In part two of our two-part interview, guitarist Christian McAlhaney gives an inside look into the surreal return of Acceptance, what it was like writing the band’s first album back, how Phantoms holds up 10 years later, and why they have no plans of leaving again any time soon.
Acceptance are back and have spent the last year working on a new album. I recently had the chance to talk with lead singer Jason Vena about getting the band back together and what lead to that decision, the differences in the music industry from when the band first broke into the music scene to now, and what the new songs are going to sound like. We also talked about the entire process of recording this album, how the band is taking their time through the process, and why it took ten years for Jason to once again feel like he had something he wanted to say musically. Our full conversation can be found below, only lightly edited, and make sure you pre-order the band’s upcoming album if you haven’t already.
Guitarist Kevin Skaff talks about changing it up on A Day to Remember’s new record Bad Vibrations, embracing the garage band mentality again, writing heavier songs with everyone involved, and why history is cool.
Bishop Briggs talks about opening for Coldplay on their “A Head Full of Dreams” tour, experiencing a hit single with “River,” making everything about the music, and never having a Plan B.
Bayside have steadily become one of the preeminent forces in alternative music by simply being themselves throughout their entire career. The band has a unique sense of self which displays itself every time they release new music. The band’s seventh full-length record, Vacancy, just dropped last week, and to celebrate, they hit the road with some incredible bands supporting them: The Menzingers and Sorority Noise. I’ll have more on that tour a little later this week, but for now, enjoy my conversation with Anthony Raneri and Nick Ghanbarian about managing fan expectations, what they feel their responsibility is as a band with a platform, and how you continue to write the most honest music of your career seven albums deep.
Last week, I was able to sit down and chat on the phone with one of my favorite songwriters, Aaron Gillespie. You may know him from his work as the drummer/singer for Underoath, or as the singer/songwriter behind The Almost, but Aaron has also just released his stellar debut full-length solo album Out of the Badlands. It came out on August 20th, and I think it showcases everything I love about Aaron’s writing style. We sat down to discuss the record in depth, as well as Underoath’s recent reunion, and many more topics.
Lead singer Sameer Gadhia talks about Young the Giant’s third album Home of the Strange, narrating the American immigrant story through music, and the impossible goal of striving for perfection.
The Heirs are an alternative-electro pop band fronted by siblings Savannah and Brandon Hudson. The band has previous festival experience and are now making waves on Warped Tour thanks to their new single “What You Want.” I had a chance to speak with the band on the tour and you can find that interview below.
The Color Morale are attacking Warped Tour with a vengeance and fans are anxiously awaiting the band’s new album, Desolate Devine, due out August 18th on Fearless Records. On separate dates of Warped I spoke with lead singer Garret Rapp and unclean singer and guitarist Aaron Saunders about the upcoming album.
Sleeping With Sirens are moving across the country all summer long on the Warped Tour in support of their album, Madness. I caught up with the band on this year’s tour, and a video interview with the guys can be found below.
As the rest of the nation watched in abject disbelief, Republicans descended upon Cleveland last week for what might, in retrospect, be best described as a suicide party. The Nominee Who Must Not Be Named delivered his usual bile (you know the formula by now) and promptly scared the living shit out of anyone who dared dissect even a single component of his rhetoric. But just minutes away, Third Eye Blind had successfully injected a small but Twitter-shattering shot of truth into an otherwise bullshit-laden establishment. Though initial reports inaccurately cited that Stephan Jenkins and company had actually played at the Republican National Convention itself, a band-issued clarification (and anyone actually familiar with the band’s lyrical content) promptly confirmed otherwise. The band played at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for a Musicians on Call fundraising event, an event that’s unaffiliated with the Republican Party. However, given that the bulk of their audience that fateful evening were RNC attendees, the band eschewed their usual arsenal of hits for an impassioned plea to GOP faithfuls to reject the anti-LGBT and anti-science platform their party has perpetuated for decades.
In order to get the rest of the APMA red carpet interviews out to you as fast as possible, we’ve decided to release the rest of them all at once.
Hope you enjoy them!
Emarosa is at the top of the charts and on “Cloud 9” with their new album 131. The band chats with me on the red carpet at the APMAs.
Real Friends are currently on the road promoting their recent album, The Home Inside My Head, out now on Fearless Records. I spoke with the band on the third annual APMA’s red carpet.
Mayday Parade have been going strong for over ten years after their humble beginning in Tallahassee, Florida. The band is currently rocking their way across American on the Warped Tour. At the APMAs the band played alongside The Maine, with special guest Stephan Jenkins. I spoke briefly with the band about their success in this red carpet interview.