It’s a crisp January evening, and Buffalo power poppers Cute Is What We Aim For are all set to blow away their sell out Garage crowd. Lick Magazine catches up with them backstage before the show to discuss their spectacularly digital rise to stardom.
It’s with complete disillusionment that I’m lead down one of the Garage’s dingy corridors towards the dressing room of the oddly named Cute is What We Aim For. Asked to sit down on a red felt bench next to some guy who is leisurely restringing his electric guitar, I wonder what awaits me behind the black steel door I’m sitting opposite from. I envision entering the room to be greeted reluctantly by four stuck up, Green Day worshipping emo kids, who’d rather be doing anything else but get interviewed by some timid Belle and Sebastian fan. But upon my summoning, I enter to find lead vocalist Shaant Hacikyan rooting around in his suitcase, ankle deep in clothes. He lifts his head in surprise and shakes my hand eagerly before sitting down next the rest of his band mates, who – having already greeted me in a calmly polite manner – are perched comfortably in their black garb on a luxurious leather sofa.
As a band that is just beginning to grasp at the dizzy heights of mass exposure, being interviewed is something that these teenage natives of Buffalo, New York are gradually getting used to. Having formed only two years ago and clocking in at an average age of nineteen, it’s hard not admire how far these guys have come in such a short space of time. Arming themselves with a couple of self-recorded demos in early 2005, they went on to win Pure Volume’s battle of the bands competition, securing a slot at New Jersey rock fest Bamboozle as their third ever gig together. By the end of the year, the band was asked to sign with Florida based label Fueled By Ramen who, as home to acts such as The Academy Is… and Fall Out Boy, seemed like a perfect fit.
Early 2006 saw the band venture down to Florida to record their debut, “Th
e Same Old Blood Rush With a New Touch”, with respected producer Matt Squire (Panic! At The Disco). Having only recorded by themselves in the past, it was a daunting prospect for the young group:
“We were really scared,” explains Shaant, pulling his knees firmly into his chest as the others listen silently.
“He just showed us the light, and he instilled such confidence within us. I think that’s what it really comes down to. It was the most amazing experience I’ve had within a band, and just getting to work alongside him was fucking great.”
Working with such an experienced producer at such an early point in their careers inevitably put a lot of pressure on the band to do well.
“He’s the type of person that’ll give you an inch, but you don’t take that full inch. You know how a lot of people will say, ‘I’ll give you an inch, you want a mile?’”
I nod in agreement, watching him become much more animated.
“Well, we were straight up with him like, ‘Ok, you can still have the rest of that inch,’ because we didn’t want to push him off in the wrong direction. He expected the most of us, and that’s something that a lot of people have never done. I mean, let’s be real, the four of us scholastically and stuff like that have always just made the cut. But we never stood out. Getting to do that [record with Matt Squire] was just great. I still think about the stuff he told me every day.”
As Shaant continues to talk, I’m struck by how incredibly young the four of them are, and wonder what it must be like to live on the road all the time and travel constantly at such a young age.
Shaant grimaces: “The van was worse for me because you would have to take your luggage and go to your hotel room…”
Jack Marin, bassist and newest addition to the band, cuts in,
“People say it’s the same thing every day but it’s totally not. It’s just like any other job when you don’t want to get up in the mornings every once in a while. But as soon as you see the reaction on kids’ faces and how excited they are at shows, it’s makes it so much better. If any band is up on a stage having five hundred to a thousand kids lose their minds to their songs, and they’re like “This is stupid”, then they should probably stop. Cause it’s a lot of fun.”
The novelty of waking up in a different city each morning isn’t lost on the guys either. I ask them where their favourite gig have been so far, to which Shaant replies:
“I’ll go off on a fifteen minute fucking rant about each city.”
Jack describes how touring the UK differs from playing shows in the US:
“The kids here are way more into your music as opposed to just the artists themselves
being really loved. Whoever ran up to us today while we were here, I couldn’t really understand what she was saying,” Jack says as he turns to Jeff, pointing absentmindedly.
“I was meeting you outside the show and she ran up grabbing and was like ‘Blaaaa’. I couldn’t understand her!”
Trying to comprehend unfathomable accents isn’t the only obstacle the band has had to overcome whilst greeting fans. Shaant has often been the victim of teenage girls who admire him just a little too much.
“In the UK, fans are very forward. I’ve had my region grabbed three times. Not yet this time, but on the last tour three times. And I’ve never really experienced that in my life because I don’t really mess around. So I was just kinda like, ‘Ok… that’s mine.”
Despite mild counts of sexual abuse, the band remain firm about how much their fans mean to them. Self-dubbed as a ‘laptop band’, Cute pride themselves on being able to keep in touch with the kids that listen to them. Up until recently, they even posted their instant messenger names online.
“That doesn’t work so much anymore, the computer shut down.” Explains Shaant. “We used to get bombarded with messages, but it was just kind of our thing, so we were like, ‘Well fuck it.’ They’re giving their energy to us by listening and supporting the band”.
As an act that has always embraced online communication, Cute regularly update their MySpace and have even posted early demo versions of songs like “Lyrical Lies” and “Teasing to Please” on their profile. Having a listen earlier in the day I notice that, although their much lauded brand of pop punk is by no means unique or groundbreaking, Cute stand out from their drainpipe clad peers because of Shaant’s nifty ability to turn a good phrase.
“Lyrics are the most important thing for me. We can all write a catchy song, but it’s difficult to write a catchy song and have it really mean something to you. I can always go back and be like ‘Oh, we should have changed that melody, or we should have dropped that chorus, or changed that guitar part.’ But those lyrics… for me, in the position I was in at that time in my life, I was so happy.”
As well as standing out from the crowd in terms of literacy, Cute also surprise me when I ask them who they’re main musical heroes are. Shaant name checks a host of varied artists, amongst them Bob Dylan, Conor Oberst, Elton John, Sting, early Oasis, (and the slightly less surprising) Blink 182.
“Our taste in music is all over the place,” explains Jack. “I actually listened to David Bowie’s Greatest Hits 68-93 last night, and that’s three hours of like, ‘Man this is so good. How is that guy still making music?’ And he still looks totally awesome!”
I ask them which celebrity they’d most like to punch if they had the chance.
“Shatner! I’d punch William Shatner,” exclaims Jack after a few moments of hesitation.
“Nah, I like Boston Legal too much,” retorts Shaant.
With a click of the door, their tour manager reappears, indicating that our time is up.
“Who would you punch in the face?” Shaant asks him, chuckling, “Pete Doherty? Actually no, I like him. As an American, I find him to be a complete spectacle, because in the States, you get sent to jail for what he’s done.” 
“Yeah, you don’t go in with fifteen counts of heroin possession and then walk free,” agrees Jeff. Shaant laughs again:
“And just dance down the steps, getting pictures taken of you smoking cigarettes. I’ll never forget that, seeing the pictures of that event put in a row. But we’re totally into that; we’re into singers the twisted singers with internal conflicts. Like Conor [Oberst].”
“Or Elliot Smith!” I exclaim, beginning to enjoy myself.
“I never got into him, but I hear he was just insane. I need to get into him. Just one more tour and then I’ll have time.”
Upon my departure, I ask Shaant where he sees himself in the future:
“I’d love it if, in ten years, or let’s just say fifteen years, I could go over to Tom’s house and see his wife and two kids who he’s supporting with our band. Or the same with Jack or Jeff. It’d be great to get bigger. But if it doesn’t happen, we’ve already reached points we’d never thought we would reach. So we’re more than content.”
With that, he bids me a sincere farewell and the band begin to get ready for what they enjoy most; playing to the kids that like them.
Words: Vicki Cole
Photos: Lisa Devine
www.cuteiswhatweaimfor.com
