What's up there kiddos…so you're here to find out a little about the complex world of UP SyNDROME (sometimes written as "US" when I'm talking about the band in first person... yeah, I'm clever like that). Well first off, let's throw the formal bullshit out the window and talk like amigos (friends for all you folks in Wisconsin). My name's Chris Marrs Piliero (shake hands). As I type this for your reading pleasure I reside in my lovely apartment pleasantly located in the hills of Anaheim, California… in simpler terms… I'm from the OC, though I've only seen the show once. Ok, so… UP SyNDROME… ummm… make yourself comfortable... let's get you caught up…
I started UP SyNDROME back in college as a result of a mutation from my first band from high school (which had a super lame name inspired by a song from the super cool band, They Might Be Giants). My good friend from high school, John Gandy, continued with me as we started on a new path with two friends of mine from college, Mike Mohan, and Andy Muller. I had a lot of fun with these guys, but I wasn't happy with the music we were making. I had written a bunch of songs and we recorded them onto a nicely packaged demo cd that we called "Product of Television." It featured that picture of the squirrel with the huge nuts on the cover that floats around the internet every so often... the title and the picture have absolutely no correlation, but oh well… it was a funny pic and a cool title, so we did it. So at first, obviously, I was really stoked on the CD, cuz for one thing it was on CD (the recording from my previous band was on cassette, so this was very exciting), but I quickly grew to hate it and all of its evilness. The songs were a little too goofy, way too slow, and just lacked the edge that I really wanted. It wasn't long before I threw them up in the attic and locked them away (yeah, I still have at least over 100 of them, and no, you can't have one). They do pop up online every once in awhile, though, and I wanna puke in my hand and rub it in my eyes when I come across them… I wish I could develop a virus or a program that found all of the mp3s from that damn cd and destroyed them… thad be rad… eh, what are ya gonna do… so yeah… I was in love with bands like Green Day, The Offspring, and Rancid (still am) but making music that sounded more like Hanson meets SR71, but lamer… yes, lamer… hard to imagine? It's sad, but true… not to say that some of my songs didn't have potential, but I think it's safe to say I've gotten much better at writing songs…
Moving on… So yeah, I wasn't happy… I needed to find some guys that shared my musical tastes and ambitions. Gandy and I shared a love for The Misfits, but that was about it. I think Mike and I occasionally agreed on a song here and there. Andy was really into Sublime and reggae… and I almost never listened to reggae… since then, my love for Sublime has grown immensely, but that's about it… so yeah… Shit just wasn't right. Well I expressed my concerns with the guys and we added a very large and talented second guitarist by the infamous name of Big Jon who shared my love for punk rock. Gradually Mike, Andy, and Gandy moved on to devote more time to school and eventually join other projects that were more their cup of tea as we recruited new guys to fill in the slots. So phase 1 of UP SyNDROME came to an end and Big Jon and I embarked on a new path of building and creating phase 2; one that was much more punk influenced, faster, and energetic.
I thought that's what I wanted, but I gradually discovered how very wrong I was... we slowly but surely recruited guys (one of those being Brian "The Spicy Chicken" Carroll... he got mad that I didn't mention him in the first dradt of this bio, so yeah... happy Brian?) that together wanted something far different than why I started the band and with that also came life-styles that I just wasn't a part of... to the outside things seemed to be going well for US, though… we played with the likes of Yellowcard, and The Ataris… headlined and sold out shows at House of Blues in Anaheim, Chain Reaction, and The Glasshouse (actually, I think we almost sold out Glasshouse)… our Halloweener Fest at Chain with Rufio was so big that freaking our show was the first to ever get stopped and cleared out by the Fire Marshal (I think there's only been one other occurrence since then). So yeah… we had tons of fans, did a national tour, and what do ya know, Dexter freaking Holland dug US… enough so that he signed US to his wonderful label, Nitro Records… whoa, whoa, whoa… what? He did? Wait a minute… then how come UP SyNDROME isn't listed on the "Bands" page of their site? Welllllllll, we were so awesome that we got signed AND dropped before we ever made a CD for the label… heck yeaaaah... man, that's definitely one of my biggest accomplishments… signing to a label and getting booted from that same label (a label run by the lead singer of one of my most favorite bands, mind you) all in less than a year and having nothing to show for it… YES! I RULE!!! Ha… what a great period in my life…
For lots of fans the split came out of nowhere, and I apologize for not wanting to talk about it too much. I try to keep fans in the loop as much as possible, but I was so burnt out on the situation and so depressed over it that I felt like just keeping to myself… yup, I definitely got depressed… well it was super sucky times, ya know... I started questioning my ambitions in life and where I was going and all that kind of stuff… closed a lot of people out… eh, it happens, ya know… side note: I'm watching reservoir dogs right now… damn good movie… "buddy, I will shoot you in the face!"
So what went wrong? What the eff happened? Well I'm gonna take the blame for it… well, to a certain extent. It was my fault for finding guys that just didn't see or understand life the way that I did… I thought they were all cool as hell (isn't that an oxymoron or something), but being in a band together was just wrong… almost every time we got a new guy for the band it was a rushed situation… we found our drummer, Andrew, a month before recording our E.P. for Criterion Records and our bassist, Dominic, a month before the release show for that same E.P. We seemed to always be under pressure due to time constraints, and rash decisions were then made.
Ya see, I'm the kind of guy who knows what he wants and works hard to get it. And since I don't sit on my ass and expect hand outs, especially when it comes to my band, I guess I'm pretty adamant about things going the way I want them to go… what are ya gonna do… I create something, it becomes my baby, I breast-feed it, I nurture and love it and am very protective over it… I guess I'm a little thick-headed sometimes, but I think I've earned it… even when my band's selling out shows at the local club, you still see me out there passing out those fliers, putting up those stickers, and promoting… the way I look at it… why should I expect a fan to promote for my band if I feel like I'm too good to do it myself, ya know? So yeah… I started UP SyNDROME years before any of these guys had even joined… this band was my life and somehow it was slowly evolving into something I didn't want and rather than let it continue (trust me, I wanted to, we just got signed for crying freaking out loud, ya know) I knew that the best thing would be to confront the guys on it and more or less pull the plug on it (Butch Walker style… amazing man, check him out)… I've learned that in life there's only so much time you can spend making other people happy before you have to put your foot down and make sure you make yourself happy (no, not like that, sicko)…
Hang on… let's tackle a few issues…
I love punk rock, but for the love of God, I grew up in Orange County… what is it, like the richest county in the country? I mean, come on now... I know I'm not PUNK… I just love the music and most of the motives behind it… but somehow I found myself in a band taking itself waaaay too seriously in an attempt to be "punk" and not be sell outs and not have a producer tell US how to better write songs and not do this and not do that cuz it wasn't the "punk" thing to do and… GOD… it was recockulous… recockulous I tells ya… I don't wanna write a song and speed it up just so it can be more punk… and I'm definitely not concerned with "selling out" because the term is a crock of shit… there's nothing wrong with an artist getting on the radio or tv to enable a wider audience to experience and appreciate his work… and whenever I hear someone say, "it's all about the music, fuck all that business shit," I really, really wanna take a pitchfork to their face… don't you think a guy who runs a pizza place is all about the pizza??? Obviously he loves pizza and wants to make that for a living… but just because he's all about the pizza doesn't mean he's giving your dumbass a free slice, and it doesn't mean he's not gonna market himself to further his career, because… wake up call… when you wanna do something as a career you have to make money or else you're not going to have a career! And well, I would love to make music as a career… Important note about life kiddos, if you are a part of something that has its business attributes to it, this doesn't mean it's all about money, but it does mean it's about survival… you don't need lots of money to survive, but you do need some…
Moving on... drugs… you may do em, I have friends who do em… and more power to all of ya… but I don't and don't wanna be around them. I have an Uncle I've never met because of that stuff, and another Uncle I'm currently losing to the same battle, and because of it… I will not fucking tolerate that shit (sorry for the "f" word again, mom… it happens sometimes). Being in a band is like being in a relationship… I would never date a girl that does drugs, and so therefore I don't wanna be in a band with guys who do. Plain and simple. Makes sense, right? Ok then…
Still with me? Ok rad… So the other guys and I part ways (much love and respect to them all, by the way... BJ and I are starting to mend our friendship after all these months, and I'll be sure to inform you all when his new band is up and running) and I'm now at a strange point in my life… anyone and everyone who knows me or even a stranger, for that matter, knows that UP SyNDROME is my life… but suddenly I've got friends and fans turning against me... people only hearing one side of the story that sounds totally reasonable without even attempting to understand where I'm coming from… and so my world starts crumbling… shit happens, ya know... i expected it, and understood why some fans would react on their emotions, but it was still really, really hard for me to deal with fans getting pissed off at me, when all I ever did was appreciate them so much… if you're a fan, I live for you, no question about it… if you actually believe in the art that I make so much as to support me, then in turn I owe my life to you… that's the way I have always been and always will be… and so, much to my dismay, shit hit the fan, and the fan was on full speed, so the shit got all over the place... so yeah... fans turned away… I felt like crap… like a huge pile of messy feces plopped on some field with a shitload (no pun intended) of flies hovering over, telling me what a jerk I am… I was soooo bummed…
I write songs to escape the instability of my life and I play shows to release built up energy uncertain of its existence… whoa, that was deep… so what I'm basically saying is that I'm a nutjob, so I write songs, and when I play shows I discharge myself all over the club… and your face… so yeah… writing is just the gunpowder and performing is the bullet… hot damn, such thought provoking stuff... soooo... when I get up on that stage there is a connection beyond explanation and the thought of losing that tore at my insides more than a bowl of jalapeños… life was shit-tee… but then there was a silver lining... I started getting the emails and the IMs from fans letting me know that they were gonna sit there patiently waiting till I figured everything out and found some new guys and started rocking again and they were gonna be there up front… waiting to rock out with US… you know who you are, and I want to genuinely thank you from the bottom of my heart… and from the top and from the sides of it, as well… even the smallest conversation of support… they were what kept me going… and I truly thank you… alright enough of the mooshy stuff… hugs… moving on…
So UP SyNDROME turns into a solo project… and a young, hopeful producer by the name of Jason Worrel gets in touch with me (thanks to the greatness commonly known as Jill #2) and wants to start working with me. Well I'm skeptical at first… but what do ya know… I guess some thing's aren't too good to be true, cuz Jason is amazing and we become instant friends and the guy just kicks ass… awesome guy inside and out and talented as heck… and let me tell ya, heck is pretty talented… so yeah… I'm lucky to be working with him. So I've got all of these songs, and we choose 3 to start laying down the foundation to…
It's now November of 2003 and huge fires have taken over California… destroying families and their homes… well I'm a sad excuse for an activist, but I seriously envy those who devote their lives to bettering our world… and one of those respectable individuals happens to be a musician by the name of Matt Embree… the man behind Rx Bandits. So I give Matt a call and ask him if he'd like to be a part of an acoustic benefit show I'm putting together in December at Chain to raise money, clothes, and food for the fire victims and others in need… tis the season, ya know… well he's down and before I know it, freaking Finch is in, and the show is amazing… absolutely amazing… So at this point thoughts are going through my head to stay solo… maybe focus on acoustic shit or do the Dashboard thing and have a back up band… I had so much fun doing that show and I'm so freaking indecisive…
Well I had been talking with a short fella by the name of Dusty (used to be in a band called Two Years Later) for a few months now and he seemed really, really cool and was great at guitar, but I just wasn't sure yet. He kept in touch with me for quite some time… giving me a call once a week or so… checking in. I tried him out a couple of times but still my mind was in a state of limbo… during this process, I had tried out a few other guys on guitar… talked to a bunch online and didn't get much further than that with most… if I was gonna go on with the band, I was gonna be super picky… like when you're a kid and you don't want the different portions of your dinner to touch each other or else you won't eat any of it… yup, that kind of picky…
So I try out Dusty again… this is about 3 months after he first tries out for me… 3 MONTHS! Damn… he's still bandless, still talking to me, and still wanting to be in a band with me… I knew things were gonna be different this time around… I knew I had found someone that could become a best friend and the perfect right hand man to make music with… so why did it take me so long? Because I was messed up in the head for awhile, remember? Are you even paying attention?? Are you still stuck on the image of me discharging myself all over the club… cuz you shouldn't be… that was probably like 25 minutes ago that you read that by now… I'm the immature one here, not you, so let's get past that, shall we… so yeah… anyways (did you know that "anyways" isn't even a real word) I knew from the second I met Dusty that he was an awesome guy, but I just didn't know what I wanted, and past experiences of rushing into decisions bit me in the ass, so I really indulged myself into taking a break and taking as long as I wanted to make up my mind… plus, I wasn't quite sure if I wanted to rebuild my band or not… either way I was sticking with UP SyNDROME… it had just become a part of me… friends and fans would just refer to me as UP SyNDROME or Mr. UP SyNDROME... and I can't tell you how many times people would go up to me and be like, "Hey, what's up… syndrome?!" and they'd crack up and I'd have to pretend like I thought it was funny and clever and all that stuff and they'd have their laugh and whatever… the point is (and yes, I'll still pretend like it's funny the next time you see me and say the same thing)… the point is that UP SyNDROME became an identity of mine and I figured I'd hold onto it… it's not the best name, but it sure ain't the worst… and while, yes, you can throw your Guns N Roses insults at me (bring it, buddy), favorite bands of mine like The Ataris and A.F.I. have all carried on through their frontman, completely different than their original line-up and (especially in A.F.I.'s case) very different in sound, so yeah... I decided it was the right thing to do... plus, it's not like I grew out my hair out and transformed into a screamo band and changed my style or something like that… it's still the same old skinny, dorky me… I'm still writing the same stuff, here, kiddos… just with a lot more growth to compensate for my small junk…
So I do a lot of thinking and praying… drink lots of water… and play quite a few rounds of monopoly… and I decide I'm definitely going to do it… I'm gonna rebuild UP SyNDROME and we're gonna be a band… I'm gonna find some new guys… guys that dig what I dig, think how I think… guys that understand how my brain works… but not just understand it… that also believe in it… that agree with it… that are totally on the same page as me. That kind of stuff is really important… you can be the best of friends with someone, but if you don't both want the same thing, it's not gonna work… it's gonna turn into a mess… trust me on this one…
Ummmmmmmmmm… blah blah blah… I figure shit out… want to have a band not a solo project… Dusty gives me a rusty trambone and what do ya know… he's in there like swim wear… And just like that… we were a band… it was just 2 of us… but we were a band… it was that easy… like your sister. Well we started practicing songs, recording in the studio, and even played a birthday party (good times, Erica)… after months of talking to bassists online and weeding out ones that I wasn't interested in, we actually tried out 3 guys… all cool guys… but one of them was instantly the one… and that guy was Mr. Matt Jefferson… yeah, weird last name for a Mexican, I was thinking the same thing… Matt musically and vocally was right where we wanted him to be, but more importantly was his personality, the qualities of his character… and his sexy ass, of course... well along with Matt we thought we had found our drummer, but unfortunately, it didn't work out… yeah… again… don't worry… I'm used to it, so at this point it doesn't even shake me... we spent months practicing, and then just like that, we were drummerless… preparing to start all over… then I get an email by a rather tall dood with a very crisp smile... I have a gap in-between my 2 front teeth, david letterman-style, so I always notice when someone has a near perfect smile, and well, Craig, he's one of those guys… he's also a badass drummer and is cool as ice… so to make a long story short… oh wait… it's too late for that… well then…
So Dusty, Matt, Craig, and I clicked pretty darn fast… and life is good... before we took band pics the other day Craig asked, "We're gonna take more than one picture, right?" and I just stared at him... ha.. ahhhh, Craig, so full of retarded questions, he rules... Matt is obsessed with reminding me how much sexier he is than me... Matt, it's true, and I don't care... the other day Dusty and I were giving each other a Brazilian wax and he said to me, "Chris, I just want to rock, is that too much to ask?" No, Doost, that's not too much to ask...
To wrap stuff up… I'm happy now… not that you care… but I do, so piss off… Dusty, Matt, and Craig are incredibly awesome guys so get to know them… get to know me, too, cuz I'm all about making new friends… basically get to know US… we are UP SyNDROME. We've each got our own bio page to find out excitingly useless information about each of US (isn't it nifty how well the initials of the band work out for writing sentences)… We've got some new songs for you to listen to, a show for you to see, and throughout the month of October we are shooting a feature length movie and music video coming soon to a DVD player near you…
So 6 drummers, 3 bassists, and 4 guitarist later… here we are… now what does the future of UP SyNDROME hold? No clue… all I know is that if we ever do make it, it's gonna be one helluva long episode of Behind The Music… welcome to phase 3...
Source: http://www.upsyndrome.com
