Keep Calm Presents: An Interview with The World Is a Beautiful Place and I Am No Longer Afraid to Die

Roughly two months ago (late March 2014), Keep Calm sat down with The World is a Beautiful Place and I Am No Longer Afraid to Die.  What started as the usual interview turned into a half hour long conversation, addressing everything from preparing for their European tour (which just ended), new material in the works, to how they feel about being the term "emo revival." Huge thanks to Greg Horbel and Chris Zizzamia for taking some time to talk to Keep Calm and making this one of the most entertaining interviews I've been a part of.

~Madison

Keep Calm Presents: An Interview with Christian Holden of The Hotelier

     It's very rare that an album comes out in the end of February and is quickly named an Album of the Year contender.  Yet, for The Hotelier's Home, Like No Place is There, there is no question that this album is the one to beat for 2014.  A name change and one new album later, The Hotelier is taking the music scene by storm, whether they recognize it or not.  Luckily for Keep Calm and Carry On, vocalist Christian Holden sat down with us a few weeks back in Brooklyn to discuss the name change, crowd reactions, and, of course, the album that we cannot stop talking about.  Big thanks to Christian for taking some time out of this hectic night for an interview!

Keep Calm Presents: An Interview with Joey Vannucchi of From Indian Lakes

 A couple weeks back, I had the opportunity to sit down the From Indian Lake's frontman Joey Vannucchi to talk about their recent headlining tour, signing to Triple Crown Records, and the making of their next full length.  Big thanks to Joey and the rest of guys From Indian Lakes for hanging out with Keep Calm and Carry On! 

Keep Calm Presents: An Interview with Citizen

It's always interesting to see which albums stand the test of time. Sometimes, albums we love at first don't sound as great after a while. Sometimes the opposite occurs, and an album we overlooked grows into an album we hold near and dear. On Keep Calm, that seems to have become the case with Citizen's Youth. The band's emotional, grunge-empowered rock hits hard and hits often, making them a definite band to watch moving forward. Playing an off-day show at The College of New Jersey, the band's drummer Jake Duhaime and guitarist Nick Hamm were kind enough to sit down with Madison Ouellette to talk about their tour with The Wonder Years, touring in Europe, and more. Read on below to see what the guys had to say!

Keep Calm Presents: An Interview with Have Mercy

Have Mercy have been steadily rising in the ranks of the "emo revival," thanks to their gripping debut LP The Earth Pushed Back. The band has showed no signs of slowing since then, as they released a split with Daisyhead earlier this year with two new tracks. No journey is without struggle, however, and the band certainly learned that on their recent US tour with Major League, Seaway, and Better Off. On the tour's final stop at GameChanger World in Howell, New Jersey, Keep Calm sat down with the vocalist/guitarist Brian Swindle and guitarist/vocalist Andrew Johnson to talk about how they were holding up, how they feel almost a year after the released of The Earth Pushed Back, and what we can look forward to from the band in the coming months.

Keep Calm Presents: An Interview with Jeremy Bolm of Touche Amore

     

     This weekend, I had the opportunity to sit down with Jeremy Bolm, vocalist of Touché Amoré,  at the Union Transfer to talk about their latest LP “Is Survived By,” the hectic tour schedule, as well as the band’s recent work with Will Yip and Self Defense Family. 

Keep Calm Presents: An Interview with Leighton Antelman of Lydia

Here at Keep Calm and Carry On, we've had the privilege and opportunity to interview a great deal of bands from all across the spectrum of the scene. All of these interviews are special in their own way, but some continue to stick out against the test of time, for various reasons. On the show this week, we had an interview that will end up being one of the show's most memorable for many different reasons. For his first-ever band interview for the show, Craig Ismaili was able to talk with the man responsible for writing his favorite album of all-time, Leighton Antelman of Lydia.What's even better, Craig was able to interview Leighton about Lydia doing a tour playing that album front to back! Read on below to hear what Leighton had to say about the tour, the band's most recent full-length Devil, and the ever-elusive vinyl release of the band's cult-classic album Illuminate!

Keep Calm Presents: An Interview with The Wonder Years

Since Keep Calm and Carry On began, many bands have been on our pages and played on the show. However, there are very few who have proven to be as fascinating, influential, and downright talented as The Wonder Years. A band forged in sweat and a non-stop DIY attitude, the band has reached heights many thought pop-punk bands would never achieve again. This year, the stakes are even higher, as the band is set to release its third full-length on Hopeless Records, titled The Greatest Generation. Due out May 14 (now is a good time to pause and mark your calendars), the album is atop anyone and everyone's "Most Anticipated" list, and the band will be supporting the album this summer on the Warped Tour's Main Stage. To gear up for this venture, the band kicked off a small US headlining tour with Fireworks, Hostage Calm, and Misser, and Keep Calm and Carry On was lucky enough to sit down and talk with vocalist Dan "Soupy" Campbell to talk about where the band is headed, where they've come from, and much more!

Keep Calm: You guys are here at the Stone Pony, opening up your Spring Headlining Tour, with Fireworks, Hostage Calm, and Misser. How excited are you for this tour to start?
Dan "Soupy" Campbell": You know what, the word is "jet-lagged." We were in Australia 48 hours ago, and the past 48 hours have probably been the most stressful of my entire life. We're getting everything together for the new record. And it's just deadline after deadline, the trailer's getting repaired. So the excitement hasn't even sunk in yet. Honestly, what I really want to do right now is fall asleep, because it should be, like, 7:00am Australian time. But I think that once the show gets rolling tonight, the excitement's gonna barrel over. We're with so many of our friends, and the bottom line to it is that every band on the tour, we've been friends with for so long.

KC: And was that kind of the mindset going into this? I don't want to say this is a smaller market tour, but you guys are playing venues that you haven't really played in a while.
DC: I mean, it's a B-market tour. I don't think there's any shame in saying it. This is a tour where, we're announced on Warped Tour, this is a tour that has to avoid where Warped dates are so we can keep everybody happy. But for us, it was also an opportunity. The last tour we did was with Yellowcard, and it was all House of Blues-sized rooms, it was an expensive ticket, and it was with bands that are a little outside of the world that we usually live in, outside of that bubble. This tour is an opportunity to go back, and say, "If you were bummed that we played too big of a room, if you were bummed that the show cost too much, if you were bummed that you didn't necessarily love all the other bands, here's a tour where we're gonna play small rooms, we're gonna keep the ticket prices low as s***, and it's gonna be us, and Fireworks, and Hostage Calm, and Misser."
KC: All bands that you've toured with before, with the exception of Misser, but you've toured with their members before.
DC: Yeah, we've toured with Transit, we toured with Mikey from Set Your Goals, who's playing drums. With every tour, the point of the tour is to go out and play. Every time we do a tour where we're touring with a band you might not love, the ticket price might be a little bit too high, and it's not what you're used to doing, we try to say, "Well, a couple months later, here's a tour where the ticket price is lower, you're gonna love the bands that are playing, et cetera, et cetera."
KC: And I think you guys have kind of already done this before, when you guys did the Pop Punk's Not Dead Tour with New Found Glory, although they fit a little more into that bubble, and then you guys come out and headline the Glamour Kills Tour.
DC: Yeah, definitely, to a degree. When we do support tours for larger bands, it's an incredible opportunity, and we've never felt anything but lucky, and excited. I want to put that image out there. I love doing support tours. They help our band grow, and when you meet bands that you don't already know, it's expanding friendships. But the calls are not ours to make. So we like to also be in the position where we're gonna do a tour following that where the calls are ours to make. So we got to kind of call the shots on this tour. Not every call, you can't control everything, sometimes the venues make the calls, sometimes the promoters make the calls, so you can't win every battle, but we do our best.

KC: I think first of all, that congratulations are in order. You guys are on Main Stage Warped Tour this year. Coming from where you guys were before, how does that feel? Like you said, you guys have always built this image around the sweaty basement shows, making an effort to play smaller shows. You're to be in front of probably tens of thousands of people on some of these dates on the tour, so how are you guys approaching this? Have you even begun to approach it at all?
DC: Well, the first thing to say is that we work very hard at our shows to make them always feel intimate. We always put on the same show, with the same energy. I remember when I was younger, going to see bands, and I'd see videos of them playing really small clubs, and I didn't get a chance to catch them until they were playing really big clubs, and the energy was sucked the f*** out. It was just, "Here's us, my foot's on the monitor for literally the whole set. I don't move. I don't care--not that I don't care, I don't want to speak for those bands, but that was the vibe I got as a kid. I don't want to give off that vibe. So, 10 kids, 100 kids, a thousand kids, ten thousand kids. The venue's different, the show is going to be different, but we will always do our best to make it feel the same. But at the same time, it's humbling, and it's daunting. The Main Stage of Warped Tour is a huge f***in' deal, man. I'm sure you know it. We grew up going to the Warped Tour, and I think everyone that's a part of this scene has been to a Warped Tour. If you're like me, it was the highlight of your summer every year. You took the train down, you took the ferry across the river, and got to hang out all day with a bunch of people like you and watch a bunch of bands you love. It was cool enough in 2011, when we played the Warped Tour. We had incredible crowds, worked with incredible people, it was just blowing my mind every day. I couldn't believe how well we were received, I couldn't thank everyone enough. To get a chance to take that up another notch is really exciting for us. We're gonna make an effort to do a signing every day at our tent. We're gonna go out and play hard. We're gonna be playing some new songs, we've got a new record coming out in May, so the songs will have time to percolate. I'm really excited to get out and play some new stuff. You don't think about it before you're touring, but you start playing the songs so often. And then tonight, we were like, "Holy s***, we haven't practiced in forever," you know? We did Soundwave, but you know that was only a certain amount of songs, and those were the standard songs, and we gotta get in some deeper cuts, you know? Everyone's heard these songs, but we had no time to practice.We had two days, but we also had record deadlines and jet lag, so we ran through a couple of them onstage during our soundcheck, and we're gonna do a couple more tomorrow, and I don't want to short-change anyone. We're doing the best we can. As the tour progresses, you're gonna hear some more songs from us.
KC: And as a fan, I think that's all we can ask for. 
DC: Yeah, we're definitely doing everything we can.

KC: So I wanted to avoid it for a little bit, I know you hinted at it a couple times, but let's just get it out there: you guys have a brand new album coming out May 14, it's called The Greatest Generation, due out again on Hopeless Records. You guys are working with Paul Leavitt again.
DC. No, we've never worked with Paul Leavitt before. This is Steve Evetts.
KC: Oh, that's right. Their last names rhyme, I'm sorry. Steve worked with you guys on Suburbia.
DC: Yeah, he did all of the Lifetime records, Kid Dynamite, Saves the Say up through Through Being Cool, he's done some Say Anything stuff, some Senses Fail stuff, Two Tongues, all of The Dillinger Escape Plan stuff, Every Time I Die, Snapcase, he worked with The Cure. He did a Limp Bizkit EP that never came out, that was apparently incredibly expensive. He's the man. So he produced it, but we decided to go a different way with the mix this time. We loved the mix on Suburbia, so it wasn't about that. We want every record to sound different sonicly, and so we worked with a different procucer from Upsides to Suburbia, but if we were going to work with the same producer from Suburbia and forward, we want to do something different so that it differentiates. So Mark Trombino was at the board for that. Mark did blink-182's Dude Ranch, Jimmy Eat World's Clarity, Bleed American, Rilo Kiley, he mixed Commit this to Memory from Motion City Soundtrack, The Starting Line's Say It Like You Mean It. I mean, Mark is the master.
KC: Did you feel he brought the perspective that you guys were looking for?
DC: Yeah, with the mix thing, it's not like we were there. We were actually in Austrailia when we heard the mixes, and we were on a 14-hour time zone difference, so we're getting them when he's going to sleep, we're sending him notes when he's waking up. But we feel like he added his touch to the record. I can't tell you how excited I am for everyone to hear it. It is, bar-none, by far, as a complete album, the best thing we've ever done. You always look back on your work, and you're always going to criticize it. So I look back at Upsides, I look back at Suburbia, and there's songs that I say I wish we had done this, or I wish we had done that, and we were on this time crunch and forgot this. This one just feels so full, so complete. Every song is a piece of a puzzle, the record relies on every song to become a whole.
KC: You guys had mentioned in a couple of interviews that this is going to be part 3 of a trilogy about growing up. I just wanted to know, when you sat down and you first began writing The Upsides, was this the plan all along, to do a trilogy about growing up, or did you kind of see it as something that you wanted to do when you started Suburbia, or something that you did when you started The Greatest Generation?
DC: I think when we started working on this record. I had this concept, but it was so loose, it was these thoughts, and I knew they all fit together. I knew that they belonged together, but I couldn't quite connect the synapses. They were there, but there was something missing. And then I came to the realization that all three of the records, they fit together in a certain manner. And I don't want to speak to much on the theme of this, but it is to say that there was a serious realization that came with this record, and that came with the age bracket that we are now in. I turned 27 a month ago. There is an inter-connectivity to it. It gets dangerous when you start to talk about a theme for the record, because then you expect every song to carry the theme, which is not the case. The theme is the sum of the part. So each speaks to a specific event or realization or memory, all of which have forced catharsis, culminating in the last song when the realization comes about. And you'll hear about it a ton in the next couple months.
KC: And you're going to be doing a ton more interviews, a ton more press for this album, I just want to end with this, and since there's so much that you guys have planned for this, so I don't want to step on your toes. So it's March 8, 2013. You guys are about to go out on your B-market headliner, you've got Warped Tour coming up this summer. What do you want to tell me, right now, about The Greatest Generation?
DC: I can't tell you a whole lot. It's dangerous because we've promised exclusives to people so I've got to tread lightly with these kinds of things. But I want you to know that we've never been more proud of anything. I want you to know that we've never worked as hard on anything. I want you to know that when you're expecting to hear it, don't expect us turning our back on you, if you've been a fan of the band the whole time, this is not jump to a different genre. This is a natural progression for us. It's not about us flipping the switch and writing a math-rock record, or an alt-country record, although I would love to. But it's also not about writing the same record again. There's going to be growth, and what's difficult is that you grow at a different rate. Everyone's going to grow at a different rate. And that's not just the band, I mean our fans. So, you grow to perceive things a little differently, and so some of our fans may want a certain thing, some of our fans may want the total opposite thing. We're gonna be somewhere in there, but we do know that we have delivered the highest-quality product that we could have delivered. It's heartfelt, it's passionate, it's personal to a fault, almost. I've never gotten this personal on a record. Actually, to the point where for the first time I've had to change a name. And that's something we've never done. So what you're going to get is the next step in the evolution of The Wonder Years, and a record that we bleed for, a record that our entire hearts are in.

Keep Calm and Carry On would like to thank Dan Campbell and the rest of The Wonder Years crew for making this interview possible, and make sure you check out The Greatest Generation when it drops on May 14. You can check out the album's trailer below! 

Keep Calm Presents: An Interview with Promise of Redemption

When Valencia announced that they were going on hiatus around this time last year, there was little doubt that the band would be sorely missed. Always known for creatively approaching and reinventing the pop-rock genre, the band had few peers, and looked up to no one. However, there is always a silver lining to help fans look on the bright side, and for people anxiously waiting to hear from frontman Shane Henderson, the wait won't be much longer. Adding Valencia guitarist Trevor Leonard to his side project Promise of Redemption, Henderson is back with a refreshed mindset and slew of new songs to sing along to. Before playing a CUBRat show at The College of New Jersey, Henderson and Leonard were kind enough to sit down with Keep Calm and Carry On to talk about where PoR is headed, what the rest of the guys in Valencia are up to, and what's next for both projects.

Keep Calm: You're listening to 91.3FM WTSR on the campus of The College of New Jersey. This is Donald Wagenblast, host of Keep Calm and Carry On, and right now we're here with Shane Henderson and Trevor Leonard of Promise of Redemption, guys, thank you so much for taking the time out for us.
Shane Henderson: Thank you!

KC: So, let's check in: how is Promise of Redemption going right now?
SH: It's good, we just finished a bunch of songwriting and recording. We have four songs that we're working on putting out pretty soon. We're figuring out the release plan for it. Will Noon of fun. played drums on it, which is cool. We're really stoked on the songs, and the material. We're ready to go full-steam ahead.
KC: Shane, this used to be your solo project, aside from Valencia. Now that you've added Trevor in, what has he brought to this project for you?
SH: The voice of an angel (laughs). Trevor and I have always discussed doing a project together. We grew up pretty much in the same group of friends, and the same group of bands. We played shows together with his first band, Procession Came Opposite, and I was in a band called Attracted to Minutes, and we played a lot of shows together. Basically, he brings Trevor Leonard to the table. He's awesome. We really gel as songwriters, because we grew up listening to the same bands. I believe that we both have the same drive, and the same outlook as to what a song and what an album should bring to the table.
KC: I had mentioned this earlier, this was your side project from when you were in Valencia, and now it's what you're doing full-time, for the moment. How has that shift in attention to the project changed your outlook on it?
SH: Well, I've always been focused on it, and I just didn't have much time when I was in Valencia to dedicate to it. But now, I'm just able to put 100% into it, and focus on it. Mainly, in the songwriting aspect of things, it was really difficult to separate the two, between Valencia and Promise of Redemption. There were literally times that I would sit down to write, and if it sounded like a song that could go in the direction of Valencia, then I would bring it to the table, and if it didn't, I would try and work on it a little more on my own.
KC: Like you said, you've got some new material set to be released. Is there anything in particular that we should be expecting from it?
SH: It's definitely a step outside of what Promise of Redemption was. It's not acoustic anymore; it's full-band. I'd like to think that it rocks.
Trevor Leonard: Yeah, it rocks, it's got some Rock N' Roll in there.
SH: It's similar to Valencia, but it brings an aspect of maturity, and the classic artists that we dig, like Springsteen and Petty. It's definitely something new for the both of us. It's not pop-punk, really, it's actually closer to alternative rock. But it's still got that aspect of... (drums on table) (laughs)
TL:It's still got the punk influence, and the pop melodies, you know?
KC: And you mentioned Springsteen and Petty, a couple of months back, you churned out a pretty good amount of cover videos. You did just about one a week. Did doing those covers, and looking at the way other songs were composed, did that go into your writing process of the new Promise of Redemption songs?
SH: Not really. It was mostly just to stay busy and stay relevant, so to speak. Actually, Trevor and I have been discussing what songs we want to keep going with, because we haven't done one in a while. We were working on one yesterday. That should be out pretty soon. It was more for fun, and to give something to the fans that they'd like to hear my take on an artist's song.
KC: A few months ago, you posted something on AltPress.com about what's been going on with your life after Valencia. What the purpose of posting something like that? Was is just to check in with fans?
SH: Yeah, to let them know that I'm not done. Valencia might be taking a break right now, but I'm certainly nowhere near quitting or stopping. I feel like I have a lot to say still, and a lot to give to the industry, and to our genre of music, and to our fans, most importantly. They approached me about doing the article, and I said I would love to because I think it's important for the kids that followed Valencia to understand that Valencia was Valencia, but I was still a part of Valencia, and I still brought what I bring to my project to Valencia, and if they liked that, then there should be no disconnect between switching projects.
KC: And you had mentioned that you guys are on a break; do you have any idea about the standing of that break? Have you talked to anyone else in the band about it?
SH:  Yeah! We still talk to the dudes quite a bit. A couple weeks ago was the anniversary of our drummer Max's passing, so we were all in a room together. I talk to Brendan and George a lot. We've actually discussed with Brendan about bringing him in and seeing what he could add to the project. Even if it's not touring with us, or playing live with us, maybe writing songs, or being a part of the production of the new material, because we both agree that Brendan has a talent that not many people have. Not only just guitar playing, but songwriting.
TL: Yeah, he's a great perspective to have in the mix.
SH: Exactly, and for us, it's good to get that outside perspective, because we get so involved with the whole process. Sometimes it's nice having an extra ear, and being able to take a step back and realizing that, maybe we were too focused on this one idea, that there's other options to add to that idea. Brendan has a good ear for that, and that's actually always what he did with Valencia. He and I would always focus on the material, and he would give that aspect to it that I never saw. He's great with music theory, which is amazing, and he's a great guitar player. As far as Valencia getting back together, I'm not sure when, but I know I would love for it to happen, and I know the guys would be open for it to happen. Right now, it's just not really the time. It hasn't been long enough. I think a main thing for kids to understand was, we had to take a break. We were going full-steam for 8 years, and, not to attack anybody or to say anything about our fans, but it started to see a little bit of a decline. I think it was important for us to recognize that and not drive it into the ground like a lot of bands do, and to take a step back and say, "Hey, this is what you're missing. You should have been at a show." I know that sounds like an arrogant thing to say, but I don't mean it arrogantly. I just mean it in terms of the overall perspective of the band.

KC: Aside from Promise of Redemption, you've actually been looking to get more involved with production, with co-writing, and stuff like that. What sparked that interest in approaching things from the other side of the sound board?
SH: Well, Trevor and I both actually do a lot of engineering and producing. I've just always been a fan of what goes on behind the scenes with songs. I'm a big fan of working with new people. It first started with this artist, Cody Hoffman, I kind of mentored him. That kind of blossomed into a few more other projects, and then I started realizing that I really do like getting behind the board, and learning the science of engineering and sound, and not only that, but the production, and structure and melodies. I just like working with artists and putting my little fingers on it.
KC: And has working with other artists, and sort of providing, like you said, a mentoring aspect  has that changed the way you approach your own songs at all?
SH:  Not necessarily, because it's like, I do what I do with my own material with other artists. That's how I always do it. It definitely inspires me to keep going. I see the passion in other people's eyes, and I see how bad they want it, and it reminds me of how bad I wanted it. And it also gives me that little kick in the butt to say I don't think I'm done. I want to keep going. I know Trevor has been wanting to do this for a really long time, and he has his own projects that are incredible. So I think the dedication and the passion  between the two of us defintely sparks the desire to get out there and keep going.

KC: Well, that's all I've got from my end. Is there anything else you guys want to add?
SH: Be on the lookout for new material. Just keep an eye out, because we have new stuff coming really soon. And obviously all our social media: facebook.com/promiseofredemption, and we both have Twitters. Mine is @ValenciaShane and Trevor's is @TriangleTrev, and just stay in the loop. Come to a show, that's the most important thing is coming to a show and supporting the artists that you like.

Keep Calm and Carry On would like to thank Shane and Trevor for sitting down with us, and special thanks to Brian and Kate from CUBRat for helping to set this up. Make sure you're "in the loop," because there are big things on the horizon for Promise of Redemption! 

Keep Calm Presents: An Interview with The Dangerous Summer

There are very few bands that ever "make it." There are even fewer who are able sustain a career in the industry, and even more difficult to not give in to the latest trends in order to stay in the limelight a little while longer. But what's most difficult of all, perhaps, is the ability to create music that truly touches and moves people. Bands who do this may not reach the top of the Billboard charts, they don't win Grammys or VMAs (as if winning one is validation for anything these days), but ask any fan of these bands, and they'll chomp at the bit to tell you how much the band has meant to them. If you've ignored the picture above and the title of this post, now's probably a good time to tell you that, for me, The Dangerous Summer are building their case as one of those kind of bands. And Keep Calm and Carry On was lucky enough to sit down with vocalist/bassist AJ Perdomo and guitarist Cody Payne before they played at the College of New Jersey to talk about where the band is at, where they're going, and where they've come from.

Keep Calm: You're listening to 91.3FM WTSR, on the campus of The College of New Jersey, this is Donald Wagenblast, host of Keep Calm and Carry On, and right now, I'm with AJ Perdomo and Cody Payne from The Dangerous Summer, right before their CUBRat show . Guys, how are you doing today?
AJ Perdomo: Doing good, doing good. Came here from Maryland, and we're having a good time.
KC: That's great to hear. You guys have had a really busy 2012, tour-wise. You guys have been all over the globe: Australia, England, how's that been for you?
AJP: It's been awesome, this has been one of our big years. It's the first year we got to Australia. We did Warped Tour last year, so this was kind of the "next year," the follow-up. Honestly, we had a busy year. We're kind of winding down, stopping to do the new album. We've got to stop touring at some point to start working on it. We're writing the new album, and just playing a few shows. This was an "off-show" that we came up here to do real quick.
KC: Are you guys getting tired at all?
AJP: No, we'll never get tired of it.
Cody Payne: I'd prefer to be on tour, honestly.
KC: Really?
CP: Yeah. Studio time is when I get the most stressed out.

KC: You guys were talking about the new album. For a lot of people, I think the big question whenever you guys go in or out of the studio, is Tyler Minsberg's role. He's been in and out of school. What do you guys consider his role in the band to be right now?
CP: I mean, we leave the doors open. We don't consider him an ex-member. If he was ever like, "Alright, let's go on tour," for sure, he would be the drummer. But we respect the fact that he has other things to do, school, and a job.
AJP: He's done a few tours since he's had to go back.
KC: He did Warped Tour with you guys, I believe, right?
AJP: Yeah, he does whatever he can do. We still chill with him whenever, you know. It's nothing bad. Everyone thinks that.
KC: That's usually the pre-conceived notion, that something happened in the band. That's good to hear.
AJP: Oh yeah, definitely.

KC: You guys posted on your Facebook page a couple of weeks ago a sort of "Progress Report," where you guys detailed your tours upcoming, your releases, and other things you were planning on. What was the significance of doing that? We don't really see that from a lot of bands, giving these full-fledged reports.
CP: I just think sometimes people start wondering, and they're like, "Is this band still together? They haven't played a show in a while, they haven't posted anything." I think the more you stay consistent and have something for people to get stoked about. It's just a good thing to keep the progress there, and keep people talking and interested.
AJP: People always wonder what we're doing.  We're just writing, and playing shows.
CP: And we used to be a lot worse about updating, and posting, and doing videos, and all of that, so we're trying to get more with the fans.

KC: In that "Progress Report," you talked about--and AJ, you had just mentioned it as well, that you guys are working on a new album. Where are we in the stages of that?
CP: Early, pretty much.
AJP: Yeah, early. Lots of ideas. We just got to start pumping it out. We're just finally stopping touring. Our headlining tour stopped, like, a month ago. This is just, you know, we're back here, doing a few shows until our tour in December. We're just writing, and filling in spots with shows here and there.
KC: You also touched on the release of your upcoming DVD that's seen its share of backtracks. What's the status of that? 
CP: It's been filmed. We had our friend Josh come out for the whole summer. He filmed every show, and we had, like, five terabytes full of video. Right now, it's just a ton of video to go through.
AJP: Yeah, so he's making right now. It's being put together, it's just a slow process.
CP: We're hoping sometime this year, but I really have no idea.  It's up to him, and our label.
KC: So what can we expect from that? Will it be live performances?
CP: Honestly, I don't know. There's...everything.
AJP: Pretty much everything on our tour. We've even had footage from the past two years that we managed to have. At one point, stuff got stolen, and we lost a lot. We had a bunch, still. We just want to release, "What is The Dangerous Summer?" We don't know what it's going to look like yet, it's still in the editing stages. So we'll see.
KC: Are you scared at the idea of juggling the finishing of the DVD with writing your new album? Have you been able to separate the two?
AJP: We don't really do anything now, we did our part. We did a bunch of interviews, we contributed, and we did as much as we could. Now it's in the making, you know? We're not the ones making it, we have our director.
CP: Yeah, we'll see some rough edits, make some critiques on it, and send it back and forth.

KC: All of this is in support of your album War Paint. It turned a year old this summer. Looking back on it now, how do you think War Paint has been received, overall?
AJP: Good. I'm happy. Actually, as time goes on, I feel like people are turning to that album more  than Reach for the Sun. Not that I think Reach for the Sun deserves any less credit, but people are picking their favorites. Lots of people are actually going to War Paint and saying, "this is the album I relate to." We've been playing it on tour, and it feels good to finally play the songs. We've done a whole touring cycle out of that album. People have been singing along, having a great time.
KC: How would guys compare the recording and the writing process of War Paint to recording and writing Reach for the Sun? 
CP: I'd say, recording-wise, I think the sound of War Paint is a lot better. There's still songs off of Reach for the Sun, that it kind of surprises me that we wrote that at that time in our life, but I like them both equally.
AJP: Yeah, I think the one thing that's different about it is with Reach for the Sun, we were a new band. Now, it's like, we were a little more established, and writing songs for an audience, finally. I think that was a lot different. It was just stressful to have an album out and under your belt. I think the third album will be easier than both of them, because we've reached past a certain point. We're a little bit better at writing.
KC: You said you guys were a new band, I think a lot of the appeal of War Paint was how you guys were going to back up Reach for the Sun. It was an album that you guys performed front to back on a tour; did either of you feel any pressure going into that album? 
AJP: Oh, yeah.
CP: Oh, tons. I mean, I feel pressure even this time around. Any time something is well-received, it's like, your next thing has to at least match that, or else it's a little disappointing.
AJP:  I always think the band has to make their newest album the best album. I think it's always going to be, you know, scared to death of not living up to that.
KC: And do you think you guys did that? 
AJP: Yeah. I like it. I like it a lot, so I'm happy. It's up to the fans, really.

KC: I was listening through War Paint the other day, and, compared to Reach for the Sun, there were a couple of songs on Reach for the Sun that had profanity, but War Paint was 100% clean. Was that done on purpose?
AJP: Yeah, actually. We made the decision to not use it. I think profanity is a fine thing, it can be used as a good tool, but abuse it, and it's worthless. I think we made the decision to not have any profanity just to open up our sound so anyone can listen to it. I don't know what the next album is going to be like, but we definitely did make a conscious decision on that.

KC: You guys also posted something on Facebook a couple of weeks ago: it's your sixth year as a band. Looking back on that, I'm assuming you started this band in hopes you would get to this point where people would be talking about how you've been a band for six years. How does it feel to finally get to this point where it seems like you're here to stay?
AJP: It definitely feels good. We definitely feel the effects of being an established band. But you're always hungry for more. Back then, we were looking up here, and now we're looking even higher. We're stepping up that ladder. It's hard to look back and say we've made it. We have a lot to accomplish. We have lots going on, and lots that we're looking forward to.

Keep Calm and Carry On would like to thank AJ and Cody for taking the time to sit down with us, and special thanks to Brian and Katie from CUBRat for helping to make this possible. Be sure to check out The Dangerous Summer on Facebook and Twitter to keep track of all they're up to!

Keep Calm Presents: Interview with Anthony Raneri

Anthony Raneri has always been a busy guy. From the constant touring schedule that Bayside has developed that even the most loyal members of the "Cult" have a difficult time keeping up with to the acoustic solo shows he will often play when Bayside takes a (rare) few weeks off, it's easy to understand that Raneri is a man who is always thinking forward to his next venture. This year, he was finally able to release his first solo EP New Cathedrals, and even then, he found a way to be involved with every aspect of the writing, production, promotion, and distribution of the album. Aside from re-igniting the DIY attitude that seems to be taking hold of the music scene yet again, Raneri proves on New Cathedrals that his creativity isn't limited to his stinging hooks and soaring choruses that we're so used to hearing from Bayside. And somehow, just before playing at the Rathskellar at The College of New Jersey, Anthony was able to find the time to sit down with Keep Calm and Carry On for an exclusive interview! You're definitely going to want to read this, so check it out below!

Keep Calm and Carry On: 91.3FM WTSR, on the campus of The College of New Jersey, this is Donald WAgenblast, I'm the host of Keep Calm and Carry On, and right now we're here with Anthony Raneri, before his solo CUBRat show. Anthony, how are you today?
Anthony Raneri: I'm doing good, how are you?
KC: Good, thank you. So, you're solo tonight. You've played a ton of Bayside shows, and a ton of Bayside acoustic shows. How do your solo acoustic shows differ from those Bayside shows?
AR: Well, I  kind of get to do whatever I want, you know, that's the nice part. With Bayside, to get four guys on the same page, playing the songs all together, that takes some practice. With the solo shows, if I'm driving on the way, and I hear a song, and I want to play it, I can play it that night, where with the band, I can't really do that. And that's the other thing, I can play whatever I want; I can play covers, I can play stuff from my solo record, I can play Bayside songs.

KC: And you were solo on the Acoustic Basement on Warped Tour, how was juggling your set between your acoustic set and Bayside's regular set?
AR: It wasn't as tough as I thought it was going to be. Going into the tour, as we got closer, I started questioning what I was getting myself into.  I think most of the time, they were pretty good about scheduling me where it was close enough together, where I wouldn't have to get ready to play, cool down for five hours, and then go play again, but also not so close to where I was running to one set while I'm still sweating from the other set.

KC: So what was your approach going into those Acoustic Basement shows? Were you like, "Oh, should I play more Bayside songs?" or did you want to play more songs from the solo record you said you just put out?
AR: I usually feel out the crowd, you know? That's another cool thing about the solo shows: they're living, breathing things, and I can call audibles constantly, so I feel out the crowd. I usually start the set off with a mix of everything, and I see which songs get what reactions. I try to give people what they came to see. It's nice for me to be able to play the solo stuff, and when people know it, it's great, because they haven't seen it before, and it's still fairly new. But then, if I'm doing that stuff and I can tell people don't really know it,  or I feel like I'm losing them a little bit, then I'll start packing in a little more Bayside songs.

KC: Like you said, you had a solo EP come out, it's called New Cathedrals. What sparked the venture into the solo record for you?
AR: I think it was  sort of out of necessity, in a way. I write songs constantly, and I listen to different types of music, and I had all these songs, some of them were as old as 2002. I wrote "Sandra Partial" in 2002. Those songs have just been sitting around for years, and I finally had about six months free from Bayside, which is way longer than I've ever had off, so I figured I'd use that time to record them, and see if anybody wanted it.

KC: Certainly, it's not what you'd expect to hear the lead singer of Bayside singing, you know, "The Ballad of Bill the Saint" to me almost sounds like a country song, and you have songs like "Charleston," and "Sandra Partial," as well, was that by design?
AR: I think, by design, that's what it is. Because if it's similar to Bayside, those songs would have been Bayside songs. I didn't write anything for that record, and say, "This is a solo song," those are all leftovers. They're songs that we said, "This isn't a Bayside song." So by design, it really is different than Bayside.

KC:  So would you say that most of the songs, then, were left on the cutting room floor when Bayside was trying to release new music?
AR:  Sort of. Through the writing process, there are songs that I start writing and then I don't think they're very good and then I throw them out, and then there are songs that I finish and I think that they're great songs, but they're not Bayside songs, so I never even play them for the rest of the band. To say it's on the cutting room floor makes it sound like they were leftovers in the sense that they got "cut" from Bayside records, they just didn't fit with Bayside. Except "Charleston." "Charleston" was a song that I wrote about a month before going into the studio knowing that I needed another song for the record.

KC: New Cathedrals is self-released. What was that like? Obviously, Bayside has dealt with a couple of labels in their career. What was it like actually having to release the EP by your own hands?
AR: It's a lot of fun. I mean, that's the way we used to do things when we first started the band, you know? It was a lot of fun to get back to that. Everything about this record was incredibly rewarding. In terms of success, it's certainly not what Bayside has ever achieved, as far as shows, sales, or anything like that. But it's so rewarding to think that when somebody gets the CD in the mail, I wrote the song, I played just about ever instrument on the record, I produced the record, I engineered it. I even own the merchandise company where we ship it. So when somebody gets it in the mail, I did it all. I touched it, I put it in that envelope you're getting it in. It's really, really rewarding.

KC: Do you think a solo release would be something you'd be interested in doing again? I know it's kind of difficult to look into the future for a guy in such a busy band.
AR: Yeah, definitely. I mean Bayside is definitely always my priority. It's just always going to come down to if I find a bunch of time off from Bayside, if we haven't been touring for five months, and I have a few songs laying around, then I'll do it. I definitely want to, but it's very much a side project.

KC: Earlier this year, you were also on the Where's the Band? Tour, with Chris Conley, Ace Enders, Matt Pryor, and Evan Weiss. How was that?
AR: It's awesome. That's the fourth year, I think, that we've done that tour. It's an annual thing for us. The pieces change slightly, it's been me, Chris Conley, and Matt Pryor have been doing it every year and Dustin Kensrue from Thrice has always done it with us in the past, this year he only did a couple of dates. We added Evan and Ace into it this year. It's so much fun. It's like vacation for all of us. You get four or five lead singers, and you put them in a small box together,  and you think it erupts. But we have so much fun, we're such kindred spirits, we're all musicians, songwriters, singers, we have so much in common. We all just sit around in dressing rooms while we're traveling, and we're all going through the same things. And there are very few people, including some of our own band members, who don't understand exactly what we go through as songwriters and singers, and certainly not your friends and family. So it really is kindred spirits to the nth degree.
KC: It sounds like there's a great sense of community in that tour, with you guys just bouncing ideas off of one another. 
AR: Yeah, totally. We write songs while on that tour. Someone will be working on a song for their band and they'll bounce ideas off of everybody, get opinions.

KC: So, let's move a little bit away from the solo stuff, and get into the big news that's developing with Bayside right now. You guys are set to be direct support for the Tell All Your Friends Tour.  You guys are playing a lot of venues that I've personally seen Bayside sell out before. What led you to say, "Let's support Taking Back Sunday on the Tell All Your Friends Tour"?
AR: If you were to look at it from a business standpoint, like, we've sold out the Electric Factory before. But this is two shows at the Electric Factory. That's an incredible amount of people. But it's their show. It's different people. Even though we may draw  that many people, it's a different group of people, so we want to play in front of some new people. I think also that's a band that we relate to pretty closely, musically at least. I think a lot their fans  are our fans, and if they're not, then they can be. We've been offered some other support tours that are really huge, and we know that those particular bands' fans aren't going to be Bayside fans. When we support bands, it's never about the size, it's about whether it fits. And also, it's an honor. We grew up in the same scene, went to shows together, they started their bands the same time as ours, and I remember just seeing them take off and feeling so proud of them and being so proud of Long Island, and what was happening. So to be a part of this 10-year anniversary of something that I remember really fondly, it's an honor.

KC: Obviously, the big draw of this tour is Taking Back Sunday playing their earliest full-length album, Tell All Your Friends. Is there a chance that we see Bayside playing a little bit more  of their earlier work than fans might be used to on that tour?
AR:I don't think so, it had come up about us possibly doing a record also on the tour. But we don't really want to get in the way. It's their show. A big part of why we're doing this tour is how much respect we have for this occasion. That's their thing. And also, we don't want to necessarily go back and do one of those "record tours." It's not really our thing.

KC: You guys were on Warped Tour this year for the first time since 2009. How has it changed? You guys have been on the tour a number of times. Did you see any distinct differences between this year's Warped and the Warpeds you guys have done in the past?
AR: Yeah, we've been doing it since 2002, so I've seen over the years, and in the 90s, I was going to it. I've just seen it morph into all new things over the years. You know, this past year I think was one of the better years in a while. There were really some neat little niches, but at the same time, everything was blending. You had the Bayside, New Found Glory, Taking Back Sunday, Yellowcard, the Used, you had that generation there, but then you also had Man Overboard, Polar Bear Club, Transit, you had the up-and-coming stuff. And then you also had Breathe Carolina, We the Kings, the pop stuff happening over there, and then they had a whole stage that was almost all hardcore and metal. There's a variety, which is what you come to expect of Warped Tour since the beginning, but this variety bled into each other a lot more. Like I said there was Bayside, New Found, Taking Back, but I feel like those fans could get into Polar Bear Club or Transit, and Transit/Man Overboard fans can be into New Found Glory. And the hardcore bands as well. There was a lot more cohesiveness between genres. In past years, I feel like there was a lot of headbutting, it was really polarizing. You either listen to this, or you listen to that, and if you listen to "this," you hate everybody who's standing over there.

KC: Killing Time presented an interesting situation for you guys. You changed labels, went from Victory to Wind-Up. Wind-Up is a pretty big label, and there's always the worry that the little band goes to a big label and gets chewed up. How has the situation with Wind-Up been for you guys?
AR: It was cool, we're not there any more, it was one-time thing. We're actually not on any label right now, which is cool. It's exciting, free agency. It was totally different ballgame, you know, being on Victory. Victory was great, and they worked really hard to help get our band where it is. We definitely would never have gotten to where we are now if it wasn't for them. It's a great label. When it comes to Victory, if you're having a problem with something, or you have an idea you want to see happen, you call the owner on his cell phone, and then you guys talk about it. If he likes the idea, he gets excited, and he's really passionate about the bands, and he knows all the lyrics to every record he's ever put out. You don't get that at Wind-Up, or a major label. But at the same time, you also can't just call Victory and say, "We want Gil Norton to produce our record, it's going to cost $150 grand." That's what you get at Wind-Up.

KC: Since you guys are all label-less right now, given your experience with self-releasing New Cathedrals, would you consider self-releasing a Bayside album?
AR: We are actually in the process of self-releasing something right now. It's not an album, we're actually announcing it in a couple of weeks, so I can't totally come out and say it. But we are going to be releasing something while we're on the Taking Back Sunday tour. It's going to be similar thing to the solo record where you'll buy it directly from us. We're producing it ourselves, we're funding it ourselves, you'll be able to buy it from us at the shows.

Keep Calm and Carry On would like to thank Anthony Raneri for taking the time to talk with us before the show, and be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the special announcement of Bayside's self-released new material! 

Warped Tour 2012, through Donald's eyes

Warped Tour has taken its lumps over the last five years. Hopping on the newest scene hype trains across the country, the tour seemed to have lost its luster in the scene. Nevertheless, it's still the cheapest way to see almost every one of your favorite bands in the summer, and the experience of being around so many people who have (somewhat) similar tastes in music as you is worth the price of admission alone. So here I am, at 21 years old, writing to tell you that for the fourth straight year, and fifth year out of the last six, I made the trek to wherever Warped was being held in the great state of New Jersey (this year, it was at PNC Bank Arts Center).

This year, however, there was a bit of a different experience for me at Warped Tour. Sure, I packed my bag for the day like I always do, but it was what was in that bag that was different. I caught as many sets as I could, but missed a few. But it wasn't due to the schedule of when the bands played, it was the busy schedule I had to keep up with. The schedule that has produced the three videos you'll see below, and one of the most important things to happen to this show. They are interviews with Yellowcard, The Used, and Of Mice and Men, but they carry more weight than that. They carry a certain sense of accomplishment, for me at least. But it isn't the fact that I was able to go to the box office and get a press wristband. The true joy of this was to be able to post these for all of you to listen to.

I can tell you all about every band I saw. I can say things like Bayside continues to be the best-sounding live band out there, or that Transit's emotional blend of pop-punk and emo sounds as good on an acoustic set as it does during their energetic full-band sets. I can tell you that the crowds surrounding the Main Stage for Of Mice & Men, New Found Glory, and Yellowcard need to be seen in order for you to believe it. I can tell you that Fireworks played like a band who's bound to be the next big band with a cult-like following. I can tell you that Buddy Neilson of Senses Fail is reason enough to see the band in concert, or that Matty Arsenault of A Loss for Words is poised to be the scene's next great frontman. Whoops, I guess I just said all of that. So, there you go. Now you know what Warped was like for me outside of the Press Room. Now, let's get to the good stuff. My interviews with Jeph and Dan from The Used,  Ryan Key of Yellowcard, and Austin and Tino from Of Mice & Men can be listened to below.

The Used:

Yellowcard:

Of Mice & Men:

A big thank you to Jeph and Dan of The Used, Ryan of Yellowcard, and Austin and Tino of Of Mice & Men for taking the time out of their schedules for the interviews. And to those who are reading, I hope you enjoyed them. If you have the opportunity to head to Warped Tour this year, do it. There's no better concert experience this summer, or any other time of the year. 

Band of the Week, 6/25- Sparks the Rescue (Exclusive Interview)

Who are they?: Take your dad's Bon Jovi albums, through in your kid sister's Mayday Parade albums, and add a little bit of summer time, and you have Sparks the Rescue. The quintet hailing from Maine have been touring extensively since the release of their 2008 full-length Eyes to the Sun, and are set to self-release a KickStarter-funded EP this July.

Why are they Band of the Week?: Thanks to Eyes to the Sun and 2011's Worst Thing I've been Cursed With (both available on Fearless Records), Sparks the Rescue has become one of the best summertime pop-rock acts around. Whether it's frontman Alex Roy's soaring hooks and choruses or the dueling guitars from Toby McCalister and Mike Naran, there's just something about songs like "Saturday Skin" and "My Heart Radio" that beg you to roll the windows down and sing into your steering wheel on the way to the beach. And since last Wednesday was the first day of Summer, there's no better band to kick off a road trup with than Sparks the Rescue. 

What you need to hear: Usually, we post a song you should check out, but this week, that's not the case. Instead, you can check out an exclusive interview Keep Calm and Carry On did with the band at The Stanhope House stop of the Surrender Your Booty Tour the band is currently headlining! Enjoy!

AND, just because we're all about giving you more music to listen to, here's a video of the band performing "Autumn" (one of the best tracks on Eyes to the Sun) at The Stanhope House!

Keep Calm and...: The La Dispute Interview

As far as introductions go, this one is one of the most difficult I've ever had to write. How do I possibly introduced one of the coolest interviews I've ever done? How do I thank Craig enough for transcribing this after there was an issue with the audio file when we tried to put it on Youtube? How can I tell you about how La Dispute put everything together so perfectly for the Wildlife Tour (with Balance and Composure, All Get Out and Sainthood Reps)?  Hell, I don't even know where to start, so I'll just give you the basics. This Spring, La Dispute headlined the Wildlife Tour in support of their 2011 album Wildlife. Keep Calm and Carry On was lucky enough to sit down with Jordan Dreyer, vocalist of La Dispute. Here it is.

Donald Wagenblast: You’re listening to 91.3 FM WTSR on the Campus of The College of New Jersey. This is Donald Wagenblast, host of Keep Calm and Carry On, and right now we are backstage for the Wildlife Tour and lucky enough Jordan Dreyer, vocalist from La Dispute is here to join us. They’re headlining the tour. Jordan, how are you today?

Jordan Dreyer (Vocals, La Dispute): I’m doing very well, Donald. How are you?

DW: It’s been great. So how’s the Wildlife Tour been?

JD: It’s been amazing; can’t complain. All the shows have been great, all the bands are amazing, so we’re having a really great time.

DW: And this is your first- this is probably some of the biggest shows you’ve ever played at this point, correct?

JD: Yeah, as a headliner. Well, actually tonight will probably be the biggest show we’ve ever played as a headliner. 

DW: Wow, that’s great. 

JD: Yeah, we’re really looking forward to it. But, yeah attendance has been great, shows have been good.

DW: Great. So this is in support of Wildlife, the album that came out in 2011. Compared to Somewhere at the Bottom of the River Between Vega and Altair, how did you compare the recording process between the two albums?

JD: Umm, this time was a bit different. We had a lot more resources available. And we had a lot more knowledge of the recording process. So, yeah it was definitely different and it was definitely a lot more involved because we had a lot more resources. When we recorded Somewhere… it was our first go at it, and we were a relatively young band, so we didn’t really know how to approach everything we wanted to approach. This time around we did, and it was accordingly more involved but also more satisfying.

DW: Okay, so it’s been labeled sort of as a concept album. Is that true, or do you maybe want to elaborate on that a little?

JD: Yeah, I always hesitate to use the term concept album, because I think it gives off the wrong impression. People think of an ongoing linear narrative, and people think about space and Pink Floyd, which is fine. But it is a concept record in the sense that we wrote the record around a pretty specific concept. The record is set up as a collection of “short stories.” “Short stories” for a lack of a better way to describe it. There’s a collection of “Short stories,” and then there are annotations throughout from the author who’s written them. So in that sense it’s conceptual, but we also wanted it to be digestible as individual songs and not just from beginning to end. 

DW: So, in writing that, did you think of it as you were writing a short story, or as you were writing a song when you were penning the lyrics for it?

JD: It’s a combination of both. Obviously, you are writing with limitations. You’re writing with special limitations, and you’re writing with the cadence of your voice in mind, and you’re writing with the movement of the song itself. I definitely wanted them to tell stories. I wanted there to be a beginning, middle and end, and I wanted there to be a story arc and everything. So in that regard it was definitely like writing a story, but obviously different because of the canvas I guess.

DW: So do you think of yourself as a storyteller or as a songwriter for La Dispute?

JD: Well, I guess storyteller more than anything.  I hesitate to call myself a songwriter or a musician in any way, because I don’t really actually play anything. So I would say more a storyteller.

DW: Your style is very different, you’ve got all these different moving parts, and there’s not really as many vocal melodies when you guys are recording for La Dispute.  How do you go into the studio approaching your lyrics? Do you guys write the songs, and then you put lyrics over them, or do you kind of come into them with stories, and then they put them to music?

JD: It’s a little bit of both. This time around we wanted to be as cohesive as possible between the music on the record and the lyrics, because we had such a specific concept. So what we did, I would come to practice with my ideas for the songs. I would type of eventually a synopsis, what I felt the moods and tones should be. And then we’d sit down and try to figure out how to accomplish that in parts that match the feeling. Then we’d construct the song around the concept, and once the song was done I’d go back and write the lyrics. So it was a little bit of both.

DW: Okay. And you’re also the vocalist of the band, so you have to deliver these stories that you’re writing. How do you come up with your delivery for certain aspects of certain song? Is it difficult then to convey the emotions you want to convey with your vocal styles?

JD: Yeah, the thing is I can’t rely on making an interesting melody. Because there is no melody, it’s essentially spoken word. So I have to pay careful attention to the sequence of words, and when to emphasize what, to make it not repetitive; to make it interesting to listen to, so it’s not just somebody talking over everything. As far capturing the moods and tones of a song, I think it comes pretty naturally. I write with that in mind and it translates to vocal intensity or volume of whatever else. And there are some things that I can’t control, there’s a certain crack to my voice that just kind of happens.  So it’s a matter of just getting lucky in some ways.

DW: So, you are very distinctive with how loud and quiet you get with it, so how do you take care of your voice on a tour like this? Cause you’re at it at 110% every night on this tour, so has it been difficult to keep your voice on this tour?

JD: No, it hasn’t. The easy answer is no. And I don’t really do a whole lot to maintain my voice truthfully, which is probably not a good thing. When new first started touring I would lose my voice occasionally, but the more we’ve toured the more I think I’ve found that spot in my throat that is comfortable and that isn’t too detrimental physically.

DW: So you’re getting there!

JD: So I’m getting there! [Laughs] Yeah, yeah. But I’ve never really had a problem. The only time I’ve had a problem is when I get sick, get cold/have a flu, because it typically translated to me getting a throat something. Blame my parents for not getting my tonsils out when I was a kid. [Laughs]

DW: In terms of the Wildlife Tour, just wrapping up talking about the tour itself,  how has the song selection been. Have you guys been leaning towards that album, because the tour is of the same name, or was there an effort to mix things up a bit? How have you approached it?

JD: Yeah, definitely an effort to mix things up, but more an emphasis on the new record. The record [Wildlife] came out 6 months, 5 months ago, so it’s been out for a while. And like you said it’s the tour for the record, but we of course still want to play old songs, and we still do, but we’ve been switching it up. So it’s Wildlife-heavy, but we’ve sprinkled old songs here and there.

DW: Oh that’s good. Switching it up a bit every night, that’s awesome. So, another release you guys have become more known for is the Here, Hear series. And it’s, correct me if I’m wrong, but it’s really a series of dramatic readings of poetry and short stories, if I’m not mistaken?

JD: Essentially yeah.

DW: So what sparked that? Was it just some free time that you guys had some studio time for or?

JD: Studio time? No, we did those-we recorded those all by ourselves. One on the side of the street, one out by the side of a lake, and one in Brad’s basement. But no, the initial genesis, we released a 7’ back in 2006, and we wanted something to supplement the pre-orders. So we got to talking, and came up with an idea; and the idea was to have each person write a song and record all the parts themselves, in kind of an attempt to show that persons individual influence and style.

DW: So like what’s going into the band and the LP songs. That’s really cool.

JD: Yeah, and then to add me into the mix, I picked pieces of literature that I was particularly enthralled by at the time, and read them over top of it. And it’s kind of developed over time. The third one we did was all original writing on my end, but it’s still the same. Each person records a song and each person records every instrument on that song.

DW: So for the Here, Hear series and for your LP’s and EP,s do you approach the songwriting differently then? Like, for Here, Hear III when you said you wrote all your own material, was there a different approach than maybe how you approached Wildlife?

JD: Yeah, definitely. It’s a different entity altogether, so yeah it requires a different approach. In some ways it’s because we recorded songs for Wildlife, they were full band songs, and they have a different feel to them than the songs that appeared on Hear, Here III, because it was, you know, Brad wrote a song, how Brad would write a song by himself. And Vass did the same thing, and Colin and Chad did the same thing, so each song requires a different approach because they’re different musicians and they write differently.

DW: So, do you think now, if you are to continue the Hear, Here series, and hopefully you do. Do you think you would go back to selecting authors you had been reading at different times, or do you think it’s now about putting your writing on top of the songs?

JD: Yeah, I think it will be my own writing. The thing that we didn’t anticipate is that there can only be so many physical copies of them. So it’s pretty implicit in the packaging of both of those records that I was quoting other authors, but since then they’ve appeared on the internet as downloads, and some people don’t know that those are other people’s writings. So it’s dangerous business. We’ve had some very angry people who thought we were plagiarizing, and then we’ve had some other people who though I wrote E.E Cummings poems, and I wrote Tom Robbins books. So I think we’ll stick to- we’ll see, we’ll see what happens. [Laughs]

DW: So it’s been an interesting process, I guess, releasing all of those?

JD: Yeah, yeah, not a whole lot of foresight with that. And I don’t regret it. I think the idea was to pay homage to someone who I respect, and to incorporate that into another medium. And like I said we were very, very, very, implicit that the lyrics weren’t written by me in the packaging, but packing is all long since gone.

DW: So would you say that the authors that you quoted and read aloud, when you did use other authors’ writings, would you say that they influenced your own songwriting in a way?

JD: Oh yeah. And that was another cool part about Here, Hear is that if you look at the Hear, Here and then you look at the record that comes closest to it, you can see where some of those themes come up. So there are stuff on Somewhere that are from some of the pieces I read over on Here, Hear I. So it kind of gives you a next level of enjoyment.

DW: So do you see the Hear, Here series continuing at all?

JD: I think we all do, it’s just a matter of having the time.

DW: A matter of when?

JD: Yeah, it’s a matter of when. But I think it’s something that we’ll try to do so long as we’re a band.

DW: Great. So I was looking stuff up that I wanted to talk to you about yesterday, and I found this thing called “The Wave”. How people are referring to it is five bands: you guys, Make Do and Mend, Touché Amore, Pianos Become the Teeth, Defeater. And you guys are supposed to be the next wave of emotional…I don’t want to say post-hardcore, but in the vein of you guys playing the music and Touché Amore are playing music. Do you guys approve of this, or have you even heard of it at all?

JD: Well, the full story is that it started with us, it started with those five bands. We a long time ago, probably two years ago, started joking around, because we were playing a lot of shows together at the time, saying that we should have a gang name. Somebody jokingly said, “The Wave,” and made a fake MySpace.  So that was the initial birth of that thing that people have taken completely out of context. Anyway, that was a joke. And some people have, again lack of foresight-I don’t think of any of us thought about the internet when we did it, and it became too much of a thing. People started talking about it in that way, you know like “next wave of emotional hardcore,” but it’s-I don’t mind being associated with those bands; I love those bands- but there are so many other bands. If there is a trend in punk towards the emotional side, then that’s fine. I’m not sure there is, but if there is there are a lot more bands that encompass it than those five, and it sucks that a lot of people have- I don’t know it’s just one of those things, the internet, the internet takes something and runs with it. And it becomes something you never expected it to be, and you’re like “Aww, shoot”. Anyway…

DW: So, that’s pretty much all I have from this. Are there plans for more La Dispute in the future? Are we going to see you in 2012, touring or otherwise? 

JD: Yeah, it’s kind of all up in the air right now. We’ll be in Europe. We have 2 separate trips to Europe coming up. We have 2 weeks in the summer with Hot Water Music, and 2 weeks in the fall with Title Fight and Make Do And Mend. And then we’re playing Fest and a few shows around there, but I don’t know exactly we’re gonna be playing or how long that run will be. So it’s kind of up in the air, we have a lot of downtime after hitting it pretty hard in the last year. 

DW: So, we gotta get you ready. You have to go soundcheck or whatever’s going on out there. But is there anything else you’d like to add before we wrap this up?

JD: Thanks for the interview guys, I appreciate it.

DW: Yeah, of course. It was great to have you, thanks for doing it. That’s Jordan Dreyer from La Dispute. They’re about the tear down the house at the Union Transfer in Philadelphia for the Wildlife Tour. So best of luck and thank you for taking the time to do it.

JD: Of course, my pleasure. Thank you.

Again, I can't thank Craig and Jordan enough for making this possible. Stay tuned for more of the good stuff, and check out our interview with Balance and Composure here!

How to "Carry On": The New Jersey State Special

Snooki, JWOWW, Pauly D, Ronnie, Vinny. These are the cast members of the (in)famous MTV show Jersey Shore that don't actually live in New Jersey. Yet somehow, combined with Sammi Sweetheart, The Situation, and Deena (who at least can claim some semblance of Jersey roots), these classless, shameless, and filthy rich individuals have come to define the world's image of the great state of New Jersey. But as most listeners of Keep Calm and Carry On know, there is much more to New Jersey than spray tans and trying to relive your Senior Prom Weekend at Seaside (fun fact: The Situation and Pauly D are both over the age of 30). We've been the host to the highest, fastest roller coaster in the world for a few years now (here's to you, Kingda Ka), we're one of the most culturally diverse states in the country, and above all else, we've churned out more musicians than any other state (that's more opinion than fact). From Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen to My Chemical Romance and The Gaslight Anthem, the new wave of any scene "fad" makes its break on the Jersey shore. That's what this week at Keep Calm and Carry On was all about: paying tribute to the bands who got their start or their big break in the Garden State. We'll start this sampling with a song that features a band that everyone knows, but New Jersey knew about first. Listen below as Jimmy Eat World pays its tribute to Jersey in "Big Casino":

In addition, we also played some songs from bands who were home-grown in the Garden State. Thursday, Senses Fail, My Chemical Romance, and countless others have changed the game in the scene, but before all of that, they all started in a small Jersey town. One of the more lesser-known and short-lived bands from New Jersey, but still packed a big-time punch, was Hidden in Plain View. Starting in Stanhope, NJ, the band broke out of the suburbs and onto Drive-Thru records, and while they called it quits long before they should have, they still gave us some great jams, including their tribute to their home state, "Garden Statement" (Fun fact: Donald graduated from the same high school as all of the members of HIPV!):

Making a list of bands who drew inspiration from or got their start in New Jersey can go on for days. However, Keep Calm and Carry On was lucky enough to catch up with a band who's now mentioned the state in two songs, and continues to show their unconditional support for all things Jersey: Mayday Parade. Donald was able to sit down and talk with Jeremy Lenzo, bassist/vocalist for the band, after they wrapped up a trip to the UK to tour with You Me at Six. The result was a great, interesting interview, and we can't thank Jeremy enough. Check it out below! 

What'd you think of the interview? Let us know in the comments, and we'll see you next time! Be sure to listen to Keep Calm and Carry On on 91.3FM WTSR or online at www.wtsr.org every Friday night from 9-11pm!

How to "Carry On": The Screamo State of the Union

How to "Carry On" is a special that I wanted to introduce to give listeners and readers an idea of what goes into making the "playlists" the show is structured around each week. Here's the first submission, let me know what you think in the comments!

This week's theme was difficult to come up with, because I already had a 20-minute chunk taken out of it thanks to the interview, which you'll be able to listen to at the bottom of this post. The Devil Wears Prada have been atop the metalcore scene for a while now, and I thought it would be a nice idea to put the spotlight not only on TDWP, but on other up-and-coming metalcore acts, such as Of Mice & Men, Oh, Sleeper, and also highlight new albums from already established acts like Underoath and Senses Fail, to help show that those bands are still producing great music. Here's an example, as seen in Underoath's video for "Paper Lung":

However, 2011 was a bad year for screamo as a genre in terms of break-ups, as stalwarts like Thursday, Thrice, and Alexisonfire all announcing indefinite hiatuses. With each band bringing so much to the table, and all announcing their break-ups within a month of one another, the screamo genre as a whole is now a boxer who has just been knocked down, and only time will tell if it can get back up off the mat and land a haymaker, or if its down for the count. Still, we have a ton of gems from each band to be thankful for, including this one:

But like I said, the theme for this week is all centered around The Devil Wears Prada, and their stunning new album Dead Throne. I was able to interview Mike Hranica, the band's screamer, and I was floored by his honesty. He's a very opinionated guy, and didn't hold anything back. Overall, I couldn't be any happier with how the interview turned out. Here's hoping I get to interview him (or anyone in any band) again sometime soon. Thanks, Mike!

Below is the recording of the interview, which originally aired on January 20, 2012. The interview took place December 10, 2012. Dead Throne is in stores and online now. Take a listen and tell me what you think in the comments.

What'd you think of the interview? I'd love to hear what you think in the comments! Huge thanks to The Syndicate for making this interview possible. Don't forget to tune into Keep Calm and Carry On on 91.3FM WTSR and www.wtsr.org every Friday night from 9-11PM! See you next week!