It’s always a good time to hang out and catch up with our friends in The Plot In You when they come to town, and a little over a week ago I had the chance to do that onceagain! Just before their show with Miss May I and Whitechapel, Landon and I were able to talk about the tour, the progress on their upcoming album, and much more. You can check out our interview below, and check out their upcoming tour dates here!
What’s it been like to tour with Whitechapel and Miss May I?
Man, it’s been the best so far that we’ve done, for sure. I feel like every other tour we’ve done this year has been really shitty, just sort of like C-market tours, you know what I mean? But it’s been cool to know for a fact that every night there’s gonna be kids, and honestly, I watch Whitechapel every single night still, I never get sick of them.
When you go out on headlining tours, what is the biggest difference? Or is it just the number of people showing up?
Aside from that, there’s not that big of a difference. I mean, there’s barricades and everything, which is one thing we’re actually getting used to. We’ve never played shows with barricade, so I mean it’s like a lot less personal, but we’re obviously playing to more kids, so it’s cool. It’s just really cool to play in front of a lot of new ears, and a lot of older metal heads. Our fan base is a lot of younger kids, so we’ve actually made a lot of older metal dude fans with fucking creepy mohawks and shit.
Slayer fans?
Yeah, and like Insane Clown Posse kids.
So is there a possible Insane Clown Posse tour in the works now that you’ve got the fans?
Not if I have anything to say about it, hopefully not!
Liberty Deep Down is an up-and-coming band straight from Columbus, Ohio who have been around for five years - and despite member changes, they believe they’ve found the correct lineup to really take-off as a band. I was lucky enough to talk to the guys for a great interview recently, and we couldn’t be happier to be bringing that to you now. If you aren’t familiar with them quite yet, then you can check them out on Facebook here - you won’t regret a thing.
Can you all state your name and roles in Liberty Deep Down?
Halen: I’m Halen Bouhadana, and I play guitar and do backup vocals!
Dalton: I’m Dalton Dye and I play bass guitar.
Noah: Noah Bouhadana, I play drums.
Nate: I’m Nate Zeune, and I play guitar and sing!
Alright, so can you guys talk about how the band came together?
Halen: We came together after we were all playing in different local bands. Nate was in a band called Static Automatic, and we were in a band called Liberty Deep Down - same as now - but we just formed back in fall of 2011, and we recorded a song called “Heartbeat.” Then we just decided to start a band and then we added Dalton in.
Noah: We’ve been a band since sixth grade, Halen and I have, because we’ve taken over the musical talent of what our family has gone through. So basically him and I rehearsed with another singer in sixth grade, and it came to the point where we knew Nate and Dalton would work, so here we are.
So for those who don’t know your band, how would you describe your sound?
Nate: I’d say we’re kind of this pop/alternative sort of band, and we like to add the electronic aspect to it, we have a lot of dance music, combined with the pop element. And we tried to be as original as possible with our sound, so that’s kind of what we try to do with our music.
Who would be your main influences then? Either individually or collectively?
Nate: My favorite bands are All Time Low, Hot Chelle Rae, and My Chemical Romance - and that’s where I get all of my main influences from.
Noah: Personally, as a drummer, I get my inspiration from Travis Barker; but from bands I’d have to go with All Time Low and Hot Chelle Rae.
Dalton: I’d say my main influence is All Time Low. I like We Are the In Crowd a lot and Paramore.
Halen: Paramore, Motley Crue, Hot Chelle Rae, and One Direction!
Fuck Your Scenes was able to catch up with Joe Ragosta and Anthony Mingoia of Patent Pending for a great, long, and often off-topic interview. We tried to discuss the band’s ability to write happy songs and sad songs, but ended up talking about Joe’s first experience writing a ska song instead. Among other things, we talked about their views on illegal downloading, how they write songs, and how Joe once forgot his now fiance at a train station. You can check out our full interview below, and make sure to check out the band and see if they’re coming to a city near you because it’s worth everything you could ever spend. They’re the best and you won’t regret it!
Can you state your name and role in Patent Pending?
Joe: My name is Joe Ragosta, I play shortstop. My batting average is .350 and I think I got 26 RBIs this year, but it’s early in the season.
Anthony: My name’s Anthony, quarterback.
Joe: Wrong sport!
Anthony: Still averaging 700 yards thrown in a game. Is that like a ridiculous number?
Joe: That is an insane number of yards.
So, the first real question is - and I’m sure you get this a lot - but is “Douchebag” based off of anybody in particular?
Anthony: It’s actually based off of everybody.
Joe: There’s a little bit of douchebag in all of us, I think. We’re from Long Island, and we spent a lot of time in New Jersey; and basically all of the stereotypes you hear, are stereotypes for a reason. It’s very real, and these people exist. Maybe with Kentucky you think everyone there is a hick, and there’s obviously people there that aren’t hicks, but there’s that stereotype saying an alarming amount of the population is probably hicks. As is true for douchebags in Long Island and New Jersey. There are douches everywhere, with different forms of douchebags.
Anthony: And just because you have a tribal tattoo, that does not make you a douche.
Joe: Yeah, you can have a tribal tattoo and not be a douche. But, if you have a tribal tattoo or a Chinese letter tattoo - which is what the lyric was supposed to be, I just couldn’t make it work. But, there’s this guy in our town who has a Chinese symbol tattoo on him and he thinks it means strength and power or something, but it means cereal or something.
Anthony: Douchebaggery is more of a way of life than it is a look.
Joe: And I think the sooner we absorb that, the sooner we can be popular and make money. We should become douches. The max douche.
Fuck Your Scenes was lucky enough to catch up with Chris Burney of Bowling for Soup for another great interview earlier in the week. We talked to Erik Chandler last year when they came to Columbus, so it was great to catch up with the guys - even if Chris’ dog likes to far a lot. Chris and I talked about the reception to their latest album, the state of current radio, and how the band has been around for almost twenty years. You can check out our interview below!
First off, how’s the tour been so far?
It’s been a good one, but there’s always good. It’s what we live for; to play shows like these.
Fishin’ for Woo’s has been out for over a year now, how has the reception been for that so far?
It’s been good, I guess. I don’t really sit there and think all day about how our albums are doing, or whether people like them, I just like to jump in the bus and play shows. If people like them, then that’s good; it keeps people coming to shows.
How do you guys continuously write the songs you write? You know, you have some happy songs, and some not-so-happy serious songs. So how do you keep the humor in your songs?
Life is just funny to us. And anything that happens around us or to us, we always look at the funny side of it because we all have the ability to do that. So, I mean, some times tragedy is a good song, or even a funny song, since we always look at the funny side of things.
Fuck Your Scenes was lucky enough to catch up with Chris Taylor Brown of Trapt not too long ago for a great interview. Brown talked about the band’s latest single, their new album, and much more. You can check out our full interview below:
Your new single “Bring It” was released not too long ago, how have fans receive the single so far?
It’s been great. The video on Youtube has around 1,000 likes and only tens dislikes, which is a pretty good percentage, so I like to think it’s going great so far!
The song controls a little more of an electronic feel to it, is that something that fans can expect more of on your new album?
Yeah, definitely. Every album we’ve released so far has had some electronic stuff on it. I think that there’s just so many more new tools to play with nowadays, and we’re definitely looking into those things. And I think most of them will somehow find their way onto the record one way or another.
You guys released a compilation album that had some revisited tracks, where did that idea come from, and was that the inspiration to include more electronics in your music?
We just really wanted to do something for our anniversary of writing “Headstrong,” so we consider most of that a little tribute to the song, since it is the song that kind of put us on the map. So it’s just a bunch of re-worked songs and demos on there.
Our writer, Mindy Wiegand, was able to catch up with LIGHTS not too long ago for an interview. Mindy and LIGHTS discussed her craziest fan experiences, Siberia, and even a possible collaboration with Blessthefall. You can read the full interview below:
What would you say is your craziest fan experience?
I have this group of fans from all over in Canada, mostly Toronto, and they all came over to the UK tour I did earlier. It’s kind of shocking because they all put it together to come out every day, and it’s awesome because it shows that they’re super dedicated.
What are four things you can’t live without while on tour?
I’d have to pick my laptop, hairspray, probably an Xbox, and yogurt
What’s your favorite part about going home then?
Probably getting to sleep in my own bed, and not having anything to do that day. Because when you have a day off or something, you’re usually gonna be at home and it’s actually pretty nice.
I actually tend to get “sleeping in beds” a lot as an answer.
Yeah! You know, it’s weird, because even though I’ve slept in beds that are better than the one I have, there’s still something special about sleeping in your own bed that makes it that much better.
There are a lot of people out there who listen to your music simply because they think you’re pretty, so how do you feel about that?
I think that as an artist I think there’s a lot of dimensions to being one. You need more than one thing to be an artist now. You can’t just be a singer, you have to be able to write your own songs and be able to perform your own songs. You’ve gotta know yourself, know your style, and know the aesthetic and vibe that you’re trying to put out with a record. There’s a lot of things behind it that are thought out. And if someone discovers you based on one of those things, then that’s just one entrance into your world. Any of those things can be discovered first, which will ultimately lead them to your music. If you just have music out there, and nothing else, it’s almost like you’re not taking advantage of all these other angles that you could. So, everything from a music video to a comic you put out, or just a post online; these are all different ways that people can find you. And if the way you look is one of them, then it really doesn’t matter as long as you’re creating the music that you want to create, music that you’re truly proud of.
Fuck Your Scenes was lucky enough to catch up with Bert McCracken of The Used not too long for an interview! Bert and Amanda talked about their new album, the state of the music industry, and what they would like to tell fans about why their sound has changed. You can check out our full interview with the band below, and a slide show of photos from their set here. The band will be performing on the main stage of Vans Warped Tour this summer, and will also be kicking off a headlining tour next month.
As a part of the Glamour Kills tour, we got to sit down with PJ of Transit at Peabodys. Check out below what he has to say about the bands change in their sound, why they signed to Rise Records, and more below!
How did you guys decide to want to become a part of the Glamour Kills Tour?
We were offered and we’ve done tours with most of the bands, we’re all friendly with all the bands on the tour and we just thought it was a good time for this tour to happen. The show so far has reflected that, they’ve been a lot of fun.
What bands or people motivate you?
Right now bands that motivate me, or us, well we’re always looking up bands that are sorta coming up and really trying to make a name for themselves, so whenever anything new come up, or a band we haven’t heard before that is good, that sort of just fuels the fire a little bit as far as just anyone doing anything good.
What are five things you can’t live without on the tour bus?
I’d have to say my phone, cause I have a fancy phone that connects me to internet, so it keeps me updated on how are the sports scores. Also, I could never tour without an iPod and having music being easily accessible to play at all times in the van. I like reading books sometimes, but I never really get them done. Just having the other guys in the band to talk to and hang out helps time pass a lot.
Sunday night, the Boyce Avenue/Secondhand Serenade tour stopped in Columbus, Ohio, and we had the great opportunity to sit down with John Vesely (aka Secondhand Serenade, for those still unfamiliar). John and I spoke about his departure from his label, his feelings about Hear Me Now, and more! You can check out our interview with John below, and make sure to see him in concert when he comes near you!
When did you first decide that you wanted to become a musician?
My parents got me into music at a really young age, and I didn’t like it then. They got me into piano, saxophone, and stuff like that - although, I wish I had stuck with piano, because I recently had to re-learn it. Then, I found my own passion for it when I was around twelve years old and started playing bass.
You started out self-releasing Awake and other songs through Myspace, iTunes, and things like that, which started getting the attention of labels. How was that experience for you?
It was great, I’ve actually come full-circle back to releasing things independently. I got so detached from fans over the course of my years being with the label, and I just kind of wanted to feel that passion for music again, and since I left the label, all of my online numbers, traffic, interaction, and viral spread has become so much more effective, because I’m on it now. I’m not expecting somebody else to do the work for me, and in my opinion, that’s one of the best ways to go - especially if you’re starting out. For kids looking to start out by getting label deals right off the bat without having a solid fan-base, I would think twice. I would really think about nailing that core fan-base, because you’ll get it a lot easier without a label behind you. It’s like, when you get on a label and out on the radio, not all of those fans are die-hard fans. They like the single, and then suddenly you become yesterday’s news until the next single comes out. So you wanna get that real fan-base; the ones that will keep on purchasing your music and going out to your shows.
So when you went from being independent to being on a label, what was the first thing you noticed that was kind of different?
I mean, there’s not that much of a difference - honestly. You start getting into late night shows, and a lot of tours, but you can get those things through an agent. Nowadays, labels don’t do as much as they did around ten to twenty years ago. However, the radio thing was probably the big thing that I really noticed first, and we ended up getting a great radio push and it turned out pretty well.
Namesake are a pop-punk group hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, and about a week ago, we had the pleasure of catching up with Will from the band. Will and I talked about how the band chose their name, their debut album, and more. You can check out the band on Facebook here, and our interview with Will below:
Can you state your name and role in Namesake?
Yeah! I’m Will and I sing for the band.
How did the band come together?
We’ve all been playing together since high school, and playing individually even longer. After high school, we stuck together as a band and were lucky enough to find our label.
I understand that all the members have the same name as their father’s, but how did you decide to name your band after that?
It’s funny, actually. One day, my mom was thinking about it and said that we should call the band Namesake, but we hadn’t really decided what we wanted to do yet. So later on we were getting ready to do a photo shoot and the idea of calling the band Namesake came up, so we continued to talk about it and we all just settled in on the name.
A lot of people see the word “fuck” in our name and get a preconceived notion that we are simply saying “fuck” to a particular scene or genre of music. To those people, I hope you read the following.
Fuckyourscenes.com is certainly not discriminating against any scene or genre of music, instead, trying to get rid of those. When I decided to call the website “Fuck Your Scenes,” I had every intention of covering multiple different scenes and genres of music.
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