Interview - Portugal. The Man

Portugal. The Man have been hard at work for the last few years, relentlessly touring and putting out tons of music. I caught up with them briefly to see how things are going, and see where they are headed.

PPJ: First, tell us your name and what you do in the band.

Zach Carothers: I'm Zach. I play the bass.

PPJ: What music did you listen to growing up? How did your musical tastes evolve as you grew older?
Zach: Ha... they didn't much. I've recently regressed back to what I've always listened to. I grew up on a lot of classic rock and pop. Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. The Beatles. Michael Jackson. Shit like that.

PPJ: What is the biggest influence on your music today?

Zach: Friends and family... and everyone I meet. Any experience. Mostly my band. I just feed off what they make. They inspire me.

PPJ: What is the music scene in Alaska like? Is it difficult to break a band in the continental States from Alaska?

Zach: There's not much scene in Alaska. A lot of bluegrass and metal. Honestly, I think being from Alaska helped our band. Not too many bands come out of there. Anything you can do to set yourself apart from everyone else.

PPJ: Your new album, Censored Colors, has a pretty unique structure. How did you go about writing this album?

Zach: Well, we wrote almost the whole record in the studio in two and a half weeks. We worked hard. It was by far the most productive time we've spent. We were tracking 14 hours a day. We tried some new writing styles as well. Using chord progressions instead of riffs like we normally do.

PPJ: What was different about creating this album compared to your previous ones?

Zach: We had access to so many different instruments. It was amazing. We're lucky to be friends with unreal musicians. Horns, strings, organs. We also tried a bunch our very strange tracking techniques. It was a learning experience.

PPJ: What are your favorite things about your new album?

Zach: All the singing. We all put so many vocals on it. I love doing gang vocals. It's like a party.

PPJ: Is there anything on your older albums you wish you'd done differently?

Zach: Not really.... since we write everything in the studio, we'll often change them if they don't work live. I don't mind. It makes the live show a lot more fun.

PPJ: How did you come to the partnership you have with Equal Vision Records?

Zach: Equal Vision have been good friends of ours for years. They have helped us out many times. We originally wanted to release the record ourselves, but they gave us a really awesome deal. Partnership was totally the best option for us. We share in the risk and the reward.

PPJ: What was it like to collaborate with The Sound Of Animals Fighting to remix songs from their album?

Zach: They asked Johnny to do that a while ago. He had never done anything like that before, but he had a lot of fun doing that. I think he did a good job.

PPJ: You're about to head out on a European tour. What are you most looking forward to?

Zach: Hard to say. Everything is so amazing over there. All the club employees are so nice and helpful to us. The people that come to our shows are rad. We owe them many thanks.

PPJ: What is the next step after that?

Zach: We're doing a headlining tour in the states with Earl Greyhound and Winter Sleep. Then back into the studio for pre production. We're busy little bees.

PPJ: Do you think you'll be able to keep up the album-a-year pace you've set for yourselves?

Zach: I don't think it will be a problem. The only thing that stops us from recording more is our tour schedule.

PPJ: What do you want people to come away with when they hear your music or see your show?

Zach: Well, I obviously want them to have a good time. And I hope it makes them want to come back and see another. We're usually having the time of our lives on stage.

PPJ: Finally, tell us three bands you think we should be listening to.

Zach: Lately I've been really into: The Builders And The Butchers, 31 knots, Doctor Helicopter, Hello Electric, The Decemberists, and David Bowie.


Thanks again to Zach for answering our questions, and to Heidi Robinson for arranging the interview. Make sure you pick up Censored Colors, which hits stores tomorrow!

Website | MySpace

Interview - Sherwood

I caught up briefly with Sherwood to talk about what it's like to be such a hardworking band in today's music scene. Read on to hear about more about Sherwood, both new and old.


PPJ: First, please tell us your name and what you do in the band.

Dan Koch: Dan, and I play guitar.

PPJ: What got you into music? What keeps you in it?

Dan: The drums, also my friend in elementary school, Mark Ball, who got me to stop listening to Rap (which I have since learned to enjoy again) and start listening to Grunge. I am still in it because I can't possibly not be.

PPJ: Sherwood has always had a do-it-yourself approach. What do you think are the pros and cons to this? Did you ever think it was just too difficult?

Dan: Mainly the PRO is that you learn to appreciate any success you have, the main CON is that it takes a long time! There were tense moments; I have almost quit at least once I can remember. But somehow we kept it together and are stronger than ever right now.

PPJ: How do you go about writing your songs?

Dan: I generally will write the basic skeleton and then we work out all the details, often the bridge, etc, together as a group.

PPJ: Has your process changed over the years?

Dan: Yes, for this upcoming album, there is a lot more group involvement than on A Different Light, which is making it a whole lot better.

PPJ: How did Dan and Joe get involved with We Shot The Moon? Will either of them return to that in the future?

Dan: We have been friends with Jonathan Jones for a long time, and eliciting our help just seemed like the obvious thing for him to do next. It's his band, so there are no guaranteed of our future involvement, but I am almost positive that he and I will be doing a lot of writing together for his next album, and I'm really excited about that.

PPJ: You guys tour pretty much nonstop. Where are your favorite places to be?

Dan: In this order: Japan, Ireland/Scotland, Mainland Europe, Seattle, NYC, and here in Oakland, writing a new album.

PPJ: You used to tour in the Road Rules van. Did you like that better than a regular bus, or was it not worth the novelty?

Dan: Our new ride is a lot more comfortable. =)

PPJ: Can you tell us more about the unreleased songs that will be on the Sing, But Keep Going rerelease?

Dan: There will be 2 acoustic versions of songs, one full-band song that was never released, and one "Nerdrock Redux" version of another song.

PPJ: There are also rumors that you'll be releasing a new album in 2009. What can you tell us about that?

Dan: It will easily be our best, and it will be out in 2009. There aren't a whole lot of other details that we know just yet.

PPJ: Finally, tell us three bands you think we should be listening to.

Dan: Bon Iver, Coldplay, The National.


Thanks again to Dan for answering our questions, and to Mike Cubillos at Earshot Media for setting it up. Be sure to pick up the rerelease of Sherwood's Sing, But Keep Going, and keep your eyes open for new music and tours!

Website | MySpace

Interview - National Product

I caught up again with California's National Product, who have been touring relentlessly in support of their album Luna since I talked to them last year. Read on to see what they have to say about their experiences working hard on the road.


PPJ: First, tell us who you are and what you do in the band.

Danny Casler: Hey, what's going on? My name is Danny and I sing in the band.

PPJ: What were your favorite bands growing up? How do you think this influenced the music you're making now?

Danny: Growing up I was really into a lot of stuff my parents and grandparents would play. Everything from Frank Sinatra, to Led Zeppelin to Bon Jovi and more. As I started to find music of my own I got into hip hop and from there branched off into indie and punk rock stuff that spans from Fugazi to Jimmy Eat World to Strung Out to a lot of obscure stuff. I think a lot of the ideals that musicians had influenced me more than their music. Obviously their music impacted me in a serious way but there just seemed to be something a lot more tangible and real about bands when I was growing up. Now everything feels so fake and synthetic. Not all but way to many band do. I don’t think I'm alone in saying that, in fact I know I am not.

PPJ: Luna has been out for just over a year now. What was the initial response like, and how have you been maintaining the hype around it?

Danny: Um, I don’t know if we got to experience initial anythings. We have been touring 8 months straight out of that year so you kinda don’t get to sit back and think about to be honest. We have done the USA like 4-5 times, Japan & Hawaii and I think Alaska. My brain is racked from all of it to be honest. I know its making its impact and I'm thankful for that. We were told people would not catch on for about 6 months to a year because that is how this record is, and they were right as we are now watching the fruits of it in certain markets. For example. In Japan, there had to be close to a thousand kids at our headlining show in Kawasaki. First time there ever, and it was pretty huge. Surprised the hell out of us.

With the hype question. I always feel like hype is a bad thing so we don’t really ride that train. We have marketing behind us, a great record label, a great publicist and radio dept. I just feel we are fortunate with a great team. We don’t have all these massive tours but to be honest, we are working as hard if not harder than ANY band in our position right now and we feel confident that all that will come. Some days we get to play festivals with 10,000 people and some days we get to play a small town and get up close and personal with 30 kids. Its all what we love so either way, its equal to what we are trying to do. I said this in Colorado Springs. I would much rather play to 30 kids who come to shows because its all they know and love verse 5,000 kids who don’t care about the bands, don’t support the bands and come only because its a radio crowd. I grew up in the underground punk rock scene of going to shows, so I have more of an emotional attachment to it, and the people who support it. I know it doesn’t make money, I know it doesn’t have fame and glamour but I know it has passion and that’s more than all of those things.

PPJ: Is there anything on the album that you look back on and wish you'd done differently?

Danny: Um, with respect to James Wisner, cause 1. He's my buddy and 2. He is one of the most incredible producers, I would have liked to turn some of the lead guitar up in the mix. Made the drums much heavier, more full. There are some vocal inflection I do live I wish I would have done to make it just less slick and more raw. Other than that, we are very happy with LUNA and have no major deals. We got to do what we wanted to do so that counts. The next one will allow us to take in account all things we forgot and implement the new things we have learned.

PPJ: How does it feel to be recognized by outlets like MTVU and absolutepunk.net?

Danny: Well, you know I am an absolutepunk.net kid. I always have been. I share a lot of the same ideals as the people who created it, and run it as well as the users who make the site what it is. I also disagree with a lot of people in their too and I am not about just bashing bands to bash bands so I get in there and slug it out with users and use my platform as an educated touring musician who knows what it's like to have no privacy, to put yourself out there every night, to lose fiancées and girlfriends and miss out on life and try and make a living doing your passion and then have some 14, 17, 23 year old get online and call your band a piece of crap for reasons that are either biased or not backed to a reasonable extent. If you do something really dirty, AKA Sprout (Google it), I am not going to back you up. If you're good dudes who make music you love, you help people and your moving your life forward and helping others with your art AKA Hawthorne Heights and many other bands I get up and defend (not like they need my support) but I back those bands. If you don’t like someone, that’s cool, but don’t get on there calling the fags and saying you wish they were dead or you hope they crash in a fiery accident. All of those statements are unprofessional, not tactful, and very shallow.

MTVU has been dope to us and we get emails from kids all over the country saying things like, “I was in our school gym on the treadmill and I saw you guys,” so that kinda stuff is really cool for us. We come from a small town, who knew?

PPJ: You guys are originally from Hawaii, but you transplanted to Orange County. What was different about the scenes? What was it like to be a more pop-oriented band in a town known for punk?

Danny: Everything full on. Hawaii will have shows with metal bands, reggae bands, punk, indie and ska bands. Here in the US its more genre specific and not even about mixing it up. Ill tell you what. You get more kids to Hawaii shows like that because your introducing new music to kids who may have never had the opportunity to like that style of music. Hawaii just is very eclectic with all types of music so we share that with one another.

PPJ: How is your tour with 1997 going?

Danny: It's going good, I'm in Kansas City with a day off so I'm in bed, resting, watching movies on my computer. We love 1997, great people, and a greater band.

PPJ: What are your plans for after this tour?

Danny: We finally get some time off however, there is talk of a tour in Colombia and Brazil doing some dates with a major acts and after that we will be writing for a new record as well, and I will be headed to Chicago for a lil while to work with a great producer while the guys do their individual writing before we come together to show each other our ideas and start writing as a whole. I love that everyone is so open to writing in different styles to do whats best for the record.

I personally just got invited to India on a mission for the charity organization Faceless International that I'm apart of. So I will be there in Dec/Jan, then off to Ukraine for a short period and Hawaii for my father's birthday and then back to the mainland to take on whatever comes our way.

PPJ: What does it take to be noticed in today's music scene, and to stay in the spotlight?

Danny: Everything you got. A great sound, a great group, a great gimmick, and I don’t mean that disrespectfully, but for example: 30h!3. Great gimmick. You may not like the band or you may absolutely love them, but I think its brilliant. I do the hand thing all the time. I feel like DMX or something or even Jay Z “HOVA!”

PPJ: Finally, tell us three bands you think we should be listening to.

Danny: How about I tell you more than 3?

Jimmy Eat World
Will Hoge
1997
Lorene Drive
The Appleseed Cast
The Get Up Kids

There are many more, but I need to take a phone call, email me, ill turn you into some good music. Danny@npmusic.com.


Thanks again to Danny for answering these questions. Thanks also to Mike Cubillos at Earshot Media for arranging the interview. Be sure to catch National Product on one of their many tours, and to pick up a copy of Luna!

Web Site | MySpace

Interview - Punchline

The guys in Punchline have been knocking fans out with their brand of pop-punk for a decade now. I caught up with the band to hear about those past ten years, as well and the present and future status of the band.


PPJ: First, tell us your name and what you do in the band.

Chris Fafalios: My name is Chris Fafalios and I play bass and sing a little bit in Punchline.

PPJ: You guys have been a band for about ten years now. Did you ever think you'd make it this far?

Chris: I always had hope that we would be successful. I like the music that we make and the people that I get to make that music with. I feel like every album that we make is better than the last, and if I didn't feel that way I would probably not play music anymore.

PPJ: Which of your records are your favorites? Which do you wish you could improve on, and why?

Chris: Our newest album, "Just Say Yes", is by far my favorite. It is the best collection of songs we have ever put together. I am still very happy with both "Action" and "37 Everywhere" and proud to say that me and my friends created those albums. I am proud of the songwriting on both "The Rewind EP" and "Major Motion Picture", but I think that the recordings left a lot to be desired. We were a lot younger and inexperienced at the time we recorded those. Our self-titled album and "How to Get Kicked Out of the Mall" (both which were put out in the 90s), I kinda wish no one ever heard. We were very young when we recorded those and not that good. A lot of people in bands would have changed the name of their band after their early releases, but we never did. We have always been Punchline, and always will be Punchline. This is the band that we learned how to play our instruments in, and other than putting out a few bad early albums, I'm pretty proud of that fact.

PPJ: What went into the recording process for the upcoming "Just Say Yes?" Did you do anything differently than you had on previous records?

Chris: We split the recording of the album between 2 producers who we really loved (Jamie Woolford and Sean O'Keefe). We decided which producer would be better for each song, and in the end, everything turned out perfect in my opinion. We also funded this new album completely on our own, which we hadn't done since "The Rewind EP" in 2002.

PPJ: Why did you leave Fueled By Ramen Records?

Chris: We had a 3 album deal with FBR and we had put out 3 albums. It was time to move on.

PPJ: Are you close to signing a deal with anyone else?

Chris: We signed a deal with ourselves. We started a new label called Modern Short Stories that we will be releasing "Just Say Yes" on September 16th. We are very excited about having our own label, and love being able to do things totally our own way. We're also looking forward to signing a few bands once we get our feet on the ground after the release of "Just Say Yes."

PPJ: What can we expect from the new album?

Chris: It is head and shoulders above anything we have ever done. Our album is not out yet so its still acceptable to listen to our own album and really enjoy it. I have been doing that. When I listen to our album, I try to think about if I wasn't in Punchline if I would be a fan of it. I can honestly say that I would be (and I'm a tough music critic!) I think that the album could appeal to anyone, not just people who read AP magazine and go to Warped Tour. My Mom loves it...and my Dad even cracked and finally liked one of our albums. I think aunts, uncles, grandmas, dentists, cardiologists, canaries, and beagles could all like our album. It's got a little somethin' for everyone.

PPJ: What was the best tour you've ever been on?

Chris: It's really hard to pick just one. Although it was a short West Coast leg of a tour, being able to do The Get Up Kids farewell tour was incredible. I always loved that band and to be able to be on a part of their last tour ever was amazing. We have been on a lot of great tours, but that one was almost magical.

PPJ: Is there anywhere you haven't toured that you want to?

Chris: I would like to tour Australia and see lots of cool animals. I've always been a fan of cool animals.

PPJ: Finally, tell us three bands you think we should be listening to.

Chris: Procession Came Opposite, The Casual Lean, and Barely Blind.


Thanks again to Chris for answering our questions, and the Mike at Earshot Media for arranging the interview. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for Just Say Yes, which hits stores in September!

Listen at: Website | MySpace | PureVolume

Thrills, The - Teenager

The Thrills - Teenager
Record Label - Virgin Records
Release Date - July 30th, 2007

Ireland's pop outfit The Thrills are known for their beachy pop songs, carried by the breathless voice of singer Conor Deasy. Probably the best way to summarize their sound is to note that the band was featured playing in the bar on The OC. With they newest release, Teenager, The Thrills have delivered us another round of exactly this music. The album isn't a huge departure from either So Much For The City or Let's Bottle Bohemia. This isn't to say that the album isn't enjoyable. Rather, the opposite is true. When listening to Teenager, it's hard to believe you're not on the west coast at sunset.

The album opens with some jangly guitars and cymbals on "The Midnight Choir," and launches almost immediately into Deasy's falsetto. The Thrills have often used guitar hooks rather than vocal hooks, and this trend continues here. It's a pleasant midtempo track that sets the mood for the rest of the album.

When listening to Teenager, the lyrics end up taking a backseat to the instruments. Part of this is the thinness of the vocals, but part of it is just the fact that the lyrics aren't particularly memorable. Deasy is always nice to listen to - he never hits a harsh note - but at the same time it doesn't really matter what he's saying. Many of the songs on this album feel like that - like they make better background music than singalong tunes. However, maybe that's the idea. I'm not sure. The downside to this is that many of the tracks blend together and seem a bit interchangeable.

There is a marked change of pace on "Restaurant," where the guitars are clearer than on other songs, and there's a bit of a country vibe to the whole song. Deasy's voice almost clashes with the music, but not quite. There's a fine line there that he manages not to cross, and it makes the song work beautifully. "I'm So Sorry" uses a piano and a harmonica to great effect, also adding to the country feel. Sometimes it's hard to believe that this band is from Dublin, when it feels like their songs are straight out of the American West. The title track is a meandering song that has Deasy longing for a love from his past. The instrumentals are beautifully arranged and complement the pining vocals perfectly.

The final track, "There's Joy To Be Found...The Boy Who Caught All The Breaks," is where the band brings in all the musical elements found throughout the album to create a wonderfully hopeful dual song that winds everything up nicely. Overall, this album is simply "pleasant." It's not inspiring, but it's not unbearable. It's perfect background music for your summer bonfires on the beach.


Tracklisting
01. The Midnight Choir
02. This Year
03. Nothing Changes Around Here
04. Restaurant *
05. I Came All This Way
06. Long Forgotten Song
07. I'm So Sorry
08. No More Empty Words
09. Teenager
10. Should've Known Better
11. There's Joy To Be Found...The Boy Who Caught All The Breaks *

* - standout tracks

For Fans Of: Athlete, The Magic Numbers, Nada Surf

Listen: Website | MySpace

Buy: iTunes | Amazon

Interview - Hit The Lights

Lima, Ohio's Hit The Lights have seen their fair share of turbulence in the past year. Despite the departure of their lead singer, the band have pushed through and are about to release a new album, Skip School, Start Fights. Read on to see what the HTL guys have cooked up for you this time around.


PPJ: First, please tell us who you are and what you do in the band.

Nick Thompson: My Name is Nick Thompson and I am the vocalist of Hit The Lights.

PPJ: Where are you on your tour right now? Which night has been the best so far?

Nick: We actually just made it home from a short headlining run with I Am the Avalanche, Jet Lag Gemini, and Thee Armada. The Chicago and Columbus shows were both pretty insane. The kids were awesome and even though it was incredibly hot, they still gave us everything they had. It was so much fun, a HUUUGE "fuck yeah" to both cities for making us feel welcome.

PPJ: What music did you listen to when you were growing up? Do you think any of it influenced the music you're writing today?

Nick: Growing up my dad and I listened to a lot of 38 special, I remember listening to a lot of 80's radio pop and always being into that. I grew up in a town in Ohio that was kind of cut off from any kind of "scene" so I started out listening to bands like Bush and Nirvana with the rest of my friends, but never really felt close to it. I think the first record that got me into punk was Blink 182's Dude Ranch. It was a total accidental find for me and when I did, I called it surfer rock because I didn't know what pop punk was. From there it kind of blew the door wide open so I could get into all the Fat Wreck Chords bands, all the drive thru bands, all of the Vagrant bands, and then started going to shows in Dayton, Ohio where there WAS a cool scene. Dayton opened me up to hardcore, then along came bands like New Found Glory who showed a hardcore meets pop punk type of music that I shit my pants for. All of those products have combined into how I write my music now.

PPJ: Probably the biggest question on everyone's minds is how things are going since Colin Ross left the band. Are the songwriting dynamics different now, or even just the dynamics of the group?

Nick: It's pretty insane how well things are going for us at this point. We left home in January to do a second record with me covering the vocals, doing it because we felt that we owed it to ourselves to keep pushing this band. We recorded a record that is by FAR the best thing this band has ever produced, went back on tour with a brand new guitar player (Kevin Mahoney) and it's honestly more fun than it has ever been before. It's not something we expected to happen, I think we all just decided to go for it because we knew that this is what we wanted to do. We are all very happy with the situation we are in, I think it shows on stage AND on our new record. This whole situation has really opened up our eyes to appreciating more things, such as friends, the road, and being in this band in general. We're stronger than ever, and I can honestly say that no one here expected things to be going as
well as it has.

PPJ: What has been the fans' response to the lineup change?

Nick: Kids have been amazing at the shows, and that helps me more than anything. It could be a really awkward thing to sing songs that used to have a different voice behind them, but every single night I have kids that have no problem going off and getting in my face to sing the words so I take that as a positive. I get a lot of fans coming up to us and telling us that they were super skeptical(which they should be) and didn't know how they were going to feel about a new voice, but telling us it's the best show of ours they've ever seen. When kids take time to find me, walk up, and tell me that, then I absolutely take it to heart. You don't have to read about it, come out and judge for yourself.

PPJ: Why did you decide to name the new record "Skip School, Start Fights?"

Nick: We had a really rough time deciding on the record name. It's a really important record for us, and one that we feel closest to I think, so we were kind of hoping a name would just fall into our laps at the right time. We were thinking about just keeping it self titled, and honestly, we love the record no matter what, so the name is just icing on the cake. A lot of time went by and we really weren't agreeing on anything that just popped and Omar had this bad advice idea that went "Skip School, Start Fights" that we were going to use, so we decided to go with it. We thought it was easy to remember and was funny but kind of edgy.

PPJ: What was is like working with Hidden In Plain View's Rob Freeman?

Nick: Rob has been our boy for a looooong time. We originally went in with him between some over seas tours to record a few demos for our label. Colin was still in the band then, it was about 2 years ago now. We did three tracks (which ended up leaking) in a matter of four days, and it was just a great experience. Rob and I worked well together with melodies, which is a huuuuge deal to me and the other dudes. He brought nothing but good ideas to the table, so when it came down to making this new record with a new vocalist, we all knew that we could trust Rob to help us create our vision. He's a young producer who gets great sounds, knows his melodies and harmonies, and ALWAYS is about what's good for the song. He kicked ass on our record, just like every project he's a part of. Rob's an untapped resource that I think a lot of people are going to flip out over once they hear the record.

PPJ: How do you think the new record differs from your older ones?

Nick: Even before our first record was officially released, we knew what we wanted out of a second record. Our main goal was to be a bigger, brighter, heavier version of what we were on "Stick Up". Of course the song writing is better but I feel the songs in general are a better representation of who we are. It captures the energy and feel of our band, it gives the vibe of our live show, which is something that I don't think "Stick Up" did a great job of. I'm not slamming our first record by any means, but we're a little older and a little wiser and we have a good grasp on what we want our music to be.

PPJ: What's your favorite song you've ever written, and why?

Nick: I've always loved Save Your Breath, just because there is so much energy in that song live, but in all honesty: there's too many songs that we love to name one. Our songs mean a lot to us, there are so many different reasons to like a particular one. The question is too hard, stop challenging me!

PPJ: A lot of people are talking about how pop-punk could make a comeback and rule the scene again. Do you think Hit The Lights can help do that with "Skip School, Start Fights?"

Nick: I know for a fact that we set the bar pretty high for ourselves when it comes to making our third record. We love pop-punk and we will always rep it hard, it's definitely popping up again so hopefully we can do our part to spread the love and bring the paaaaaaaain!

PPJ: What do you hope people will take away with them when they listen to your music?

Nick: I think the thing that we MOST hope for is that kids genuinely enjoy our music. We don't want them listening to us because we're a buzzy band, we don't want them listening because that's what they're friends are doing, we want them to love our music as much as we do. We could give a fuck if our shows are packed in or sold out, as long as the real fans who REALLY get it, are there to sing and rock out with us. We don't want kids coming to shows because all their friends are going, we want kids to be there on their own accord because they get us. We want the scene that we grew up in; where kids can see the bands face to face and look eye to eye at them and sing
their lyrics back and have that amazing connection that you will only know if it happens to you. We want to spread that experience and we want kids to go away feeling how we feel. That's what it's all about, that's what it SHOULD be about. Straight up.

PPJ: Lastly, tell us three bands you think we should be listening to.

Nick: 1. Third Eye Blind
2. Pantera
3. I Am the Avalanche


Be sure to look for Skip School, Start Fights when it hits stores on July 8th. Until then, go see one of their action-packed live shows! Thanks again to Nick for taking time out of his day to answer these questions, and to Mike Cubillos at Earshot Media for arranging the interview.

Interview - 2*Sweet

Chicago's 2*Sweet have been making waves in the quickly expanding pop-punk scene. They are currently Smartpunk's #1 selling unsigned band - a feat that is sure to capture the eyes and ears of labels across the country. Read this funny and insightful interview to learn a little more about these rising hometown heroes.


PPJ: To begin, please tell us who you are and what you do in the band.

Justin Pence: Hello, I am Justin Pence, I sing in 2*sweet.

PPJ: Can you tell us how your band got to be where it is today?

Justin: We started playing out in many different bands together and decided to form this group very unseriously, 40 demos later and alot of figuring out exactly what we enjoy in music, we started to take this band full time and have done things our own way, making it up as we go, we recorded a record and released it on our own, we book our own tours and that's where we are at!

PPJ: You've always been heavily promoted by "Hey Chris" Gutierrez. How much do you think that endorsement has influenced your fanbase? Has it brought you any negative attention?

Justin: Chris is an amazing dude, it has certainly influenced our fan base, he gave us a chance and has always helped us spread the word on all the new stuff we have going on. Everything about that dude is positive, he is an amazing friend and author, we plan on touring with him again in the near future.

PPJ: Your MySpace page lists your genre as "Chicago Doom Pop." What exactly does that mean?

Justin: We like riffs alot, we like heavy riffs, we try and incorporate as many heavy riffs as we can, we like to think of them as doomy. My vocal style has morphed into a more morbid operatic feel so thats where the first part comes from. In all we are a pop band, we write pop songs with choruses, doom pop!

PPJ: You guys are still unsigned, so you're putting out your debut alone. What has that been like?

Justin: It has been alot of hard work, we developed everything on our own, did all of our own marketing, all our own promotion, the last two months before the release were insanely difficult and busy especially for me, but to have a final product in our hands is an outstanding feeling.

PPJ: Is there promise of a signing announcement anytime soon?

Justin: There is no promise of that sorts, we made up our own label though, C. Walrus.

PPJ: 2*Sweet has a heavy presence on all kinds of social networking sites. How much time do you guys spend on those pages? Do you think it makes your fanbase tighter?

Justin: We spend a good deal of time promoting, networking and communicating on the internet, it's awesome to us that people want to reach out to us like that, we spend as much time as we need to, doing our own promotion has been a very personal process for us. I absolutely believe it helps to make the fanbase tighter, we are a very hands on, extremely accessible band, I believe that it is very important to do so. We have a brand new video upload feed on our myspace, we post and respond to messages daily, on tour it gets slow but we make it work.

PPJ: You've got a relentless touring schedule with The Appreciation Post this summer. What are you most looking forward to on this tour?

Justin: We are on tour with The Appreciation Post right now, we get along with these dudes so well, I am most looking forward to grilling as much as possible this summer, grilling and swimming, that is summer!

PPJ: Tell us one thing about each 2*Sweet band member that people probably don't know.

Justin: I am a vegan. Dave is straightedge. Pete is a shredlord. Andy is a beat maker. Dan is a wolf enthusiast.

PPJ: What are your plans after your summer tour is over?

Justin: More tours, demoing new songs, more tours, more tours, more songs, more tours, working on a dvd, working on a cartoon, more touring and repeat.

PPJ: Finally, tell us three bands you think we should be listening to.

Justin: Three bands you should be listening to; two of which we are touring with this summer: Fireworks (from Michigan), This Time Next Year (from Cali), Debello (from Chicago). Also listen to Down.


Don't forget to pick up 2*Sweet's debut CD, Sleep Without Dreams, when you catch their tour with The Appreciation Post. Thanks again to Justin for answering these questions, and to Mike Cubillos at Earshot Media for arranging the interview.