This Providence have put up a new website. The band will release their new self-titled album on September 12th through Fueled By Ramen.
The Hush Sound – Like Vines
Artist: The Hush Sound
Album: Like Vines
Label: Decaydance / Fueled By Ramen
Purchase: Smart Punk
Release Date: June 6, 2006
Overall: 9.0
Music: 9.0
Lyrics: 8.5
Production: 9.5
“Like Vines” is the bands first CD “So Sudden,” but with Patrick Stump and Sean O’Keefe on production. With that being said I must say I thought This record was going to turn The Hush Sound into something they are not and taint the bands very original sound, but this record was the best of both worlds. The Hush Sounds originality is still there and always will be, but now with a pinch of Stumps Mainstream hooks , and a dash of Sean O’keefe’s sound board Skills. The piano is worked very well into this CD and is not over produced but kept the way it should be. In my eyes this album shines brightest when both male and female vocals are used in the same song. I love the way “Like Vines” flows every track from male voice to female voice, but theres nothing like “Don’t Wake Me Up,” “Wine Red,” or the end of “What Went Wrong.” Bob and Greta’s solo tracks are also very good, with “You Are The Moon” by Greta being my favorite track on the whole cd.(I get this Willi Wonka vibe from it.) The lyrics I still question… I dig how they are different and not about what everyone else is talking about, but on the other hand it is almost too many happy things to throw in one cd… I mean “magnolia’s, tangerines, vines,skies,and moons” are awesome cause its different, nowadays, but they could have done a lot better on the lyrical aspect. The music is simple but complex which is what I love about the Hush Sound, they are such a chill band but you give them a hot second and they will rock your socks off. If you were a fan of The Hush Sound before you still will be , and if you don’t know who this chicago based band is then go pick up “Like Vines,” it will surely make you smile, maybe too much!
Track Listing
1. We Intertwined
2. A Dark Congregation
3.Sweet Tangerine
4. Lions Roar
5. Lighthouse
6. Don’t Wake Me Up
7. Where We Went Wrong
8. Magnolia
9. Wine Red
10. Out Through the Curtain
11. You are the Moon
Standout Tracks
“A Dark Congregation”, “You are the Moon”, “Don’t Wake Me Up”
Gym Class Heroes Post New Track
Gym Class Heroes have posted a new track titled “7 Weeks” featuring William Beckett of The Academy Is… on their PureVolume page. Their upcoming album, As Cruel As School Children will be out July 25th through Decaydance / Fueled By Ramen Records.
The band also has a new song titled “Clothes Off!” feat. Patrick Stump up for streaming at Alternative Press.
Cute Is What We Aim For – The Same Old Blood Rush With a New Touch
Artist: Cute Is What We Aim For
Album: The Same Old Blood Rush With a New Touch
Label: Fueled By Ramen
Purchase: Smart Punk
Release Date: June 20, 2006
Overall: 5.5
Music: 5.6
Lyrics: 5.7
Production: 5.4
Having followed this band since last summer, I had high hopes for this album. They were shattered to an extent. There’s an odd thing going on with this disc. Usually, the first half of an album is good and the last half is forgettable. It’s reversed here.
Cute have delivered twelve tracks that leave me mixed on where this album stands in my collection.
“Newport Living” suffers from an awkward opening and bad lyrics like, “If you lie, you don’t deserve to have friends.” Whereas “Risque” is just skippable altogether. Fan favorite “There’s a Class For This” suffers from new production and an out of place and bored William Beckett. “Sweat the Battle Before the Battle Sweats You” is a decent song that sounds more full in comparison to the ones before it. “The Fourth Drink Instinct” was the first compelling song on the album.
“Sweet Talk 101” has an opening that could very well be ripped from Coheed and Cambria’s “Three Evils.” Seriously, listen to their openings back to back. Sketchy.
There’s also the songs that helped this band gain its popularity. “Finger Twist and Split” sounds overproduced now, opposed to the more natural feel of the demo. It still tends to stick out more than other songs on here. “Lyrical Lies” suffers from Shaant trying to be fancy with his vocal style and it takes away from the charm of this slow burner. “Teasing To Please” could possibly be the best song on this disc, actually improving on the demo.
New tracks “I Put the Metro in Metronome,” “Curse of Curves,” and “Moan” try their best to make this album worth a purchase as they’re all gems. “Curse of Curves” sounds sped up when compared to the original internet preview. Maybe it’s just me, but if anyone else can tell, please let me know.
The album is definitely pulled down by the repeated use of certain lyrics. I’m not just talking in certain songs, either. The word “gent(s)” is used numerous times throughout the disc. It also takes choruses to a new annoyance, having them repeat more times than they should.
I used to think Matt Squire could do no wrong, but alas, good things don’t last. This is my least favorite Squire-produced album, and honestly, there were not any others that I disliked.
The band is still young, and I don’t think they were ready to step up to Fueled By Ramen. This is one of the label’s weakest signings of the past two years. They have potential, but they need to stop trying so hard to be witty and liked. This album is a victim of “the angles.” If you’re just glancing at it, it seems like a pretty safe bet, but in the age of the “myspace generation” the real thing just isn’t what you were hoping for.
Tracklisting
1. Newport Living
2. There’s a Class For This
3. Finger Twist and Split
4. Risque
5. Sweat the Battle Before the Battle Sweats You
6. The Fourth Drink Instinct
7. Sweet Talk 101
8. The Curse of Curves
9. I Put the Metro In Metronome
10. Lyrical Lies
11. Moan
12. Teasing To Please(Left Side, Strong Side)
Standout Tracks: The Fourth Drink Instinct/The Curse of Curves/Moan/Teasing To Please
Forgive Durden – Wonderland
Artist: Forgive Durden
Album: Wonderland
Label: Fueled By Ramen
Purchase: Smart Punk
Release Date: May 9, 2006
Overall: 8.4
Music: 8.7
Lyrics: 8.2
Production: 8.5
Seattle’s Forgive Durden were one of two “mystery signings” by the ever growing Fueled By Ramen this past year. They are also one of the most unique bands on the label’s roster. “Wonderland” is a concept album touching on several different social issues that are problems in the world today. The result is an album that’s not your typical pop-punk that the label has been delivering as of late.
Mixing elements of pop and prog, the band’s songs are constructed more intricately than those of their labelmates, yet still retain their ability to hook you in. Songs like “Ear to Ear” and “Parable of the Sower” are perfect examples of this. Meanwhile a song like “Il Tango Della Signora Francesco Di Bartolommeo Di Zanobi Del Giocondo” shows how ambitious the band can be while sounding different from their contemporaries. Drawing influences from several different styles, Forgive Durden are an amaglam of flavor that should be able to please everyone from fans of Fall Out Boy to fans of Coheed and Cambria.
Tracklisting
1. Ants
2. Beware The Jubjub Bird And Shun The Frumious Bandersnatch
3. Ear To Ear
4. Parable Of The Sower
5. Il Tango Della Signora Francesco Di Bartolommeo Di Zanobi Del Giocondo
6. A Dead Person Breathed On Me!
7. The Great Affair Is To Move
8. Harry Frazee And No No Nanette
9. For A Dreamer, Night’s The Only Time Of Day
10. I’ve Got A Witch Mad At Me And You Might Get Into Trouble
11. Cue The Sun
Punchline – 37 Everywhere
Artist: Punchline
Album: 37 Everywhere
Label: Fueled By Ramen
Purchase: Smart Punk
Release Date: April 11, 2006
Overall: 8.2
Music: 8.9
Lyrics: 8.3
Production: 8.1
I’m that kid. What kid? The Chattanooga kid. You might not know what that means if you don’t keep up with Punchline. This band only sold 3 CDs in Chattanooga, TN. Two of those CDs were bought by me. I went on a promotional campaign, holding a sign on the side of the road with the words “Buy A Punchline CD!” scribbled on it. I even converted teachers to Punchkids. That’s how much I love this band.
“Rewind” was a pop-punk EP that was so different than anything of that style I had ever heard. The songs were long, raw, catchy, and had a different tone to them than say, New Found Glory. “Action” was even better. Punchline had refined their sound, shortened their songs, and if they could “shine” in my ears, they would.
So how excited was I for “37 Everywhere?” Very.
Punchline’s sound has matured, but it’s still fun. With the addition of input from new guitarist Greg Wood, the songwriting has only been added to. I was worried about how Greg would do in Paul’s stead, but I’m worried no more.
The arena ready guitar opening of “Flashlight” sounds like tough guy punk rock, but when complemented by the voice of Steve Soboslai, we’re reminded that these guys have melody in mind when writing their music. The song also features Anthony of Bayside who just adds to the charm of this song.
“Don’t Try This At Home” keeps things going with lyrics about growing up and an upbeat chorus. The song includes a guitar solo, that while short and sweet, makes you wonder if that was a Punchline song you just listened to.
“The Getaway” hops around the field, going from slow, to rocking, back to slow, etc.
“Green Light” is Punchline playing fast, fun, and thoughtful.
“Caller 10” has lyrics that play out like a movie with an unhappy ending, but isn’t that essentially life? Relating to this song is something I can do best.
Slowing the album down is “For the Second Time.” It’s a song about loss, and a Punchline song has never really made me relatively sad, but this one has the ability to do that. Then again, I’m a pretty cheesey dude.
Ah, “The Fake, The Snake, And The Birthday Cake.” This is my favorite song on the album. The lyrics really shine here. “You’re only hip as in hypocrite, and critically unacclaimed.” I love Steve’s voice on songs like this. He gets a little angry and it adds a lot of flare to the song. There’s also classic Punchline harmonies involved.
“How Could You” and “Wars Will Always Happen” are two fast, driving songs that keep the momentum up.
The bassline in “They Are Strong Hands” is sick. Eat your heart out “Dance, Dance.”
“Exactly” closes the album out with Greg and Steve trading vocal duty back and forth for a round. The song sounds like an upbeat, more rocking version of something your parents could enjoy.
One thing that’s always made Punchline stand out among the other 439274 million pop punk bands in the world is their music. They seem to pay more attention to their song arrangements and think out their instruments capabilities a lot more than most bands. By not following the same three chord structures in every song and changing up the tempo and styles in their songs, the band keeps things fresh.
I love Steve’s voice. I wish there were way more harmonies on this disc, though. That’s one thing that got me hooked on this band.
The album art is so much fun to look at, too. I want posters of it.
Overall, Punchline have made an album to be proud of. They’ve always stood above the crowd, and to be as underrated as they are, it’s not fair. Please check this album out, as well as their other work. Also check out their blogs if you get a chance. These guys always have fun stuff to read.
Tracklisting
1. Flashlight
2. Don’t Try This At Home
3. The Getaway
4. Green Light
5. Caller 10
6. For The Second Time
7. The Fake, The Snake, And The Birthday Cake
8. How Could You
9. Wars Will Always Happen
10. They Are Strong Hands
11. Exactly
October Fall – A Season In Hell
Artist: October Fall
Album: Albatross
Label: Decaydance / Fueled By Ramen
Purchase: Smart Punk
Release Date: February 21, 2006
Overall: 8.5
Lyrics: 8.0
Music: 8.9
Production: 9.4
It surely has been a season in Hell for October Fall. This Chicago band has had quite an amount of drama over the past few months. With the unexpected dismissal of their bass player and questionable tourmates, there’s been a backlash from their old fan base. However, their past few tours have been gaining them more and more fans, and with a stint on Fall Out Boy’s upcoming arena tour, the kids are gonna eat this up.
All situations aside, it’s easy for me to say that this is a well written pop album. That’s right. It’s a straight up pop album. If you try to classify this as anything else, you’re just trying to nitpick at it. Try to picture if you will, a harmony-heavy, adolescent Something Corporate and you’ll have a feel for October Fall’s sound.
“Second Chances” opens the album with a spacey synth part that is joined by the bands’ normal instruments of choice. The tame verse builds up into an explosive chorus and the song proceeds to burst through your speakers and grab your attention. Then out of nowhere, there’s a country part in the middle of the song. I don’t know what prompted the band to put it there, but it seems like it fits.
“Caught In the Rain” has a melody that makes me think of an older song that I can’t remember the name or lyrics for, but I know it sounds similar to something. The beat of this song actually kind of makes me want to dance. It’s not a dance song by any means, but it’s danceable. I know that sounds contradictory, but listen to the song and you’ll probably want to grab someone and start spinning around.
The third track, which happened to be the original title of this album, “Keep Dreaming Upside Down,” is my favorite track here. During the bridge, we can hear female vocals come out of nowhere. They’re from none other than Paramore’s Hayley Williams. We all know I’m a sucker for this girl’s voice. It mixes with Pat’s for an amazing harmony, and that helps this song stick out. The drums for this song pound away and are another point you’ll probably focus on when listening.
“Walking,” which was made available on Purevolume and Myspace last year, tones things down a bit and gets serious lyrically. It’s another strong track that if you didn’t hear it before, you’ll enjoy more and more with every listen.
“It Was Summer…(Baby Steps)” would be an ideal single if the chorus was as energetic as the previous songs’. This is radio-ready material right here. These guys can craft a damn good pop song. I really like this track and my only complaint is the lack of the explosive chorus it deserves.
A SoCo-song-worthy piano part leads off “Tounge Tied.” It’s slower than the other songs, but it’s not a skippable track. I absolutely love Pat’s voice on this song. He hits some great notes all throughout it. The chorus starts off whispered and builds up, and it’s a great display of Pat’s range.
For a long time, “Hey Hey” was the only song anyone had to listen to on Purevolume and Myspace. The album version has been slightly modified, but if you’re familiar with the song, you’ll notice some of the notes in the instrumentation have been changed. The lyrics and vocals are pretty much the same. The piano sticks out way more in this version than the demo.
“Here We Go From the Top” is more of the same. It’s another song with a strong vocal display.
“Keep It Comin’ ” hops around from traditional rock to electronic. It’s complete with the spiteful lyrics that the “Taking Shape” EP had.
The last two songs on the album were the only ones I didn’t enjoy listening to as much as the others.
Like them or hate them, October Fall have delivered a debut full of songs that showcase the band’s pop-sensibilities. Anyone can write a pop song. It’s hard to write ENJOYABLE pop-songs. That’s what these are. I enjoyed listening to this album. Couple the enjoyable melodies with the synth lines that are sprinkled throughout the songs, and the different instrumentation here and there, and you’ve got a nice departure from normal piano-rock. Pat has a knack for writing catchy, hook-filled songs. I’m a sucker for them. I’m a sucker for this album. It’s my new guilty pleasure. This band isn’t here for “scene cred.” They’re here to make something of themselves, and if marketed correctly, this album should get into the right hands to make these guys relatively big.
Track Listing
1. Second Chances
2. Caught in the Rain
3. Keep Dreaming Upside Down
4. Walking
5. It Was Summer…(Baby Steps)
6. Tounge Tied
7. Hey Hey
8. Here We Go From the Top
9. Keep It Comin’
10. A Part of Me
11. If We’re All Alone, Aren’t We In This Together
Gym Class Heroes Interview November 4th, 2005
Last night, I got to chill out with Travis, Matt, and Disashi of Gym Class Heroes in their van, and let me tell you, these guys are awesome. Matt didn’t talk much, and Disashi mostly laughed, but they’re cool dudes. Travis is one of the straightest guys I’ve met, and if you ever get a chance to meet this amazing person, please do so and show him some love.
Trevor: So this is the end of the tour, right?
Travis: Yeah, tomorrow’s the last date.
Trevor: How’s it been so far?
Travis: Awesome. Really, really awesome. But now it’s kinda come to the point where we’re all like, “Alright, let’s wrap this up and go home.”
(Laughter)
Travis: It’s always like that. It could be the coolest tour ever but once it wraps down to the last two or three days it can get pretty grueling.
Matt: I kind of equate it to the last week of school, you know, before summer vacation. It’s kind of like that.
Trevor: I know the fans here are into music that’s a lot different from what you guys play, but have they been reacting really well to you guys?
Travis: Well I mean there’s never a crowd, and there won’t be for a while, that’s all our own. Like, I mean before, when we first started playing, there weren’t kids there to see us at all. Now you’ll see groups, and you’ll see the kids that like to merge and it’s really really cool. I think I’m more comfortable..well, I wouldn’t want to say more comfortable, but I wouldn’t..I don’t know how I would take it if there was a whole crowd there to see us. I mean, it’s cool, but it’s also cool to take kids that necessarily wouldn’t listen to us in any other situation and have them go home and say, “That was cool.”
Trevor: Is there a specific band on this tour that you guys have been watching and digging a lot?
Travis: He Is Legend. Those guys are blowing me away.
Trevor: They’re awesome live. I saw them back in June and it was a crazy show.
Travis: Those guys are amazing. One of my new favorite bands. They’re really, really, really, really great dudes, too.
Trevor: What have you guys been doing to keep you occupied? I mean, this has been a really long tour. Weren’t there two runs of it?
Travis: Yeah, Gatsby’s and then He Is Legend. We’ve been doing the same shit we do any other tour. We listen to music, I’ve been doing a lot of video editing and shit and um..
Matt: We just bought the new Tony Hawk. We’ve been playing that a lot.
Travis: Yeah, it’s really fun.
Trevor: Alright, your labelmates, Panic! At the Disco..they’re uh..they’re blowing up. Do you guys have an opinion on that? I asked October Fall about it and they were stoked about it, and I talked to Panic! and of course they were stoked. So what do you think of it?
Travis: I think it’s awesome man. Definitely. Especially like..anybody that you have a correlation with, you’re always excited for them to further..you know what I mean, to go further and I think it’s beautiful.
Trevor: Speaking of Panic!, do you think there’s a chance of a Decaydance Tour later?
Travis: Um..perhaps. I mean, shit is so crazy right now, I mean, we’re writing our new record and stuff, but I’m sure something like that or another Fueled By Ramen Tour will go down soon, in the next year or so.
Trevor: Yeah, and you guys were wanting to record this winter, right? Do you have any dates scheduled to start recording?
Travis: Actually, we start writing right after this tour. We’re gonna take like three days off and then start writing the record right away, so we’re shooting for this winter and it’ll definitely be out by next summer.
Trevor: Is that when you’d like for it to be out? This summer?
Travis: Yeah, definitely.
Trevor: Is there the chance of any more collaborations like “Naked Peek-A-Boo?”
Travis: Uh..I mean, there might be. I mean, there’s definitely a lot of artists we’ve toured with that we have in mind for our next album. It’s going to be really tasteful as opposed to just getting somebody on our record for namesake. You might even have to like..like..dig into it to find who’s actually on the record. It’s gonna be one of those deals.
Trevor: Alright, so you went to the UK. How was that?
Travis: Amazing! We played one show. Just one show. We just hung out, and it was incredible. I can’t wait to go back. It’d be really awesome.
Trevor: Okay, “The Papercut Chronicles”. I’ve noticed a lot of the album has serious topics, and then there’s humorous stuff in it. Did you try to balance it out, or did it just come out that way?
Travis: I think that it’s my life in a nutshell. My lifestyle, you know? I don’t think anybody in this band takes themselves too seriously. And I think that’s how I’ve delt with serious stuff. I throw a little humor on, or look at it in a humorous way. And I don’t know..laughing. Laughing is probably one of the coolest, healthiest forms of therapy, for me at least. So when it came time to post the album, I definitely wanted to touch things that were relevant and things going on in my life, but at the same time, have a little fun. I think that’s one of the cool things about Gym Class, is that, like I said, we don’t take ourselves too seriously and have a lot of fun with what we do. I think the next album will definitely have the same element. It’ll have a little humor to it. I like making…girls laugh.
(Laughter)
Trevor: I asked some people if they had any questions that they wanted me to ask you so these are a little bit off the wall.
Travis: Alright, alright. Cool.
Trevor: Um…how often do you get snakebit?
Travis: Oh man! I know exactly where that came from. Was that from Erika?
Trevor: I’m pretty sure. She was like, “Ask him that, he’ll crack up!”
Travis: That’s so funny. Oh man, I get snakebit way too much and the anti-venoms don’t even work anymore.
Trevor: Are any of you guys cereal guys? Do you like any specific ceral?
(Matt shakes his head and Disashi continues to chill in the back of the van.)
Travis: I love ceral. Shit, I love soggy, cinnamon Life.
(Laughter)
Trevor: Brittany really wants to know where you went to art school.
Travis: Munsen Williams in Proctor, in Utica New York. Don’t go there.
(Laughter)
Travis: Don’t support the demons.
Trevor: Are you guys going to be going through Miami any time soon?
Travis: Miami? Um..(Looks back at Matt)
Matt: Orlando.
Travis: Yeah, we’ll be in Orlando next week, or in a couple of weeks. But um..Miami may have to wait until the next album’s, done.
Matt: I don’t think we’ve ever played in Miami.
Travis: I don’t think we have, either.
Trevor: Speaking of Florida, with the hurricanes and everything, what do you think about that?
Travis: It sucks. It sucks and I feel fortunate that we live in New York and really don’t have to worry about crazy shit like that. I mean, we get ice storms and stuff, but I can’t imagine having to put up with fear the minute a storm comes, and you’re worried that your house is going to get washed away or something.
Trevor: A lot of crazy shit has happened over the past few weeks. You had Andy from the Junior Varsity’s girlfriend…
Travis: That was really tragic.
Trevor: And then Bayside…
Travis: It’s crazy, man. Like, my heart goes out to all those people who were involved or have any relation to those kids or to Beatz, you know. I mean, it’s really really tragic and it’s hard. Especially being on the road. Anything can happen out here. We’re constantly hearing stories, whether it’s someone getting killed, someone dying, vans or trailers getting jacked, I mean, it’s really crazy. Like, we’re out here trying to entertain people and have fun doing what we love to do, but there’s constantly, you’re constantly in the back of your mind thinking, “Damn anything can happen right now or tomorrow.” I mean, I was talking about bands getting robbed, it’s like the new black. I mean, trailers..and bands getting their equipment stolen. Like, the other night I was just..up, like seriously checking the window every five seconds, you know what I’m saying? The road is crazy man. There’s a lot of cool things that happen out here, but there’s also a lot of crazy things we have to deal with.
Trevor: How difficult was it to think of the basic structure of each song for “The Papercut Chronicles?”
Travis: Lyrically it was like, I would start out and the first line would determine how the rest of the song was gonna go. Like, the first two lines, and once that idea was in the air, I mean, if it’s a fictional story or whatever you want to do with it. Once there’s the idea, you just tumble with it, fall with it until you like it and then you mold it and play with it for a while.
Trevor: And this one’s from me. You still love Kelly Clarkson?
Travis: Shit yeah man, are you kidding me? (Unzips his jacket to reveal an “I <3 Kelly Clarkson” t-shirt)
Trevor: Haha, that’s freaking awesome.
(Laugher)
Trevor: Thanks for sitting down with me.
Travis: No problem man, no problem.
October Fall Interview October 6th, 2005
I had the pleasure of interviewing Pat and Clark from October Fall in Nashville behind The Muse. This interview had to be conducted in one of the weirdest places….we were next to “The World’s Largest Adult Bookstore.” Hmm. We also had some nice homeless fellows try to bum change from us, and we didn’t have any, but Pat was nice enough to offer Halls cough drops.
Trevor: Can you guys state your names and what you do for the band?
Pat: I’m Pat D’Andrea, I play guitar and sing and write the songs with Clark.
Clark: And I’m Clark Harrison. I play guitar and sing backgrounds…a lot.
Trevor: You guys formed in 2003 right?
Pat: Kind of.
Clark: Yeah, kind of
Pat: Well like, me and Clark have been writing music together since the sixth grade and we’ve been best friends for forever. It’s really weird. We can’t get rid of eachother. And um, basically, we went across the street one day and there was a drummer there and we kind of played with him and we met Boats, our piano player. He just happened to be sitting at this new drummer for-one-day’s house hanging out and waiting for a ride home.
Clark: Yeah, it was really weird.
Pat: So basically me and him started the band a while ago, and then Boats was the last surviving member. Everyone else was kind of replaced. So yeah, I guess 2003-ish
Clark: Haha sorry.
Pat: Yeah, we elaborate.
Trevor: So were you guys getting big crowds back then or small shows?
Clark: No.
Pat: No, it’s weird. We were playing acoustic for a while and like, the chicks are great.
Clark: Haha yeah.
(Laughter)
Pat: No, no, that was Almost Famous.
Clark: There was a group of like, 20 girls that would follow us around for a while, though.
Pat: Yeah, but then when we started playing a different sound, we started getting a pretty good following for a while. And not that it died of or anything, we just started changing our sound and maturing.
Trevor: So playing this tour, how big have the shows been? I mean, obviously you played a pretty small show tonight, but like, is it reminding you of when you started or…?
Pat: No, I guess now because we’re on such a different level musically since we recorded our record and everything. We just have so much fun on tour.
Clark: Yeah, I guess it’s kind of like we’re starting over.
Pat: It’s really a good thing because we want to be known as a different band. What’s weird is our first show was at The Fireside for like, fifty people in Chicago. Have you ever heard “Somewhere Down on Fullerton” by Allister?
Trevor: Yeah.
Pat: That song’s about there, but it was really weird. Like, we had a really good first show and ever since then, we just promoted the shit out of our shows.
Trevor: Oh man, I totally forgot about Allister being Chicago kids. Have you heard their new stuff?
Pat and Clark: Yeah, some of it.
Trevor: Oh, it’s good. Like, I don’t know..for a while I was kinda…
Pat: Skeptical?
Trevor: Yeah, well about Drive-Thru now. I wish it was my tenth grade year all over again, because that’s when Drive-Thru was really starting to pick up, then the whole Geffen thing happened. I don’t know, they’re working on getting things back to normal.
Pat: Yeah, they are. Richard and Stefanie are our friends. We actually hung out with them while we were in California recording our album. They’re really cool dudes and they know what they’re doing.
Trevor: Yeah, they’ve always seemed really down to earth.
Clark: Yeah, they’re really nice.
Trevor: Okay. Obvious question. You guys signed to Decaydance, which is Pete Wentz’s imprint.
Pat: Yep.
Trevor: How does it feel having a guy like Pete love you guys that much, that he will sign you and put his trust and faith in you?
Clark: It feels good!
Pat: It’s awesome. What’s cool about it is, it’s really weird. We’ve liked Fall Out Boy for a really long time and we used to go to their shows when they were around our hometown. I was definitely one of like, the three kids they were playing to at Wherehouse Music, like this little venue. It’s really cool that he got interested in us and stuff. Like, when we hang out with him we’re not like, “Oh it’s Pete from Fall Out Boy!” It’s Pete and he’s our dude.
Trevor: Yeah, well see, that’s like how I am at any show I go to. I saw them back in April at the Fueled By Ramen Tour, and I just saw Joe walking around. I was just like, “Hey man, what’s up?” and we talked and it was great. I don’t know. It’s just fun to see kids freak out around bands, though.
Pat: Haha, oh yeah, dude.
Trevor: Yeah, you guys are people, too.
Pat and Clark: Yeah, totally!
Trevor: Now, did you guys record this summer, or before?
Clark: We recorded in late July through the middle of September of 2005, so yeah, this summer.
Pat: Yeah, we went to San Diego. We worked with Mike Green, he did the Paramore record and the Over It record, which is what got us involved with him. We went out there and did like two or three weeks of pre-production and basically me and Clark worked on a lot of stuff with him.
Clark: Yeah, we’d go over songs and stuff.
Pat: We went out there with the frame of mind of making a really good rock record, like something that was not going to get thrown away in ten years. Something that can still be played in ten years.
Clark: Haha, yeah. Try to keep it as timeless as possible.
Pat: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Like…Billy Joel shit, you know?
Trevor: I like the Piano sound. It kind of reminds me of the Socratic stuff and Something Corporate and Jack’s Mannequin.
Pat: I love Jack’s Mannequin. I love Andrew McMahon. Let the record show that.
(I show Pat my Andrew-“I Will Fight” band)
Trevor: I will fight.
Pat: Dude that’s awesome!
Trevor: Yeah, as soon as they got that up, I was like, “I’ve got to get one of those.”
Pat: I have mine in my backpack.
Trevor: Really?
Pat: Yeah. He was a huge influence on me, but that’s not why we have a piano in the band. We just liked that guy and that kind of fell into our laps.
Trevor: What’s some of the content that you guys have written about on the new album?
Pat: Well, when I was writing lyrically, I was looking at from the perspective..we had actually a whole record.
Clark: We had a good nine..ten songs like solid that that was how they were exactly going to be on the record.
Pat: We were going out there and I was playing the songs every day trying to see if I really liked them and I kind of had a little bit of a problem with them. I was like, “You know what, this sounds like a lot of bands that are out there and I don’t want to do that. I was like, “Let’s test ourselves.” We have good structures in some aspects but when we got out there we’d try to do an all out rock band. I was doing lyrics, too, so when I was writing these songs, I didn’t want to be dwelling on the moment. I didn’t want to be like, “Oh, this girl cheated on me.” or “This girl did this and I’m really pissed about it.” so I was writing with more of a hopeful vibe. That’s what the song “Walking” is like. One of the lyrics is, “Just keep on wishing on the stars outside your window.” and it was more like an insightful look.
Clark: Yeah, and it has something to do with the name of the record.
Pat: Yeah, the name of the record is “Keep Dreaming Upside Down.”
Trevor: Do you have a release date for that yet? I know, the website said early 2006.
Pat: February-ish.
Trevor: Everybody’s releasing albums in February on Valentines day.
Pat: Yeah, I don’t think we’re going to do that.
Trevor: Please don’t.
Pat: If our record came out on Valentine’s day, I’d definitely be doing something else. Haha.
Trevor: Okay, your labelmates, Panic! at the Disco. What do you think of them selling their 9,500?
Clark: It’s incredible. It’s just like wow.
Pat: Yeah, that was actually Fueled By Ramen’s biggest first week ever.
Trevor: Yeah, that’s nuts.
Clark: It’s ridiculous.
Trevor: Their promotional campaign where they posted the clips on their myspace, and the full songs on purvolume, that had people talking. Are you guys going to try something similar?
Pat: I’m not sure yet. We’re talking with John, like..we run through John Janick a lot. He owns Fueled By Ramen. He is the man. Like, him and Pete have this great relationship going. John does a lot of the business stuff. We always say, “In John Janick we trust.” He should seriously be on the next dollar bill.
(Laughter)
Pat: So we’re trying to think of ways to release the new songs and stuff. We have like, four months to prep people for what’s going on.
Trevor: You guys have had “Hey Hey” up for a pretty good while now.
Clark: Yeah, it’s a little bit changed now. The album version is different from the demo.
Pat: But most songs are like that.
Trevor: What do you have planned after this tour?
Clark: I think we have a few plans.
Pat: Yeah, we’re kind of up in the air with stuff. We’re basically going to tour tour tour.
Clark: Yeah, we’re going to stay on the road.
Pat: There’s 365 days in the year. We want to be home five.
Clark: Those are holidays, and if we don’t have to be home on the holidays, that’s fine, too.
Trevor: Alright guys..thank you for doing this interview
Pat: Oh no, dude, thank you.
Trevor: Haha..in front of…
All: The World’s Largest Adult Bookstore
(Laughter)
Pat: Thanks so much.
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