Jeff Martin will be chatting under the username jmartin and Steven Padin will be using hyliandelaisla.

Rules:

1) Be respectful.
2) Follow the first rule.

I never really listened to This Day & Age but I always loved "Second Place Victory."

I think you should record an acoustic version of it and send it my (our) way, please.

Originally Posted by jmartin

hi lueda (thanks for all your help) ---- maybe, jut maybe we will.

I will be your official go-to-girl for AP.net coverage if you do that!

You can't beat that deal.

Originally Posted by jmartin

and if we don't you'll just ignore me?? ha :)

It might just take me longer to reply to emails.

Originally Posted by jmartin

not sure if you folks know, but steve and i are posting 'behind the song' blogs at myspace.com/thefirstjoke --- we explain the story behind the songs on the new album

Should have sent me these updates!

Originally Posted by jmartin

haha.. i was going to email you tomorrow -- maybe i should wait :)

Originally Posted by jmartin

thats what i was going to send tomorrow. ha

I hope there will be a song attached at the end of that email.

I have a serious question - what do you guys think about the scene now? It's certainly way different than it used to be when This Day & Age were around. It's almost as if new good bands are hard to come by.

Do you feel like the quality of music has dropped?

Originally Posted by jmartin

another question i could write a book about... it has changed so much -- half the time i check ap.net, i feel like i'm 90 years old..yes, the quality and more importantly, what people expect from music has decreased.. it seems people accept it because that's all there is.. it's honestly one of the saddest things to me.. that's why sincerity in my music is one of the most important things.

I noticed that the albums you were looking forward to the most were by bands that aren't from this scene, so it made me wonder. I find that to be the case with many band members of older pop punk bands. It's quite interesting. It makes me wonder why this scene has suffered so much.

Originally Posted by hyliandelaisla

lueda thank you for this by the way. and for giving jeff a hard time. double points.

You're welcome. I'm glad I could help out and I'm even happier that you guys were wiling to come chat. I think chats like this are better than interviews. I find the latter to be very limiting.

Originally Posted by NorthstarPark

I don't know if you guys are into these two bands but my favorite band is Jimmy Eat World and my brother's is Saves The Day, which is your favorite out of the two?

I know this wasn't directed at me, but I think Jimmy Eat World is the best band to ever come out of this scene. Maybe I'm a bit biased..

Have you guys ever written / recorded a song and then regretted it? If yes, which and why?

The recent drama with Chad Gilbert and Max Bemis made me think about this. I wonder how many bands wish that they could take certain songs back. I'm not implying anything about the drama that's going on, but yeah.

Originally Posted by hyliandelaisla

:) i think any person that plays any kind of music could write a book on their opinion on this topic. i absolutely think the quality of music has dropped. now its so much more than what you hear. its what you look like, who you're friends with, the label you're on, who your fans are, what movie or show your music is in, alll that stuff.

That's what really depresses me. I mean, in a way, bands from this scene have always had a certain image, but that's not what fans liked about them. When I look at newer pop punk / screamo / hardcore bands, it feel as though they rely more on their image.

What would you say has inspired most of your songs?

Where do you guys think you would be if you had never started to play music? What do you think you would be doing right now - career wise?

Originally Posted by jmartin

i think i'd be doing what i'm a couple years away from.. teaching high school english

Oh dear. High school kids?!