Taking Back Sunday is set to kick off their headlining tour on June 14, in Denver, CO. The summer-long run, which also features Thursday and Colour Revolt, will support the release of their new album Taking Back Sunday, due out June 28.
The self-titled release is a return to the band’s original line-up from their 2002 debut Tell All Your Friends: vocalist Adam Lazzara, guitarist Eddie Reyes and drummer Mark O’Connell have reunited with vocalist/guitarist John Nolan and bass player Shaun Cooper, who departed in 2003. Tell All Your Friends has sold over one million records worldwide, and launched the band as one of the most influential of its generation. Taking Back Sunday is featured on the cover of the July issue of Alternative Press magazine, with a 13-page spread inside. Recorded in Los Angeles with producer Eric Valentine (Queens of the Stone Age, All American Rejects), Taking Back Sunday is the New York band’s fifth studio album, three of which have been certified gold.
As a reviewer of the music, constantly exposed to all walks of bands, sometimes you just need to rock it out. Sometimes you just need that show that will leave you faceless, sweating from every crevass and ears blown. Now granted, having been a previous fan, I knew this show would be good. But I had NO idea it would be THAT good. Therefore, when the fellas ofManchester Orchestra recently took the stage in Kansas City they proceeded to fill the need – the need for Rock ‘n Roll.
Being that it was the first stop on their headlining tour, naturally there were a few – well – kinks, to work out. A touch of difficulty in the monitors and a dash of feedback from the mics were just minor hiccups in the night. But from the first song “April Fool,” the night was set at a high octane. The songs’ classic rock elements including: a lead guitar piercing through with its hip note progressions, a bass that keeps an ever-so-slight groove going and vocals full of raw energy – are the elements that got this crowd officially kicking.
The set list rolled through selections from not only the new album Simple Math, but also I’m Like A Virgin Losing A Child and their previous success story Mean Everything To Nothing. A stand out from the “older” songs was “Now That You’re Home.” The brutal transitions between the soft melodic verses and the slashing guitar breaks that fell in the normal chorus slots, kept each head in that place methodically banging.
Another selection off the new album was the pep-fest found in “Pensacola.” The tone of this song almost sounded like a parody of an actual song. The eagerness in each musician was easy to see. And the vocals were similar to that of a cheerleader’s chant, while the repetitive chipper drum beats only furthered the slightly odd nature of the song.
After a pause or two to connect (individually) with the audience, the set shifted back to an “oldie-but-goodie.” Even though “Colly Strings” doesn’t initially come off as a song of the same potential that the rest of the night had, you simply have to give it a moment. Eventually a combination of dramatic drums beats and long, drawn out strums, gave the sense of tears shedding for the bands’ rock ballad. Sure the tempo gradually breaks out and vocals are grabbed from a little lower in the gut, but, in general, the song remains at some level of “ballad-ness,” and an excellent example of the pure talent on stage that night.
A few numbers off Mean Everything To Nothing finished off the traditional set. And after the “we’re-gonna-walk-off-stage-just-to-come-back-in-two-minutes” break, we were met with dance hit “Shake It Out.” Seriously, in the live environment, that’s what this song was. Similar to the energy found with Taking Back Sunday, this song is extremely quick and extremely fun. The lead guitar pretty much sticks to the same 3-4 notes, but those notes are done with such insanity, it begs the question why you’d need more. Complete with an angry scream in the latter half of the song, it was a perfect selection to keep the crowd awake.
“Are you guys ok if we don’t play ‘Friends’”? This question was met with a mixture of boos and hoots. Even the band couldn’t figure what the audience wanted to do. Regardless, if you’re a band at that level, you pretty much know you have to play your hit from your prior album, whether you really want to or not. And they did. It was awesome.
The set was supposed to end with “Simple Math” (per the setlist I snapped a shot of), but instead they ran out of time and left the evening with a cover and the song: “Where Have You Been?” Because of this, they left the sounds of my new favorite Manchester song ringing in my ears. As a fan of the slightly darker, more alternative bands, this song fit perfectly. From the eerie ween of the guitar in the beginning, to the harmonizing vocals set in the bass octave, the entire song was anything but cheery. But it was the predominant guitar part, with its chord progression set at the top of the neck, that carried the entire 4 min and 28 seconds. And still repeats in my head.
After this show I could only come to one conclusion – I’ve been listening to the wrong Manchester Orchestra songs this entire time!
This time of year, roads are finding extra wear from families driving to grandmas, airports are flooded with people returning home for the holidays and for those that can’t travel, they’re gathering their friends close together with holiday parties and chats over hot cocoa. This is because the point of Christmas isn’t commercial as some Scrooges might have you believe. The point, whether religious about the holidays or not, is about love and expressing that by being around the people you love. Taking Back Sunday’s new holiday tune, “Merry Christmas; I Missed You So Much” is all about returning to home and the people you love.
“Merry Christmas; I Missed You So Much” was recorded while the band has been in the studio working on its new album. The song starts off much like another song by the band, “Divine Intervention.” Just a strummed rhythm on acoustic guitar, while Adam sings, the title. Then the band expands it – a fingered guitar line, a marching drum roll and then the band’s famous vocal call and response. My personal favorite part of the song is when the “Ho-o-o-ome” lyric enters and is providing a harmony with “Merry Christmas; I Missed You So Much.”
You can listen to the new Christmas song on the band’s MySpace here.
The band will begin recording their fifth studio album in Los Angeles this summer with producer Eric Valentine.
“We are so excited to be able to play songs in front of people with this line up of the band,” says Lazzara. “So we have to play a few shows before we go off to make the new record. All of these venues have special meanings for us, and we’ve had so much support in these cities.” Nolan agrees. “I think we’re going to be backstage waiting to go on and just jumping up and down. It’s going to be amazing to share the excitement that we’ve been feeling for these past few weeks with an audience.”
A VIP pre-sale for the dates begins Wednesday, May 5 at 5 p.m. local time. The VIP Package includes an afternoon fan meet & greet at which ticket holders can participate in and film a Q&A with the band. They will also receive early entry to the venue and a signed set list. 50 VIP tickets will be available for each date. Regular ticket on-sale begins Saturday, May 8 at 10 a.m. local time, 12 noon in Chicago.
Tour Dates:
June 22 – Starland Ballrooom Sayreville, NJ
June 23 – Irving Plaza New York, NY
June 24 – Electric Factory Philadelphia, PA
June 25 – House of Blues Boston, MA
June 27 – Metro Chicago, IL
June 29 – The Wiltern Los Angeles, CA
Also uploaded to the Taking Back Sunday site was a photo that would make it appear that former guitarist John Nolan and former bassist Shaun Cooper (both of the Tell All Your Friends era and band mates from Straylight Run) have returned.
To add to the speculation, Nolan recently tumbl’d, “Look Out,” while Cooper tweeted, “I have a feeling things are about to get extremely weird.”
Why must good things always come to an end and why is that when it rains it pours?
The same week that late night TV fans had to bid adieu to CoCo, Kansas City was bidding farewell to JoCo.
The Beaumont Club Saturday night was as packed with people as the line up for the final Josephine Collective show was as packed with bands. In what might be a Kansas City first, people actually showed up early to see all openers, which might have been in part to most of the openers being the new projects of Josephine members.
Though all information listed 5 p.m. for the show, the first band actually started at 4:45 p.m., so showing up at 5:10 meant I missed Holy Mountain, but based on the size of the crowd and hum of kind words about the act when I arrived, it seems like it would have been a great set. They’re local to KC, so I’m sure I’ll get another chance to review them.
The first act I did catch was amazing and set the bar high for the rest of the groups. I had no idea this sort of group-this sort of music-existed in Kansas City. The group seemed to have the recipe for awesomeness down. They had the basics: drums and guitar. Then, they made it a little unusual by rounding the foursome out with a violinist and a cellist. But what really made them unique was what the drummer, Jared Bond did on the first song.
Jared already had me excited when he came out on stage because he is also the drummer for Josephine Collective and his group was the first of the offshoots that I was seeing. I guess he was inspired by the string players in his new group and he thought, ‘Hey, why not bow the drums.’ Can you imagine the shock of seeing someone whip at a bow to run along the cymbals? That’s something you don’t see every day.
The group’s sound, abetted by the Americana folk-style vocals and the driving riffs on the cello, was reminiscent of Murder by Death. They were all very skilled, but perhaps too much so — Chaski Zapata: loosen up. This isn’t a school orchestra concert. Granted, the group has only been together since fall 2009, so stage presence has room to grow, especially when the musical talent is already there.
The only real problem with this act is that they’re a little difficult to track down on the webs. At this show, all the promotional material billed them as Dolphin Lounge, but on stage it sounded like they kept introducing themselves as Root & Stem and then when I tried to track them online, they appeared to be known as Casa Real. I could understand being confusing and hiding if you are a shitty group, but these guys are good and I’m trying to shout about them from the mountaintops…well shout about them from the laptops at least. I’ve tried to contact them about their real name, so hopefully I’ll be able to update soon.
The indie pop trio Sailor Sequence followed the mystery band name group. I’ve talked about these guys before, but that show was colored by a drunken interference. It was kind of exciting to go from the folk rock into their cool piano melodies with crashing cymbals. They played five songs with each song better than the last. They’re like Explosions in the Sky meets Postal Service meets Twilight Sad.
They group glided through their five songs, taking just a few brief moments for singer Noffy to thank the crowd and sadly say that this would be the last in Kansas City, for awhile at least, while they adjust as some members move to Nashville. This group is fairly new to the scene, and already one of its greatest rising acts, so I’m sad to see them go. I look forward to seeing where the future brings them though.
The show was about midway through and it was time for two of the most anticipated openers. Ninety-Four and Black Oxygen. These two groups are the side projects of Josephine’s two lead singers, Alexander Sandate and Dillon Devoe, with Alex leading the Atlanta-based Ninety-Four and Dillon helming the Kansas City-based Black Oxygen.
Watching both groups, it was pretty obvious that the Josephine spirit would at least live on. Heck Ninety-Four practically looked like they were Josephine with six members swarming the stage. The same sort of energy and crazy intense rock was present in the acts. Ninety-Four leaned a little toward the harder metal with screaming more prevalent in the band’s first few numbers. Black Oxygen has been around for awhile, but they’ve gone through a minor rehaul since Dillon has joined. Regardless of their changes, I think they’ll still leave metal fans gasping for more. I felt Black Oxygen had a bit more consistency and control than Ninety-Four, but I think any Josephine fan will easily be pleased with what will come out of either band’s camp in the near future. At least the audience at this particular show seemed equally pleased with both bands and responded with appropriate fist pumps, moshing and claps to the beat.
After the taste of Josephine given by the side projects, the audience was geared and ready for JoCo, but while the singer’s got a rest before their final performance (and time to change their shirts), a final opener took to the stage: Kansas City’s popular alternative rock group Queen’s Club.
This is about the third or fourth time I’ve seen these guys and I just didn’t get it. To me they’re like the KC Nickelback if Nickelback added a dance beat to all their tunes. What I mean by this is that I just don’t get why the music is popular and yet it inexplicably is. The kids just ate that shit up. They danced, body surfed and I was in disbelief over the amount of fists pumping the air. Seriously? I want to like these guys. My friends say I should, but I just don’t get it and this is one club I won’t be joining.
I love getting more bang for my buck and at $5 a ticket, this show easily gave buyers their money’s worth, but all these bands later and I was getting extremely anxious for the headliners. When the full Josephine Collective (including Bond) finally came out, it was complete chaos, but in a good way. The band already has a bajillion members, but their close friends and the other bands surrounded the group as well serving as cheering sections. If you’ve ever had the privilege, it was like being at Girl Talk show minus the toilet paper and instead of electronic remixes, it was heavy rock tunes in the vain of The Used, Say Anything and Taking Back Sunday that got the bodies moving. Even during some of the band’s few slower numbers, moshing and crowd-surfing ran rampant.
Josephine Collective know how to throw a going away party. As they blasted through songs from their Living EPand We Are The Air, crowd-surfers ran rampant causing security to sweat, but Josephine to smile as Alex and Dillon hardly missed a beat as they dished out hugs and high-fives to the kids landing on stage.
One of the highlights of the set came early with the popular single, “Living.” When the guys sang, “It just stops,” the entire mass of bodies intensely moshing, surfing and singing froze before jumping back into the chorus as raucous as ever. Other great moments included an impromptu and jokingly sung tune about this being the band’s final shows that included mentionings of mustaches and other things. I also loved when one of the Sailor Sequence guys joined for a tune, and of course, I loved the colouration that the softer “Lye,” brought to the set.
“Josephine, Josephine, get back together,” Alex and Dillon quipped back and forth. But then they pointed at that much like an ex-girlfriend, you can get back together and, “Yeah, the sex is great, but then you start dating and you remember why you broke up.” Sad, but understandable.
We wanted the show to keep going, but with their entire catalog pretty much done, the boys had to let the final tune fly.
“Freebird.”
Yes, the group began to play “Freebird,” but sans special appearances of Will Ferrell and co. It was all in good fun before they began their final song of the evening and of their band’s lifetime: “Pray for Rain.”
January 23, 2010 – Josephine Collective reunited and ended it the way it should have ended. They will be missed, but with Dolphin Lounge/Casa Real/Root&Stem, Fire for Effect, Ninety-Four, Sensational News Commentary Groove and Black Oxygen, we can all still continue the JoCo love for years to come.
Between touring with Mansions, working to put his album out on vinyl and preparing a digital EP, Nolan still found extra time to treat his fans. To kick off the New Year, he has a free live EP that you can download here.
Tour Dates:
Jan 22 – Moe’s / Englewood, Colorado
Jan 23 – Kilby Court / Salt Lake City, Utah
Jan 25 – The Vera Project / Seattle, Washington
Jan 26 – Backspace / Portland, Oregon
Jan 28 – The Wire / Upland, California
Jan 29 – Chain Reaction / Anaheim, California
Feb 2 – Chyro Arts / Scottsdale, Arizona
Feb 4 – Emo’s / Austin, Texas
Feb 5 – Art Ambush / Waco, Texas
Feb 6 – Rock Bottom / San Antonio, Texas
Feb 7 – Prophet Bar / Dallas, Texas
In my circle of friends it is a running joke that Marco only likes Warped Tour bands. Now there is nothing wrong with that, but there is so much more out there than just that pop punk sound. In an effort to diversify his music tastes, we’ve been trying to get Marco to as many shows as possible. I think after the shock of the genre “gypsy punk,” which can be a bit out there, Marco was starting to be wary of the shows I was taking him to. So I might have tricked him into accompanying me into a particular Record Bar show.
“The Starting Line was quite popular on Warped Tour, Marco. The singer from the band is playing an intimate venue. Plus another singer at this show used to be in Taking Back Sunday. They played Warped Tour, too!”
Marco agreed and it wasn’t until we got him through the door that we told him an itsy confession.
“So, um, Marco. Yeah, these solo projects of these ‘warped tour bands,’ don’t exactly sound like those pop punk bands. The different projects sound nothing alike. In fact, this show might be what you would call ‘indie.’” Marco was nervous, but he stuck it out. And as the first band played, I saw him nodding his head a long with the music.
Mulanix Street Orchestra opened with their brand of folk alternative rock. Perhaps is not quite the best word because when they picked up speed and drummer Jeremy Morton‘s beats carried them to the end of the song, it was edgier than your typicalidea of folk rock. Yet singer Erica Fitzgerald had kind of a Nashville sound to her voice giving it that undeniable element. I think many would be surprised that such a mature sounding band was the result of rural Missouri roots. Having formed in Kirksville, they’re a bit rough around the edges, but could definitely go places when they refine themselves just a little.
The hilarious Brian Bonz & The Dot Hongs took to the tiny stage next. I’ve seen Bonz several times in the past year and while I know I can always count on his music to be consistent, his stage banter is always…unique. Bonz is a character…And I don’t say that just because the Dot Hongs and Bonz brought animals masks with them to wear.
“Joining us all the way from the set of ‘Slumdog Millionaire,’ I present to you on bass: Jinda,” said Bonz as he introduced one of his bandmates. If I didn’t know what a nice guy Bonz was and if it wasn’t evident with the band’s interactions and body language that this was in all in good fun, I’d almost be offended, but instead I couldn’t stop laughing.
The stage banter offsets Bonz’ music in a bit a funky contrasting, yet complimentary way. Speaking he can be a bit jarring in his sarcastic humor, but then it switches back to one of his songs and I just chuckle as I see the jaws drop when he begins to sing. I can almost see those little cartoon thought bubbles pop up around people’s heads, “That sweet, croon is from that guy who just used the “F” word a second ago? I don’t believe it.”
I seriously don’t know why Bonz isn’t more popular. The guy doesn’t even need a microphone to carry his voice through the venue. And the dynamics! Dynamic control is so rare in a singer these days, but Bonz will use crescendos and descrescendos like the best of the classic singers.
Bonz invited John Nolan and his wife, Camille, on stage for a song, and while I’m a sucker for the guest bits, I don’t think the guest spots had anything on the brilliant Broken Social Scene cover Bonz wrapped up with. The Dot Hongs left just Bonz alone with an acoustic guitar and his beautiful voice to sing a cover of “Superconnected” that gives the original a run for its money.
Finally it was time for the band I was most eager to see: Person L. First, I’d like to apologize to Kenny Vasoli. I think I kept selling Person L short because I was so attached to The Starting Lineand I think I wanted Person L to be a rehash of the Starting Line. But it is not. Aside from Kenny’s voice being so distinct, there really are no similarities between the two bands. So when the first Person L record came out in August 2008, I didn’t give it its due credit. I even went out to this show half-hoping that he would play a TSL cover, but he didn’t. After watching Person L play, I’m glad he didn’t.
Person L has improved so much and the songs from their new album, The Positives, that just came out on Tuesday, Nov. 17, are much more rocking and solid pieces. I think the debut record got a little too experimental, but this new one is almost like jazz rock. I’m also in love with the idea of double percussionists. It gave the live show an extra depth. I’ve also never seen Kenny give so much energy in a performance. Did he move around as much with TSL? I’m not so sure he did. His stage presence was phenomenal and if Kansas City kids weren’t so scared of touching others and catching swine flu, I’m sure there would have been some moshing.
So if you’re going to this tour expecting TSL, you won’t get it. But you will get Person L and that band does put on a great show that is worth checking out, as is their sophomore album.
Finally, it was time for the headliner, John Nolan. This show was sort of a homecoming for him since he now lives close to Kansas City in Lawrence. Many know him as a former member of Taking Back Sunday and also as the singer of Straylight Run. As a soloish musician (soloish, since his wife, Camille, joins on most of his tunes), he sounds like an acoustic and stripped down Straylight Run. It’s still a different sound and one that is a bit happier, but the transition to Nolan solo side project from his previous band isn’t as drastic as going from something like TSL to Person L. And if you are going to this tour, Nolan does appease the Straylight fans with a few of those songs and looking at set lists from different nights, these are songs for the true Straylight fans and not just the casual “Existentialism” listeners. He also played some of his recent “Collaboration Experiment,” which is available for free download, but the set mostly featured songs from his new solo debut Height.
As I said earlier, this was very stripped down. Camille played keys for many of the tunes, and John played acoustic guitar, but it was really just a spotlight on his voice: his lyrics. The passion, the pain, and much like the lyrics with Straylight, the same brilliant commentary and reflections. However, Straylight lyrics seemed to be more of a global reflection or thoughts on another. “A laundry list of problems doesn’t make you interesting,” and “Tearing out all these open pages / Women and kids of all ages / Millions of men with blank faces /Italicised lies, headlines, bold type.” But with the solo project, comes more personal subject matter and Nolan reflects more on his own actions and behaviors: “I’m consumed by what might have been again and again and again” and the very self-aware “I’m focusing my hate, but it’s hollow, unsubstantiated. / You’re an easy mark, and I just need a target right now. / I can’t face myself. I can’t honestly own up to who I am.”
Just because lyrically, the man can be a bit depressing, don’t think the live show will make you want to go home and cry into your pillow. He pours his pains into the expression of his songs and is quite pleasant and amiable in between them. He jokingly yelled at a girl to come back in the venue when he overheard her drunken friend doing the same. He even promised a dance party to the audience and delivered. After Brian Bonz and the Dot Hongs joined the Nolans for the final two numbers, they burst into a fun jam and goofy dance moves that put a fun cap on the night. I look forward to catching more of Nolan when he returns to Lawrence in December.
Remember my friend Marco at the beginning of this post? I am sure you’re wondering why I chose to tell such a lengthy tale about a friend of mine that you’ll never meet. Because I think sometimes, in our snobby land of music reviews, we automatically assume only our opinion matters and most of the time only an indie band is good, I present you Marco: a guy who likes mainstream music and couldn’t identify Ben Gibbard from a box of crayons. Now put your American Eagle wearing, Target shopping boy in the middle of the ultimate indie show and if you can get him to agree that the bands are good, then you know you have a winner. Marco made it through the show. He even smiled, clapped and bobbed along with the tunes. I’m not sure if he has fully embraced the idea of “indie” yet, but he has embraced these bands. So I ask not that you take my “pretentious views” on this show and trust in Marco. Because even if Marco can agree that this was a good show and these are good bands, then you should be able to agree to that as well.
As they wrap up their tour supporting Taking Back Sunday and dive into more headline dates on the west coast, fun. debut a brand new video for “All The Pretty Girls,” – the popular track off their critically acclaimed debut album, Aim And Ignite.
Now, in the midst of more headline shows, fun. announce their first set of tour dates in 2010, joining Jack’s Mannequin on a 12-city tour across the country (with more dates being added!).
Don’t miss fun.
Tour Dates:
Headline shows
Nov. 11 – Chain Reaction / Anaheim, CA
Nov. 13 – Troubadour / West Hollywood, CA
Tour dates w/ Jack’s Mannequin
Feb. 5 – The Showbox / Seattle, WA
Feb. 6 – Roseland / Portland, OR
Feb. 7 – Knitting Factory / Spokane, WA
Feb. 9 – In the Venue / Salt Lake City, UT
Feb. 11 – Cal State Union / Sacramento, CA
Feb. 12 – House of Blues / Las Vegas, NV
Feb. 16 – The White Rabbit / San Antonio, TX
Feb. 17 – House of Blues / Dallas, TX
Feb. 19 – The Beaumont / Kansas City, MO
Feb. 20 – First Avenue / Minneapolis, MN
Feb. 24 – Egyptian Room / Indianapolis, IN
Mar. 5 – The Norva / Norfolk, VA
While on break in the UK, the guitarist, Mike Kennerty, of Oklahoma Top 40 Rockers All-American Rejects took some time to chat with Bethany about the current tour, Tyson’s injury and more.
Bethany, PopWreckoning: Let’s start here. You all are touring in Europe at this moment. How is that going? Mike Kennerty, All-American Rejects: It is going great. We’ve been here for about four shows now and they’ve all been insane. The crowds over here are awesome so it has all been a blast. PW: Are European crowds really different than the fans you have back in the states? MK: They, lately, they seem to go a little crazier than American crowds. American crowds have become a little tame lately it seems, so it is fun to come over here and still be all hot and sweaty and wild.
PW: Now you guys, these are some of your first shows since Tyson’s injury. What kind of happened there? How did fans react when they found out that Tyson was in the hospital for five days? MK: He had an infection in his leg and it just got bad. We tried to power through some shows, but ended up having to get it taken care of. We canceled some shows and yeah, coming back, these are some of the first shows we’ve done and luckily, we were afraid he wasn’t going to be able to do some of these shows. It turns out he heals quick. I don’t think anyone here can tell the difference. He has been rocking it out regardless. The fans are all really nice and very supportive and understanding about the shows that we’ve had to cancel. We very rarely ever have to do it, so when we do, it is when it matters. PW: It seemed like when that happened, there were tons of internet rumors that kind of just got away from what was really going on. Did you have any reactions as you were reading these rumors? MK: I hadn’t heard them? What were they? PW: Oh things like, a massive tumor had to be removed. MK: Haha. That one comes from…that was Ty’s kind of own rumor he started. A few shows before we started to cancel, he was playing with a knee brace on and he would make up things on stage just to be entertaining and that was one of them. It was funny. He says a bunch of shit on stage every night and nothing ever gets out until that one thing and that one just kind of spread. But yeah, no tumors.
PW: Now with the shows you had to cancel, you were on the Blink-182 tour. What was it like to be on one of the biggest tours of the summer? It seemed like everyone was just talking about that. MK: It was great and a great line of bands. It was a blast and great to have it. Unfortunately, it had to be cut short, which wasn’t fun, but we still got to do a few weeks of it. We got to live it up and experience what it was like to tour with a band of that caliber. It was cool. PW: Next, you guys are coming back to tour the states withTaking Back Sunday, who was also on the Blink tour. What can fans expect to be different this time around when it is just you and Taking Back? MK: I think it will be a more aggressive show. Of all the bands that were on the Blink tour, us and Taking Back are the two that were definitely, you know, tear it up the most live and put our hearts into it live. I think the people just need to be prepared for lots of energy and lots of people just screaming in their faces. That’s what both of our bands bring.
PW: Sounds great. Can you tell me a little about Edmond Records? You just put out an album by a group called the Upwelling, right? Is this everybody in the band that is involved or? MK: It is just me and Tyson. It started off a few years ago. I produced a record for a guy named Ben Weasel and I wanted to put it out. We put that out and the Upwelling is a band that we’re friends with and we’ve taken out on tour a few times. When it came time for them to do their first record, we just begged and pleaded with them to just come with us and take a chance on our label. They did and we put that out. It’s a great record and things are going great. They’re actually in the UK with us right now, so it is good times. PW: Awesome. What are some of the future projects that Edmond has coming up? MK: There’s a band called the City Lives that are from Oklahoma as well that we’ve been friends with and have also taken out as well. We’re kind of taking it slow. A lot of people start these labels and just kind of hull out bands that sound just like them and capitalize on that. We’re not into doing that. We just want to help out friends when we can and take it in more as a hobby than an alternate source of income. We just want to help find great music.
PW: Great. Tell me a little about your involvement with Tck Tck Tck and the Climate Change Project? MK:(whispers) I don’t know anything about that. PW: Haha. MK: What is it? PW: Your band, er, Tyson was recently in a promo for it. MK: I don’t know. I’m a bad band dude right now.
PW: No worries. We’ll move on to the next question. Let’s do something fun. You just fill in the blank. You just released a video for “I Wanna.” So today, you wanna… MK: Oh shit. Today I wanna go see a movie because it is a day off and there’s nothing else to do and being in Europe, everything is so expensive. Even a movie is expensive, but it is the cheapest thing to do, but there’s an early bus call. So I can’t. That’s what I really wanna go do. PW: What movie would you see? MK: “Zombieland.” PW: It is funny. You should try and see that. MK: Awesome. Can’t do it today. Next day off.
PW: It is nearing the end of 2009 and the close of a decade. For that entire ‘naught’ decade, you guys have been a band and producing music. What has changed for you over this decade and what have you learned as a band? MK: Well, obviously, our whole lives have changed. We’ve somehow stumbled into this success that we never expected, but are incredibly stoked on. As people, we’ve tried to remain the same. We come from Oklahoma, which is pretty humble territory. Our family wouldn’t let us get a big head even if we wanted to. The main thing, we’ve watched a lot of other bands and other people kind of come up and let their egos grow unchecked. We’ve watched them get cut down to size because of that. If anything, we’ve learned keeping yourself in check is very important and not letting everything build up like egos and not getting to feeling like your better than everything, because you’re not. I think that has kind of helped us last as long as we have. We don’t take ourselves as seriously…we don’t demand that of other people. That’s all that matters.
PW: That is good advice for bands just starting off. What’s next for you guys with the new decade? MK: We’ll probably start working on a new album and see where that takes us and hopefully keep this train moving. PW: Have you already started working on some songs? MK: Very small pieces. Nothing full on yet. We usually wait to get off the road and clear our heads a little bit and then start buckling down and getting stuff going. PW: So no sneak peeks on this upcoming tour? MK: No, unfortunately not.
PW: So for a final question, continuing this last decade trend, what would you say are your best of the ‘naughts’ looking back over the past ten years. Your favorite song or memory of the last ten years? MK: Oh man. That’s a tough one. I don’t even know. So many experiences, it is hard to break it down when I think about it. There are so many good times that I’ve had and they’re associated with music and movies, so trying to pick one thing is pretty tough. I will say right now with this tour we’re doing in the UK with the Upwelling and American Steel, we’re having an amazing time and I love both bands. It is just really great and it got me thinking when we had this tour a few years ago like in 2003 when we brought Limbeckand Motion City Soundtrack. That was like one of the funnest tours that I’ve ever had and it got me reminiscing on that. That was one of the best times of my life, those three weeks we were over here. Such an amazing, fun tour. That would be one of my favorite things ever. PW: Those guys are so much fun. Both bands. MK: Totally. PW: Well I know it is your day off, so I’ll let you go have some fun and relax, but I appreciate you speaking with me. Those were great answers. Thank you. MK: Thanks so much. PW: Have a good day. MK: Talk to you later. Bye.
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Concert Calendar
Nov 23, 2011
HaHa Tonka @ Recordbar, Kansas City MO
Nov 25, 2011
Thee Oh Sees @ The Granada, Lawrence KS
