411Mania Exclusive Interview: Marshall Dutton Of Faktion

Posted by Brandon Ratliff on 03.21.2006

Take It All Away, and read this interview with one of rock's hottest up and coming bands. Did that make sense?

So, I usually write long intros to my interviews, but hell, if you read this you'll probably end up reading the accompanying review, so I won't bother. Let's just get right to it shall we? This is my interview with Marshall Dutton, lead guitarist of Faktion.

Brandon Ratliff: Introduce yourself if you would.

Marshall Dutton: I'm Marshall from Faktion.

BR: And what do you do in Faktion?

MD: I'm the guitar player.

BR: Really. Okay, Roadrunner Records; how'd you get to being in their fine company?

MD: Well, when we first started out, we were good friends with this band Submersed, I'm sure you're familiar with them. We ended up on the same management as them which is MSK. And it's kind of a funny story, our manager Jim, who owns MSK, got us a showcase in New York. So we drove all the way up there (Editor's note: Keep in mind they lived in Dallas, Texas), we played the showcase, and we sucked. So we kind went home with our fucking tail between our legs, and we blew it off. And then about four months later Ron Berman calls us Jim, our manager, and he's like "You know what? I got all these CDs on my desk, and I keep coming back to Faktion, and maybe I should give them another shot." So Jimmy talked him into coming down and seeing us in Dallas in front of our hometown crowd. He came down, the place was packed, we blew him away, and the rest was history. Like, "let's do this." Second chances happen I guess.

BR: How long you guys been together?

MD: Three and a half years.

BR: Any independant stuff?

MD: Yeah, like recordings? We have that eight song deom we did with Brett Hesla (Dark New Day) and Justin Thomas, which is what everyone knows us by, and before that we had four songs we had done. When we originally had started out we were just a four piece and I was the vocalist, and we did some...we had like four songs that were really of subpar quality, you know? It wasn't anything unique.

BR: I noticed the new version of Take It All Away was different from the old version. Was that something you guys did or was that Roadrunner's doing?

MD: Roadrunner really didn't have anything to do with the direction the music went in. They just put us in the studio and we sat around and, we've grown since the first time we recorded Take It All Away. If you get a chance to record a song for the second time, we just make little changes that we wish we had done the first time.

BR: I know all too well...

MD: Yeah. So you play?

BR: Oh yeah, yeah.

MD: You guys (referring to my roommate who is sitting there softly strumming an acoustic guitar) in a band together?

BR: Yeah, we'll sit there, like we'll write something and you know, I'll have the guitar part or whatever, and I'll sit there like "well, what if we try this?" and then you know, by the time we're done, it's a completely fucking different song.

MD: Yeah yeah, that's exactly what happens. That's what happens in the studio too. Just hanging out in the studio, you get the opportunity to hear what you're actually playing you know? And sometimes you come to find out what you thought it sounded like isn't what it sounded like and you make changes appropriately to make it sound like what you wanted.

BR: So...musical influences?

MD: That's a tough question. Influences are really what you've listened to for the past, well, your entire life. They kind of change, like I divide my influences up like guitar for example, I'm really into (unintelligeble). AC/DC was really my first influence, that's what really made me want to play guitar. I saw Angus Young play the first time when I was in eighth grade, and I was like "I want to be like that guy." Then I got into like Guns N' Roses and that kind of stuff. But vocally and lyrically, some of my best influences are like, Third Eye Blind, I love Third Eye Blind. It's a lyrical influence, great lyrics, great melody. It's really all across the board. I listen to pop, I listen to rap, I listen to country, it depends on the year you know?

BR: Yeah. So, Roadrunner recently, as I'm sure you've seen in some way or another, have been kind of signing more hard rock bands as opposed to metal. Why do you think that is?

MD: Umm, you know. Roadrunner is a label that really loves metal, you know they support the metal scene, which is great. Metal's not something that finds its way to radio very easily. I think they've always had their money earners like Nickelback, you know the radio bands, which supports the rest of the label, which is great fucking music that people otherwise wouldn't hear. Nickelback's had a long run, and I think they're just looking for another band to take the forefront of the label as far as like, money goes. You know, the radio bands. There's a huge side of Roadrunner that's all about radio and catchy songs, something that the public...

BR: Like Theory Of A Deadman, Nickelback...

MD: Yeah, exactly. Ron Berman signed Theory Of A Deadman, Nickelback, Thornley, all great bands. And he signed some other bands that are up and coming that are going to be great.

BR: Well there's always the bands like Slipknot and Killswitch Engage, where to an extent they have kind of that crossover appeal. What about them that makes them, kind of more accessible to casual music fans?

MD: Killswitch Engage, well, a lot of the metal bands coming out, there's a lot of screaming in it, it still represents the heart of metal, but there's a lot of melody in there. You take Killswitch Engage for example. They're such a hardcore band, and their riffs are so catchy, but at the same time you have the lead vocalist who does so much melodic...he has a melodic presentation that's great for metal. I think that's where metal is going, it's kind of a combination of melody and riffs and hardcore screaming you know? That's the direction it's going.

BR: Obviously you guys have an album coming out March 21st, which side note, whether I get a free copy or not; most of my CDS are free, it's really cool. But anyways, either way I plan to get it myself. So is there anything about that you want to say for people to hear? I guess I should ask what's the overall tone of it?

MD: The record? It's up and down, it's everything we've experienced for the past three years of our lives I think. It came together...we didn't have to force anything. The band kind of fell together and the music came out from exeriences and whatnot, so there's high points and low points on the record. It's all melodic and it's all a story. I love it, and it's definitely the best thing I've ever done. I'm really proud of it, and I can't wait for it.

BR: A lot of music publications, websites and whatnot are calling you guys thge band to watch out for this year. How does that make you feel?

MD: It feels good you know? It's kind of surreal in a since. You never know how to take that right away when people really love you and there's tons of fans that are streaming your music. It feels good, I don't really know what to say about it. Last week we were in Lose Angeles shooting a video, and that's the first rock video I've ever shot, and that alone is just an crazy experience. It's a sign you're getting to another level, so you just keep going and keep making new fans.

BR: So were you ever looked at by any other labels or anything or was it like you said the thing with Roadrunner just kind of fell into place?

MD: It was pretty much Roadrunner all the way, I mean, I kind of feel like we were destined to fall into the staff. We worked with the right people, had the right people interested in what sound we were after, It worked out man, it's not like we really had to search far and wide or anything.

BR: Well you obviously know what you're doing live, so, do you think that's an important part of being a band that people forget about is like making their live show their own as opposed to just going up there, playing their shit and leaving?

MD: Yeah, I mean, you have to maintain a personal connection with your fans, and the more you play live the better you get at that. There's a lot of young, great bands with great songs, but it takes a while to get into the show and be able to make contact with the fans. You just constantly built on that, and it's the most important part really. I mean, people listen to your CD, but when they come out to see you live, they want to see a rock show so you have to entertain them. That's the most important part, that's the best part. It's great being in the studio and recording your songs, but the live show is the gold, it's what you want. It's the experience, in real time.

BR: How's life on the road treating you?

MD: Great so far, this is our first tour, and we're only two dates into it. So far it's fantastic. We've had like ten shows with the Hinder guys before so we're really comfortable with them, and the Revelation Theory guys just once or twice, so we're all good friends, and it's a work in progress. We're trying to make it better every night. It's cool though, it's an experience that you can't get being at home playing in a band. Being on the road being in a different town every night is something that you can't really explain to anybody until you experience it for yourself. It's really cool, it's the best part of this whole thing, I love it.

BR: Well I'm sure you'll get sick of it at some point.

MD: I don't know man, I'm not, at least at this point. I know being on the road for a while you'll need a break.

BR: Well I imagine it beats a 9-5 job.

MD: It kind of is like a job. You go to sleep on the bus and you wake up every day in a different town and you go set up your stage and soundcheck, and it's like a job you know, a lot of times along the way you'll have conference meetings and stuff with labels and you'll do acoustic performances for radio, but it's really cool because you get to do it with your best friends and you're really comfortable with them. It's all about the music.

BR: If only all musicians felt that way...

MD: When you're first getting into into the rock scene and playing in a band and tourring the band live, you have all these ideas about it, I think ultimately you end up in the mindset that "this is just a job I love to do."

BR: Anything you'd like to say?

MD: Like what?

BR: *laughs* I have no idea.

MD: Not really man. Just this is a great time.

BR: Okay, any last words then, which is basically the same thing that I just asked? *whispering* Buy our record when it comes out!

MD: *laughs* The record comes out March 21st, it's going to be badass, everyone go pick it up, check it out. I'm really impressed with the record, I love it, I love the way it turned out. It's going to be great. Come out and see us too. We're all about the fans and meeting everybody we can.

BR: Well, I guess that's it.

MD: Yeah. Thanks man.

I feel it worth noting that while transcribing this interview, the batteries on my recording were basically crapping out, so anytime I'd try to rewind it it'd sound like a wounded mule trying to climb a hill. What an image. Well, that's all, and if you haven't already, make sure to check out the review to go with this. Thanks for reading, and as always, this is your host and (not so) wonderful music editor Brandon Ratliff, signing off.