ryan: Over there it is kind of like we hit big right away. So before we even released any music everybody knew us over there. You know, and here, I think, there is a lot of competition that we definitely have to differentiate ourselves from and let people know what Take 5 is all about. So I think we are going to have to work a lot harder over here but I think we are ready, you know, to accept those challenges and just work hard to get there.
N-Zone: So is it frustrating? Do you guys feel like you are almost starting from scratch again over here in the States?
Ryan: Exactly, we are basically starting over, starting from the beginning and playing as an opening act and doing all that. It’s not really frustrating because we knew that if we want to achieve some success in the United States and Canada, which are probably the two most important markets for us ‘cause, of course, it’s like our hometown, our home country. We know we are going to have to work hard, going to have to start at the bottom and work your way up and impress people from the start.
N-Zone: What was it like shooting your first video, "Shake It Off?"
Stevie: Actually, that was our fourth video that we have shot. We shot a video for "I Give", "Never Had It So Good", and "Baby, I Can’t Let Go." The two that we did, "Never Had It So Good" and "I Give", were shot by Lionel Martin and they were low budget films. Those were done in Miami. "Baby, I Can’t Let Go" was an Asian film. We did it over in Asia and that was a good song for us over there. They wanted us to record…do a video for "Baby, I Can’t Let Go", so we actually shot it in Thailand. And then this ["Shake It Off"], this is what they consider our first music video because of the work that was put into it and the graphics. It was our first U.S. video and the money that was spent on it. It was done by a good producer, Gregory Dark, and the people from "Independence Day" actually did the special effects on it. The "Independence Day" building was actually in the background. It was just done really well and it had a lot of time and effort put into it. It should be a great video.
N-Zone: Good deal. So are we going to be seeing it on MTV anytime soon?
Stevie: We are hoping that it will be on MTV. Actually, I think it didn’t get picked up by MTV right yet.
Ryan: We actually haven’t released it to MTV yet just because we wanted to build a market.
Steve: We want to build a fan base before we bring it to MTV and we don’t want to put it on MTV and have nobody know us and then have it flop.
N-Zone: So do you think you will release it after the tour with Britney Spears?
Stevie: That is what we are thinking, either after the tour with Britney or fall of this year.
N-Zone: I know you guys travel so much. What are some of the most amazing locations you guys have been to?
Stevie: I think some of our favorites ones..umm..definitely America’s a fun place for us. You get to see all the different states and stuff. But, I think traveling overseas, for guys our age, and going there. Being able to go anywhere in Asia, go anywhere in Europe, and travel around there is just amazing. I think Singapore was just really amazing. I think you could eat off the ground there it’s so clean. I think Hong Kong was real cool. Sweden and Germany. They are all great. They all bring different aspects and different cultures that a lot of us like.
N-Zone: Do you guys ever get so homesick where you just want to go home with your mom?
Stevie: Some of us sometimes will just be like, "We’re tired! We want to go home for a couple days." You know, after you get going again, you get back on the road, you see what you love. We love doing this. We love being on the road. We will try to fly out a couple parents here and there so we can actually see our parents and visit them. Be on the road and let them experience the road with us.
N-Zone: How did your family and friends react to the whole idea of Take 5?
Stevie: It took awhile for them to get used to it.
Ryan: When we all started this we were all under 18. We were 13 to 17. We, obviously, had to have our parents help with everything from when we moved down to Florida. Our parents moving down there and living with us. They rotated. One mom would stay for a month and go home and then the next one. We had to have guardians with us. Financially, they had to help us out and so if it weren’t for our parents being involved from the beginning I don’t think that any of this would have been possible.
N-Zone: I am sure you guys have crazy fans. What is the wildest thing a fan has ever done?
Ryan: We have had some real crazy experiences. One funny story is this girl gave one of us a moldy sandwich while we were in Sweden. It was like this old, moldy sandwich. And she was like you will always remember this because it is the weirdest thing, and we always have. It is the weirdest thing anyone has ever given us. Just funny little things like that you carry with you.
N-Zone: Do you guys have any musicians that have definitely inspired you?
Ryan: We all individually have one. I know that Steve’s is Brian McKnight. Clay’s is Boys II Men. Mine, um, I like D’Angelo and Dave Matthews.
(We start talking about how awesome D’Angelo is…a little sidetracked. Back to the interview)
N-Zone: I know you guys are supposed to be doing your own show in Orlando, FL on September 30.
Ryan: Yeah, it is called the Return of Take 5.
N-Zone: If a person was debating on going out and buying your CD what would you tell them? Promote yourself right now…a little self-promotion here.
Ryan: I definitely would say that when we made this album, because it is actually our second album, we wanted to put forth an album that we like. The last album we all had fun doing, it was a good pop album and it was very European. I mean, that is what the market for it was. But I think there is a lot of competition right now in the pop market and everything is starting to sound the same and we wanted to put out a record that we used producers that we wanted to use and put out a sound…I mean I would say our record is a pop record I just think we are trying to take pop to a new level with this record. We have a lot of different influences on this record. You know, everywhere from this one song that is a serious rock ballad from the hip-hop beats to just straight pop. I just think it is a record that shows a lot of different musical influences on our end and I think it portrays a lot of youthfulness on the album and a lot of energy.
So if any of you N-Zone readers are in the Orlando, FL area on September 30 be sure to check them out. If not, Take 5’s new album was just released at the end of August and they are also releasing a new single in the middle of September, "Can I Come Over?"
