Moffatts chat

AllPop readers got a chance to chat with Clint, Scott, Dave and Bob on Wednesday, March 15. You can read a full transcript of the chat right here!

The Moffatts Moderator: We're going to have Dave on first.

Soni: Hey Guys! Did u have fun at the Junos?

The Moffatts Dave: Yeah, I had a great time, we all did. The experience was very cool. We hadn't hosted a TV show or anything of that sort. It was very interesting to see all the fans and all the entertainers accepting awards. Some times we had to change really fast, in three minutes.

Charie: Since most of your fans think you are perfect in every way (looks,voice, etc.), is there anything you guys don't like about yourselves, such as habits, anything?

The Moffatts Dave: The bad habits, I used to crack my knuckles but I don't any more. I'm trying to stop biting my nails, too. Other than that, I'm happy with myself. I'll take it the way I am.

Mo' Fats: Hello Guys, Love your music! I was wondering... if you guys didn't go into music, what would each of you want to do?

The Moffatts Dave: It's hard to imagine. We all played hockey when we were younger. I'd probably be an artist.That's probably it, I'd be a painter because My grandfather is also a painter, so he'd teach me. Every time we go to our grandparents house, I try to do some painting.

chrissy and jessi: hey guys, are times getting a little stressful now that Hanson is back in the picture?

The Moffatts Dave: No, there's no competition. We think it's great they're coming out with new stuff. I've heard the single, it's great. The more teenage fans there are the better it is.

Susan: How do you feel about being celebrities at such a young age? Do you guys worry about school, education, and life after this is over?

The Moffatts Dave: As of this point, I'm not worrying about anything. What we're doing now is great, and I could do this the rest of my life. It's so enjoyable. We don't consider ourselves to be celebrities. We're entertainers and we do our best to try to entertain people all over the world.

Clintssatansista UK: I have a question...Why Don't you come back to the UK more often? we love you over here!!!!! Well I love you and so do all my friends!!!!

The Moffatts Dave: Well, we have been, we're going to be recording soon and we've written some songs. When the new album comes out, we'll be in the UK to promote it. We don't have a time to specifically go there, but we're hoping the album will come out some time in the summer, so probably in the fall.

Shawna Marie Masters: What advice would you give young people who want to start a music career of their own?

The Moffatts Dave: I would think that they would have to work really hard at it, and if they did want to sing forever, they wouldn't just go through a little phase and be into something else. You have to be into business and try hard to get your name out into the public. And just because someone says, we don't think you're good, don't think about the criticism, and believe that you can do it.

soph: hey guys! i have noticed your music is getting more rock in concert is your new album gonna be like that?

The Moffatts Dave: It is, actually. We can't really say what kind of music, it's gonna be Moffatts music. Not pop or rock, it going to be our music and we do it for us and our fans. You never know till you get into the studio. We';re trying to get a Moffatts sound that'll be on all the albums. WE want a sound that's identifiable, something that you can tell it's The Moffatts.

Lucy[Wales, UK]: When can the fans [world-wide esp the UK!!] expect to see Chapter 2 in the music stores ?

The Moffatts Dave: Probably late summer, going into the fall. Somewhere in between there.

Ica: What do you guys absolutely miss the most about being away from home most of the time?

The Moffatts Dave: When we go oversees, we're not able to take our dog over there because of quarantine. We're not able to see our dogs, so it'd be hard for us not to see them.

Lauren: I noticed that in the song "OVER THE RAINBOW" there was a real Nirvana, grunge type feeling...has Kurt Cobain been a major influence on your style of music and your lyrics? Did his death effect you more as fans or as musicians?

The Moffatts Dave: We wern't into Nirvana when Kurt Cobain died. After they won Grammys, we heard about them.

Meg: My question is if you had been stranded on an island for a long period of time and you had to choose one person to live with you for that time, who would you pick?

The Moffatts Dave: I couldn't really answer that question because there are so many people who have been so supportive. I mean family members, of course, you can't take just one.

Ashley: Will your next single be off your soon-to-be released album or will it be off of Chapter 1 and what is it?

The Moffatts Dave; Actually, there isn't going to be another single off Chapter 1. In Canada, we've released six singles, and we thought that'd be enough.

The Moffatts Moderator: We have Bob online now.

Amelia: Hey guys! Mine name is Amelia, I'm 17 years old from Ontario, Canada. My question for the Moffatts is; Do you think fans expect too much from you when they meet you in person? Thanks a million,

The Moffatts Bob: Not really. I think when fans meet us, it's definitely one of the most exciting parts of being a fan for them. They spend all this money to see you in concert and some times are way in the back. When they get chance to meet you, sometimes it's overwhelming. It's difficult to get all we can to the fans, but we try to do as much as we can. We definitely try to take as much time out of our lives as we can.

anonymous: Hey! Just wondering if you wrote Just Another Phase from personal experience. And if you would be releasing it anytime soon.

The Moffatts Bob: No, some songs are from personal experience and some just from good ideas. That one was written from that sort of thing.

Rory: Any fans do anything really crazy that you've seen lately?

The Moffatts Bob: Our fans are very respectful. There's been situations where, in Spain, one time, there was a fan that walked into our room when we were getting ready to go to bed, and that was crazy. And our fans in the audience get pretty crazy, but they're respectful.

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The Moffatts Bob: We're hoping after the new record, we're going to be going to Asia and Europe, then coming back to Canada to do a full length tour. We're going to take some time to record, that's our big thing now. As long as it takes to make a great record, but probably three or four months to do everything.

Ica: Were you guys nervous at all when you guys were on stage ACTUALLY hosting the Junos, esp. you were only there last year?! :)

The Moffatts Bob: I think we were nervous for the opening scene. And because the crowd was at their peak, just that whole reaction from the audience was pretty intense. But as soon as we saw the audience and got used to it, we were just fine. The stage is our second home.

Zdy & Che: Bob: We love your hair! Where did you get the idea from?

The Moffatts Bob: The idea just came, basically I wanted to go shorter, and she cut it at least seven or eight inches off, from there I said, I like the length now, maybe we can add some colour to it. I think it was gonna be purple or red. Then we decided it wouldn't;t be a first good move, so we decided to put some blond streaks and I came up with the twiny thing in the middle.

Zando: How do you guys deal with pressure?

The Moffatts Bob: The most important thing is to relax. As far as the Junos went, reason we were more relaxed is because we didn't over rehearse everything. When you do that, you think about it too hard, that's when you make mistakes.

Geddy: Hey guys! What's your favourite Canadian artist?

The Moffatts Bob: Bryan Adams,. We've been fans for as long as I can remember. We grew up listening to thing, and we still love his records. He's making some good pop music.

Sarit: now that you are so busy with your band, and so popular, how do you keep up with school? and is it like private school? :)

The Moffatts Bob: We actually home school. Before we jumped on the phone I was actually doing homework. We do it on planes, fans have seen us walking around with big books in our hands. It's like regular school except your classroom is in planes and hotels. After you're done, you send your homework to Victoria, B.C., to be graded.

Kelly Brampton, Ontario Canada: Describe the girl you'd most likely go out with

The Moffatts Bob: Hard for me to make that decision. I think you make up your mind after you've met somebody and you have a good relationship. It's the same process we're trying to make with the producers we use. If there's not a bonding relationship and trust before you start working, there's no point in going ahead . For me it's all about trust and confidence. Those are the biggest points for me.

Chariza: I love you bob. Will you be singing more on the next cd (as a lead that is)?

The Moffatts Bob: Yeah, this next CD, the very first CD was more of an identifiable CD, to get the Moffatts across. This record will really show what the Moffatts sound is all about. This record, because people are aware of the name, we can elaborate and grow and go to the left a little bit with this record. and that will allow us to show that all four Moffatts can sing. On our last record, all four did sing, the majority of leads sung by Scott and Dave. On this one, we'll all be singing harmony parts, so we'll definitely open up on the next record. The difficulty for me to sing live is I play the drums, the drum is bleeding through my mic so loud, and it's hard to control in a big building.

Kara: what would you say was your most memorable concert ?? Thanks alot ! Kara ~xxx~

The Moffatts Bob: I think the Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto is a definite one. Number 1, because it's in Canada, our home country, and the size of the audience and the whole vibe was awesome. And everybody from the States came down to see us. The excitement of the audience feeds to us, the energy. They've been concerts in Portugal, Spain, Germany that really stand out, but coming back to Canada is always a pleasure for us.

Bright-Eyes: Why did you re-release Chapter One in the U.S. with new songs on it? As a Canadian fan that meant I had to buy two albums. Don't you think that was kinda disrespectful to your fans back home where you got your start?

The Moffatts Bob: Chapter 1, the original, was released in Germany first, then all through Europe and Asia, then to Canada, then the States came to the picture at a later date. At that time, we met our A&^R guy in America who had a great relationship with Glen Ballard and asked if we'd be interested in working with him. So we laid down four new tracks, and if we didn't put them out now, we'd been wasting them. And because U.S. fans will get it, we'll release them all around the world at the same time.

~'~ CaNdY GuRL ~'~: what accomplishment are you guys most satisfied with or proud of?

The Moffatts Bob: I think the Junos was a huge accomplishment because there have been a lot of rewards for making music, but hosting and talking, it was a total different ballgame for us, and once we realised how ell it had gone, i think that was a big accomplishment for us.

The Moffatts Moderator: We now have Scott online.

Morgan and Kristina: If you could go back in time to ONE era would you to the 50's, the 60's, the 70's or the 80's ...and why?

The Moffatts Scott: I'd go to the 60s because that was a great time for music. The Doors were just coming out, the Beatles, Stones, Balck Sabbath> AAnd I would've liked to have been there to see it happen.

smallred: I remember reading somewhere that each of the guys takes care of one aspect of their business. In terms of advertising and promotion, is there anything interesting coming up? I'd love to see the guys in ads for Roots!

The Moffatts Scott: Roots has not been talked about, but we're really trying to focus on our musical side. The last thing we're worried about is doing modelling for clothing companies. It's a different aspect of the business and it's cool -- you get lots of free clothes -- but no discussions about that yet.

OhioLuvsTheMoffs: I have been a fan since 1995 and I was wondering what you think about the fans you've had since then, the ones that have stuck by your side through everything!

The Moffatts Scott: The fans that have stuck with us since the country days, it's incredible they've been so supportive, and to grow with us, it's difficult to evolve along with the band musically, so for us to still have fans since then, I think it's a great thing. We owe a lot to them, because they really kept us going and make us want to continue making new music.

Eric, Ct: What is your ritual(if any) before you go out on stage, i.e., do guys pray or anything?

The Moffatts Scott: We don't pray. We don't really have a ritual. We just talk to each other, it's a matter of relaxing before you go onstage, so we just mellow out then bang, you walk onstage and there's that energy rush. So we just talk about the show and talk about life.

Moffats lover: Hey guys! Is there anything you can't do now that you could have done when you were not famous? By the way, I love you !

The Moffatts Scott: There's not really. We can anything we want, just because we're famous doesn't mean we can't do something. We can do anything that any other teenager does, but we choose not to, because we know what's right and wrong, and we know what's best for the band.

Lisa M.(Mississauga, Canada): Do you guys fight a lot? If so, what about? Does it get frustrated spending so much time with them(be honest!)

The Moffatts Scott: It does get really intense on the road, but we try and separate our personal and professional lives. If you're in each others face for 24 hours a day, you're bound to have fights, and all the brotherly stuff is bound to happen. We;'re not any different from any other teen out there. We're very much the same, and if anyone out there has brothers and sisters they know what it's like to be in each other's face and argue and fight. The main important thing is to get over it and move on. You can't just hold grudges.

CJ: Do you guys have girlfriends?

The Moffatts Scott: We don't have girlfriends, but I've had a few girlfriends when I was travelling and it hasn't worked out. I really think it's possible to have a long-distance relationship but it takes a lot of effort and hard work, and being a teenager I'm not up for that.

Leanne: What is the funniest thing to happen at a concert?

The Moffatts Scott: We were g a show in Germany, last show of the tour, and we were closing the show, it had been really exciting and very high strung show for us, and at very end, all the crew guys and etches had set up different stuff for ending of tour. Lighting guy, I was on stage playing the last song, and I was soaked, I used to take off my shirt and I was so exhausted and at the very end tons of confetti was flying everywhere, and I was like falling all over the stage. When we walk on stage, we really can't do anything wrong. If we mess up, nobody really notices because it's just a par t of the show.

Steph: Would any of you ever consider going solo?

The Moffatts Scott: No, I've not thought about that. Whether we do different projects like movies or producing , I don't think I would ever go solo. The things I'm good at in this band is made more obvious by what my brothers are good at. If I were to go solo I probably wouldn't be that successful.

Shawna Marie Masters: I was just wondering do you guys still enjoy country music or have your attitudes about that type of style completely changed?

The Moffatts Scott: Country music, we look at it as our roots, so I don't think we'd ever knock it or look at it negatively. Still we listen to some country music. I listen to older stuff like Johnny Cash. I'm not a big fan of a lot of the new stuff, it's not very country, it's really pop. I like to listen a bit of the older stuff but I don't think i would ever put down Country music, because it's our roots.

Annie: Where's your favourite place to visit while travelling?

The Moffatts Scott: My favourite place while travelling, I spent a week in Paris, the next time we go to Europe, I'll make the opportunity to have some time off there. I really like the whole atmosphere in Paris and France in general. It's really laid back and very cool, and I like it a lot.

Steph: Have you considered learning any other instruments?

The Moffatts Scott: I learned a bit of violin, and I know the chords on bass but I'm not a player, and I know how to play a drum beat but I'm not in time. I can play relatively all instruments, but not really well. I might want to try to learn piano, but I really don't see myself any time soon. Right now I'm trying to expand my guitar playing and be more of a creative player and different from everybody else, so that's what I'm focusing g on.

The Moffatts Moderator: We now have Clint online.

Muff Olivieri: If you could record a song with any artist or group, who would it be, and why?

The Moffatts Clint: For me it would be Bryan Adams and hopefully it'll happen. We were just talking with Bruce Allen the other day. Previous to that we wanted to do something with him. Hopefully we'll be able to do something with him in the future.

KatesyUK: I recently set the fire alarm of at school, accidentally of course!, and yet haven't got caught! What's the naughtiest thing you ever did and not got into trouble for? (dont worry, we wont tell anyone)

The Moffatts Clint: For all of us, it's difficult not to get into trouble because we're always in the public eye so we can't get away with anything. We tend to try to think before we do things, but the simplest things you think you'll never get caught for, you do. WE get in trouble just because we're normal people, we're teenagers, we're exploring, we're like Curious George.

sum1: How do you guys manage to stay grounded (level-headed) and so down-to-earth, and pretty much be normal teens?

The Moffatts Clint: We have our parents around to do that, the whole team we've been very fortunate to build around us, are all incredible at what they do, and they're all very grounded. In entertainment business, that's hard to find. We try to find people who aren't full of themselves, and that really helps us out. They come straight to us and are very straightforward. We make a point of never taking our fans for granted. We're very serious about our fans.

Annay: Happy (late) Birthday!! What did you guys do for your birthday?

The Moffatts Clint: We were in Banff, in the mountains. We have a great friend who always visits us in Calgary, and he has a place in Banff. He's a manager of a ski lodge. So we went there and had dinner. Then back to Calgary and went shopping. I got a pair of golf clubs. Apparently and hour and a half away, you go into this whole new world and there's a golf course there, and its' 10 degrees warmer.

Rory: Clint what made you decide to grow a goatee?

The Moffatts Clint: I was just , the whole image maturing thing. The music was maturing, the band was maturing, and i think we wanted to make a statement, because we haven't been in the public eye for awhile. So when came back at the Junos, we wanted to make a statement. I was proud of if and wanted to show everybody.

Morgan Y. : would you ever consider playing in any of Calgary's schools?

The Moffatts Clint: We do school tours, we started off doing school tours in UK and US, to get the name out. It's very rare that we do school shows at this stage of our career, but some times it's quite cool. We went to NY one time and did a concert at a school, for a new TV show for Disney. I can't really predict, it could very well happen.

cici: Are you working with Glen Ballard again on the new album and will your sound have more of a rock rather than pop edge?

The Moffatts Clint: We worked with Glen on the last record and are in discussion again. We'd love to work with him again, he's a great creative guy. But there are other people we're talking with. Another person we'd like to work with, we just met, is Dave Grohl. He's cool, really funny. It's definitely gonna be more of a rock sound. When we did Chapter 1, it was an album we did for the producers and record company and the fans liked it, but I think the new one, we're not making it for anybody except ourselves and our fans. It's just gonna be something we're gonna be proud of, and we'll just our thing and hopefully it'll come out cool.

Ben: Did you guys talk to Dave Grohl during the Junos? If so, about what? And would you ever host something as big as the Junos again?

The Moffatts Clint: We've been able to meet a lot of our huge influences. Scott's first influence was Garth Brooks and we got to meet him. I was able to meet Bryan Adams, but Bob had never met Dave Grohl, which was his huge inspiration. We ran into him at an after party, we took a couple of photos, we'd love to do something with you, maybe work together, and his manager is going to talk to our manager, so hopefully it'll work out. It was a brief discussion, but it was cool just to meet up with him.

Jen: what's your fave moffatt song and many happy returns (even though its like a week ago!!!!)

The Moffatts Clint: I like every single song we write. We never put anything we don't like on the record, but my favourite is a tie between "Written All Over My Heart" and a new one "Anti-Freeze And Airplanes", which we just finished writing. It's a message, I don't want to give it away, it's a double meaning song, and it's very deep, a very cool song.

The Moffatts Moderator: That's it, folks. Thank you very much for participating, and we're sorry if we didn't get to your question. We'll post a full transcript of the chat in about an hour.