I’M IN THE BAND

(Images courtesy of Family Channel)

In Disney’s newest comedy series, I’M IN THE BAND, aspiring rocker Tripp Campbell gets the opportunity of a lifetime when he becomes the lead guitarist for his favourite rock band, Iron Weasel! He and the group’s members, Derek, Burger and Ash, soon discover though that they have a lot to learn from each other.

Here’s what Logan Miller (Tripp Campbell) and Steve Valentine (Derek Jupiter) had to say about their new roles:

How are you similar or different from your characters?

Logan: I’m different from Tripp in a sense that he knows what to do in any situation. He can get out of any bad situation and turn it into a good situation. Me, on that part, I’m not like that at all. If there’s a bad situation, I will probably get in trouble for it and have to face the consequences. But we’re the same in a sense that we’re very driven towards what we want and stuff. We just like to have a good time and have a fun run along the way. We also both play guitar.

Steve: I think we both look good in rock and roll clothes and I look good in leather pants! I think playing Derek is so much fun because he’s so, so stupid. Iron Weasel is dumb, dumber and dumbest. Derek is dumb, but he’s not the dumbest one in the band, which is great. Playing someone with that kind of ego and flamboyance and just being able to let loose on being a rocker is a blast and kind of something I’ve always wanted to do when I was a kid. I like to think that I’m a little smarter in real life than Derek… maybe just a little bit.

Did you model Derek after any real-life rockers?

S: I think he’s an amalgamation of everything I’ve ever seen. It’s interesting. You don’t realize, until you get up and do something, and someone goes, “You know, that’s kind of very Steven Tyler.” And you think, “Is it? Really? Okay, well, that wasn’t on purpose.” I studied and did a little research for this part. Obviously, I watched rockers in every movie and documentary. I watched stuff on Rolling Stones, Aerosmith. I watched stuff on Queen, Guns N’ Roses… you name it. I really kind of soaked that all in and Derek kind of came out of that.

What’s it like working with the rest of the cast?

L: It’s so great! I think the chemistry comes from us just getting along with each other so well. We’re all great friends and I think that’s something they wanted to have. In the auditioning process, they put us in a room and we just started ripping off each other. That’s what’s so great about it. We formed this group of people that we love working with and it’s just such a creative process together, so I think that’s kind of where the chemistry comes from….

S: You hear a lot of people say on TV, “Oh, the cast gets along.” We really do! When we’re working together, it’s a very grounded scenario. We tease each other mercilessly. We pick on each other a lot…. When we get together, last Monday everyone came over to my house and we all watched the latest episode that aired. There was a little bit of food, a little bit of drinks. The whole cast came out and we sat and watched the show. There’s not too many casts, I think, that can say that.

If you could join any band, what band would it be?

L: I’ll definitely say The Doors or Led Zeppelin. Someone in the ‘60s rock genre or ‘70s. I love the music that those guys brought and it was such an art form that they had and such poetry. To be a part of that would have been amazing.

S: I heard Aerosmith is looking for a new lead guy… I think Guns N’ Roses is one of the best bands. They’re such a brilliant band and the way Slash plays the guitar. Queen is one of my favourite bands as well.

Thank you Logan Miller and Steve Valentine!

I’M IN THE BAND premieres Monday, February 15 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Family Channel.