In the late 60s and early 70s, it seemed music and politics were hand in hand, especially around the war. In fact, the music stands strong today. Yet now a lot of people want to say musicians and entertainers should have no voice about politics. How does ISM break that notion?
The music stands strong!  I think that the downgrading of music's role in society and its affect on how people view the world coincides with the downgrading of the quality of music generally.  To me, with the internet, downloaded music, and the sheer number of bands out there, bands are often more worried about doing whatever they can to "make it" rather than making the purest and honestest music they could make.  Before, in theory, if you made good enough music, you could get noticed and get a chance to be out there.  Now, that's not good enough- you need to be able to market yourself and promote yourself as well.  And I would definitely say that there are plenty of bands out there that are much better at promoting themselves than they are at making good music and having something to say.  To me, if you are making truly honest music it will resonate with other people.  If it comes from a deep enough place in you, it will resonate in a deep enough place in someone else.  And if it comes from a superficial place in you, it will only reach the superficial in others.  Our music is not political- it is the honest expression of what we see and feel about ourselves and the world around us.  It's about perception and awareness, and the only reason that seems shocking is because so few bands are doing that at the moment because it is so difficult to see past "making it."  This is not to say that there isn't good music being made- I think there's a lot of great music being made.  It's just that the music that is the most successful at the moment is not at all the best music, it's the best marketed music.
   
There are other political bands, most are punk or metal. Yet ISM is more eclectic and alternative. How has breaking into those markets been for the band?
I think the ideas we are talking about are much more cultural, perceptual, and sociological than political.  Let me give you an example.  Martin Luther King Jr.'s message was not a political one- his message was about a cultural change, about changing how people look at themselves and everyone else.  And politics is just a fall-out, a necessary by-product.  Now, don't get me wrong, I am in no way comparing us to Martin Luther King Jr., I don't mean that at all.  I'm just saying that, similarly, our point is about people being aware of what they are doing, how they are going about their lives, and how they are treating themselves and others.  And, of course politics is a necessary element of that.  Just like an awareness of how commercials and the media affect our views of ourselves.  Just like how school teaches us to think of our options and ourselves.  In other words, our message is also more eclectic than straight political.  That being said, people seem very excited that we are taking a stand, and that we have something to say, and are saying it from the heart.  I keep having people come up to me and tell me how refreshing it is, how they've been frustrated at the aimlessness of so much modern music, and how excited they are to find something that stands up and believes. 

I always loved the part in Ferris Bueller's Day Off where he is in the show and says he doesn't believe in any ISM. Should he believe in this band? =)
Sausage King of Chicago!  I love that movie.  Of course he should.  We're not about isms, we're about pointing out how much we are all prey to them.  I think we would agree and have a fantastic time together in Chicago

Although ISM is politically charged there is also the idea of reaching out to new fans. How do you feel about fans of your music whom have a different view of the world as the band?
The main idea we are trying to share is that people should be aware of what they are doing and why they are doing it.  We all value a combination of different things, but we each put a different weight on the different things in our lives.  Everything that we do or think is not equally important to us.  But why some things are important and others aren't is a very telling statement about each of us.  For example, to me a fundamentalist Christian and a fundamentalist Muslim in some ways have more in common with each other than a fundamentalist Christian and a regular Christian do.  The issue is not what you believe in, it's why you believe so strongly in something.  The idea that you would be willing to die or kil for a very narrow religious view says more about the things you value and how you put your life together than what you believe in does.  So, I don't have any need whatsoever for people to agree with us.  I want everyone to agree with themselves, and to take the time and effort to explore themselves enough to really understand what they believe and why they do.  Question everything about yourself not so you can reject everything or keep everything, but so you can know yourself.  Then you can make whatever changes you might or might not want to make from a position of strength.

How has the band grown from its first record to its newest release, Urgency?
Well, I think the general idea, both musically and lyrical, is the same, although both have become so much more refined and developed.  The content has turned from a more general question to using a more personal example as the basis for the questions.  And the music has become more refined in that we have started to understand more and more what we are trying to do and how each instrument fits into the picture.  We have always been interested in communicating to modern ears.  To me this means we need to use the whole range of sounds that modern people hear- from the organic, like human voices, pianos, and violins; to the inorganic, like bleeps, whirrs, and cell phone and industrial noises.  I think that the process of touring the first album really made us understand which sounds should go where in order to build the whole package.   

Obviously, the title refers to the urgency to make changes in the world, from global warming to war. From famine to genocide. What is the bands biggest urgency?
World Stupidity.  Collective stupidity, which breeds fear, violence, and apathy, is the main cause of almost all the shit I think needs to change with the world.  To gain self-knowledge is to gain knowledge about how everything else should fit into the world.  And if you don't have an understanding of yourself and your values, you are extremely susceptible to someone else convincing you to just follow them, to buy into someone else's dupe.  The people in control don't want to change (why would they, they're in control?) and the people who aren't have been convinced that someone else is supposed to be taking care of stuff.  And the people who acknowledge this situation either turn away in disgust or respond with violence.
   
The internet has been great for bands to reach new fans and get news out as well as music. But are you surprised at how much the youth searches for new music while not finding out about what is happening around the globe?
Actualy, no.  To me, the process of searching the internet is one of skimming the surface, getting just the superficial elements of something, rather than getting it in depth.  I remember, a friend of mine told me that he didn't like to read books but liked to read on the internet, because whenever he got bored or found something more interesting, he could just read a little of that, and hop from one to the next.  Similarly, I feel that a lot of people have so much music that, rather than trying to let one album or artist into your life, you can simply choose which songs already match the mood you feel.  To me, among the best experiences I've ever had with music have been when I've listened to a song that fit a mood I didn't expect it to- when a dark song made me happy, or a happy song made me cry. Those are the moments when you're understanding of your soul grows- that I'm not just happy when I'm presented with happy, or sad when I'm presented with sad, I'm more complex than that.  And I feel that this is kind of how people respond to everything on the internet- receive it in the easiest, most surface-level way, and you can intake so much different information that you don't have to take any of it in with any genuine depth.  If that's true, why would people look to find out about difficult things or what's happening culturally or politically somewhere else? It would be too difficult, and the internet is about following the easiest path possible.

Has there ever been a song or lyrics that were written that the band thought was too harsh of a criticism or was too attacking?
Not an entire song, but definitely a few lyrics have been too hard.  It's important to remember that the form we are using is music.  It must first and foremost be good music. The message must fit to the confines of the music, and not vice versa.  I also find that the pronoun used has a dramatic effect on the digestibility of a line- changing a line from "you" to "we" can make an off-putting line much more accessible. 

Although your music and lyrics are somewhat heavy, the band cannot be bleak and political all the time. How do you keep sane with being aware of all that is going on around us?
I don't find any of this bleak or heavy.  Our whole point is pushing yourself towards self-understanding, and this can only lead to a better understanding of what makes each of us happy.  The ultimate goal is understanding what makes you truly happy, but finding that, and being honest enough with yourself to figure that out, is the question.  Everything we are saying, for us, is in fact quite life-affirming.  Find yourself, find what makes you happy, and pursue it with the depths of your soul.  That being said, I train and teach martial arts (Jeet Kune Do, to be precise), and doing that keeps me quite sane and happy.  Each of us do different activities outside of the band that help us stay sane (computers, tattoos, school, etc.).

I wouldn't feel right about having this interview without talking about the upcoming election. What do you think of the candidates, their different approach to campaigning and care to share who you are supporting?
A friend of mine who is both politically conservative and quite religious made an interesting comment.  Even though he agrees more with John McCain, he thinks that if McCain wins it will be a true tragedy for this country.  In essence, he says that if the republican party can win after these last eight years, then they will be able to do whatever they want, and the idea of a democracy, of even a two-party system, will basically cease to exist.  And no matter how much John McCain does or doesn't fit into the Bush ideology, it still holds true.  Personally, I find genuine merits to both candidates, but I think Obama is a much better choice for president, someone who could actually bring pride and excitement back to this country, and respect and worth to us in relation to the international community.  And, John McCain seems to have fallen more prey to negative campaigning than Obama has, and that is something I have zero respect for.

Lastly, something a little less intense. What movies have you been watching on tour and what's on your iPods?
Let's see...we all saw the Dark Knight and Pineapple Express, a few guys saw Step Brothers and Tropic Thunder (which I'm gonna see next), and on the road we've been watching DVDs of Extras, Flight of the Concords, Harvey Birdman, Metalocalypse, and the best of Will Ferrell from Saturday Night Live.  And while we listen to a bunch of stuff, we recently went through a long P-funk session that was great!