In anticipation for the group’s upcoming show tonight in Tallahassee, FL with Funk You and Hub Chason Band and their brand new album release, we thought it’d be a good time to catch up with our friends Displace. We are also pleased to bring you the exclusive premiere of “Mantis”

The band also talks to us a bit about their favorite acts headed to The Great Outdoors Jam held June 30 – July 3rd in Mount Dora, FL featuring PIGEONS PLAYING PING PONG X2 AQUEOUS X2, BACKUP PLANET X2, BROCCOLI SAMURAI, COME BACK ALICE, HOLEY MISS MOLEY, ALIVER HALL BAND, DISPLACE, JUANJAMON BAND, COPIOUS JONES, AJEVA, TWEED, RUSS BOWERS ISN’T DEAD YET, VOODOO VISIONARY, ESTE LOVES, JUTINO AND THE DIFFERENCE, BOXCAR HOLLOW, and LUCIDA.

Could you tell us about the theme of the new album lyrically us there a certain message that resonated throughout?

Tucker: Lyrically and thematically, Undertow explores the force of necessity: The concept that anything that happens actually needs to happen, even if the reason isn’t apparent. Undertow is the force that sucks water from in front of the wave to form the actual wave and keep it moving. Without this seemingly backward force, there would be no forward movement.

Several of you teach music, do you feel you become a better player through instruction in a way?

Chris: Being a full-time music educator while simultaneously juggling a full-time music performance career is a weird world. Being a teacher forces you to break down every single aspect of your playing, and to develop the necessary skills to explain your technique to a variety of minds. The analogy I like to use is to have someone explain to me how to drive. They usually say “it’s easy! You put the key in, use the wheel to steer and the pedals to move. Don’t hit stuff.” But broken down into the mechanics of every action, it’s actually a lot more complicated to someone who doesn’t know what a car is: “Insert the key into the lock on the door, turn clockwise. Insert hand under handle and retract your arm to open the car door. Climb into the car and close the door behind you. Insert the key into the ignition and turn clockwise for 1-2 seconds. Reach up to left shoulder and buckle seat belt. Adjust mirrors to achieve maximum visibility. Apply pressure to left (brake) pedal, shift car into reverse using gear switch, place right hand behind passenger head rest and look behind you, release brake to reverse, apply brake to stop, shift into drive, face forward, release brake and apply right (gas) pedal, use wheel to steer.”When you are constantly forced to break down every single action and micro action of your performance mechanics, you are constantly evaluating and rediscovering aspects of your own technique, and consequently refining it. Thus, teaching turns the teacher into a student of his own self, making him a more proficient performer.

The more this teacher performs, the better he gets and the more knowledge he acquires to eventually impart back on his students. Regularly teaching this new knowledge refines and solidifies it, and so the cycle continues.

The symbiosis of these two synergistic worlds is advantageous until the point where one begins to cannibalize the other. Being a good teacher means taking on more students, which leaves less room for performance. Being a good performer means more abundant and distant gigs, and consequently less time for teaching.

So in some weird way, we performing educators exist simultaneously in two worlds that both fertilize and cannibalize each other. It’s an interesting conundrum, which is discussed in our song “Two Worlds”.