Jackson, MS--

When Pointed recently traveled to Jackson, Miss., to catch new rock giants, Trapt, in action, we found more than what we were looking for and a lot to get excited about in the men from Los Gatos, California.

PM: How did y’all get the name Trapt?

PETE CHARELL (bass):  In high school, back in the day, it was what we came up with and it was kind of like originally just a name.  Everybody was like its ok then it just kind of stuck. We were going to change it like right at the beginning but we never changed it and its been that ever since.

It related to how we were feeling at the time like some of us were getting in trouble with the law and stuff like that and living in a small town where cops don’t have anything better to do than to mess with kids and we kind of felt trapped in certain ways.

PM: Y’all won a lot of Billboard awards and had a lot of success with your first album, how does that feel?

PETE: It is crazy because it all happened pretty quickly as far as like…we started touring and things were kind of slow but once Headstrong started taking off. We went from a van to a bus to two buses all on the first CD so it was pretty crazy. 

PM: Where do you get your inspiration for your songs?

PETE: We just hang out play music enjoy you know, just play music that we feel, that we like.  We listen to a lot of different music.  Everyone has their own influences.  All of the music that you listen to in your entire life is like what you create.  You are like a filter for it-- you just take different pieces from it and it comes out of you its like your take on all the music that you’ve heard.

PM: What is your favorite band?

PETE:  I just went and saw this band In Flames in Chicago, they were really good.

SIMON ORMANDY (guitar): I have been listening to a lot of  Bjork and Van Halen and old Metallica.

PM: If you weren’t doing this what would you be doing?

PETE: Graduating college with a degree in business maybe.

SIMON: I would probably be in med school or graduate school or something…

PM: What’s your guilty pleasures?

SIMON: Shaving Pete’s beard is my guilty pleasure.

PETE: Getting my beard shaven.

SIMON: It has not happened in a while though.

PETE:  I know.  I can’t wait though.

PM: What do you like most about touring?

PETE: Just going to different cities and seeing the cities and also playing for fans all over the country or world or whatever you know it is great that people like your music and they go off.  Playing the actual shows is the best part about touring.

PM: Your favorite venue?

PETE: There are a lot of venues that are tied for favorites.  The House of Blues is always nice in Chicago is pretty sweet.

SIMON:  Norva in Virginia.  It has a Jacuzzi back there but I have never gone in it.  I do not trust it.  It used to be a health club.  Like they have all this stuff back in the back area and a basketball court upstairs and showers in all the rooms and big dressing rooms

PETE: With big huge leather couches.

SIMON: Video games, pool tables, ping pong tables…

PM: What past jobs have y’all had?

PETE: worked at a retirement home.  I was a waiter, I worked at a bread shop, telemarketing for like 6 weeks, and Boston Market.

SIMON: I forgot about that…Chicken Tortilla soup.

PETE: I still eat it all the time.

SIMON: The only job I ever had was a software beta tester.

PM: Do you ever get stage fright?

PETE: No.

SIMON: Not anymore, no.

PM: Did you ever at any time then?

SIMON: Right at the beginning I remember the first show I ever played I was nervous as all hell.  I thought I was going to puke but pretty much most shows after that no problems.