Brand New-Q&A

[imissnewwave]

Events permitting ill be interviewing Brand new before their gig here in Birmingham,England on Friday.I dont know which of the band ill be interviewing yet.One of them or all of them....dont know. Anyway its my first ever interview.(apart from co interviewing the Ataris once).So......any fellow Brand new fans out there........any questions you want asking?
Cos im stumped.Im all nervy and in awe.cant think.Id post the replies to the ones i asked afterwards
dan
x

[mwhpunk]

don't ask all of the typical questions: who's your inspirations?, how did you get started? and those because they probably get those all of the time. ask something original. being the un-original person i am, i can't help you. sorry :sad:

[thecure34]

im goin to that gig, yey!
i say ask them questions about how much they hate england and questions on their supporting bands. good luck the gigs gunna be fuckin ace

[Nate_RAWKS]

I say ask them this question?? if they weren't Brand New and they weren't a part of the band would they listen to Brand New??? (I always get a kick out of answers to that question)

[Alex Djaferis]

I say ask them this question?? if they weren't Brand New and they weren't a part of the band would they listen to Brand New??? (I always get a kick out of answers to that question)

haha cool Q

[mOvielife99]

ok i got one. and dude PLEASE ask this. ill fucking lvoe you forever if you ask it for me. anways the question is...

How come you never play "Sudden Death In Carolina" while putting on a show?????

[takingbackrufio]

Ask them if they are going down the path of what Deja Entendu was in terms of new music.

[aurora]

I say ask them this question?? if they weren't Brand New and they weren't a part of the band would they listen to Brand New??? (I always get a kick out of answers to that question)
Haha, I like that one.

[FarPastGone]

Yeah im not creative either, but ask them stuff thats unique and creative...........I like the question Nate_RAWKS came up with alot.........

[aurora]

Ask them what the most memorable music from their childhood is. Thats somewhat cheezy but, eh... no one else was making suggestions :p

[Bishop]

What's your favorite pair of underwear?

If you could see anyone living or dead play live, who would it be?

What would you say to every person who says brand new sucks?

When are you going to play in Corpus Christi, Texas?(sorry have to ask)

yeah.....that's it.

[Nate_RAWKS]

no i like that question...i don't know about childhood though do you mean like sesame street and raffi or what? maybe there favorite music when they where younger or something i don't know about you but when i was a child i wasn't the biggest music fan...but i like your question though just maybe not childhood...what do you think???

[Nate_RAWKS]

If you could see anyone living or dead play live, who would it be?

What would you say to every person who says brand new sucks?




those are great!!!!

[aurora]

no i like that question...i don't know about childhood though do you mean like sesame street and raffi or what? maybe there favorite music when they where younger or something i don't know about you but when i was a child i wasn't the biggest music fan...but i like your question though just maybe not childhood...what do you think???
Yep, you're right, it probably should be "from when you were younger" or something along those lines.

[RefusedsXe]

ok i got one. and dude PLEASE ask this. ill fucking lvoe you forever if you ask it for me. anways the question is...

How come you never play "Sudden Death In Carolina" while putting on a show?????

They used to always play it when supporting Your Favorite Weapon but on the release party for Deja Entendu they retired it.

[Emotionless]

Ask them if the next album will sound like Weapon or Deja Entendu or something completely different

[takingbackrufio]

Ask them if the next album will sound like Weapon or Deja Entendu or something completely different
... that's what I said. :rolleyes:

[Jim Morgan]

coolest gift ever gotten from a fan?

plans for new record?

best tour story....

[shut.the.door]

Are the fans in the UK different from fans in the US? How?

If the band was in an "Alive" situation, which band member would you eat first?

How do you feel about the Movielife breakup? (sorry :) )

How has your rising popularity effected the band?

[mwhpunk]

Are the fans in the UK different from fans in the US? How?

If the band was in an "Alive" situation, which band member would you eat first?

How do you feel about the Movielife breakup? (sorry :) )

How has your rising popularity effected the band?
those are some pretty cool questions......well done

[shut.the.door]

thanks :blush:

[imissnewwave]

yup :) all good.I'm still waiting on the time i'm supposed to be interviewing them tomorrow. :-|. The Ataris management were a little more efficient lol. Im real nervous too.But hey if I dont get the interview im still going to the gig regardless. Plus the editor has said i get to choose which gigs/bands i review/interview in our area.In the next few months we got thrice,yellowcard and CKY.
:D

[shut.the.door]

Well, if you do get the interview, you better post a link to the transcript on here so we can all read it. :cheeky:

[FarPastGone]

Whats the interview for again? Sorry if you already posted what it was for I just didn't look..........

[yeAA]

How do you feel about the Movielife breakup? (sorry :) )

that would be a good question since they are friends and such.. ..

[thexflamesxburn]

ask them if they like the darkness!

[FarPastGone]

Yeah I really like the Movielife question too..........

[imissnewwave]

heres the transcript as promised :D

Check out the question when i asked about side projects :D heh


Dan: -So this is your first time here as a headline band. The last time you were here you were a support band I believe?

Brian: -Yea last time we were support about a year ago, and we did the download festival and headlined a London show.

Dan: - So how has the popularity affected the band, because you’re a lot more popular than the last time you were here.

Brian: -Well yeah apparently. We didn’t know that until we got here. It’s rad, its fucking amazing, and its very flattering. It’s a big surprise for us because we didn’t know any better….like…OH! Our shows have sold out. I mean its weird because we’re across the ocean.


Dan: -So it’s not the first time you’ve played here so is there any difference between fans here and the fans back in America?


Brian: - I like it here better. The kids are so much more energetic so much more accepting to a lot of things. Like if you are an opening band they’ll accept you a lot more, whereas kids in America might not even show up until after the opening bands, and I think that’s really cool. Plus (English kids) are usually drunk and have a lot more fun, cos if your drunk and having fun that’s just awesome, instead of being pretentious idiots.

Dan:- A lot of bands use their songs or public profile to raise awareness about current issues (i.e. elections, the war, etc.), is this something Brand New would ever do?

Brian: - No .I don’t think so. I don’t think any of us are into politics and shit that matters. Its something we think about and talk about sometimes but that’s all it needs to be. I don’t see a point in doing otherwise.

Dan: - Over here in England now the record industry is threatening to follow the American one and sue individual users of file swapping services. What’s your opinion on the whole downloading for free issue?


Brian: - Really that just started happening here? Umm…. What’s my viewpoint on it?


Dan: - Yeah just on the whole downloading music for free debate?

Brian: - I feel like that if that didn’t exist we wouldn’t be doing as well as we are. So I can’t knock it. But at the same time without it we could have sold a lot more records. I’m kind of partial to it. It’s half-and-half. It helps and it doesn’t help. But I’m not saying we should ever get rid of it…well there is no way of getting rid of it.


Dan: - Your second album is a lot different from the first one, is that where you as a band are heading in terms of your sound, etc.?


Brian: - I don’t know I hope the next record progresses more than the second record. I have no clue what its going to be yet. We all have ideas for different new songs but we’re not really sure. We don’t know how it’s going to exactly come out at all. We have a weird writing style where we don’t write until we’re really in the studio. So that’s what happens that’s what usually comes out. That’s how we’ve written the last two records so we just hope it comes out again.


Dan:-I was reading somewhere in a recent interview (it was kerrang) that your kind of ‘ashamed’ of the first album, is that quote true?


Brian: - I wouldn’t say ashamed of it. It’s more like I think it was good for the state of mind we were in at the time and how old we were. Like now that I look back on it I think that’s its good songs… (At this point the drummer from Moneen came in fully clothed…got into the shower in the corner of the room, took of his shirt and changed it for another. Then got out and walked out of the room. Hence the laughter in this part of the interview :P) I think its good songs but I wouldn’t listen to it personally. Id be like oh theres some good songs but I wouldn’t want to put it in and listen to the record.


Dan: - That was going to be one of my questions, if you weren’t in Brand New would you listen to the music that Brand New play?


Brian: - The second record I would. The first record I would of five years ago. But right now yea…I wouldn’t.

(Singer and lead guitar from Moneen comes in after warm-up and Brian asks them what time they go on etc.)


Dan: - Is the band something you want to be doing forever or is it more of a ‘we’ll see how far we can take this’ kind of deal? Plans for after the band, etc.?


Brian: - No plans after this interview (laughs), we’ll all ride it out for as long as we can. Whenever it becomes not fun and not cool when one of us…(at this point the lead singer of Moneen is warming up outside in the corridor with what sounds like a banshees wail) Kenny has a real weird…. But it works. When it became not fun we would just stop it, I don’t think we’d regret it at all. Its like we’ve gotten so far surpassed than we ever thought we’d do as a band.


Dan: - A lot of band members/singers are doing there own side-projects now like Darryl Palumbo, Conor Oberst is that anything any of you in the band have given any thought?

Brian: - I don’t know. I’m doing a couple of things with Brandon….Brandon from Movielife. I’ve been helping him out and drumming on a couple of his demos. I don’t know if ill be in the band. If I can be in it and it works out then I’ll do it. We all like samplers and drum machines and trip hop and trippy kind of stuff so I think one of us will do something sooner or later…I don’t know what it will be though.


Dan: -Theres a general feeling amongst some fans that as soon as a band signs to a major label they are in effect ‘selling out’ is this something you think is rubbish or not?


Brian: - I think that’s stupid. I think ‘selling out’ means the bands not progressing and doing what they want to do with their music. And when we started the band we were never like ‘we’re not in it for the money’ because we make money and play music for a living, its what we do. So yea that could be seen as selling out but we’ve never mis-contrued anything. Its not like were changing our music or anything to sell more records we’re just doing music. I think that’s the part where people think they sell out, someone signs to a major label and progresses to a certain point where their song writings so good but it also gets more commercial then people will be like ‘oh they’ve changed because their on a major label’ which really is bullshit. I mean its not bullshit for everyone (laughs). That’s just my take on it. We hope that when our first record comes out on Universal or DreamWorks or whatever those people aren’t going to be like ‘oh they’ve changed because they’re on a major label. (At this point moneen came in and grabbed their stuff ready to go on). For the most part though every indie label has a tie to a major label. So if you really look at it their all-major labels. Vagrant has Interscope…. There really is kind of no indie label and if there is the bands are not well known because they’re not being pushed by them hard enough. That’s what I feel.


Dan: -Where would you want to be this time next year in relation to the band?


Brian: - I hope we’re doing the same thing .The next records out and it sells double the amount .I hope we’re the biggest band in the world next year. Whether that happens or not I don’t know. I mean we’re not banking on it but I hope it happens.

Dan: - Do you feel the band is aiming for a particular audience?


Brian: - We just want people to like us and think that we’re good songwriters, not because Jesse is cute (I kinda cracked up here and started laughing a lot) .. It’s one of those things I mean we appreciate fans either way but saying ‘I love the band because Jesse is so cute’ is like not the reason you should like the band. It should be like this guy is a great songwriter but I never needed to know what he looked like you know? I liked him because of the song. Those are the people that I hope stay with us. Which is probably true.


Dan: - Apart from the bands on the bill tonight is there any others you’d want to play a gig with at some time in the future?

Brian: - Yeah theres a bunch. Theres so many whether they’re bigger than us I don’t know. But…Death Cab for Cutie their new record is fucking amazing. A band called The Shins (I was grinning like an idiot here cos I really like the shins lol)…they’re off sub-pop now and are probably signing to a major soon. A band called Neu from Denmark as well.



Dan: -A lots of bands are here one day and gone the next. Do you feel bands are burning our, getting big too quick or losing their longevity?


Brian: - If you don’t build a relationship with your fans by touring for three our four years and only being pushed by radio play then yea that’s what’s going to happen. Like all those kids that like the all American rejects because Tyler’s hot. That’s going to fade out. I mean they can sell a million records but they can play venues in America to like 700 kids. I mean I don’t know why I’m using them as an example because I like them (laughs)…it just popped into my head. If you don’t have that core fanbase and don’t work hard and just get pushed through radio then that’s going to happen.


Dan: -Are there any English bands you actually listen to yourself?


Brian: - Yea…i mean Morrisey…if you count him…he does live in LA. The Cure, Radiohead, Coldplay of course. I find that English bands in general are much better at songwriting than American bands. Their songwriting far surpasses ours. Which is really rad.

[thecure34]

Great work on the interview. Last night was possibly the best gigs ive ever been to.
Thanks for postin the interview. Shame jesse didnt talk to the crowd, he seemed abit depressed.

[imissnewwave]

Yea he did seem a bit subdued.Vinnie seemed into it though.

[mwhpunk]

very nicely done