Dianna: So Jet Lag Gemini is definietly a interesting band name. Is there a story behind it?
Misha: After making a list of rediculous band names, we ended up with Jet Lag Gemini. Let's just say the other choices aren't worth mentioning.
Dianna: How has the whole Warped Tour experience been so far?
Misha: Amazing! We got to meet some of our favorite bands as well as all the friends we've made touring throughout our career. It's awesome to have everyone we know on the same tour. We also get to play to a huge crowd everyday and it doesn't get much better than that.
Dianna: So three out of four of you guys lived in different countries. How did your many cultural differences influence your sound?
Misha: We all grew up listening to a lot of classic rock. The Beatles, AC/DC, The Eagles - it's all pretty universal. Personally, I've had a lot of exposure to Russian and European music as well. It's a lot of crazy techno/pop music with vocal melodies you might not have heard here in the States, so that definitely made an impact.
Dianna: How did the band form in the first place?
Misha: We all met in Dan's basement with a common goal - World domination!
Dianna: The Album, Fire The Cannons, was originally supposed to be released in October. Why was there a delay?
Misha: Warner Brothers and Doghouse wanted to do a radio campaign for "Run This City", which was an unexpected surprise. We all agreed to push the album back to build up more anticipation. It worked! We're happy we did it.
Dianna: Which is your favorite release, Fire The Cannons or Business and why?
Misha: Definitely Fire The Cannons. Musically, it is so much better than the EP. It's our first real record and we've put everything we could into making it. We feel this record really defines our band and separates us from other releases in our genre. A lot of bands are doing the same boring thing, while our record offers a lot of fresh vocal melodies and guitar solos that you won't find elsewhere. It is also a lot stronger lyrically.
Dianna: What are some of your personal inspirations?
Misha: Everthing from the classic rock icons to classical composers to today's bands. We listen to as much music as we can fit onto our iPods.
Dianna: Metei and Vlad are brothers. Is there ever rivalry between the two of them?
Misha: They get along really well. When they fight, five minutes later it's like it never happened. It's alot easier to forgive and forget when it's between you and your sibling.
Dianna: What is the recording process like for Jet Lag Gemini?
Misha: We actually recorded our entire album ourselves before we went in to record with Jon Kaplan (Lola Ray, Starting Line, Good Charlotte). We wanted this record to be perfect so we pretty much removed ourselves from any sort of human contact to focus on writing it. We even demoed on tour in our van right before we met up with Jon. It definitely helped a lot to have everything completely on the table so we can make the best of our studio time and not have to go through trial and error for song parts.
Dianna: Do you guys still write even though your on tour, or do you just wait until the next time your in the studio?
Misha: Yeah, we all keep a list of ideas ready for when we start working on the next record. Vlad and I have pages of ideas we want to use on the next record. However, at the moment we mostly focus on improving our live set. That's what being in a rock is all about to us, so we want to make that the best experience for anyone that comes to see us play.
Dianna: A lot of fans want to know what equipment there favorite bands use, care to share?
Misha uses a Fender '72 Telecaster Deluxe Reissue and Fender Jaguar Special HH plugged into a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier Trem-O-Verb through a Mesa Cab.
Vlad uses a Gibson Les Paul Classic Goldtop 1960 Reissue and Gibson Les Paul Studio Mahogany plugged into a Marshall JCM 800 through a 1960a Cabinet.
Matt uses a Fender P Bass plugged into an Ampeg SVT 3 Pro through an Ampeg Cab.
Dan uses Dark Horse Percussion drums, DW hardware, and Zildjian cymbals.
Thanks!