Warped In Reverse - Episode #5
Interview by Cosmic-A (Monica Demattei) | Transcription by Tyler Peckham
Last year the Louisiana-born heavy metal band Cane Hill rocked Warped Tour with their new album Smile. Vocalist Elijah Witt, guitarist James Barnett, bassist Ryan Henriquez, and drummer Devin Clark spent from late June to August on the road, crossing the country as an act in the legendary festival.
So this is Monica with Tour Press Force and I am here with…
Elijah Witt from Cane Hill
Alright…and so how has the tour been treating you guys?
It’s been ok. It’s been good.
How would you have responded to that at the beginning of the tour?
Fucking hated it. It was hotter. It was way more miserable, I mean Vegas has its heat, I can handle Vegas heat, but we started down South in the deep fucking humidity and I was just like ‘You can kill me, you can send me home and I won’t care. It’s hot.’
How does this tour compare to other tours you have been on?
Longer, hotter, harder, I’m just tired. It’s a lot of work for a lot of reward.
Are the venues or fans different than back home?
I don’t think so. When you have outdoor festivals there are a lot of options. So you have eight stages, seven stages, whatever the fuck it is, and then you have 80 bands spread out across them, all playing at the same time. So you find out who actually is genuinely there for you, so I think that is the difference between the tours. Here I feel like, if they come to your stage, it means they are genuinely into you or they found you and they enjoyed it. It’s more of an intimate, genuine thing.
So how long have you been playing music?
I think I started when I was eight, wait five; I took piano when I was five and I was very bad at it.
And how long did it take for you to form your band?
It’s still forming.
How did you get invited to Warped Tour?
I don’t know. Got an email.
So tell me about the new album. Everyone wants to know.
[The] new album is called Smile, its 10 songs long, it’s kind of heavy kind of soft, from flaccid to erect real quick and then right back down to flaccid you know?
YouTube | You're So Wonderful – Cane Hill (Official Music Video)
So you just write about all the things you don’t like and you’re reaching out. Do you have a purpose or a mission behind what you do?
Whatever people take from it, they take from it. If they want to open their minds to a better way of thinking then sure, but if they don’t, I don’t really care. I’ve got my opinions and other people have theirs. These are just mine.
So what happens after the tour? What’s next?
We go out with Insane Clown Posse and we’re overseas for a while.
What country?
Australia, UK.
Anything else you would like to say to your fans?
Buy the fucking album.
Photography by Nahnalah_G - Van's Warped Tour 2016
Cane Hill is currently headlining a tour with Darke Complex until mid-March, including a Tucson show at The Rialto Theatre on February 25. Get your ticket HERE.
