Our story with Ludo begins on a rainy Saturday afternoon in Chicago. Chicagoans have not seen the sun for two days and more rain is in the forecast. The city’s biggest alternative rock station, Q101, has its biggest concert event of the year planned, cleverly dubbed the Block Party. It was a two-day event set to feature bands ranging from Mindless Self Indulgence to Pennywise and even Avenged Sevenfold who ended up canceling due to M. Shadows’ vocal troubles. Ludo was also on the bill and what was supposed to be a face to face interview with the St. Louis-based pop rockers, ended up being conducted over the phone due to massive traffic jams and closed expressways in the Chicago area. Q101 made a decision to cancel Saturday’s event because let’s face it; water and electric do not go well together.
Never-the-less, Ludo’s Moog master, (that’s a synthesizer if you’re wondering) Tim Convy was geared up to give us the best phone interview he could from the confines of the band’s van. We opened with a pretty serious discussion about Ludo’s recent trip to Chuck E. Cheese’s. “I think we wanted more than we got,” says Convy. He admits that the food could have been better and they were all disappointed with the band. “The band is really kind of why we went,” notes Convy. “We had much better memories of that as children then it actually is or perhaps it’s gone downhill.” Overall, Convy says it was worth the trip as the band immersed themselves into some pretty intense Skee-Ball action, coming away with “quite a nice little gumball machine” for their efforts.
It’s this story of Ludo’s Chuck E. Cheese adventure that solidifies Convy telling Popular Underground that they do not take themselves seriously, at least as people. When it comes down to the music, however, they are all business.
Ludo’s story begins in August of 2003. Vocalist Andrew Volpe and guitarist Tim Ferrell had been jamming together for a while, after Ferrell finished college, rather than follow the New York or L.A. trends, the two headed from St. Louis to Tulsa, Oklahoma to begin what would later become Ludo. Location really didn’t matter much to the band after they started hitting the road. “We toured so much that we really didn’t need a house anymore,” explains Convy.
The band has always banked on its live show to win over fans. “If you play good shows, the shows get bigger,” says Convy. He’s quick to point out, however, that booking shows must be done in a smart way, being sure that every detail is adhered to. After all, the goal is to build up a fanbase. “We want to get our music out to as many people as possible,” Convy explains. “After that we’ll take what’s left.” For those who have never seen Ludo live, Convy really does not know what to expect on a day to day basis. “On good nights, it’s spontaneous,” he notes.
Ludo’s Island Records release Your Awful, I Love You is the third chapter in the band’s catalog. It is a record that bubbles over with pop flair, storytelling that will make listeners giggle and probably one of the most schizophrenic love songs ever written entitled, “Love Me Dead.” According to Convy, a song like “Go-Getter Greg” is a mere exaggeration of real life. It is a track about the creepy, stalker guy with too much time on his hands. “Andrew wrote it about when he was living in a small apartment and people watching,” Convy explains. Another track, like the infectious “Lake Pontchartrain” is more of a horror, Sci-Fi story, which according to Convy is straight from “Andrew’s crazy imagination.” It is also Convy’s favorite song to play live. “We’ve done stuff we haven’t done before,” says Convy. “There is more vocally, more depth and more dark stuff.”
Having Matt Wallace (Sugarcult, Bowling For Soup, Maroon 5) at the production helm also helped steer the band in the right direction. “He made the pop songs poppier, the weird songs weirder and the heavy songs heavier,” says Convy. He admits that Ludo went into production with some apprehension of working with Wallace because he has worked with so many big bands and done such great things. “He pushed us and helped us communicate,” says Convy. “We were ready for anything.”
Once the single “Love Me Dead” hit major markets, Ludo even found themselves playing late night shows like The Tonight Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live! “It’s very surreal standing on a TV set you’ve seen so many times,” Convy explains. “It’s like, ‘Did that happen?’”
Overall, the band’s fans have been pretty open to You’re Awful, I Love You. “I think a lot of people really didn’t know what to expect with this record because the first two releases were so different from each other, but all together I think people have been pretty stoked,” says Convy confidently. “You know, it’s a much bigger arena now with a major label.”
Convy told PUM that Ludo was gearing up to shoot a new video for “Go-Getter Greg” and the band was gearing up for a tour with Relient K. “They’re awesome,” adds Convy. “We’re playing some great rooms like The House of Blues,” he says with excitement. Additionally, the band will do a short stint of some west coast headlining shows and simply continue to tour because it parallels their ethos of just having their music heard.
Ludo’s fate as a pop band is still being written, but they seem to have a good outline. Could they be the next band to appeal to pop fans both young and old like Bowling For Soup has? Only time will tell.
By: Adam K. Zak III - Senior Editor / Founder
