Headed in a New Direxion
Issue 2, Summer/Fall 2003
This was definitely one of the funniest interviews I've ever done. The guys of New Direxion are great, both on and off stage.
S&S: Let's start with a breakdown. How did you all meet and how long have you been together?
Taylor: We met at Howell High School [at the] lunch cafeteria table. Me and Jesse Manna, the drummer of New Direxion, were discussing the fine film of "Dead Man On Campus". I found out that he played drums [and] I was into the music scene a little bit myself. We hooked up, we did a little practicing, and we got together. We went through some line-up changes, but that's basically the conundrum. They were together for four years before I joined the band. That's basically how the new New Direxion was formed.
Jesse: We found Mike through a web page, skanjska (now njmusicsource). If you need a band member, go to that website. Me and Sean have been in bands on and off since '96.
S&S: You recently cut horns from the band. How would you describe your new sound, without saying hornless?
Taylor: How about less horny?
Sean: I would say that we were a mixture of jolty pop rock, hard with an edge, [and] stirred, not shaken, with an olive.
Taylor: Aggressive, evil pop-punk is how I would describe it.
Sean: Sort of like circus music, without the circus.
S&S: What is your favorite venue to play at?
Taylor: I would say Birch Hill, definitely.
Sean: Birch Hill.
Taylor: No matter what band is playing, kids always show up at Birch Hill, because it's in the middle of New Jersey. So, north kids, south kids, everyone will come to see bands. It's got a really cool stage and really cool people work here.
Sean: It sounds the best.
Jesse: It's sad that it's closing, because we played one of our first shows here and we've headlined here a few times. Each cd release has been here, so it's basically like our home. When we think of a place where we want to play, it's Birch Hill.
S&S: Have you ever had any crazy show experiences?
Sean: January 26, two years ago, we played the Brick VFW, when they still did shows. Someone accidentally ripped down a chandelier, and we had to pay for it. What happened was everybody chipped in, just change and shit, and we got well over the amount that we needed to get.
Jesse: I'll tell you what mine was: Portugal Day. (laughter)
S&S: Who's Portugese?
All: None of us. Nobody.
Taylor: That's why it was cool.
Mike: It was filled with a whole bunch of people who didn't speak English [and were] drunk.
Sean: There was a bum under our stage.
Taylor: He pissed his pants and fell asleep. It was pretty intense. That was an experience.
S&S: Alright. Now this one's for the ladies: Who's single?
Taylor: Mike Corvasce is single. J-Man is single.
Jesse: My little brother plays bass, Vinny Manna.
Taylor: He's a player. He's got some ladies, but he's not involved.
Mike: Jesse is very single. It looks like me and Jesse are the only ones.
Taylor: Me and Sean are happily married.
Sean: Not so much married, but we're happy.
Mike: They're happily married to each other.
Sean: Indeed we are.
S&S: Describe each band member in 3 words.
Taylor: I'll start off clockwise. Mike Corvasce: Shoeless, carefree, alone. Sean: Diabetic, fun-lovin', and gassy. J-Pop, also known as Jesse "The Stallion" Manna: Headstrong, soulmate, tango. Vin: Marijuana, Everquest, deep.
Mike: Sean: Sweaty, Irish, diamonds. Jesse: Sigur Ros, gravel, and streetlight. Taylor: Green beans, golf balls, and trunk. Vinny: Sleepy, pimpin', and bass.
Sean: Jesse: Big, aggressive, and hairy. Taylor: Cigarettes, fumanchu, and Quiksilver. Mike: Hairier, blushy, and prompt. Vinny: Mellow, computer, sarcasm.
Jesse: Taylor: Funky, fresh, hip. Mike: Young, hairy, vulnerable. Sean: Straight edge, cooking, and Saturn. Vinny: Temper, Everquest, and clever.
Taylor: And this is Vinny's. The rest of the band: Awesome, awesome, awesome!
S&S: Are you working on a new cd? Leak the title, number one.
Taylor: The title of the album is not yet determined.
S&S: That's a good title. You should seriously call it that.
Taylor: That is a good title. We have three songs we recorded for a demo for this upcoming cd, just to see how they came out. [They are called] "The Only Vaccine", "Autograph", and "Shoreline". "Shoreline" can be found on the New Direxion website. We're really happy with the new songs. We wrote about 20-25 new songs, and we're trying to weed through and pick out which ones [we like the most]. We're gonna probably have a 12 song cd coming out hopefully in the early fall, fingers crossed. Hopefully, it's gonna be really good. We're really proud of the new stuff, we really like it, and we had to kind of make up for the horns being gone with other guitars and stuff like that. So, hopefully, it will be as strong as our other cd that we also enjoyed.
S&S: If you could be any article of clothing, what would you be?
Sean: Jockstrap, [because I] love to get sweaty and smelly. It would be white, but it would have yellow stains.
Taylor: I would say a hat. I like to be high up. I like to be high, up way above everyone, looking down on the crowd.
Jesse: I would be a cooking apron. I like food and I would be around food all the time.
Mike: I want to be a belt.
Taylor: Because you like to hold things up.
Sean: Can I change mine really quick? Minus the jockstrap, enter leotard. I think that speaks for itself.
S&S: How old were you when you first looked at or watched porn?
Sean: 7 years old.
Taylor: Sixth grade. It was a video called "Pornocopia", and that was my first porn I ever watched.
Mike: 6 years old. I found it in my dad's closet. Actually, we were having a Christmas party and I got really angry at someone, and I went in my dad's bathroom. I just got so bored, so I started looking through his stuff and I found a magazine. I looked at it. That's my story.
Jesse: I was about 8. My father's a biker, so there was always biker magazines [around the house], which constitutes soft porn, because it's all booby and ass. So, they were always around the house.
S&S: Favorite fast food?
All: Taco Bell.
S&S: Lions, tigers, or bears?
Taylor: Oh my.
Sean: Tigers.
Taylor: Tigers
Jesse: Bears.
Mike: Bears.
S&S: Footloose or Flashdance?
Sean: Footloose.
Jesse: Footloose. Kevin Bacon and Chris Penn cannot beat it with a stick.
Taylor: I'm going to say Flashdance. (does dance)
Sean: I have a side note about Chris Penn. A lot of people say that I resemble a young Chris Penn.
Mike: Footloose.