It was awesome, it was last weekend and we played at like 2:30ish I think. It was really perfect because it was such a hot day and if we had played at 7 or 6, I don’t think anyone would have watched us because they would have been so tired and hot. So I like that middle slot on bigger festivals like that. A band like us, we play a festival like that to get peoples attention. There are people there to see us for sure but most people are there to just check us out. We are there for exposure, I mean there are a core kids who are like "yeah I know Polar Bear Club", but mainly it’s for exposure. So that middle slot, people aren’t too tired and they’re patient and open minded and not too grumpy, that’s perfect for us.
I noticed on your myspace that you have an upcoming tour with Moving Mountains, how does that feel for you to be on tour with a band that makes drastically different music than you? And how do the fans react to it?
You know I think we’ve done it so much now that they’re use to it. The only tour that we ever did that made a lot of sense was when we toured Europe with Title Fight and Shook Ones. I mean the bands are still different, but it makes the most sense. They’re still in the same ballpark. Normally we play with way different ballparks, like Have Heart and The Gaslight Anthem and everywhere in between. But that tour with Moving Mountains is going to be cool. It’s with Living with Lions and Lemuria and it’s different enough but similar enough too so it’s not the wildest.
Usually your fans have a broader sense of music then most hardcore kids...
And we like to promote that too. I think it’s interesting to see how different bands are similar, then to see all the same bands if that makes any sense. What are the similarities between us and Trapped Under Ice, Four Year Strong and Every Time I Die? Are there any? And how do they fit together? How do you feel going into one into another and another.
Yeah it’s nice to get a change of scenery at a show, like when you go to the typical pop punk show and that’s all you get.
Yeah I don’t want to see a show where it’s all the same thing. It’s like highlighting everything on a page, because then you’ve highlighted nothing.
You’re also playing Warped Tour coming up, are you excited for that?
Yeah, that’s sort of that point of that Moving Mountains tour. I think it’s going to be awesome but we have to get to San Diego where Warped Tour starts. We’re all really excited about it though. We’re only doing the first month and everyone has been telling us about all this stuff we need to get ready for and all these horror stories and whatnot. But I think we’re mentally ready for it so it won’t be as bad as bands going into it blind and having to experience how hard it is and the schedule. Also there are so many friends on it that even if the shows suck we’re still going to be having fun.
Yeah, it’s definitely hard work being out in the sun all day
Yeah, it’s going to be worth it but I can’t imagine it not being worth it. You’re outside in the nice weather most days and it’s just going to be fun getting to hang out with awesome people all day.
Like you said earlier before the interview, you have been on tour for awhile, how has that effected you? I know you guys have had a non-stop tour schedule up until recently.
Yeah these past two months that we’ve had one offs has really only been the off time in awhile. We did Australia then right into Europe and then right into The U.S. about a month each. It’s hard, at times but we’re adjusted to this rollercoaster as cliché as that sounds. But you can definitely have your days where you’re like “Get me the fuck home!” But then when you’re at home you’re like “Get me the fuck on tour!” So you never really win. The best time to be on tour are the first couple days and the best time to be home are the first couple days. If there is too much of either you’re jonsing for the other.
Who have you gotten closest with being on tour? Being with such mixed bands like The Gaslight Anthem and Moving Mountains, which bands have you gotten really close with or consider good friends? Or who do you like to tour with?
When we think of really close band friends we think of Broadway Calls and now even Four Year Strong. They are just some of our best friends in the whole world, oh!, and Set Your Goals and Fireworks. But seriously they are some of our best friends in the world. We get along with everybody, if we do one tour with them we pretty much consider them our best friends. If we have toured with them twice, they’re like brothers. I think it’s safe to say that if we’ve toured with them we are pretty good friends. We have never toured with a band where we didn’t mesh.
The living Saints video just came out and lots of people really liked it for being different. How was shooting that and how did that all come about?
It was harder for me then for the other guys because it’s mainly me. I think we shot three days total. The first day was me and the band and then I went back for two more days by myself. The guy that directed it, Tom Colella is just an old friend of our drummer Emmett. They actually went to high school together. We’ve stayed with him so many times just going through New York City. We knew he did film stuff and he really wanted to get his name out there. So he was like you guys are sorta getting some steam behind you you know, I’ve been thinking about this video, it would be sweet if we could do it together and just help out each other. So he fronted a lot of the money himself and we just blasted it out and honestly I like the video. I love it but with the way that people are I thought a lot more people would of hated it then did you know? Because that’s the way that the internet works. There are a lot of haters out there especially for Polar Bear Club.
Yeah like the kids on AP.net, there are definitely a lot of haters.
Exactly AP, Punknews and Bridge 9, all that stuff and those kids kinda didn’t say anything. I was blown away. I normally don’t pay attention to that stuff, but when the video came out I wanna see what everyone has to say about this, even the kids who are going to fucking hate it. But those kids were surprisingly quiet, I mean of course there were some here and there but nowhere what I thought there would be.
Yeah, I mean I think most kids on AP generally liked it and thought it was something new.
Yeah, I was really surprised by that, I believe that. I think it’s cool and awesome, but I didn’t expect as many people to think the way as they did.
I didn’t expect it to turn out the way it did at all. When I saw it I was like “whoa how much money did they drop on this” because there are some pretty crazy effects that you guys used in that.
There are, and the dude definitely dropped a lot of money and he also pulled some favors too. But he was like you know, I’m losing my ass on this video but I know if we do it 100% it’s going to help me and it’s going to help you guys as well. We were stoked on it and we were glad that we could do a video that was different.
It definitely stands out from all the other videos out there.
You know most band videos at our level you mostly get the same thing, and some are really good and some are so-so. But some bands are either trying to be funny or something
Like Four Year Strong videos.
Yeah, but those are fun, I like those.
Yeah me too but that’s how they play it off, they’re fun guys so they can get away doing something like that. Like if you guys tried to do a funny video people would be like "Why are these kids doing this?"
(haha) Yeah, I’m just proud of it. I’m glad we got to do something different and people actually responded to it.
You have released two full lengths in the past two years, is there going to be another this year or do you plan on just touring for now and releasing something next year?
I don’t think that it will be out in 2010. Definitely not, because I think we have losely been talking that we want to get into the studio in the winter.
Yeah, just ride out Chasing Hamburg for now?
Not even just Chasing Hamburg, I mean Sometimes Things Just Disappear had been out for awhile but it didn’t really get a good push until…
It was what like 6 months before Chasing Hamburg came out
Yeah, so I think we have a little bit more of a leg to stand on with the combination of the both. We’re going to try ride that out as much as we can, tour our asses off and maybe build up some anticipation for the next one and hope to record in the winter and hopefully have a spring 2011 release maybe. But as soon as we start working on it that’s probably all going to change, and be like no we need to do it later or earlier, but that’s the general outline for now.
At least you have the freedom to do that with Bridge 9, they are pretty loose with that.
Yeah they are, they aren’t really egging us on too much to get going on the next one. We have been writing a little bit here and there but we’re going to buckle down in the late summer and in September and do a lot of serious, serious writing and hope to be in the studio this winter.
Speaking of releases, what releases have you been listening to lately or what are you looking forward to? I know The Gaslight Anthem leaked about what, three weeks ago, and it’s really good.
Yeah, I have been listening to that a lot, it is really good. It’s that perfect difference. It’s just different enough, those are the songs I like the most. The ones that are a bit more different than The 59 Sound, like the second song, I can’t remember what it’s called.
Then there’s like "The Diamond Church Street Choir" which kind of has that poppy sound to it.
Yeah, and "Old Haunts", I like that song a lot. So that and the new Against Me! I really like. I just got the new Cancer Bats album and that’s just so awesome. Liam’s voice on that album sounds incredible, it’s like unstoppable. The guitar player of Shook Ones has a band called Black Breathe that just released a new album. I haven’t heard the new one but the old one is called Razor to Oblivion and it’s kind of like fast dirty metal hardcore, it’s good. Balance and Composure and Tigers Jaw, oh and the new Casualties is really, really good. Oh and Menzingers too. There’s good releases coming out now and have come out recently.
It just sucks that half of those leaked months early like Gaslight doesn’t come out until June.
Yeah same with Against Me! Too yeah.
Have you heard of PlayMPE? It’s a music site that labels are using now to stream their music.
Yeah, I think that’s what Bridge 9 is using.
There was a kid that hacked into it and released a bunch of stuff, so that’s where a lot of this came from.
That’s such bullshit, it’s such a weird thing though. It’s such a grey area almost, because it’s downloading and leaks. People ask a lot in interviews, “What do you think about illegal downloading?” Well I would be a hypocrite if I said I was against it. You know, but I’m also in a band.
Yeah, the illegal downloads hurt you but at the same time...
Yeah, at the same time Major labels spent a lot of years hurting people with their CD prices and there aren’t really that many indie record stores anymore. I think something needs to change and we need to figure out a way to make music buyable again, but I don’t foresee that happening, you know?
Yeah, Record Store Day showed that you can make a change, this year had huge sales and a big increase from last year too.
There’s definitely a core, that’s why early leaks don’t really bother me because the way it is now. If someones going to buy your album, they are going to buy it. They know they are going to buy it because it’s a principle now. It’s not like the only way to get music, so if people by principle are going to buy your album, they are going to buy it regardless. So anyone who is going to illegally download it would do it on the release date and now they are just doing it months earlier, which probably works out better for your band with the way the climate is now.
Yeah, so they can hear it early and if they like it they can go buy it and if they don’t, they weren’t going to buy it in the first place.
Yeah, but you know it sucks in the term for smaller record labels and people who put all these plans into marketing and press but I don’t see it stopping any time soon.
Have you ever considered recording your cover of "American Hearts" or an EP/LP of covers?
No I don’t think we have ever talked about that, although we just saw Piebald at Bamboozle.
How was that by the way?
I actually didn’t get to see them but the other guys did. And said it was amazing. I had to leave early but they said it was awesome and everyone was freaking out. It seems like most of the bands we cover are getting back together like The Get Up Kids and Piebald (haha). Cover albums are cool but I personally don’t buy them.
Yeah, just keep it to the live show
Yeah, it’s sort of like a special thing that’s like you’re here now you’re in this moment, here’s this little thing that will never be anywhere else but here tonight….and the show tomorrow night but you’re not going to be there (hahaha). No, we never really put much thought into doing a cover album. I think we would participate in a tribute compilation or something like that, but those are kind of different.
Definitely not the Punk Goes… Series, those are terrible
Yeah definitely, I mean if they were like listen…
We’ll throw this at you...
(hahaha) Yeah, you know I’d have to hear them out for sure. And if they were like we want you to do this song and it was a really good song, we’d think about it. But generally we steer clear of that type of thing.
I mean A Loss For Words is going to release their Mo-Town album, have you heard that yet?
I’ve heard the songs that are online, Maddi is here actually I was talking to him for a bit, He is such a good singer, his voice is awesome. Which is why I back them doing that because he they can back that up really well and actually pull it off, yeah good band for sure.
Being one of the bigger bands out of Rochester, what are your thoughts on the music scene there?
You know, I’m a little bit disconnected from it which is sad to say which is what I grew up doing. But it’s changed for sure, because when I started going to hardcore shows I was maybe 16. My hardcore years were probably 16-22 in Rochester and we have a big technology school there, Rochester Institute of Technology. And a lot of kids from bigger cities would come there because it was a good school and it was cheaper than their school in their hometown of Boston or New York. So that was a big carrier of bands of music, that was a huge part of the scene, was the kids at RIT. The kids that came from Boston and New York that were like “let’s check out this band” and then it snowballed and then that band would come to Rochester. I don’t know if it’s so much like that any more, I mean there are definitely good bands from Rochester right now, Such Gold, Like Wolves…
Sakes Alive?
Sakes Alive for sure and some others up and coming that haven’t put anything out yet but you will hear of soon. Syracuse as well, we sort of think of the scenes as one because we all were intermingled and went to each others shows and whatnot. It’s definitely different, there’s not as many shows there I don’t think but I think it’s coming back in a way, its just sad that I’m gone all the time so I’m not really a part of that resurgence. I don’t even live in Rochester anymore, I live outside New York City. But it’s all peaks and troughs, you know? It was up, up, up for awhile and it was down for awhile and soon it will be up, up, up again and then it will go back down. It’s weird to see how scenes change, Syracuse was a way different scene a couple years ago. It was violent and famous for that. But now it’s super positive and fun, with bands like Another Breathe and Forfeit, awesome, awesome bands. Sorry I’m rambling but I think about this a lot.
No worries, keep going
When you’re younger and going to shows you don’t think about the temporariness of it. You don’t think that it won’t be there and that’s a part of being young, you think it’s forever.
Like The Receiving End of Sirens…
Yeah (haha) and then when it starts changing and maybe even dying out to some people it seems strange. But we’re not going to stop doing Polar Bear Club. I don’t know if that made sense or not (haha) but we’re not going to stop playing Rochester and Syracuse.
Do you think that you have influenced bands like Such Gold, Sakes Alive and Like Wolves out of Rochester? And do you think you have helped gain recognition for them because you guys are kind of like the bigger dogs out of Rochester?
I don’t know, it’s hard for me to say. If you ask them they might say something different. I can say that I would hope that they would view or name, not that we’re a huge big success band but, we’re a bit of a bigger band out of Rochester. I would hope that they would view that in a positive light and not hate on that. And I don’t think those bands that you named do at all because I know those guys. Whether or not we influenced them directly or what they think of it I can’t say but I hope they view it as a good thing.
What made you guys want to do Polar Bear Club full time?
I think it was combination of things, we kind of have a big age range in our band. I’m 25, our drummer is 30 and our bass player is 22 and everyone else is kind of in between. So I think it was that, “We’re getting older” and the window was sort of there to go full time. We sort of had this now or never mentality about it. That was definitely a part of it you know, it’s here now if we don’t do it we’ll regret it let’s just do it. And I think also, we had reached everything we could do at a part time level. That’s something that people in bands not a lot of people talk about or are comfortable is their ambitions. That’s sort of a fopaux in talking about music. I have ambitions to play in front of a lot people, I think there’s nothing wrong about that. But a lot of people have that idea about “keep it punk, keep it small”. So band’s don’t really talk about it. But that ambition thing was there for sure. We had capped at a weekend show level, and we were like let’s see where we can go and how far we can go as a full time band. So curiosity and ambition, I think were going hand in hand there. It’s definitely had it’s ups and downs for sure. But I don’t foresee us stopping any time soon. I think we’re all still “We can go more places with this” I hope.
You definitely have a sound that is genre bending, so you have the pop punk kids and the hardcore kids.
We do have a fair amount of crossover which probably does help us out on those weird tours.
Is there anything else we should look forward to or what to expect form the band?
I wish could say what the new songs might sound like but we only have a few parts here and there and one song completed. I noticed on Chasing Hamburg I went back and looked back at interviews and stuff I said early on didn’t even make sense once the album was out. It all changes.
Our current scene seems to be too swamped with wannabe hardcore kids decked out in neon to really make way for an foreign bands. With the likes of Bring Me The Horizon and Enter Shikari, You Me At Six are trying to become a staple in both, the American scene and the UK scene. Time will only tell what's in store for these young British lads, but all signs seem to be pointing in the right direction for them.
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In a period where music is so oversaturated and easily attainable, what is it like in this scene trying to make the crossover from the UK
to America?
It is a tough time for any band to even get noticed these days I would say, so many bands trying to make it in the same genre. You have to work so hard to get noticed and you have to keep following all your work up with something else so people are recognizing you as a band, then hopefully the buzz will start to transfer to America and you can follow it up by touring there.
What do you think is the biggest difference is between the UK music scene and the USA, and which do you prefer?
The biggest difference is that I do believe a lot more of the American bands get more noticed than the UK bands, but that’s because there is so much more coming out of America than the UK, but there is good music coming out of the UK but it needs to be noticed more. I'm really happy of what we have achieved and were we came from so I would say I prefer the UK scene.
What has been your best/worst tour experience thus far? (In either UK or USA)
Worst tour experience was when Josh (vocals) caught laryngitis on the AP tour and we had to cancel out of 5 or 6 shows, we have never had to cancel shows before so this was a major bummer for us.
How did getting to #5 in the UK charts Feel?
Incredible, we didn't expect to get a top 5 album at all. Our label said to us they were aiming for this but we were all like whatever we
aren’t fuzzed if we do or don't, but when we found out we were all so stoked on how well it had achieved and all the hard work we put into this CD really paid off.
What made you choose "Liquid Confidence" as a single?
Just because it's coming up to the summer, I think people need to hear these kind of songs before the seasons move and it gets people in the right mood for summer time, I think it's also a great follow up to our previous single "Underdog" what was catchy rock pop, I think this song falls down that same market.
What would you say was the biggest difference in recording Hold Me Down compared to Take Off Your Colours?
Well we had a lot more time in the studio this time what helped us out, we could spend time on making the sounds more natural, making sure that parts of songs flowed well with each other, and the best thing was that we recorded it at the same place as the TOYC in Outhouse Studios in Reading UK, working with the same people who knew what our goal was and knew how we wanted the CD to sound was definitely an added bonus. We added little things into the sounds like percussion what made the sound feel full and hit home when you listen to it, where when we did TOYC we had 2 weeks in the studio and it was a very rushed CD.
Is there a status update on Hold Me Down's physical release in the U.S.?
Yeah there will be a bundle release of the CD just before we hit Warped tour, so check that out date should be up soon!
What are your thoughts on being a band that is now to the point where they are influencing the sound of other bands? examples: Futures, Kids in Glass Houses.
It's weird because I think all the UK acts vibe of each other and there music I wouldn't say its really influencing, we've known both of those bands for a while now and we all love what everyone does I think we all just drive ourselves to write the best music possible, even if it is in the same genre, there are lots of bands like us who have inspired us to write music such as The Starting Line, New Found Glory, etc what does influence us!
Your admiration for Brand New has been well documented even paying homage to their lyrics in one of your songs, Brand New also deserted the pop-punk direction in album 3, can you see your band doing the same thing, and taking a more experimental direction?
Yeah like Brand New is one of the bands favorite bands, I think we need to do something big and different for the next CD, I don't want to stay the same musically because it would get boring for our fans to hear recycled songs just put onto another CD, they deserve something a bit different and exciting to listen to, even if it does loose some of the bands original feeling but if the fans like it and still has a connection that's what matters.
If you could tour with anyone in music right now, who would it be?
I would love to tour with Death Cab For Cutie, they are an awesome band, write great songs and are great live, saw them a few years ago and they blew me away.
Do you have any other tour plans lined up after The Warped Tour?
We are trying to plan tours in Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, America and the UK again all before the end of the year so keep eyes peeled for another tour hopefully in the states in the fall time.
What can we expect from You Me At Six in the future?
A new CD but when it comes out will be a different case, lots of touring and having a good time wherever we are, we are enjoying what we have right now because it doesn't happen to any band from the UK so we are just happy to be doing what we really love doing and want to build up and progress on it!
Keagan: So first off, what’s your name and what do you do in the band?
Toby: My name is Toby and I play guitar in Sparks The Rescue
Keagan: I guess I should start with saying congrats on signing to Fearless I know it’s been a long time coming.
Toby: Thanks so much! We are so pumped to be on the label that we grew up listening to. And I would like to add that I'm stoked on doing an interview with you, because I love AP.net. It's been my homepage for the longest time.
Keagan: For those who don’t know, where did the name Sparks The Rescue come from?
Toby: Well I wish we had a cooler story, but it actually comes from a Nicholas Sparks novel called The Rescue. He also wrote fan favorites such as a walk to remember and the notebook.
Keagan: How has this European tour been? I bet you guys were stoked being on tour with a band li ke The All American Rejects.
Toby: The shows in Europe with the rejects were like a dream come true..I still can't believe it actually happened. The shows were incredible, and we made friends with so many sweet kids over there. We are dying to get back, especially since Hassle Records is releasing our cd there next month.
Keagan: What was it like being signed to Fearless? From what I heard there were a few labels that had been shopping around, what made you decide to sign with them?
Toby: Fearless felt like the best fit. They contacted us first, and they really believed in the record..and that's the most important thing. Now that we have hung out with everyone at the label numerous times, we are friends with them as well, which is also really crucial. We love them as a label, and as people so there's no place we'd rather be!
Keagan: As lots of people would like to know, what made the band want to change their sound from the earlier material?
Toby: I don't think it was the band wanting to change sounds. It was more like, we lost a member, and we spent roughly two years in between releases writing new stuff. So as cliche as it sounds, the change was pretty natural. We were super into Underoath when we wrote the Secrets E.P. which is totally cool, I still love that band...However, we want to be a band that changes and doesn't stay the same every cd.
Keagan: Do you feel like you may ever venture back to that sound at all or are you going to continue the path you all are on?
Toby: Like I said, we don't really know. We're just going to continue writing rock and roll music.
Keagan: From what I have gathered on AP.net a lot of people have thoroughly enjoyed the new album. As to where lot’s of pop rock acts seem to blend in easily you guys seem to stick out, what would you guy’s say is different about you?
Toby: You are definitely right about pop rock acts blending together these days. And we try our best to stick out, but it's tough when there are so many bands. We try to interact with everyone we can online and at shows, and our live performances are always the same whether there's 2 people in the crowd or 500. These two things alone I think make us stick out..we're that band you can just come say 'whats up' to, and then we can go play some hacky sack.
Keagan: If you had to pick one song off of the new record to showcase what you guys are all about to a new listener, what song would that be?
Toby: I think My Heart Radio, which is the opening track, really shows a new listener what our band is all about. We write about love, growing up, vampires, and having a great time.
Keagan: What do you think about The Cambiata (another Portland, Maine favorite) breaking up?
Toby: I was bummed about the Cambiata breaking up, and even more bummed that I couldn't make their last show. But we are friends with those guys, and will still support whatever comes next for them. I still rock my Cambiata shirt all the time.
Keagan: Now to take the focus off of you for just a bit. 2009 is shaping up to be a phenomenal year in music, what releases are you looking forward to or have really enjoyed thus far?
Toby: The Dangerous Summer was definitely a great release this year, and I'm enjoying a couple of the new Taking Back Sunday tracks. The new Jack's Mannequin Cd never gets old to me. I don't want to list too many, but another favorite of mine is the latest Anarbor e.p. it's fantastic.
Keagan: Being from a small music scene in Maine you guys know what it’s like having your back up against the wall. What band’s should people be listening to that they may not know about?
Toby: Ben Kweller, Coconut Records, Wale (the hip hop dude), and Bob.
Keagan: What touring plans are coming up in the future?
Toby: We will be out all fall with a few sweet bands which will be announced soon...but we're pretty much going to be on tour forever.
Keagan: Is there anything else exciting coming soon that we should know about? Have you begun to record any new material yet?
Toby: Not yet, but we are going to be shooting a video soon, along with a lot of sweet online content so everyone should check back at our page often!
Keagan: I believe that is about it, is there any last thing you would like to add?
Toby: thanks again for the interview! and to the readers: hopefully if you have taken the time to read this, then we will see you at a show sometime in the near future :)
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Sparks the Rescue Toby, Ben, Nate, Alex, Pat myspace.com/sparkstherescue
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