Frontman Daniel Layus provides an inside look into Augustana’s new album Life Imitating Life, describes his decision to zero in on sincerity, wrestles with the cyclical nature of human existence, and explains the benefits of going back to writing with pen and paper.
On March 18th Taking Back Sunday releases its sixth full-length record so we got on the phone with vocalist Adam Lazzara to learn more about it.
When did you start writing this record?
We started writing not too long after the self-titled record came out. Just because we all live in different states, whenever we got home from tour we would get together to write and find a place that was kind of out of the way so there weren’t many distractions.
This time I noticed you went with two producers, Marc Hudson and Mike Sapone, instead of returning to Eric Valentine like you did with the self-titled.
That kind of happened haphazardly because we had done a round of demos in Michigan with Marc Hudson and then we did another round of demos in New York with Mike Sapone. When it came time to actually record the record we thought things went so well when we were demoing with those guys, so if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. We’ve had a relationship with Mike Sapone since the band started so that is one reason we went back. As for Marc Hudson he’s been touring with us for years so it was just two guys we felt really comfortable with because they were our friends first. There really wasn’t much of an outside influence.
Read More “Adam Lazzara of Taking Back Sunday”
Incubus singer Brandon Boyd discusses his new musical project Sons of the Sea, working with producer Brendan O’Brien, curating his stream of consciousness writing style, and looks back on his career so far.
Mark Hoppus touches on a little bit of everything – including life in the U.K., the next Blink-182 record, the future of (+44), a new musical project with Chris Holmes, his obsession with the octopus, the differences between him and Tom, exploring dark lyrics, and why he thinks he will never write another good song again.
This interview took place on October 7th, 2013 with Jeremy McKinnon, the lead singer of A Day to Remember. The band’s new album, Common Courtesy, is now available online.
Read More “Jeremy McKinnon of A Day to Remember”
Lead singer Dan Marsala reflects upon the 10th anniversary of Page Avenue, reimagining the record on Ten Years and Counting, and the crossroads Story of the Year currently finds itself at.
Lead singer Matt Thiessen and guitarist Matt Hoopes address Relient K’s divisive new album Collapsible Lung, the stigma of co-writing, and why after 15 years it feels like a rebirth of the band.
Frontman Jim Adkins discusses Jimmy Eat World’s new album Damage, his approach to writing adult breakup songs, being a band for nearly 20 years, and when it becomes necessary to throw all cares out the window.
Michael Shepard chats about his new Boys on the Radio project, writing poppier music, the future of Lovedrug, and whether he regrets never making it big.
Drummer Matt Frazier talks about graduating to arenas as openers for Kings of Leon, the importance of percussion and melodies in crafting the Local Natives sound, and the next step in following up Hummingbird.
Frontwoman Ritzy Bryan talks about the science vs. nature concept behind The Joy Formidable’s sophomore album Wolf’s Law, recording in Maine during the dead of winter, and the balancing act between the live show and studio recordings.
Today we’re excited to bring you the premiere of The Wonder Years’ “Passing Through a Screen Door.”
Read More “The Wonder Years – “Passing Through a Screen Door” (Song Premiere)”
Guitarist Christian McAlhaney discusses Anberlin’s latest album Vital, major label troubles, reuniting with producer Aaron Sprinkle, and the past and future of Acceptance.
Guitarist Jack Antonoff talks about fun.’s big Grammy night and performance, transitioning to a larger scale, staying in Some Nights mode, and what’s next for the band.
We teamed up with PropertyOfZack to sit down with Chris Holmes, the co-producer and engineer behind Blink-182’s new EP, Dogs Eating Dogs.
What was it like going from working on Neighborhoods on and off for two years to doing Dogs Eatings Dogs in just over a month in terms of your role and it’s shift?
A very wild, yet familiar ride.
On Neighborhoods, while you could say we were on and off for two years, the crunch time “on” part was the last month or so. What I’ve found with most things with a deadline with bands, is you figure out the deadline, and you pack as much in as possible…and even more up until the last moment..It is the nature of the beast. There is no finishing early. There is always a need for more time. I call it End-of Record-itis.
With Dogs Eating Dogs, we were initially kind of casually starting to work on songs for the new LP for next year, and the next thing you know, we have one month to write, record, mix, and master for a Christmas release.
It ramped up quick as far as picking which ideas to focus on and really planning out how to make it happen within that time frame. My role essentially was the same as far as co-producer and engineer for the songs. What I’m trying to do as a co-producer is voice what I think the listener would want to hear, while also serving the song and balancing the artistic desires of the band. At the end of the day, the three guys decide what to do, but I can chime in and say my peace and hopefully offer a different perspective on things.
What I’m doing as engineer is trying to honor the legacy of the sounds from previous records and add my own touch to it. For example, if you listen to TOYPAJ Travis’s toms sound HUGE. I made a point to do the same treatment on them with this recording. The vocal sound on the “Untitled” record I really like, so I made sure to use the same vocal mic and recording chain from that record. To get even more micro, we had a different drum setup for almost every section of every song. For example on “Pretty Little Girl” ‘s pre-choruses we used these Zildjian 13″ hi-hats that were tight so you can hear every hit Travis is doing, and then when the chorus hits we put up this super-cracking OCDP Bell Brass Snare drum.
The only role change I had was being a little more hands-on with the delivery of the album and making sure it made it to iTunes, and to the bundles.
Read More “Chris Holmes”