1. The sound of UT seems to have evolved to the next level. Are there any recent influences you can credit for your musical and lyrical growth?

Stacey: I believe our biggest influence was the first album. With Becoming Aware done, we were able to get a better look at what we had accomplished musically and lyrically, and where we wanted to go next. Based On Actual Events was really the next logical step for us.

Joe: I agree that our biggest influence was the first album. We were hooked on a new sound and we had the time of our lives exploring that sound. We encouraged each other to stay away from traditional "goth" sounds and styles. We listened to a LOT of Depeche Mode and David Bowie during the recording of Based On Actual Events. Stacey was able to fuse a lot of DM's melodic inventiveness into our songs. I was able to take some of the faster, "poppier" sounds from Bowie and blend them with our sound to make something totally unique. I truly believe this album sounds more unique than 90% of the music you'll hear on "Top 40 Rock Radio".

2. With the success of your debut album, did you honestly think you'd be just a studio band like you'd first planned?

Stacey: Honestly, yes. And I think a lot of that has to do with our first CD getting a lot more attention than we had planned on. Doing live shows just wasn't something we figured there would be a calling for, but we were definitely wrong! And that's more than okay. We're very willing to put together a live show for our fans.

Joe: Personally I had HOPED we'd never have to play live. I am extremely frightened to have to get up on stage and perform. I think one could get that sense from listening to the new album. That being said, there's something very strange that happens when you first taste success in the music industry - you want MORE. You reach a goal that you thought was completely out of the question for you (like selling a few thousand CDs) and then that goal kind of becomes inconsequential and you set higher goals. We realize that there IS a market for our music out there and that in order to fully meet the demands of that market we must play live. Of course I'm excited, but I'm also completely terrified.

3. A lot of bands today write about many of the same topics UT has on B.A. & B. o. A. E., yet they write from a 3rd person point of view, never fully experiencing what they write about. Your music touches on some pretty difficult and taboo subjects in society. Have your lives been directly affected by mental illness, depression, suicide and that feeling of meaningless or are you just writing from that 3rd person view?

Stacey: Well, for me, I think some of it is actually 3rd person, but the difference is that we still have a personal connection to it. Mental illness plagues everyone. It's only the intensities that seem to vary. So, I think that the variation between some 3rd person issues and some 1st person issues makes it more applicable to everyone.

Joe: My mind has always been a blessing and a curse to me. It's too analytical for my taste. Decisions are hard to reach. Sometimes reality is confused with fantasy and vise versa. If you want to call that mental illness, than yes I struggle with mental illness. I suffer. But I also derive great pleasure from my thoughts. I enjoy the heights my mind can take me and I relish the ability to think from angles that most people cannot. I enjoy the darker thoughts my mind shows me every once in a while and it's usually those thoughts that end up being written about in the first person on Unfinished Thought albums. I make it a point to write from several different angles on the record however. First person and third person are both valuable tools to tell a story through song and I make sure to make good use of both on the new album.

4. Is there anything you won't write about? Is there something too personal for you to open up to the listeners with?

Stacey: Not really, no. And the reason is similar to the last question about the point of view for the songs. Sometimes it is difficult to tell who the songs are about, which can be beneficial not only to the listeners who are looking for a connection, but also to us, because if there WAS a topic that we felt was too personal, it would be possible for us to still write about it without the feeling that it was truly about us.

Joe: I echo Stacey's thoughts on this one. Third person is always a great safety for songwriters. There is nothing too personal to write about when you have the shade of writing in the third person. I've used third person extensively for just that reason. So far we've stuck to personal themes like depression and mental illness. We've actually already begun work on our third album which is a concept album with a lot of religious overtones. Unfortunately due to the state of our society I have to put in this disclaimer: I am NOT a member of any church and I do not practice any organized religion. I have my own personal beliefs. This will not be a "Christian album" or an "I love God" album. I have an intense interest in Catholicism - particularly Catholic history and the darker subjects like Stigmata's and Exorcism. I'm going to use these subjects to mold our new album into something that most bands wouldn't even think to do. Saints, Stigmata's, Seven Sins, and the most popular cult ever devised (Christianity/Catholicism) are going to make for a very interesting concept album.

5. Do you ever wonder how your music is affecting your fan base?

Stacey: Absolutely! I can only hope that it's affecting them in a positive way, even if they are listening to a seemingly negative song. I really truly feel that our lyrics express things that have gone unsaid for some people for a long time now, and I just hope that we are maybe providing a voice for some.

Joe: I have thought about how people perceive our music and if the lyrics affect them personally, but as an artist it is EXTREMELY important to not dwell on those thoughts. I do not write songs for the purpose of affecting other people - I write songs for myself and it's ME that I'm trying to impress. That may sound selfish, but there's nothing wrong with being selfish. If you start writing music for other people (especially a MASS of people i.e. the people that buy the majority of record albums in this country) your music will lose all interest and you will end up recording meaningless MUSH. Unfortunately the public's wallet has a deep interest in mush and will gladly keep on paying for unoriginal thoughts from unoriginal bands.

6. The two of you have done so much on your own. Writing, producing, promoting, etc. How do you think things would have differed if a major label had been in the picture? Do you think you'd still have as much creative input and control?

Stacey: Absolutely not. Joe has been in charge of every facet of this project from the very beginning. And in doing so, we have creative control over every aspect. If a major record label would have been involved I think our CD's would be completely different from what we had imagined. That doesn't mean they wouldn't have maybe been better, but not to us, because it wouldn't have been truly ours.

Joe: I don't think a major label would have touched our music in the first place so it's kind of a moot point. I don't want to get off on my traditional anti-major label tirade, so I'll just say that YES everything would have been different if a major label was in charge of our music. I'm sure I'd be dead by now. I rely heavily on music as a personal outlet and I rely even heavier on my ability to control that music. We have COMPLETE control over our music right now and we also have complete control over how our albums are marketed - from the wording of our press release to the color scheme of our website. I relish that control and I don't think we'd be where we are today without it. I have to admit it makes me tired though. It takes all of your energy to record an album - well over a year of your life. Then when it seems like it'd be a good time to rest you have to switch gears and be a promoter and businessman. It's very draining and you NEVER have a spare moment. I'll never complain though because it's the most fun I've ever had - I love all aspects of producing and promoting Unfinished Thought. That's not to say that a very large sum of money wouldn't convince me to relinquish some of the promotional duties. That day looks to be inevitable at this point. I look forward to concentrating more on the musical side of things in the future and leaving the marketing platform that we've built in someone else's capable hands, but that person will never have musical input.