Talk about a band on the rise. Anarbor have been hard at work making their super catchy brand of rock known to the world. I caught up with them for a minute before they rolled onward to conquer the world.
PPJ: First, tell us your name and what you do in the band.
Mike Kitlas: I'm Mike and I play guitar.
Slade Echeverria: I'm Slade and I play bass and sing.
Adam Juwig: I'm Adam and I play guitar.
Greg Garrity: I'm Greg and I play drums.
PPJ: You guys have all known each other a long time. Did you go through other bands or styles of music before arriving at Anarbor?
Mike: Not really. The first band we were ever in was called Troop 101 and it had this exact same lineup. We eventually grew up and changed the name, but the group stayed the same. We all learned how to play our instruments together and we all matured as musicians together.
PPJ: Was it tough to try and choose between college and the band?
Greg: It wasn't a tough decision for us, because we knew that we only had one shot at this. We couldn't be as serious as we wanted to be and be in college. Plus, when we signed a record contract before we even graduated high school, that made our decision easier. We are all taking online courses while we are on the road, so we aren't losing any ground on our peers.
PPJ: Did you ever think Anarbor was going to take off? Or, when did you know you had something big on your hands?
Adam: I think we all had dreams of being big, but that's what kept us motivated.
Mike: We had been getting attention in the local scene for a while, but I guess we new things were taking off when we started getting noticed outside of Arizona.
PPJ: Tell us what it was like recording "The Natural Way."
Mike: Mike Green is amazing. A musical genius. Period.
Greg: Yeah, it was our first time ever working with a real producer in a real studio and we were all kind of nervous. Mike really got the best out of us and I think we were all happy with how the 4 songs came out.
Slade: We're going back in to record our debut EP with him in December.
PPJ: You're on tour with The Years Gone By right now. How is that going?
Slade: The Years Gone By are amazing. They are such great guys and its always good to be touring the East Coast with a band that is from the East Coast. Haha. They have lots of fans out here.
PPJ: There are hundreds of pop bands out there right now. What do you think separates you from the rest of the pack?
Mike: We get thrown in the same sentence as all of these bands for some reason. Like all of these bands that use backing tracks and autotune on their vocals. We just make real music. If you don't like it fine, but at least its really us.
Greg: Well yeah, but in a way its kind of good that we get lost in the mix. Because when someone finally does hear us, they are always pleasantly surprised that we aren't one of those bands.
PPJ: What are your favorite and least favorite songs that you've written, and why?
Slade: I think we're always into the new songs more than the old songs.
Adam: Well, we usually judge our favorites by the songs that are most fun to play. Like the ones with the most energy.
Mike: I like playing "Right There With You" and "Salem's Filled With Witches."
PPJ: What can we expect next from you?
Mike: EP in March 2009. A bunch of new songs and maybe one or two old ones.
Slade: And just non-stop touring.
PPJ: Finally, tell us three bands you think we should be listening to.
Adam: The best 3 albums of 2008 are:
Margot & The Nuclear So and So's - Animal/Not Animal
Bring Me The Horizon - Suicide Season
Lydia - Illuminate
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