Sounds Under Radio was still unsigned when the producers of Spider-Man 3 heard its song "Portrait of a Summer Thief," from the then-unreleased album Cinematica, and determined that the Austin-based act's driving, slightly gloomy yet still accessible sound would be a good fit for the soundtrack. Singer/guitarist Lang Freeman says the band is dealing well with its newfound notoriety.
Westword: Going from unsigned band to appearing on the Spider-Man 3 soundtrack must have been pretty overwhelming. Have you started ordering gold-plated toilets and subsisting entirely on Cristal and $1,000-a-night hookers?
Lang Freeman: Last weekend I was having a conversation with an old friend who asked me, "So how many times a day do you think about Spider-Man?" The truth of the matter is, since the day we got the phone call from the music supervisor of the film, I have probably seriously contemplated something Spider-Man-related every single day. Not that it's something I obsess about, but I have to deal with something that was impacted by that on a daily basis. In terms of gold-plated toilets and Cristal...I wish it were like that sometimes. We do have a nice new fifteen-passenger van, though. Its nickname is the Spidey Van.
In the wake of that coup, you signed a deal with Epic. How have they been to work with so far?
Actually, the timelines very much overlap. Before any Spider-Man info became public, we had been putting some feelers out about Cinematica, and our manager sent a copy to the new head of A&R at Epic. Our record just happened to be the first piece of music that crossed his desk on his first day with the label. The day after he got the disc, he called our management. We couldn't ask for better people to be working with.
You wrote on your blog about appearing at a show in your home town with Alice in Chains, where Scott Weiland got up and sang a few songs, too. How did that come about?
We were at the tail end of a tour through the Midwest when our booking agent called us and said, "Now, I know I promised you a relaxing day at home, but...would you mind opening for Alice in Chains?" There was absolutely no way we could turn a show like that down.
It sounds like you guys might be able to pencil in some sleep around 2010. Have you put any money into Red Bull stock?
At the end of the Sick Puppies tour, we drove straight from Los Angeles back to Austin. I think we drove for 25 hours straight. So, yes, Red Bull gave us wings, for sure. We really should call the people at Red Bull and see if they would send us a case of their wonderful product.
