A Jury of Robots Interview

With Vocalist/Guitarist Sean Hall

By Neon Blonde

April 17, 2003

Q:  First off I have to ask about the name A Jury of Robots.  Who came up with it and how did they get the name?

SH:  I did actually.  It was a toss up between some various different other ones but we’re big fans of bands like COC, etc.  It’s kind of a snide reflection towards the business, any business.  People are like sheep, nobody speaks their mind, they just follow the flow, they do what they’re told and they do their own thing and dig it and hope that everybody else will dig it too.  We were trying to come up with something that was clever and God willing I hope it’s clever! (laughing)

NB:  It’s definitely different and clever! (laughing)

  Q:  How long have you guys been around?

SH:  The four of us now?  Kevin’s been with us since December but previous to that we’ve been around for 1 ½ to 2 years.

  Q:  Is everyone in the band from Texas?

SH:  No, I’m from California.  Moved out here in the 80’s.  I think everyone else is from Texas though.

NB:  Oh so you’re a surfer boy? (laughing)

SH:  More of a skateboarder.  Surfed one time and failed miserably! (laughing)  Don’t skateboard that well to be honest with you! (laughing)   

Q:  Your bio describes your music as a “heavy southern, stoner, and punk, metal, tripped out…” Could you elaborate on this for us?

SH:  Sure.  Basically we’re not the most quality musicians you’re going to find we just like to play.  Another thing that would go along with the name is if you look when the Beatles started and you got your Sabbath and your Zepplin there’s always been like a ten-year progression of music.  You got your 80’s bands, 90’s grunge and it seems to cycle.  Then you got your nu-metal.  People are gonna be baggin on that and it’s gonna go away eventually.  We just try to find a riff and I come up with a lyric idea, a title, and off we go.  I’m a huge punk fan.  Thomas is a huge Slayer fan as is Kevin.  So anything that we can use and put into the music is fair game.  All we want to do is get something with a big kick ass riff, great hook, and wherever we get it from we’ll take it.  Hopefully it will be something that entertains a lot of people.  You can’t generalize yourself by saying ‘we’re rap, we’re rap-metal, we’re nu-metal’, etc.  You’ve already stagnated yourself.  Just do what you do and hope people friggin come along with you!

NB:  You’re right.

SH:  We like lotsa stuff, use lotsa stuff and we hope we’re something to lotsa people.  That’s kind of how we do our music.

NB:  That’s awesome and I like it!

Q:  Sean, when did you start playing guitar and singing?  Did you ever take lessons for either/or both of those?

SH:  (laughing) Have you heard me sing?

NB:  Yes! (laughing)

SH:  Then we know I haven’t taken lessons!  I got a guitar when I was 12, played it on and off, joined up with Thomas in East Texas and started a band with three other cool guys.  I was the rhythm guitar player at the time and the singer one day didn’t show up, and the next day and we could keep going on and on.  Thomas got pissed and said we need a singer and it’s either you or Mike.  Mike was the better guitar player than me so I ended up being the singer.  If you can call it that! (laughing)

NB:  Well I happen to love your sound.

SH:  I have one of the cd’s if you wanna listen to it sometime.  So that’s how I started singing, which I’ve had a great time and it’s a lot of fun.  But I always liked playing guitar and the band I was with well we parted ways and I sat around for probably two months just playing the guitar, coming up with riffs, and tried to figure out how to play and sing at the same time.  Ever since I saw James Hetfield with Metallica open up for Ozzy on The Ultimate Sin Tour and he did freakin’ Battery I said that’s what I want to be!  I want to sing and play.  That’s cool!  So I strived to do that and to this day I’m still striving to do it.

NB:  All right cool!

Q:  Do you remember what your first concert was that you ever went to?

SH:  It was the Jackson 5!

NB:  (laughing) No shit?

SH:  Print that! (laughing)  I guess heavy metal that would have to have been Creatures of The Night-KISS and The Plasmatics at the Dallas Convention Center.

NB:  Wow!  Coolness.  I love KISS!

Q:  Who are some of your influences?

SH:  Oh God let’s see.  Most like the guys in the band I’ll listen to anything and if I like it, I like it.  But AC/DC is the best friggin rock band in the friggin world and Sabbath definitely.  COC and Fumanchu also.  Anything that’s good that you can latch on to and learn from.  You have to keep learning how to entertain people, be a better band.  To me right there is an influence.  Also Cheap Trick and Peter Murphy.  You can find a lot of good stuff out there if you sit and listen to it.  If you’re gonna dig it, you’re gonna dig it.  Eventually it’s gonna become an influence whether you realize it or not.  There are a lot of bands, here in town, to be honest with you that I’m influenced by right now.  Hope that’s not too vague. 

NB:  No not at all.  That’s great.

Q:  What is the best and worst thing about being a musician?

SH:  Oh shit! (laughing)  The best thing?  Playing.  Having guys in the band that are cool as hell and that would do anything for you and you would do anything for them.  When you do something people like and they respond to it and dig it and you get an opportunity to play for people and they dig what you do and they tell you.  Everybody’s havin a great time and you get to present your art, if you wanna call it that, to the people and they respond by enjoying it.  You’re happy to give, they’re happy to receive and everybody’s friggin happy!

NB:  It’s one big party!

SH:  It is!  You got your beer, you got your music, turn it up louder and louder make it stronger and heavier.  It’s a great way to live I think.  You meet a lot of cool people; see a lot of cool bands.  I’ve been able to travel around a bit and like you said earlier nobody’s a stranger to me.  Gotta make friends and push the music.  Whether it is your music or your friend’s music.  Something new is always coming and that is another cool thing about music too.  And whether I play a part in that or we play a part in it, it’s badass!

NB:  Cool!

Q:  What other bands have you guys been in?  You told me you started out in one in Lufkin, TX?

SH:  Yeah, Lufkin “by God” Texas (laughing).  It was called A Wonderful Life.  We were kind of an oddity.  It was a small town, we were kind of heavy and nobody would hire us to play.  A friend of mine got us a show one time and man we packed the place out.  People lined up down the street to get in.  That’s where I learned really how to be in a band.  I did a little time with Drowning Pool, learned a lot there.  And of course I had to go and Dave had to come and that was a really good thing cuz he made all the difference.  They’re still great guys and I’m very happy to see them occasionally.  Played guitar in a band called Sonic Bloom.  They had a female singer and I wrote some songs for her and now the Robots.  That’s where I’m gonna be for a long damn time!

NB:  Coolness!

SH:  You told me I had to, so…(laughing)

NB:  Yes I did! (laughing)

Q:  How does your family feel about what you’re doing?

SH:  (laughing)  I don’t know.  My brother-in-law is a helluva guitar player so he digs it.  My sister is proud of the fact I actually have the nuts to get up there on stage and do it.  Don’t know if she digs it or not.  My mom digs it just because she’s a very open-minded lady.

NB:  Has she been to any of the shows?

SH:  Not yet.  She always has every intentions of showing up.  They support me just because I’m their son and I appreciate that.  It’s not one of those “you’re wasting your life” type things.

NB:  Awesome.

Q:  Do you currently have a cd that fans can buy?  If not, is there one coming soon?

SH:  Yeah we’re working on laying tracks down now and probably by May we’re gonna release the first part of the record.  There are seven songs and we are in the process of writing two to three more right now.  When we’re done with those we’ll tack them on to the end of the disc and we’ll have like ten to twelve songs.  We wanna make sure everybody gives their best in the studio and everybody’s happy.  Yeah by the first of May we’ll have something for the people.

NB:  I’ll take the first one hot off the press!

Q:  Are you guys available on Mp3.com?

SH:  Not yet but we have a guy who is working on that.  JD and I are gonna mix up some of the tracks in the next couple of weeks and we’ll put them on the website and then on to Mp3.com.

NB:  You won’t be sorry.  You will be surprised at how many hits you will get not only from all over the US but over in Europe and South America.  You’ll love it.

Q:  Sean, tell me your thoughts on the music scene today, in Dallas/Ft. Worth?

SH:  I think there are a lot of good friggin bands in Dallas right now.  The only thing that kind of blows is there is no camaraderie.  There is with a lot of bands but I won’t name any of them.  But they are great and we personally feel like we owe them a lot.  They’ve been really great to us and it’s been a great time playin with them.  You got your North Dallas, Lower Greenville, and Deep Ellum and it would be nice even if you don’t like the music you could dig what each other is doing.

NB:  Just supporting each other right?

SH:  Yeah.  Just be able to take a compliment.  Everybody claims there is a scene but I don’t see it.  Other than that there are a lot of really good bands.  People are lookin’ at Dallas and rightly so.  There are a lot of damn good bands here.  Hopefully they’ll be lookin’ at us soon but if not we’ll wait.  Honestly it’s one of the greatest cities in the world.  I love it here and this is where we’re gonna make music.  It’s a great scene and I just wished everyone felt the same way about it.

NB:  Instead of going around pissing and marking their territory? (laughing)

SH:  (laughing)

Q:  How do you feel AJOR has been accepted in the scene as a band and musicians?

NB:  We already talked about this a little bit before the interview.

SH:  To be honest with you and I’m being sincere people that have stood up for us and they’ve been nothing but great and we have a better time each time we play.  We love doing it; we love each other, and all the people that come to the shows.  You and your husband included you have been really good to us.  More people show up every time we play and that’s great.  It’s not nu-metalish, it’s not old metalish, it’s just heavy rockish.

NB:  With your own flavor.

SH:  We like what we like.  It’s what we know how to play and do and it’s what we’re gonna do.  We are not going to try and comp anyone’s groove.  We think what we have works.  We’ve been told by some very cool people in some very cool clubs ‘hey man, keep doing what you’re doing’.  I hope that somewhere someone will find us relevant and the ones that do we appreciate the shit out of them.

NB:  Well I have really enjoyed coming out and seeing you guys and hanging out with you.

Q:  I would like to ask you for those inquiring minds who want to know, are you single?

SH:  Yes.  I’m not married anymore.  There is a person in my life right now.  How long she intends to put up with me I don’t know.  But yes I’m single.

Q:  Here’s your chance to put to rest any negative comments or naysayers.  The floor is yours!

SH:  If anybody has any negative things to say keep saying it!  Because you know without the negatives you have no positives.  I’ll be the first one to say our music doesn’t appeal to a mass amount of people.  If you don’t like us that’s all right we’ll buy you a beer.  Maybe you will.  And if you don’t like us then don’t come and there’s a lot of other bands you can check out.  If you do like us man we’re your best friend.  It’s part of the game and part of the fun.  Honestly I’m really, really grateful to you and your husband and to everybody that has supported us and stood by us.

NB:  Just wanted to say ‘thanks’ Sean for doing this interview and much continued success with A Jury Of Robots.

SH:  I appreciate you taking the time and so do the guys.  Thank you!

KEEP ROCKIN'!

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