Noize Pollution: Let's go back and talk about the release of your first record "Healing." It came out and I was a huge fan and saw you guys live several times. But in this industry, things don't come as easy as many think. Can you walk us through the events that led to pulling you guys off your current tour and having your guitar player leave to join Goldfinger?
Peter Navarrete: When we were on the road, the tours that we were on were not very big or very well promoted. A bunch of little things happened that kind of quelled the crowd you know what I mean? To get them into the door. There was a mixture of a lot of things that was happening with the album. I think we had poor management and then radio wasn't all up on the single, but I think this had to do with a lot of weird things that were going on. They expected the record and single to do well on it's own and then people would start working on it. That really wasn't a smart move or the thing to do.

It was right at that point, Brian, our guitarist at the time decided to let us know that Goldfinger had made an offer to go fill in for them for about 30 days. Well that was kind of weird because we had to get to work on a new record and 30 days was just to long to be gone. We told him that we didn't think it was a good idea and he had already told them that he would do it. So that was kind of the beginning of the end for Brian. So we gave it a little bit of a chance but never heard from him again. Until we got an email and resigned.

NP: Did you guys keep in touch?
Peter: No, we didn't keep in touch until about a year later. We ran into each other at a show in LA at the House of Blues. He's doing fine and we're happy for him. We're also happy because we got a great guitarist out of the deal.

NP: How long did it take to find Marc to replace Bryan?
Victor Escareno: I think it was about three weeks.
Peter: A mutual friend hooked us up with him.

NP: I head that you only had about 4 months to write this new record, "Becoming I."
Peter: It was actually less than that.
NP: What was the mood of the band at that time? Being told you have to write a new record and this is the amount of time you have to do it in.
Peter: We were pretty stressed.
Victor: Everyone was just strapped for cash cause we had just got home. And now it's like you have to write some new songs. I think that inspired us to write a better record. That whole time period we were in the studio, everyday-writing songs. It was really a down time in our careers so far. It helped out and now we are here. It was a good kick in the ass for us.

NP: On your first album, there is a lot of aggression and hate in your music both musically and vocally. But on "Becoming I", I see a deeper, darker and more depressing record.
Peter: (Laughs) Yeah, I know what you're saying.
NP: What inspired you guys to go in that direction? Obviously you were going through a lot and it came out in the music but is that how you guys planned it?
Peter: You pretty much just said it. (laughs) That was beautiful.
Victor: That was perfect�.um yeah. What you said. (laughs) You asked it and answered it. I mean we were in a hard time and everything that was surrounding us is in this album.

NP: Your first single titled "Failure" hits on many aspects that you guys went through personally. Was this song about being pulled from the road due to not selling enough records on your first album or was it about coming home to face your fan base of Texas and look them in the eye and say, "hey, we tried."
Peter: Both!
Victor: Dude, you're on fire. You're answering your own questions. Do you even need us here man? (laughs)
NP: Hey what can I say? I'm a fan.
Peter: You know your shit. You know, are we going to be successful? Do our friends and fans still want to come out and see us? Are they still going to support us even though the first record didn't do that great? We didn't become huge stars in the middle of the night. That sort of thing.

NP: Tell us about the video for "Failure."
Victor: It's like a collage of different things. The director who did the video, wanted to shoot some live stuff. He had different ideas like walking around, playing some live shows, and then we came out here to LA and did some studio stuff inside. We just wanted to get the whole vibe of the song and us. It shows us on a small stage, traveling in our RV while other bands have their busses. The video isn't a lie; it shows us who we are and that we are down to earth.

NP: On "Becoming I", most of the songs start out very slow with acoustic but then break out later in the song with electric guitar. How did that come about?
Peter: I don't know. I think we were getting used to structuring songs. We got that lesson on the first records. I think all of us got in touch with our music and how we wrote music. On the first record we didn't really have a lot of pre-production and on this one, we did. Actually a lot of the songs start off pretty slow with an acoustic. It's one of those things where it's like, "we're going to start this slow but then we're going to kick your butt when the song kicks in." I think we did pretty well.

NP: There are also two slow acoustic songs on the album with "Texas" and "Watching me Slip." How did they end up on the album? For me it kind of sums up the record, setting the mood, etc�
Peter: Actually, "Texas" wasn't even supposed to go onto the album. But Mudrock really liked the flow of it and what's it about. It's more of a song about Joey, who doesn't really like to talk about too much it because it's real personal. But it's a pretty song and they liked it and we wanted to show a different side of our record musically instead of blasting things out. We wanted some musicianship to come out on this record. "Watching me Slip" was also a good song. A couple people call the song, watching me slip like a panty dropper. It's kind of nice, you know, set the mood, and have some wine. (laughs)

NP: You guys really do care about your fans, I've always seen you out interacting and hanging out with them.
Peter: Still do!
Victor: It's the fans who put you on the stage. It's a way of saying thanks. It's appreciation for them to take the time to watch our set and to become part of the show with us you know. They don't have to. They are buying our Cd's and tickets to our shows.

NP: You guys have landed some huge tours for this year including "The Love Hate Tragedy Tour w/ Papa Roach," Music as a Weapon 2," and the upcoming "Ozzfest 2003". How's it feel to play to larger more diverse crowds?
Peter: I think of it as almost a challenge in a way. Cause our first big show was in Green Bay, WI. And we walked into the arena when we first load in and we looked around at all the empty seats that we know is going to have tons of people at in a sold out show. And what are we going to do to make that crowd just go crazy? I mean they were moving, jumping and just crazy! It was a relief. That's the satisfaction we get, it's just scary at first you know. Victor: We also knew that we had to step it up to being on this tour with a huge bill as kind of the baby band. We had to let the crowd know and the other bands know that we are up to the level and we can be a part of this group of big bands and prove to ourselves that we can do this.

NP: Have there been any funny stories or practical jokes played on anyone this tour?
Victor: I think the biggest one that everyone is still talking about is when Mark stole the golf cart in Tampa, FL. (laughs) Too much Vodka. That's really the only thing that sticks out.

NP: What's next for the band besides "Ozzfest 2003?"
Peter: They are still working on tours after Ozzfest. They want to keep us on the road and we want to stay on the road. Personally, I think radio can kind of be crazy every once in a while but the whole live aspect is what gets me. I think our goal is to stay on the road as long as possible. If the record is doing well at radio, then great! If record sales are doing great because of radio, even better! Or because of some of these big tours or word of mouth, that's the best!

NP: A few days ago, I e-mailed all of our street teamers that listed Unloco in their top ten and I had them send me a few questions they would like to ask you. So here we go:

Donnie of Pittsburgh, PA asks: Lots of the lyrics in Unloco's music are very emotional, are these songs based on actual events from your past?
Peter: Yeah a lot of them are. Some of them are about other people to and the situations they were in at one time.

Priscilla of Abilene, TX asks: If you could let any Unloco fan go on tour with you, what would they have to do to deserve it?
Peter: They would have to have a really strong work ethic�(laughs) and they would have to be willing to work with nothing but underwear on and maybe a football helmet. (laughs)
Victor: Just, you know they would have to flatter us everyday. (laughs)
Peter: Wow you smell good, wow you look great. Have you been working out? (laughs)
Victor: They'd have to be able to drink beer and sleep late.
Peter: I think just being able to hang with us is the most important. We try to keep things interesting.

NP: Any last words?
Peter: Just get here early so you can watch us.
Victor: Yeah whenever you go to an Unloco show get there early so you can see every band on the bill play. No matter where or who it is.