You guys have been over to the UK a few times now, is there anything that you instantly notice when you?re over here?
The kids! All of the shows are always kind of crazy so we always leave with a really good feeling after playing in the UK. I don?t have that feeling about your food but the kids are great.
You guys have slowly progressed to bigger and bigger venues each time you?ve toured the UK, is that something you prefer or aim to do each time you tour?
We were here in January and we chose to just play small venues because we like to keep it balanced and intimate sometimes, but then sometimes we have to play the bigger venues because otherwise people get pissed that they couldn?t come and see you. I think you kind of have to balance the two out. I think we?ve played every venue so now it?s just wherever they book us!
Do you think it?s important to make the effort to meet the fans at shows?
Yeah, I mean we always try and get out and talk to the kids, we enjoy it. But now it?s a bit different because as you become more popular and you get more grabby people so sometimes Adam (Taking Back Sunday Lead Vocalist) can?t really spend as much time as he wants talking to people because people start to get a bit pushy. We do what we can to go out and talk to kids, but sometimes you just have to pack up and get straight on the bus and head to the next city. I don?t think we?ll ever be one of those bands that doesn?t go out and talk to the fans because I think that?s retarded. If it wasn?t for all these kids then we wouldn?t be anything so you?ve got to respect that, people who don?t respect that have lost touch really.
There was an obvious progression in style from ?Tell All Your Friends? to ?Where You Want To Be?. In what ways do you think your progression as a band is identifiable in ?Louder Now??
When ?Tell All Your Friends? came out which was a long time ago, almost seven years. I guess it?s like the mood that you?re in, then we were in a relationship sort of mood, the second record was more of an angry mood and this new record is heavier and faster. Instead of talking about it and explaining it, now we?re just telling it.
A lot of bands prefer playing shows to smaller crowds at indoor venues rather than at festivals. What does Taking Back Sunday prefer?
I?m not really a big fan of outdoor festivals because you?ve got so many different bands and so many different people. It?s good to play with different bands but it?s just not the same feeling as playing at a venue where everyone is there to see you, and it?s like a big party, so it?s a little more fun to play intimate shows.
Taking Back Sunday have done several world tours. Does it become increasingly hard to do long tours as you take on more and more commitments at home?
Yeah it does, it gets tiring and sometimes monotonous. You still enjoy it and you still like each other but I?m not going to sugar coated it, I wouldn?t say ?oo oh never? because there?s not a band out their that would deny there are rifts, but sometimes it is boring, it gets old and sometimes you just want to go home and hang out with your wife and kid and just relax. Saying that though, if you?re at home for more than a month you get kind of like ?OK what?s going on? and it?s time to get back on the road so it?s a double edged sword really, you love it, you hate it, you can?t live with it, you can?t without it, a bit like a woman, just kidding. Anyway, we love doing it but you do sometimes just wish you could relax!
Taking Back Sunday are fronting the American Emo scene at the moment, alongside bands like June, Silverstein, and Aiden, whereas the British Emo scene is being fronted by Funeral for a Friend, and the Lostprophets. Why do you think it?s historically been hard for British acts to make it in the US, yet US acts come over and survive in the UK?
Yeah, but back in the 60?s and 70?s it was different with bands like Zeplin and The Beatles. So I think it goes back and forth. In the 60?s and 70?s it was the UK bands and a lot of American rock bands wouldn?t exist if it wasn?t for those bands from the UK. I guess it?s our turn now; bands from the UK are influenced by our music. I think the UK and the US can easily relate when it comes to music, I mean I?ve always seen the UK as my second home because it?s the same vibe. When I play a show in the UK, if it wasn?t for having different accents, it is exactly the same as playing in Dallas. I?ve been around the rock scene playing in bands for 17 years now, and kids don?t really realise that bands have been making the music that is popular today for generations, bands that I guess were ?Emo? existed in the late 80?s and early 90?s. I always get into this argument with people about where certain types of music started, and people always go on like ?yeah yeah but the Sex Pistols? but to me the Sex Pistols were just a boy band, punk rock started with a band called MC5 in the 60?s.
You guys put on a good live show, not only with your music but also you energy on stage. Do you rate putting out an awesome record or an amazing live show as your priority, or do you think they go hand in hand?
I think you always have to play a good show. Sometimes you have bad ones, and sometime you have good ones but you should always try to make them great. It?s always very hard to capture the feeling of a band live on a record but the record can still be good. There are loads of bands that I like their records, but really love them live. With our new record ?Louder Now?, we wanted to capture the live vibe on the recording. I think Eric Valentine who produced it did a really good of capturing that.
Can you tell us a rock and roll story about TBS?
We are such a boring band. I think we spend almost all of our time bored, then we build up loads of anger and tension that when we go on stage we let it all out, then we walk off stage and we?re like ?OK, lets just get back on the bus?. We probably do have some stories though, like this one time we left Matt at a truck stop [laughs? a lot]. He had no money, and we woke up in London and thought "where?s Matt?". Then he showed up all sweaty and dirty from having to beg for money and get rides with people.
I remember another time we were stuck in traffic in Alabama and I guess Adam just lost his mind and decided to take his clothes off and run up the highway naked. Then everyone just decided to start doing it and I?m like stuck in the drivers seat saying ?What the hell are you guys doing?!? whilst some naked and some half clothed guys are running up and down on top of peoples cars.
To be honest we do get up to some stupid shit. I love to pick on younger bands. Not because I?m mean, but like the band ?Early November? I decided I was going to pick on them, so I unhitched their trailer and when they pulled away it fell off and went rolling down the road! Just stuff like that really. Like deflating tyres, living fish sandwiches under people?s car seats so they can?t find it and it goes off.
Can I just tell you another story? Well we once played a show with Slayer, and I love Slayer but that sucked! They were late turning up, but they had to play, so they got put on our stage at the Download Festival just before we came on. You had Slayer coming out and being Slayer [Does strangely realistic Slayer impression], then we had to come on stage and were like ?Hi we?re Taking Back Sunday? [In a squeaky voice]. That was a memory!
Are there any bands that you would say we should look out for over the next year or so?
I can?t really say that you should watch out for bands because to me a lot of the music has started to get boring. Bands are just turning into puppets. I?m not trying to bad mouth anyone but in my opinion no one has a defined image anymore, everyone is just trying to be everyone else. Like us and ?Thursday?, and a lot of bands really have just seen bands come and shine off what other bands have created. I grew up in the hardcore scene which to me was really underground, really real, and it?s just not really like that anymore. I do love that band ?Say Anything? though, they?re really good, Underoath are great to. I like bands that are original and aren?t just trying to out-dress and out make up everyone else, that stuff is getting old. So those are really good rock bands and everyone else sucks!
How has your tour gone so far and are you looking forward to tonight?s? show?
Pretty good! I think the shows have been fun, the kids have been awesome! A couple of weeks before this we played the ?Give It A Name? shows and that all went kind of shaky but this has been really good.
|
