This interview was conducted in 2008 with questions from the AbsolutePunk.net community.
For Nate: What’s it like getting back into a band after taking a break from the Format?
Nate: It’s fantastic…fun has existed for over half a year now and it still feels new and exciting everyday, and at the same time it feels like we all know each other so well and feel like we can relate and work together on a musical level as if we’ve been close friends and confidants our entire life.
For Nate: Why break up The Format after getting ready to record a new album, only to go and start another band using those new Format songs? And why did Sam Means help out with some fun songs?
Nate: Did I break up The Format? Good to know. When Sam and I decided we weren’t going to make a Format record, I really wanted to see some of these songs that I had been writing through…I wasn’t going to throw away something that was dear to my heart just because a band that I worked out the songs with was no longer. A great song should see the light of day no matter who is “writing” it. Sam helped out because we started a few of the songs together and I think even he wanted to see these songs move forward badly. And I’m pretty sure it’s three songs on the record. A few other songs were written for the new Format record but i had never showed them to anyone until fun started.
For Jack: When can we expect some new music?
Jack: The record will come out in 2009, probably around April. You will all be the first to know. Progress has been amazing and weshould be right on schedule.
For Andrew: How far along are you guys in the process of making your debut album?
Andrew : We’re getting close! We’re actually kind of in the final stages at this point – getting the lead and backing vocals done,string arrangements, and little flourishes and adornments here and there. It’s fun to go back and listen, and make little tweaks and add subtle things. We’ll be done by the time we leave for tour in November.
For Nate: Will the general direction of fun differ much to that of The Format?
Nate: Yeah, I think so. Sam was amazing to work with but Jack and Andrew bring something totally different, I don’t exactly prefer one or the other….I’m just very grateful that I’ve had the opportunity to work, learn, and grow from such amazing minds and I think Jack and Andrew are so perfect to write with at this point in my life.
For Andrew: Is Fun on a label or are you working independently?
Andrew: We’re going to be putting the album through Nettwerk, our management company. Both Anathallo and The Format have done it this way and everyone has been happy with how it worked out. It still feels very much like an independent project. There are no A&R guys sitting on our shoulders, asking us for less strings and more distortion.
For Jack: Seeing as your name is fun, do you feel there’s a high expectation to make a really different and…well, fun CD and liveshow?
Jack: I don’t think that’s something we have to worry about. The three of us can’t really help but have a great time pretty much all the time. I’ve known Nate for a very long time, and Andrew for a semi-long time, and its always an amazing. I think we are all the kind of people that don’t like to have millions of friends, but rather spend more time and get closer to a smaller group of people. The three of us have created something much bigger than anything we had separately with each other, and they are some of the people I always want to be around. I think that comes out more than anything. No weird pressure to act like we are having fun and loving each other. We actually do, and that cant help but find its way
into everything.
For Nate: You moved to New York, has this affected your writing for the album fun is currently recording?
Nate: Yeah, this record in many ways feels like a breakup letter to Arizona…and the weird thing is that I had been writing a lot ofthese “leaving” songs prior to my move to New York. I think I always subconsciously knew I wanted to go back to New York on apermanent basis and when it became a reality I went right for it and I couldn’t be any happier because of it. No offense to Arizona, I love it, I loved the support I/we received there, and it will always mean as much to me as New York. It was just time to move.
For Nate: Though fun has a distinctly different sound from The Format, what are some aspects of this band that you want to have different than The Format? I love both bands, and Anathallo is my favorite band, but being that all of you are very creative, what’s the plan to make people think outside of “The New Format”?
Nate: I think we all just act naturally, once the first demo was done we looked at each other and kinda laughed because it sounded so much like the three of our old/other bands combined…and since then its really developed and we’ve thrown so much influence onto each other and I think that has caused an even greater evolution in our sound. Those two dudes have so much to offer in my life that I can’t help but be a different person (a better one, I’d like to think) and a different (better?) songwriter. Fortunately we aren’t the only ones who think this, the only other person to really hear the songs (our producer Steve) couldn’t be more ecstatic about what we are accomplishing…I believe his words were “the best album I’ve ever worked on”…that’s very flattering because I’ve worked on other albums with him and I only want to progress and get better.
For Andrew: Will you guys play any songs from your other/previous projects live?
Andrew: We’ve talked about that quite a bit. I think the general consensus has been that we’re all really excited about the fun songs. That doesn’t mean we won’t sneak an older song or two into the mix, but we’re definitely proud of the songs we’re writing and recording together as three songwriters. It’s a nice combination – writing with Jack and Nate is an incredible experience – and the songs are really a joy for us to play together. However, we’re also proud of our past work, and want to put on the best show possible, so I suppose anything is fair game.
For Jack: Is the tour with Jack’s Mannequin going to be an acoustic performance of fun without Jack?
Jack: It will be. I’m going to be on a headlining tour with Steel Train in October/November at the same time as the Jack’s Mannequin tour. It’s a little easier in this case cause its an acoustic tour. I know Andrew and Nate are going to kill it, and there are going to be two other musicians with them as well filling in a lot of great parts. We all have a lot going on, and this is just the kind of thing Ill have to deal with being in two bands that are both so active.
For Nate: Will you still keep in touch with fans of fun like you did with the Format? Like Ask Nate, carious contests, etc.?
Nate: Totally…just biding my time…I’ve been missing something “Dear Nate”-esque. In hindsight I took a lot for granted too…its easy to lose touch when you’re touring constantly and feeling like you’re in dire need of a break…this is the longest break I’ve ever taken and I’m just so excited to jump on stage and perform for people again…and as far as keeping in touch is concerned I can’t wait to personally thank and talk to every person that has stuck around with an open and understanding mind and wants to see thisthing through.
For Jack: Why “fun?”
Jack: It just is. We thought of SO many names. It got crazy. I remember my mom in the car with Nate, Andrew and I a while ago listing of name after name,… we were going nuts. Everyone we knew was giving us a million suggestions and we lost touch. fun was something we thought of a long time ago when we first started. It seemed natural for us to go back to it. Just feels nice. I’ve never thought a name should hold too much weight. The band and music should give the name meaning, not the other way around. Its a basic word that we all use all the time, and now its the name of our band.
For Andrew: Will there be significantly more hand claps and whistle blowing in the new project?
Andrew: Absolutely! I’ve always been a big fan of collages/walls of sound, and basically anything that makes noise is fair game. Balloons popping, Velcro, bike tires, etc. have always been part of the arsenal… This record is filled with textures and interestingsounds – there are yardsticks thwacking, glass bottles, kazoos, and lots more. We’ve had a great time experimenting with differentthings in the studio.
For Jack: Do you feel any pressure coming out of pretty big bands to form this new band? Do you feel like these songs are semi-related to your past efforts (especially Nate, seeing as these were all apparent soon-to-be-Format songs), or do you see this as a definite shift from all your works?
Jack: I think if anyone appreciates our other projects, they will feel the same about fun. Its the three of us doing what we all do best with the added element of what we bring out of each other. For me, its amazing, cause I’ve never been in a situation like this. We always joke with each other about how we always loved writing alone until we started this project. Its been incredibly expanding that way. The project is so special because all three of us have put everything we have to offer into every song on the record. Any pressure I felt was gone the first time the three of us spoke about doing this ten months ago.