The Static Jacks

Always trying to find new alternative bands in what seems to be an over saturated industry at times, I came across The Static Jacks recently who are about to drop their debut full length record August 30th and to hold fans over to that time are currently out on the road with White Denim and MAZES! The band, who recently announced their signing to one of the best indie labels out there in Fearless, have been together since high school and since then have been steadily touring the US.

With the first song off the record '€œGirl Parts'€ receiving rave reviews, I knew I should take the opportunity to talk to the band when I could and recently caught up with the band while they were enroute to their show in DC! We talked everything from their inspirations for some of the songs they'€™ve written for their new record to what they consider tour essentials to '€œsurvive'€ while on the road. Read on for the exclusive with the band and catch them on tour right now!

A little softer one to start obviously you guys are a touring band and you have been for a few years. Maybe what would you say are like the three things that you must have while on the road to '€œsurvive'€?
Things that we must have on the road?
Yes!
Things that we must have on the road. Well (laughs) I mean recently now that the tours are starting to get longer we'€™ve been talking about asking for underwear at each venue because if we have like fifteen dates in a row it'€™s just hard to pack that much underwear. So clean underwear is a big one and that'€™s the first answer I'€™m going to give you. What else, guys? I mean fresh food is always important like if you have the option. Like if there'€™s a fast food option and a healthier food option, try to go for the healthier food option. Eating right is really important. What else do we need on the road? I guess we don'€™t really need anything. Water! Water, we steal water from all the venues we go to. We just take bottles and bottles of their water and Ian says that you need KY Jelly (laughs). So yeah, KY jelly I guess (laughs).

Perfect! Then obviously to make it a little more serious you guys recently signed to Fearless. How did that signing come about with them maybe over other labels?
I guess we had always spoken to a few labels. It was never like crazy with other labels but Fearless saw us perform at CMJ this year and they just made it very clear that they were interested and they could offer us everything that we would want from a record label and we would have full support from them. So we only, you know, like had a few discussions with them and it became pretty clear that we were on the same page so it was really kind of a very easy decision for us. Just from the standpoint that they were going to be fully supporting us and the fact that they were just really interested in helping get our music out. Out of my basement basically. Cause that'€™s where it was before that so.

Beautiful and then I know you'€™re putting out your first studio debut album on August 30th. Maybe how did that songwriting go for that record? Was it more like one person, is it more collective? How does it go about?
Right well our songwriting has never changed. It'€™s always kind of been the same where usually Henry our guitar player will come in with music whether it'€™s fully formed into a structure of a song or if it'€™s just loose ideas. We usually all attack it at the same time. Like the four or five of us sitting in the basement and it'€™s very together. Just the process and lyrically, I mean most of the record is me and Ian. Ian the singer and me being the drummer obviously, we generally mostly handle the lyrics but I mean there'€™s a song that Mike our guitar player brought in fully so that one is his and there'€™s one that Henry brought in fully. That one is going to be the iTunes exclusive song so everyone can write if they want to but everyone kind of has their place in the process of writing the songs. Super collaborative. So we'€™d like to keep it that way. I mean we'€™ve written songs post this record and it'€™s still the same way so I really enjoy our writing process.

Great and then maybe where would you say is one of the stranger places you'€™ve found? Like maybe if you'€™ve found inspiration like something some one said or something that happened? Like anything from like a song title to even a lyric?
Yeah, most of our inspiration I guess for this record mostly comes from things that we'€™ve experienced or things that we'€™ve seen happening around us. I know that a lot of things that I write about have to do with things that I endure specifically. I'€™m trying to think of strange things that influence our writing. I mean we'€™re definitely inspired by other bands that we listen to and we'€™re definitely inspired by literature and things that are happening. I feel like that'€™s a boring answer but I don'€™t really know of any thing-Ian, do you have anything strange things that influence you when you write lyrics? Do you have any that you want to share? For example, Ian said that one of our songs the closing song on the album is like a collection of kind of fucked up things or stories that we heard in high school. Like things that people had done or things that people were going through so I guess it'€™s more just like pretty normal (laughs). Which is kind of boring.

No that'€™s really good and then your song '€™Girl Parts'€™ was released pretty recently. Maybe what'€™s the story behind that song?
Behind '€™Girl Parts'€™? Yeah '€™Girl Parts'€™ the basic story is two friends who have a very casual kind of sexual history and they'€™re kind of very lusty for each other. I mean it'€™s open to interpretation but basically there'€™s obviously some fighting words and very intense reactions to each other. So I mean people are going to make to and interpret that song however they want but I guess from when me and Ian wrote that. I mean I wrote the choruses and Ian he wrote the verses and it was kind of just about a very intense relationship that is non-traditional and it just sets itself up for disaster sort of. It was Ian'€™s idea to make it a girl and a guy singing at each other so I guess in that we were kind of hoping that people, like guys and girls, could hear that song and relate to it who have felt those things and maybe even like said those similar things to someone they were having sex with (laughs).

Do you think that'€™s a good indication for fans of the band of what'€™s like coming on this album or is it pretty different?
No I mean I don'€™t want to pigeon hole the record at all because I mean there are a lot of themes on the record but generally like a lot of it is influenced by either failed romances that we'€™ve had or awful sexual experiences that we'€™ve had or really bad or really good relationships. Where you know it'€™s just a lot of whats happened in the last few years for us so that obviously came through in a lot of the songs but I don'€™t like to think of it that way totally because there are a lot of other great things in the album that are there but that song definitely does sum up a lot of the emotional charge of the album.

Perfect and then this is a little bit different but I know earlier this year you toured with Young The Giant and then you'€™re out with White Denim and MAZES now with touring a bunch which is pretty awesome. Maybe if you could tour with any three bands or acts, who do you think they would be? Like anyone they could be broken up even.
Oh, man! Any band that we can tour with?
Any band, like three!
What is a dream for us? She said they could be broken up or together now? I know for me like I would die if we were opening for Strokes. I mean that'€™s just my personal like I love them. They got me into music. That would be a dream for me. What'€™s another band? Arcade Fire would be incredible. Henry says the original line up of Misfits back in the day. The Cribs are another one that hopefully we can one day do. We have a lot of similarities and team members so hopefully one day we can pull those resources together and play a show with them because we really love those guys. Yeah but all the bands we have toured with have been really great. Each tour has been like super eye-opening and we'€™ve learned things from each tour from watching the headlining band and hopefully the tours will continue to get better and better and better and one day we can open for Queen maybe if they come back. That'€™s the ultimate dream really. To open for Queen but in all seriousness Queen back in the day was great. You can put down Queen for it if you want (laughs).

For a kid coming out to a live show what can they expect? Is it really energetic, is it a little more laid back? Does it get mixed up how does it go?
Our live shows? They are super energetic. Ian just uses his body and goes nuts. We all kind of thrash about and make sure that the audience is having fun. I mean the goal I guess is to move the people in the audience literally and figuratively. If they'€™re dancing and having a good time and thrashing around then we'€™ve kind of done our job. I don'€™t think any of us believe that doing music is just going up on stage and be droning over the audience and you don'€™t really move. I think that'€™s for other people to do which is fine but we definitely think our speciality is our live energetic show.

These are obviously a little different and going back to when you were a kid but what was the first CD or cassette you ever bought as a kid? Then the first concert you went to and do you think those influenced you?
Oh my god we were just talking about this! My first concert was Weird Al Yankovic at like a county fair in New Jersey. I was a huge Weird Al fan and we were just talking about how he'€™s releasing a new album. So that'€™s really exciting that you asked me that. So that was my first concert. What were some of your first concerts? Henry'€™s first concert was like the Mike Love version of the Beach Boys version that still tours around today without all the original members that was Henry'€™s first concert. Ian, what was yours? Okay Ian'€™s first concert was Eve 6 at Six Flags Hurricane Harbor and Mike, what was yours? Oh my god and Mike'€™s first concert was 311 (laughs) that'€™s awful and Hoobastank. What was that, like 1980? Oh no that is terrible and then my first CD that I bought was either Big Willy Style by Will Smith. His first rap album or The Beatles'€™ '€™One'€™. I bought them both at the same time I think. Those were my first CD'€™s. I was also a huge Backstreet Boys fan so I had their CD'€™s and I think that was maybe my second concert that I went to.
That'€™s classic.
You'€™re laughing but you shouldn'€™t be because back in the day they were really tight (laughs).

Then to end it all off obviously you'€™re on this tour right now with White Denim and MAZES and still have a while to go but then are you going to be touring until the record comes out? Are you going to be touring this summer, what'€™s going to be going on?
I think for the rest of this summer we have this tour and then there are some things happening in August. Like we'€™re playing the Escape To New York festival and that will be our first festival. Then we may go to California but I don'€™t know if that'€™s happening then I don'€™t know. I guess at the end of August our album comes out. I assume from then on for the rest of the year we'€™re going to be touring. I know that we are definitely going to be touring this fall. I don'€™t know with who yet but it'€™s being worked on. I think the next year is pretty much going to be on the road mostly and we'€™re ready. Like we'€™re ready for it. We'€™re ready to tour the record so we'€™re very excited.

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Saves The Day

It is undeniable that emo-punk legacy Save The Day have had a few rough spots over the past few years but since I'€™ve been able to talk to the band dating back to February of 2010 the band is at the point where they are about to release the much anticipated third record to the trilogy that has been the last two records Sound The Alarm and Under The Boards with Daybreak.

Through my time with the band they have been at work on the record as a quartet with Chris on vocals, Arun, Rodrigo and Claudio who is the most recent addition on drums. Unfortunately, in the middle of recording Daybreak their old drummer announced his departure and Claudio stepped into make the record the band one hundred percent wanted to make. It'€™s a record where we'€™re back to happy lyrics and songs which is something that unfortunately has been missing for a long while for the band and will definitely be a treat for fans. Our most recent interview just went down with lead vocalist Chris Conley last night in Providence during their time co headlining with The Get Up Kids and we talked in full about how he tied the lyrics of the previous two records together on Daybreak to their signing with Razor and Tie and what is to come in the future for the band this year!

It'€™s always a pleasure to sit down with this incredibly talented group of musicians and you'€™ll be hearing about them a whole lot this year so definitely check them out!

Last time we talked was during the tour with Say Anything and you said you had been writing like '€œhappy'€ songs or with happier themes so how was that? Like how did that feel after having some rough years?
Yeah it'€™s so good. It feels so good like I finally feel alive again and not just at war with myself and angry at the world and I think it was something I really had to do. Especially when I became a father. I realized that I didn'€™t want to have an unhealthy relationship with the world because then my daughter would just look at me as an example and I noticed that there is so much anger in the world and confusion and pain and I didn'€™t want to lend a hand in that. I want to lend a hand in helping the world get better. So I think the best thing that I could have done was try to resurrect my heart and writing the music for Daybreak was such a joy because I was starting to thaw. I really was just feeling okay with who I am. I'€™m much more at peace with how the world is. Even though it is a painful place and it is sad. You know I was able to dig myself out of a hole and come back to life so it was an important journey for me as a person and it was fun to reflect back in songs. Usually the music that I write is coming out of my internal experiences and so where that music sounded sort of raw and desperate in the past, it'€™s because I was feeling raw and desperate inside and so I think it will be nice for our fans to hear this music that'€™s a sigh of relief. So I'€™m really proud of it.

That'€™s what I was going to ask actually. I know it'€™s coming out in September and it'€™s coming out on a label. Everything'€™s coming together finally so maybe like what are you most looking forward to with having this record finally good to go and being the trilogy finale?
I think I'€™m most excited about sharing that experience of coming back to life with our fans because they'€™ve connected with my lyrics over the years. Because of the cathartic nature of the words, where I don'€™t hold back and I talk about exactly what'€™s going on inside and I think so many of them also have felt neglected and rejected by the world. So I feel excited to share my thoughts in a way and I'€™m also quite excited about taking the album on tour because the new songs are really fun to play and some of them are really emotional. I mean I teared up on stage the other night playing the last song '€œUndress Me'€ and I feel lucky that I have these guys in the band that are my friends. They'€™re supportive and they encourage me and it doesn'€™t feel like a struggle within the band. It feels like we'€™re all doing it together and we'€™re sort of united for the first time and that'€™s a gift to me because I'€™ve had to weather the storms with in the band as well as the storms within my heart. I think that'€™s because I never wanted to be a commercial artist. I just like writing music and so I think that'€™s been hard for the guys in the band as we go through the lean years. You know where they'€™re counting on me to write music that will make the band some sort of an income so that they can live and where as I'€™m telling them '€™You know what guys? I'€™m not doing it for that'€™ and if I have to go and get a job eventually, that'€™s okay with me. I finally have a band that feels the same way. They'€™d rather make music that they want to make and music that is inspiring to them instead of trying to make a paycheck. So I'€™m really thrilled about taking the album out on the road with these guys and I feel like this is the best the band has ever been. I think it'€™s easily the last line up that the band will ever have to go through. I love playing with them.
Is it still Rodrigo and Claudio and Arun?
Yes.
Oh yeah!
I just love them.
I'€™m glad it'€™s going well and still have these guys with you.
Thank you!

And then obviously, you'€™re probably constantly writing, but are you already writing like songs that aren'€™t on Daybreak?
Yeah I am always writing. Whether it'€™s just a melody that pops into my head and I'€™m walking down the street and I notice that it'€™s there, I sing it into my phone and then put it away for later or if I just happen to be playing the guitar and my hands do something that'€™s kind of neat that I'€™ve never noticed before '€™Oh wow that'€™s cool'€™ well I'€™ll record that and just put it away but I was so focused on Daybreak that I knew the songs that needed to be on Daybreak and so any time a song would come up I just put it away. So there'€™s hundreds of songs kicking around. When I go home, I'€™ll continue coming up with new songs. Just because it'€™s what I do. It'€™s just fun! Like playing with toys as a kid and so when it comes time to make another album, there will be a million songs for us to sort through and try to find ones that we'€™re most excited about.

Perfect and then every time I'€™ve talked to you in the past, it'€™s been while you'€™ve been playing as support for some one else. First it was New Found Glory then Say Anything. Now that you'€™re co headlining and you'€™re playing huge rooms and they'€™re selling out, how does that feel to be finally back in a headlining position again?
Oh it'€™s awesome! It feels so good to have the fans right there with us supporting us and having a great time every night. It was hard supporting only because we had to play for forty five minutes a night and we have a hundred plus songs and it'€™s really a hard time selecting the songs to play every night because I want to play everything. If it were up to me, we'€™d play like fifty songs a night. That'€™s how I would prefer it. You know play for two hours every night. Give everybody every song they want to hear. So now that we get to headline, it'€™s thrilling to get to play for an hour and a half so we get to do nearly thirty songs every night and that is so much fun. To see the fans getting into all the songs that we'€™re playing that we haven'€™t done in a while is great.
It makes me happy you guys seem to be in a really great spot.
It'€™s a really good time for Saves The Day. It'€™s a good time for me as a person. I do feel like I'€™m back to life.
Aw good things!
Yeah it'€™s really good things.

Perfect and then obviously there are two records before Daybreak in the trilogy. I know you initially went into it doing a three part series. Are you happy with how the story went?
Yeah! It was a challenge to make the themes come together on Daybreak and it was a bit like working on a screenplay because I had to take different sort of emotional expressions that occurred on these albums and make them make sense on Daybreak so it was an intellectual project as well. What was fun about it was the actual process. What I did was I put all the lyrics from the first two albums on a chart and I highlighted the important parts that I wanted to address in Daybreak and I made lines or connections between different sections from Sound the Alarm and Under The Boards and would write in the margins '€™Okay this needs to resolve itself'€™ and '€™this emotion that was expressed up here needs to become fully realized on Daybreak'€™ and understand more fully where as on Sound The Alarm, it was really just me expressing anger and confusion. On Daybreak, I needed to consciously understand why I felt so angry and to analyze that was sort of therapeutic. So as I was highlighting things and writing the important lyrics, I was keeping a journal full of the ideas for Daybreak and anytime I just made a connection I would jot it down in my journal. So when I was working on the lyrics for Daybreak it was like putting the puzzle together and that was fun. That never worked so conceptually. I mean a three album arc is quite a undertaking and I mean it took five years so it was a big piece to work on and I'€™m thrilled with how it tied all up the loose ends. I feel like I did a great job making it make sense and the fans that have heard it so far have said that Sound the Alarm and Under The Boards to them seem more clear now. They understand why it was such a desperate release and they'€™re excited that it feels like coming home on Daybreak. It'€™s cool, it'€™s fun!

I wanted to ask you, obviously a few songs have come out, and my favorite so far is '€œLiving Without Love'€.
Oooh thank you!
Welcome! I wanted to ask you how that song came about. I know you said you were tying together lyrics.
Lyrically or just the composition? Both?
The whole entity.
That song was one of the melodies that just showed up in my head one day and we were on tour with Alkaline Trio. I woke up and it was just kind of tumbling around in my head. So I went out to the van and we were snowed in some where and I went out to the van with the guitar and just started working on it in the van and developing the melody more. So it started out just as a echo of a song in my mind and then I got the guitar and I sort of figured out what chords complement the melody and the song just took shape really quickly. Just sitting there in the van it sort of all just fell out of me so to speak. Poured out and then I had the song and at first it was a much slower song and I expected it to be sort of a piano ballad and then as Arun and I were recording demo'€™s for Daybreak in 2009 we noticed that we had a lot of mid tempo songs and we thought it would be kind of fun to speed one of these songs up and make it like a Motown song and '€™Living Without Love'€™ seemed like the perfect song to speed up and sure enough when we played it much faster it just came to life and the lyrics came later. For me the lyrics of the whole trilogy start to come together on '€™Living Without Love'€™. That'€™s the song that illustrates the turning point where I start to accept things as they are and there'€™s a realization that I don'€™t want to be this negative person with wounds in my heart and now it'€™s not all a waste of time. It'€™s not something that like experienced all the pain. It'€™s not something that'€™s not supposed to be. It'€™s okay the way it is and I'€™m going to learn how to live with it and the line living with out love refers to living with a heart that'€™s full of anger. So saying living with out love is not the life that I need and I say no more tomorrow which just means no more thinking about the future or worrying about the future. No morning it'€™s a mourning with a u so it'€™s no more thinking about things that have happened that are out of my control and now it'€™s all up to me. To me, that'€™s the realization that the entire trilogy was leading towards was recognizing that my life is in this moment and it'€™s not somewhere in the future and it'€™s not somewhere in the past and it'€™s up to me to make that a reality. So I'€™m glad you like that one.

Then you as it is known signed to Razor & Tie for the new record. How did that signing come about?
Well we were just playing the album for a lot of labels and the people at Razor & Tie just seemed so passionate about working with Saves The Day and there are a lot of Saves The Day fans there and they seem like giddy to get the opportunity to work with a band that they love so much and so that was exciting. Then we met them and it seemed like not only were we peers, we'€™re sort of the same age. They'€™re a younger label but they also have this enthusiasm and they believe in the history of the band and they believe in our future so they easily felt like the right place because of their passion. We felt really good about making that choice ever since because they have been working so hard and they really care about the band.
Everything seems to be really shaping up. I'€˜m excited for you guys.
Yeah I'€™m jazzed! Totally jazzed!

Like ready to roll! This past year obviously you'€™ve really reimmersed yourself in national touring. I know this tour is like the East coast and kind of mid west but I mean you did the Say Anything tour, the New Found Glory tour, you'€™ve been constantly touring. What'€™s maybe the biggest thing that you'€™ve learned in that time? I know you'€™ve had Claudio recently but you'€™ve been with Arun and Rodrigo for a really long time now.
Right, exactly. The biggest thing I learned is that I'€™m so lucky to have such a loyal fan base because in all of that time we didn'€™t have any new material that was released and typically these days, for a band to even consider going on the road and spending money to go on the road it'€™s a lot of work to get a band to get on the road and it costs a lot for a band to even consider it. You would have to have mostly a new release that you'€™re promoting and trying to sell something and I realized that we kept getting offers to come out on tour just based on our legacy. Based on being a band that writes good songs and works hard and a band that cares about their fans and so I just felt so lucky. Any time we got offered a tour I realized that it was rare to get offered a tour when you don'€™t have a new album out. Sort of the marketing craze of the record industry now it'€™s all about pushing new units, moving units and selling product so I realized that we are one of the luckiest bands right now because it'€™s just the quality of our music and not the product. So I feel blessed.

Well good! Then obviously you have the record out in September but do you think you'€™re going to take a little break from the road, keep on pushing the record?
We have this tour then we'€™re doing a couple one offs here and there and then we'€™re going to go out in the fall for six weeks.
Oh yeah I'€™ve heard some rumors but I know you don'€™t want to say.
Yeah they told us not to tell but I can say we'€™re going to be on tour for a long time and then we'€™re going overseas in late fall so we'€™re going to do a month in Europe and then when that'€™s done we'€™ll probably have maybe the holidays off and then do a headlining tour hopefully in the spring and then see what happens next summer then it will be time to make some new music.
Like start writing some new stuff.
Yeah now I have a band that'€™s solid and they'€™re not going anywhere so I can say with confidence that we will not have a break like we did for this in the near future.
Going to keep on going.
Yeah.

Obviously maybe this is a sour point but I know that Spencer was in our first interview. How long has Claudio been in the band?
Claudio joined while we were finishing Daybreak. When we were making Daybreak, about a month after we tracked drums Spencer told us he was leaving for Black Cards.
Sorry but that was a terrible decision on his part.
Well I realized that he thought that it was a good decision for his career. The longevity of his career. It'€™s pretty fair when you think that Fall Out Boy sold millions of records. Millions worldwide and Saves The Day has sold like maybe four or five hundred thousand total over six albums so far. Nothing compared to their mega stardom and I don'€™t think it matters to him that Fall Out Boy originated as two separate Saves The Day cover bands.
Is that really how it started?
Yeah it started in Chicago with two different Saves The Day cover bands. They auditioned Patrick Stump to get into the band. He was in the other group and they wanted him to be their singer so they auditioned him to get into their band by making him play and sing '€˜Through Being Cool'€™ in its'€™ entirety in front of them. So that'€™s how Fall Out Boy started. I don'€™t think it mattered to Spencer. Just mattered that they had a lot of success and I totally understand from his point of view that that was the right move and so he quit in the middle of that album. We realized okay what are we going to do. Well we'€™re making this record. This is the album we want to make and there'€™s no going back. We were fortunate enough to know Claudio and we asked him to come to the studio and we played together and we clicked. Immediately as musicians and we asked him to track all the percussions on the album because we wanted to see what it would be like working with him in a creative environment and we wanted to see what his attitude would be like in the studio. Because of working in a pressurized work space and if you'€™re not the right kind of personality, it can be tense and Claudio was so great in the studio. Really, really professional. He'€™s got an incredible, intuitive sense of rhythm and he was really fun to have around. Come June or July, that would be a year so now that this our second tour together and we'€™ve had an opportunity to be together in the studio we know that he'€™s the right guy. We love him to death. He'€™s a really smart person so we can have good conversations too.
So this record is all four of you on the record?
Well Spencer played the drums. The full kit and then Claudio did all the percussion and the extra toms, shakers, tambourines and anything else that we asked him to do and he did it all flawlessly. So I couldn'€™t be happier. He'€™s my kind of drummer. He plays in a simple way and he doesn'€™t crowd the song and he doesn'€™t try to prove himself because he already knows that he'€™s great and that'€™s a mature musician and rare to find. A lot of musicians want to show you how good they are but Claudio knows that it'€™s about the song and it'€™s about the vocals and the words for most people and he doesn'€™t want to get in the way and he'€™s a team player. So, that'€™s great!

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The Get Up Kids

Initially coming together as a band sixteen years ago, in my interview with Matt Pryor last night he told me how he never thought it would get to this point nor did he think of the obstacles that may come. A major obstacle? The band broke up in 2005 after ten years together as a band and as they have talked about in other interviews as well they met up a few years later to sign a document they all had to sign and realized that the bad blood was gone between the guys so they came back together and here we are today.

The band has spent the better part of 2011 touring the new record which dropped in January doing a headlining run with main support coming from Miniature Tigers and currently find themselves out with fellow pop-punk patriots Saves The Day! The band will be heading overseas and then getting to the point where they think what comes next? As can be read about in the interview, while there still may be a few things that aren'€™t liked the band is trying to shake it up and bond about the good things by exploring the area and really spending time together. Seeing them live last night, it'€™s so clear that they are happy to be back together playing live as a band and it was clear that the fans are too!

You'€™ve been cited in a lot of my past interviews from screamo based like Silverstein to full pop like Yellowcard as a major influence and inspiration. So maybe who were some of your inspirations to start doing music?
Well for this band in particular, we grew up on like Fugazi and Superchunk and Weezer was a pretty big influence initially and then eighties pop like The Cars but now I would say that we'€™ve kind of switched it up and listen to a lot of everything. Fugazi is the one we always come back to. Just like we all like them a lot (laughs) and we don'€™t all agree on any one band very often.

Perfect and then obviously the new record, it'€™s the first one since you guys came back together. How do you think it'€™s been going over so far? I know this tour has been seven dates selling out.
Good. I mean it'€™s different and I think another thing is that there seem to be two kind of people that like our band. There are those who want us to only play our first two records over and over and over again and there are those who are willing to allow us to evolve and those who are willing to allow us to evolve seem to like the third record and those who only want us to play our two first records aren'€™t going to like anything we do anyway so that seems to be the continental divide on that one.

Perfect and then did the songwriting change for this record or how did it go about?
It was collaborative. It was more like how we made our very first record in that we all just kind of got in a room and threw ideas out and just figured out what stuck. The record after that it would be more like someone would come up with an idea or a completed song and would bring it to the band.
So this one differed from the past records?
It was similar to our first record and different to our second, third and fourth.

Then maybe where would you say is one of the stranger places you'€™ve found inspiration maybe recently? Like for one of your songs. Like something some one said or something happened.
A song on this record is about Marie Laveau who is a voodoo queen from New Orleans. Well she'€™s a mother and a daughter and there'€™s not a whole lot of concrete history about her but I'€™ve kind of become kind of fascinated about her because it'€™s not like, when you start looking into what voodoo is, it'€™s not just buying Tchaisky dolls and putting pins in them. It'€™s a very like kind of fascinating way of worshiping the dead to a certain degree and well to a lot of degree. So I thought she was really interesting. I'€™ve never written a song about a voodoo queen before so I can strike that one from the list!
Your list of inspirations.
Of random things to write songs about.

Then obviously you guys had some time apart from each other. Maybe how do you think that time helped you guys as musicians and as this band again today?
It helped us appreciate the things that we liked about each other opposed to focusing on the things that we don'€™t. There are definitely things that we don'€™t like about each other but it'€™s kind of like, did you ever have like a really intense relationship with some one and then you drifted apart or maybe like it was a romantic relationship but you broke up and you were like I never want to see that person again and then like three or four years later you'€™re like yeah you know we can sit around and talk about the good old days or like try and do something. So like I mean even this tour which is kind of a weird tour, we'€™ve been just like celebrating the absurdity of it and we'€™ve kind of rolled with that and we'€™ll get home and we'€™ll scatter and we'€™ll get the hell away from each other for three weeks.

Then that'€™s what I was going to ask obviously you'€™re out on the road with Saves The Day and Chris has had that band for about sixteen years now and then these guys have been around for the last few years. How do you think it'€™s been going with the two bands?
I think it'€™s a bit of a retro package but I think it'€™s not unfair to say that there'€™s probably a lot of people who like Saves The Day who like us as well and vice versa. I mean I'€™ve known Chris, we'€™ve known Chris, for a really long time. We'€™ve always gotten along with him and we met the new guys in the band just recently and it'€™s really good. It'€™s really good! Good friends and they stole our luggage last night!
They stole your luggage?
So they'€™re going to have to pay for it! We were drunk.

Maybe how do you think, well obviously you'€™re the singer of the band and you'€™ve had this band for years how do you think you'€™ve personally grown or the band'€™s grown since the beginning? Obviously you'€™ve aged but.
Hey.
You'€™ve stayed the same age the whole time.
I live in Narnia thank you very much! I think we'€™ve always had a weird kind of cocky attitude to us and I think that that has only further solidified over the years. We do things because we want to do them. I don'€™t know it'€™s kind of hard to explain. We take what we do very seriously but we don'€™t take the parts of the road that should not be taken seriously very serious. Again we try to enjoy ourselves because I mean it can get really mundane. Getting on a highway then being in a car then the venue then the hotel then being on a highway.

Then this is obviously bringing it a little bit around but maybe what was the first like big moment where you were like this is going to be something? This is going to happen and it'€™s going to be staying power.
Oh, staying power? No idea. There'€™s a moment in, now this is interesting because it was actually on the way to a show in Rhode Island, in Kingston I think. It was a house show. It was our very first tour with Braid and we ended up at that show, we ended up setting up both bands gear and switching back and forth doing each others'€™ songs but I remember on that highway we were driving on the highway and I was like, because we only really intended to like go out for that summer and everybody was going to go back to school, but I was like you know what we could do this. Like we'€™re getting paid to do this and it'€™s really fun. That was a really distinct memory of that. I don'€™t know if I ever thought of this being a sustainable anything past that point. I certainly didn'€™t think sixteen years later we'€™d still be playing some of those same songs that we played in that basement in Rhode Island.

Then this is a little bit different but obviously you have the new record to pull on and being something a little different because it was your first reunited record, how are the live sets? Like how do you go about them? Like are you taking from all of the records or is it focusing on the new record?
No it'€™s not. It'€™s about five or six songs off of the new record and then the rest well it weighs pretty heavily on our second record which is our most popular record so we try to balance it between like stuff from that record, stuff from our first record then also shit Jim sings as well as shit I sing. Slow songs versus rock songs like we try to do the ebb and flow of that then I know there'€™s like people that have come to multiple shows on this tour so for them it'€™s like I don'€™t want to play the same set all the way through. Like '€˜Oh you'€™re coming to three shows? That'€™s great! You get to hear all these songs three times. All the way through.'€™

Then this is kind of goofier but you have been steadily touring this past year. Like before this you were out headlining with Miniature Tigers so you have been touring for a while recently so what you would you say are the three things you must have while on the road?
I don'€™t know that I have must-haves necessarily. We enjoy good coffee and we'€™ll go out of our way to find it. We enjoy sampling local beers which is specifically said in our rider. At least a six pack of a local or regional IPA. They always give us fucking Harpoon whenever we come here though and I'€™ve had Harpoon for ten years! Then we try to find fun things to do and I mean that'€™s not really so much like something at shows necessarily but like so far on this tour, let'€™s see, we'€™ve gone hiking in a gorge, we went to the baseball hall of fame in Cooperstown, we got to eat some really good food, we have been to the ocean twice. We took the ferry from Long Island to Bridgeport, Connecticut which was awesome. We tried to drive up the 1 all the way up here today but it was just taking forever. It took us like forty five minutes to go like three miles. It was like '€˜oh isn'€™t this another quaint New England town. Yes it is! Can we please go on a fucking road?'€™ but yeah I mean just trying to mix it up and then we got to have friends. We'€™ve been doing this for a long time now and we have friends everywhere we go so seeing them and seeing how they'€™re doing is one of the best things. So coffee, beer and friends and fun.

Then obviously this is taking it back a little bit! What was the first CD or cassette you ever bought as a kid?
First cassette I ever bought with my own money was the first LA Gunz record. First CD I ever bought with my own money was Sound garden'€™s '€œBadmotorfinger'€. The first LP I ever bought was probably a KISS record but I don'€™t really remember. Everything else was a blur.

Then the first concert and do you think those musical experiences like influenced you personally your style or The Get Up Kids in general?
Well when I was in junior high, I got really into hair metal like Motley Crue, Guns and Roses and all that kind of stuff so my first concert was LA Gunz, Dangerous Boys and Torah Torah. You may not know who any of those bands are. Saw Motley Crue one time so those were my first concerts ever but I don'€™t know if those really shaped me as a musician. My first concerts were gigs that I played in peoples'€™ basements. I played my first show when I was fifteen and I was the youngest person there by like four years so my self was initially more shaped by experience and then you know since seeing a lot of performances but anything'€™s better then that first gig.

Then to end it off, what'€™s going to be coming up? Are you guys going to be taking a little break from touring?
Yeah we'€™re doing international stuff for the rest of the year. We'€™re going to Japan and Australia and New Zealand and then we'€™re going to Europe for a month and then I think that will be it for a little while. Then we'€™re going to regroup and figure out what we'€™re going to do next.

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Manchester Orchestra

With their brand new record '€˜Simple Math'€™ dropping just under a month ago, this band currently finds themselves in a headlining run across the US with Cage The Elephant and have no plans of stopping supporting the record any time soon! At the time of my interview with Tim which took place just a few days after their performance of '€˜Virgin'€™ on Letterman the band hadn'€™t yet announced that they would be opening for Blink 182 and My Chemical Romance this summer and there is sure to be more coming from the band!

As one of the only true current rock and roll bands in this writer'€™s eyes, I was definitely interested in the opportunity to have time to talk to the drummer of the band who had a large hand in the making of the third record along side the front man Andy Hull who for this record says it was a concept record! An amazing story teller and one who seems to be incredibly honest they are a rare thing in music today and I'€™m very grateful for the opportunity to get a little bit of insight into this incredible band.

Your new record just dropped a little while ago but how do you think it'€™s maybe been going over so far with the fans and everything with this tour you'€™re on?
It'€™s been going really good. Like you said, it just came out and already at the shows kids are singing along with the new songs like they know all the lyrics and stuff already. So it'€™s pretty cool to have that reaction at the shows. People seem to really be embracing the new songs and like them. They'€™re going over well live so that makes us happy.

Perfect and then I know Andy does a lot of the writing for the records but how does that process come about like once you'€™re in the studio like recording and writing? Was it more collective putting the music to it? How did it go about?
You know there'€™s some songs that were written as like most of the lyrics and melodies and stuff already I guess and there were other songs that kind of just formed in rehearsal spaces while we were working on this material and it was a really sort of organic nice process. There'€™s a lot of other bands where one guy sort of writes everything and brings that to the band or something like that. Andy definitely writes all the songs and lyrics but we definitely got to have a lot of influence on their own parts. Everybody got to just write the best parts that they could for this record and it was a really painless record to make in a lot of ways because it just works really well.

Perfect and then how do you think it maybe kind of compares or contrasts sonically to the last record?
Yeah a lot of people ask this all the time. I think the differences are really with the last couple records. Manchester had to go from almost like loud and aggressive art. I feel ,like with '€˜Simple Math'€™ we were able to kind of like bang out a little bit more of dynamics in the record for all parts. They'€™d come down and engage a lot more in the songs. It'€™s just a lot more dynamic and I think we'€™re really proud of it.

Awesome, that'€™s good! Then maybe for you personally, what would you say is the most familiar sounding song on this record for fans and then the most unfamiliar?
That'€™s kind of like one thing that we'€™ve been talking about. We put out '€˜Simple Math'€™ as the title track but pretty soon almost immediately right behind it we released that song '€˜April Fools'€™ and I think '€˜April Fools'€™ is just more rock-ish. Really more of a rock song and seems a little bit heavier and stuff. People who like Manchester'€™s last record can easily gravitate towards that song but I think '€˜Simple Math'€™ is a step for the band where it'€™s something that we haven'€™t done before but I think people really are open to it now and they like that. They like the song or are responsive to it so it'€™s nice because I think those few songs are kind of almost polar opposites. Like '€˜Simple Math'€™ and '€˜April Fools'€™ but they both fit really well under the Manchester umbrella. So I think kids will like all of it hopefully.

Then this is a bit wider and a bit different but maybe if you were to take any track off this new record '€™Simple Math'€™ to make a video for like maybe a personal favorite, what song would you choose and why?
What song I would choose. I mean have you listened to the record?
I have!
I mean so you kind of know that this one is a lot different then the one before and that'€™s one thing I love about it but it does make it hard to have a favorite because I like different songs for different reasons. There'€™s some songs where I love them because I get to do cool parts or things that I'€™m proud of. Melodies and stuff but for me I really like this one track on the album I think it'€™s number seven. It'€™s called '€˜Leave it Alone'€™. It'€™s a song that came sort of at the end of the writing process and it just kind of sort of wrote itself. Andy had the idea for it and he just started working out parts and it was written really fast and very easily. It became a really nice song, really pretty and it'€™s also got some really good music in it so that'€™s kind of a personal favorite of mine but I really like a lot of the songs on this record for different reasons. Hopefully other people will hear that. What'€™s your favorite song?
I like that one but I also really like '€˜Simple Math'€™ and then '€˜Virgin'€™.
Yeah, those are sweet. Did you see Letterman?
I did not but I heard about it!
Yeah we played '€˜Virgin'€™ on Letterman and it was pretty cool. Yeah a lot of people like that song. Just the heaviest on our record. It'€™s pretty heavy but yeah I guess for me I would say '€˜Leave It Alone'€™ is my personal favorite!

What would you say, being in this steadily growing and incredibly successful band, was like this is real life and this is something that really going to be big moment?
It'€™s weird because I'€™ve known these guys for a really long time. I knew Andy before they put out '€˜Like A Virgin (Losing A Child)'€™ and it'€™s pretty crazy to see the development that they'€™ve had since then and since I joined the band. So I don'€™t know! I guess I can only really talk for this third personally but I have sort of seen them progress through all of the albums and it'€™s been really interesting to watch. I don'€™t know if I could really answer that question.
Yeah maybe not but that'€™s perfectly okay!

And this is a little bit lighter but obviously you are on the tour right now with Cage The Elephant. Maybe being part of a band that does steadily tour, what would you say are the three things that you must have while on the road to survive?
Three things I'€™ve got to have on the road? A clean bathroom every day. I got to have a toothbrush and be able to wake up and have like a bottle of water in front of me and be able to brush my teeth. Or I'€™m miserable for the day and I got to have friends come see me so I don'€™t go crazy. So what else? My cell phone I don'€™t know there'€™s a lot of different things but that'€™s a good question.
With good answers!
Yeah! Well, thank you!

Perfect! Then what was the first CD or cassette you bought as a kid and the first concert you went to?
Well the first like rock show I ever went to was like a small local band that really no one'€™s ever heard of but it was actually a huge influence on Manchester and it was a band called Two Thirty Eight. They broke up years ago and the first CD that I like ever bought I think was Green Day'€™s '€™Dookie'€™ so that'€™s going back a little ways. I'€™m kind of getting old.

Then do you think those influenced you a lot? I know you said the local band really influenced Manchester Orchestra but do you think those first experiences have influenced the style of what you'€™re doing today and you personally?
Yeah I definitely do! I think you sort of, especially as a musician, you try to take all the influences that you have and pick out what you like best and sort of interject that into your own style and your own creativity. I think that'€™s one thing that our band is really good at. At sort of being influenced by great music but still making sure that we have our own sound and our own style. Our own way of doing things in our songs. Well we definitely, there'€™s a lot of bands that influence us and that we sort of draw inspiration from for sure. That anywhere close?
Yeah that was good! I love it.
I need a positive reinforcement you know.
You need some positive reinforcement? Well there you go!
Yeah I need some feedback.

Then to end it off, obviously this tour still goes on for a little while but what'€™s coming up with in these next few months? Are you going to still be touring? Maybe overseas?
You know I'€™m not really sure. When this tour gets over like half way thru June then I know that we'€™re going to take some time off when we get back but I'€™m sure that we'€™ll be back on the road pretty soon. I know that there'€™s talks of some international stuff or we'€™re definitely going to end up going back to England and probably later this year maybe going to Australia and things like that. So, we'€™ll see. Everything'€™s still being planned out but definitely Manchester will be touring a lot of this year.

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The Maine

Just a few days ago, I got the opportunity to come full circle with a band through a full record cycle. From our first interview happening as the band was about to go into the studio to record their much acclaimed record '€˜Black and White'€™ to now where they are very shortly going to be finishing up the last few songs for their new record. That band is The Maine!

With our first interview happening way back in November of 2009 with our most recent out of several happening this Saturday the band now finds themselves in this same place and unlike the last time, we talked about how incredible the process has been with John and Jared. It'€™s definitely the most in depth and exploratory time I'€™ve had with the boys and we talked about how really the writing process has changed so much for this record in many ways!

The bands found themselves at a farm which had a studio but '€˜It wasn'€™t your typical like chickens and cows farm'€™ in John'€™s words. It was the place where the band says they began self producing their own record for the first time in their soon to be three full length album discography. As well as being in John'€™s words the first time he'€™ll be truly honest with himself and do something that he has wanted to do in the past finally '€˜with these next songs that we'€™re going to record to really pour everything that I'€™ve wanted to pour into the songs for the past four years. I'€™m really trying to actually do that for the first time.'€™ but it may change the direction of the bands'€™ sound and hopefully the true fans will stick around and enjoy it!

Obviously you have a lot going on with the new record and everything. I know it'€™s still in progress but a little soft one to start. You guys have been touring non stop for the past like three years. If you could take out three like past bands you'€™ve toured with today who would they be?
John: Past bands that we'€™ve toured with?
Yes, past bands that you have toured with. Not just dream tour!
John: Man that'€™s a tough one.
Jared: I guess there'€™s Brighten. Who we toured with right at the beginning of this band.
John: I suppose if The Morning Light was still a band.
Jared: Yeah I would love to do a reunion of our first tour that we ever went on with The Morning Light and us and Brighten. It'€™s crazy because it was a long time ago but I feel like I have a lot of memories from that tour.
John: Two down and then. This is hard because you meet so many good people. I would say Austin Gibbs.
Jared: Dude, yeah! If we could just do every tour with Austin Gibbs.
John: We love those guys. So funny.
Bring Austin out every time.
John: Yeah.

Perfect and then from what I'€™ve heard, you guys wrote something like fifty songs for this follow up.
John: We'€™ve written quite a few. Quite a few I mean a lot. It'€™s probably right about that number. Yeah now it'€™s the wittling down process. It'€™s a big chunk of wood that we'€™ve got to carve out so so far, so good. I think we have a rough idea of what it will be.
Jared: Yeah even for '€˜Black and White'€™ that'€™s how it was. We had to narrow it down from about forty songs.
John: So hopefully we'€™re getting better at it (laughs).

And then how do you think maybe it'€™s changed from '€œBlack and White'€. Like did the writing process change at all?
John: Yeah the writing process I would say was a lot different. It was a lot more carefree.
Jared: It wasn'€™t so much a process.
John: We went in to, well just to let you know, I mean I don'€™t know if anybody told you but we are producing this new album on our own. We already have nine songs that we'€™ve already written and recorded in El Paso, Texas.
That'€™s what I was going to ask like I wasn'€™t sure where you guys were in the process.
John: Yeah so now basically where we sit, I mean it'€™s been a long time I guess coming to get to this point. Now everybody is excited about it at the label on their front and on our front we'€™re all really excited. We just need to go back in and write and record a couple more. So we'€™ll do that after this tour but the writing process for this was kind of a representation of that moment in time. We lived at a farm.
At a farm?
John: Yeah! It wasn'€™t your typical like chickens and cows farm but it was-
Jared: It was a secluded property.
John: It was a large amount of land that has a studio inside of it and we for about three weeks or so just did nothing but write and demo out music.
Jared: I think we really surprised ourselves too because we'€™d been on tour for a while before that and we had all these bits and pieces of songs. We were kind of waiting to get in a room together and actually work them out and once we got to the farm, we were cranking out like sometimes three songs in one day. It felt very natural for us as a band and really did represent exactly who we were musically I guess as a band at that point in time.
John: I mean that differs from the first two records in a lot of ways. The last most recent record '€œBlack and White'€ that we did we had explored the option and the opportunity of writing with other people. I think we talked a little bit about that last time but this time we just wanted to go in and we wanted to do it all on our own and it'€™s not saying that those people don'€™t deserve credit but we just wanted to make it or not make it on our own.
Jared: I feel like it'€™s kind of nice for the fans to be able to see us with out make up on.
John: Yeah absolutely. We'€™ll see how it goes. We'€™re keeping our fingers crossed.

And then so you said you recorded nine songs. So are you pretty far into making the record or is it still a lot to do?
Jared: I mean we originally were at a point where we thought these songs were possibly the album and there'€™s some rethinking.
John: We wanted to add more songs. Figured ten wasn'€™t really sufficient enough. Especially because of how much of our music there is out there and not only just other music but the same kind of songs. We want this album to be viewed upon as an album not as a single or what we put online first. So what we'€™re really trying to do, at least for our fans, for our initial fans the people that are going to enjoy it or at least give it a chance to begin with, we want the idea of a full album to be in their heads and not just as the consumer where you'€™re only forced into listening to one song. So we wanted to be the whole album experience. I mean the nine that we have might not necessarily all end up on the record but that was just a great foundation.
Jared: It feels very cohesive as an album. I feel more so with this one.
John: A lot can happen with in the next couple months but at least we have a good starting point.

Especially because you'€™re doing it yourself, you kind of have more of a control over it.
John: Yeah and even just doing the nine there'€™s a lot that we learned just about recording in general and about sound and how things work in the studio.
Jared: You can say you want to do an album yourself and you can say you'€™re going to rent this or rent that.
John: I think we surprised ourselves. It'€™s saying it! It'€™s one thing to say like '€˜Yeah we'€™re going to record our album'€™ but then doing it and then realizing that it'€™s a finished product. We handed it in or we allowed people at the label to listen to it and I wouldn'€™t say everybody'€™s reactions but the overall reaction was like '€˜Well if these are demos then these are the absolute best sounding demos'€™. Sounding, not like sonically, not the songs but the sound quality of the songs I don'€™t think is very far off of much else that we'€™ve put out and it'€™s not to say that Howard Benson like anybody could be Howard Benson because that'€™s not what I'€™m saying. At all.
Of course.
Jared: We just wanted it to be sort of like an exact representation of what we are right now and that'€™s exactly what it'€™s going to be. I wouldn'€™t say it'€™s raw I mean it'€™s something that we did try to put as much polish on as we could but it'€™s us.

Perfect and then obviously '€œBlack and White'€ was a lot different from '€œCan'€™t Stop, Won'€™t Stop'€. Do you think this one is a lot different sonically from that last record at least so far or is it pretty similar?
John: I don'€™t know I'€™m not sure. I definitely think that it'€™s way different.
Jared: Oh it'€™s definitely different.
John: I think content wise I think the lyrics are completely different.
Jared: Oh yeah!
John: I think in a positive way for myself. Now whoever listens to it might have a different opinion but for me I'€™m continuing to try and with these next songs that we'€™re going to record to really pour everything that I'€™ve wanted to pour into the songs for the past four years. I'€™m really trying to actually do that for the first time. I feel like I haven'€™t been able to really do that on the other tracks that we'€™ve had thus far and I feel like I'€™m doing an alright job up to this point. Content wise, it might be a little darker.

You guys are getting older. You'€™re not the same people that you were in the beginning.
John: Yeah a little more realization of kind of the reality of the situation and the reality of things. It'€™s not neon hoodies and pumped up Nikes. I think it'€™s more serious. I think it'€™s more serious then that. Not saying that I didn'€™t like that it just already happened.
Jared: Already got that haircut.
John: We already got that haircut but yeah this more serious. It'€™s exciting because not only are we growing older but the people that have been with us for the past four years are also growing older naturally and I think that they deserve a little bit more substance this time around. I feel like I would be doing them an injustice if I just sang about the same old.
Jared: We'€™re not trying to run ourselves into a rut. We definitely want to keep going as far as we can and try new things. I don'€™t know we'€™ve all been listening to different artists and we continuingly find new artists or are always looking for something different between album cycles. It really comes from all different areas.

And do you think that'€™s something that will probably come out next year or is it even possible for it to come out this year?
John: I really think that the plan is to get it out as soon as possible. So what we'€™re going to try to do is literally we'€™re going to move into and take over our management'€™s offices in Arizona in Phoenix. Set up all of our equipment. Write and demo out the next batch of songs and then hit the studio and my goal is to try to first finish the album but then record a plethora of songs so that we have a bunch to choose from and make the best record at this point in time. But to answer the question, I think as soon as we can is the goal.

Perfect! So that'€™s like after this tour? You'€™re going to focus on that record for a while before you come back out.
John: Yeah and because we already have our foot in the door with the nine.
Jared: I think we just have to find the right few songs that are going to go along with what we had before.

Perfect and then this a little different but you guys did come back from overseas. Right after Harmony I think is when you went overseas. How did that whole experience go for you? With Australia and England.
Jared: It was mind blowing. We started in the Philippines. That was crazy! We were playing these shows in malls in the Philippines and thousands of kids were showing up and they knew the lyrics. I mean it was just crazy but it started that way. We did Australia and then we did Europe.
John: I think it'€™s hard to really full heartedly be in the moment over there because I was just so excited and it kind of all flew by and now we'€™re here and now I look back upon it and I'€™m like that was such an incredible time and such an experience. Just for people to be singing across the globe in places we'€™ve never been too before and maybe would have never traveled to if we weren'€™t doing music.
Jared: We just felt really lucky to be able to go around the world and do the same things that we do here in the states.
John: It also added a lot of motivation I think for the new material. Just to continue to want to try to strive to be better. I think to be serious about what we'€™re doing because there'€™s so many bands that I feel just take it for granted.
Jared: I think with us we see something like that and we see ourselves going into Europe to play a show. I think we'€™re envisioning what the next step would be like. We want to get to the festivals. We want to play the big shows over there and I actually feel like that just kind of really got everyone really thinking about you know the possibilities that we have ahead of us.
John: Yeah I just vividly remember the last show in London. It was a sold out show and we had a great set and everybody was super hyped and I think I asked Jared I was like '€˜How do people get sick of this? Like how would people ever get jaded?'€™ I mean I understand outside forces but it was just such a good feeling that I think it made all of us want to strive to continue to be able to do that and I think that'€™s what we'€™re trying to do right now. Be an international band.

Well that kind of goes in line with what I was going to ask. I mean obviously this year especially with in these past few years you guys have been constantly touring. This past year has been crazy for you guys. Where would you want to be in like one year? Do you want to be doing that? Like getting to these bigger venues like what are your goals?
John: I don'€™t know.
Jared: I think that there'€™s that kid inside of me that wants to be the biggest band in the world. I mean that will always be like part of my drive or our drive. I do feel like I'€™m extremely happy with what we'€™ve been able to do.
John: I think for me I want to be able to write and record music for a long time and I think that if we can do two records a year that would be incredible.
Pull a Never Shout?
John: Yeah (laughs) I think so. I mean if we could do that or even a record and three months of touring in a year, I think that'€™s how people don'€™t get burnt out. I think you put out music and you'€™re excited about it and you tour on it and then you go back into the studio.
Jared: Yeah I mean it'€™s like bands tour and tour and tour on the same album cycles.
John: It'€™s like how long did Kesha tour her two songs that were popular. You know what I mean like I just think that that as an artist would get (hard) but maybe I'€™m using the term artist loosely in that sense.
Jared: It'€™s such a great experience to roll out the new stuff. Especially in the live sets and then even taking the older songs that we'€™re maybe a little bit more bored with and revamp those and get those up to speed with where we are now. So what'€™s the word I'€™m looking for? Just content. You always want them to feel new and exciting. New material is fun.

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