The Host features former members of Levelnine and Dropshadow. 
What lead to the demise of those two bands?

TIM:  As far as Dropshadow goes, it was your typical tug-o-war of musical direction; a lack of live shows counter-balanced by too much time spent writing new material and changing our music style. I think our fans felt that we changed too quickly and too often. We were also very young when Dropshadow was formed, I just don't think it was ever meant to last. We grew out of it.

CHRIS:  I think in our case it was just a lack of interest from our guitarist.  We had just written some amazing new material and we were ready to jump in a big way, and he just wasn't ready for that.  So we went our separate ways. 

How do you feel The Host differs from your past projects?

TIM:  I think it's more mature, a thousand times more accessible, and at times it's even enjoyable to listen to.

CHRIS:  For me personally, I'm no longer using my effects processors on stage.  I had a lot of fun with them, but I think in retrospect, I was sort of disconnecting myself from the crowd.  Plus I would always get these disgusted looks from the soundmen at our gigs.  I'm much more comfortable without them and I feel like you can hear more of the tone in my voice because of it.  Without sounding like Levelnine or Drop Shadow, the music is still very much us.  It all came together really nicely.  There's a bit less noise and more of a straight forward Rock vibe.  We're all really having a great time with it right now.

STEPHEN:  I’m really getting into technique and rhythm.  I’ve backed away from drowning out my bass tones with mass amounts of effects.

MARC:  The drums are a little more laid back than with Levelnine, and I’ve pieced my kit down a bit as well.

Please explain a little about the songwriting process in The Host.

CHRIS:  We have some different approaches, but we've had decent success with recording improv sessions and open jams and going back and trying to recreate some of the magic moments.  And sometimes it doesn't work at all, but it always leads somewhere.  We might end up 3 miles from where we started, but we're usually happily surprised with the outcome.

TIM: We each write 100% of the songs. I know what you’re thinking, "That is 400%" and that's a lot!  It's an extremely symbiotic creative process.  Very rarely one of us will actually present a clear planned-out idea to the group and we'll work to execute it.

You're about to release you're debut, a 5 song EP titled "Receive". 
Why the decision to release an EP instead of a full length?

MARC:  It’s a little more cost effective for us right now, and two EPs mean twice the promotional opportunity.

CHRIS:  Originally, we wanted just a three song demo to get out to fans and radio stations and it just made sense that if we were going to go that far with it, why not do 5 songs and release it as an EP?  Then we came up with a nice concept for two EPs that sort of go together and we ended up with "Receive" and "Transmit".  And part of the decision was working with Chris Schmidt.  As Levelnine, we had some harsh learning experiences in different studios, and we really wanted to be sure that we were comfortable working with Chris, and that he was going to give us what we wanted before we jumped in hip deep with a full length album.

How was it working with Chris?

CHRIS:  Working with Chris was a great experience.  He's just the nicest guy and he brings a positive attitude that is very helpful in the studio.  There was no stress at all.  There was never, "hurry up and let's go".  It was all very laid back and comfortable.  Plus, he really got the music, which made things that much easier.

TIM:  Chris is the man.  I think he can actually perceive frequencies up to 44 kHz. That might be more than a dog can hear. All you have to do is listen to any album that he has recorded to recognize his talent. Check out CD's from the Terrors, Langus, Black Tractor.

It's been a few years since you've been out there playing.
Do you think the local scene is any different now than it was in the Levelnine days?

CHRIS:  To be honest, I don't know that we've had enough exposure to the scene yet to make that call.  But from the outset, it seems a little different.  There are still a lot of metal bands and punk bands and you have a handful of bands that are pushing boundaries and trying to do something completely different.  The scene used to be pretty segregated, which I think made it more difficult for it to grow.  Now things seem to be moving in a more positive direction.  I’m seeing a lot of people trying to organize big shows with a variety of bands.  The Adjust Your Eyes show we’re doing at the Southgate House on October 13^th is a great example of that.  Over 20 bands, an art showcase and live glass blowing.  It’s a great opportunity to check out a large variety of bands.

STEPHEN:  It’s a melting pot.

TIM:  It’s a tuna melt.

MARC:  It’s a hot ham and cheese.

Who are some of your current favorite local Cincinnati bands?

CHRIS:  We're huge fans of Banderas.  They're just amazing to watch on stage.  Never a dull moment.  We just saw The Turnbull AC's at MPMF, and they were really great.  Noctaluca, Another Tragedy.  The Terrors and Medic, who are no longer together, but these are bands that are doing their own thing and really excelling at it.  I think that commands a lot of respect.

STEPHEN:  I just caught Noctaluca over the weekend and was completely blown away.

MARC:  Portrait of a Dream is a great local band, and I miss Saving Ray.

For a regional rock band touring through the Midwest, what would you say is "the" place to play in Cincinnati?

TIM:  Probably Steve's Mom's house.

CHRIS:  Yeah, outside of Steve’s Mom’s… I’m not sure, but I really liked the redesign at The Mad Frog.

STEPHEN:  The Poison Room. Great venue, tons of parking and easy access to the interstate.  Oh wait… I didn’t lose any rock points by saying good parking did I?

If you could get your band out on tour with any national act who would it be?

TIM:  Mars Volta, Muse, John Cougar Mellencamp, A Perfect Circle.

CHRIS:  Peter Gabriel, QOTSA, and anything Ken Andrews or Jonah Matranga are working on.

STEPHEN: Dredg, Deftones, Death Cab.

MARC: Autolux, The Melvins, The Exit.

Very often, bands reach a certain level of local success but aren't able to make it to the next level. What mistakes do you think bands most commonly make?

TIM:  Lack of touring, lack of shameless self-promotion, lack of networking. They think they've got it in the bag, but they don't. A homeless guy told me "Son, sometimes you think you got it in the bag, but you don't." That has always stuck with me. But I think he was talking about a sandwich.

CHRIS:  Great question.  If we make it to the next level, I'll let you know!  No, I really have no idea.  I'll always site ego as a major downfall, but I guess it comes down to having your own style, which in most cases, comes with time and being persistent.  You know… I've been with Marc and Steve for over 10 years, and we're very familiar and confident with each other musically.  The bands have to do their part with writing and promoting and getting out press kits, but beyond that it seems like such a crapshoot.  It's all about enjoying what you're doing.  I always look forward to writing new music with these guys because they never let me down.  They continue to blow me away and challenge me and that's what makes it fun for me.  It's honest and it's cool and hopefully that translates to the listener.

STEPHEN: You gotta hit the ground running and never stop.

What goals do you guys have for the near future?

CHRIS:  We're excited to play some great shows and get some new music written in between.  But we're planning to start recording the next EP, "Transmit", after the New Year, and then hopefully tour around next summer with both EP's available.

Any last words for your fans?

TIM:  Anyone who stuck it out waiting for new material from the members of Levelnine or Dropshadow, you can come out of your room now. It's safe to re-enter the world, there is hope. I know it's probably been tough for you and the world may have seemed bleak. We understand the hurt and the struggle that you've gone through for the last however long. We appreciate you waiting in solitude and shunning the world while we sorted our lives out. We appreciate the determination it must have taken to never listen to any other bands or to shower. We knew we could count on you!

CHRIS:  Yes.  THANK YOU!  Especially to everyone who made it out to Mad Frog for our first show.  Initially we wanted to just do something low key, but it ended up being a great show and on a Wednesday night, no less.  So a big thank you to everyone who came out.  It really meant a lot to us.  And THANK YOU to everyone who stuck with us.  We took a long break, and there was interest and enthusiasm the entire time.  People we hadn't seen in years were finding out that we were working on new material and contacting us and it was really inspiring and really kept us going.  It's important to us that our fans understand how much we appreciate them, and know that it's from the heart.