The Band…
Sergio Otaegui, Chris Competiello, Joseph Penna, Christopher Pennings
The Music…
Download…
The Preview…
The Lowdown…
With their first album behind them, and a renewal in the the lineup, the boys from New York are back to writing, and are working on some new awesomeness to be released in 2010.
Where You May Have Caught A Taste Of Them…
“The Hills”, “The Real World/Road Rules Challenge”, “Bad Girls Club”, and “Gossip Girl”.
Sergio Otaegui, Thieves and Villains Interview
Sergio, who is vocals and guitar for the band, took a minute to answer a few questions for us, and for that – he is rad 
.
The TAS Kids:
We love you guys, so thank you for doing this!!! . Ok, here goes… in the past couple years it seems like there are a lot of bands out writing songs about the same thing… you know, “I’m in a band, I wear tight pants ’cause I’m in a band, I get girls now ’cause I’m in band, I’m a jerk to people ’cause I’m in a band, all my songs are about how I’m like – in a band.” I guess what we mean is that it seems like there is a lot of shallow music out lately. It’s “fun” music and we listen to it, but those songs are mostly just cool for parties and hanging out. They don’t really inspire us, or connect to people, and they probably won’t be on our iPod a year from now. We feel like you guys are one of the bands that writes songs that mean something to us, and we’ll listen to them forever. Do you guys ever feel pressure to give in to music trends or is it easy to stay true to who you are?
Sergio from Thieves and Villains:
Oh my gosh do I agree 100% and I’m so happy that you guys consider us to be on the good side of things! We’ve never ever felt pressure to conform to trends because what’s the point of doing something that everyone else is doing? and if its the "cool thing" right now, its surely going to be the "lame thing" in about a year.
The TAS Kids:
SO true – and for the record boys everywhere… cute girls are totally not “all about the lime green splatter paint pants”. You guys have said that you are writing new material right now. What’s the vibe of the new stuff so far and how is it different from what you’ve done before?
Sergio from Thieves and Villains:
It’s definitely a big growth and change from the first album but we consider it the right change. the new record we’re writing now is an absolute reaction to all of the trendy, neon colored, soul-less bands that have popped up recently. We just can’t relate to a bunch of 20-something year old guys that dress & market themselves like teenagers in order to cash in on a trend. I mean, our bassist is 19, I’m 22, etc and we’re a young band, but I feel like you’ve gotta not just settle on mediocrity. Instead we’ve been writing a record that is scrappy, raw, heartfelt, and real. Instead of making a stale over-produced album we are going to be tracking it live in a room together and what you see is what you get. The subject matter is also very varied and interesting because I feel like there’s a lot going on in the world these days and there’s so much more to write about than just “boy meets girl, they fall in love, and break up.” I’m expressing a lot of things on this record, from my worries about being able to provide for my parents as they age to a song about finding true love in the “K” section of a used bookstore. The way we’re looking at it is: the music scene is a lot like the 80′s again with all this neon-colored over the top B.S (just like hair metal) and we want to be on the Nirvana side that helps wash away all this garbage.
The TAS Kids:
We can’t wait to hear it, and Krissie thinks the “K” section is for sure the best section 
. You guys should totally film the process and include a DVD with the CD release for your fans to watch! If you guys could put together your most perfect tour ever, who would be on the lineup with you?
Sergio from Thieves and Villains:
Oh man, that’s always such a hard question. But off the top of my head let’s go with: Arctic Monkeys, Weezer, Passion Pit, Dirty Projectors, and us of course!
The TAS Kids:
Krissie is a dancer, and she hurt her knee super bad right before the summer and couldn’t walk for 3 months. She slowly had to re-learn to walk on her leg and just kind of started dancing again this month. ‘Shimmer’ is one of the main songs that has totally been motivating her through all of this. How does it feel to know that your music is that life-changing important to people?
Sergio from Thieves and Villains:
Jeez I’m really sorry to hear about her accident, especially since she’s a dancer, but I’m so glad to hear that she’s back on her feet! I’m really really happy that we could help out a bit with the music but whenever I hear about stuff like that I feel kind of embarrassed. I’m not one to ever think highly of myself and It’s all about the person to me. They were the one that was strong enough to get through whatever they had to get through. The music was just a footnote.
The TAS Kids:
k last one. And this is very important… Who wins in a fight? Thieves, Villains, Vampires, or Werewolves?
Sergio from Thieves and Villains:
Robert Pattinson wins….everytime
The TAS Kids:
haha, well we think you guys win . Thank you soooo much, and we’ll be waiting for the new record!
Get To Know TAV…
A little bit of the boys on YouTube…
Check Out More TAV…
