EastScene

As we all know, it’s Summer. As anyone who enjoys alternative pop/rock/hardcore music knows, Summer means Warped Tour, aka a whirlwind tour that takes place every summer–cross country, mind you. The plethora of bands means mayhem, fun, mistakes, regrets, anything and everything Summer is supposed to be about. One of this year’s bands taking on the whole tour is Hey Monday. Hey Monday, a pop rock group from Florida, is all about having fun and hating on that ex of yours that you know made a mistake. Front lady, Cassadee Pope, sat down with EastScene’s Shelby Wilson to fill us in on the nitty gritty of Hey Monday.

Shelby Wilson: So, this is your first run on Warped Tour. How has it been?

Cassadee Pope: It’s been amazing. I’ve gone to Warped Tour probably, like 4 times, at home, and it’s been so much fun. All the bands are really close and friendly. We’ve toured with a few of the bands already so, being able to see them and meet new people, also. Just making a lot of friends.

SW: That’s awesome. Are there any bands you look at and think, “Wow, I never thought I’d be touring with these people”?

CP: Absolutely! Sum 41, I never thought I’d be touring with them. Four Year Strong is one of my favorite bands. So, I mean we would probably never tour with them [outside of Warped Tour] because our music is so different. Set Your Goals. Pretty much every band we haven’t toured with [yet], I thought we would never tour with.

SW: You guys have been doing a lot of promoting and sneak peeks for Beneath It All, How has the fan reaction been to it?

CP: It’s been really good. We’re playing Wish You Were Here, which has been released already. Kids seem to know it, the kids who don’t seem to like it. We’re also playing another song called “I Don’t Wanna Dance” which hasn’t been released yet and people seem to like that, too. It’s been really, really good.

SW: How would you describe Beneath It All, as a whole, compared to Hold On Tight?

CP: Beneath It All is, I hate saying this, but is really a bit more mature sounding. It’s still got that fun, youthful vibe, but it’s different. We’ve changed, not completely. We’ve been touring for about two years, our perspective on life kind of changed. We’ve seen so many things and been through a lot. It’s kind of impossible for the music not to change, also. It’s more organic and dynamic.

SW: So, I hate these typical questions, but where did “Hey Monday” come from?

CP: We put a contest on FriendsorEnemies.com and a fan actually named us.

SW: The lineup change. How has everything been since Elliot’s leaving?

CP: At the beginning it was like, oh you know, this kind of sucks. We knew we’d be able to find someone. We automatically thought of Pat because I went to high school with him and he used to be in a band with Alex and our other guitar tech JJ, so we knew he was a really good drummer, so it was really easy transition.

SW: What keeps you guys going when things get kind of rough like that and with music in general?

CP: Our fans are amazing. We kind of started with a zero fan base. People like Pete who blogged about us, before we were even Hey Monday, it really helped us gain some fans from that. Touring for the last 2 years straight has made us have a really awesome fan base. Things get rough, or you start to lose confidence, maybe, they’re always there. They give the best advice and encouragement. It’s crazy. We help them with our music sometimes and they help us all the time with support and stuff.

SW: Do you have any secrets or ways to get through the rough times, beyond fans? Especially for kids who want to go into music.

CP: You kind of have to pay your dues. You’re going to have to do things you aren’t particularly happy about. Like, “Oh, I hate this picture,” but the label’s like, “Oh, this picture is going to be huge.” You can only argue so much. So, when you are nothing and you’re coming from nothing [in the industry], it’s kind of hard to stand your ground too much. You kind of have to make compromises, in the beginning. Once you’re past that point, you can start making your own decisions, making moves for yourself. You can’t get cocky, too soon. You shouldn’t be cocky at all, ever. You have to start off very humble. Stay humble, and eventually you’ll be able to make some of your own decisions.

SW: You’re used to being with guys all the time. You’ve said before that they’re good at respecting your space, realizing that you ARE a girl. How is it now being with so many girls?

CP: There are a lot of girls, and it’s awesome, but most of them are crew and merch girls. There’s only a few lead singers or girls in the band. There’s a few of us, but you know, we’re all busy during the day, we’re doing our own thing. At night, I hate to sound lame, but usually I’m trying to make sure I don’t get a sore throat, so I’m usually stuffed in the back lounge, because I’m so self consious about it. Everyone is so nice, and we’re all there for each other. It’s like a common agreement that we need to watch each other’s backs. It’s cool.

SW: This is going to be very, on the spot, because the rest of the band mates aren’t here, but is there anything about the band mates that bother the rest of you, anything that forces you guys to become closer or stronger?

CP: Yeah, during the whole Elliot thing, it really brought us all closer, because we all came together to make decisions about what we were going to do about everything. That made us so much stronger and closer than before. The whole touring aspect brings us all closer, I mean, you’re living together. We get on each other’s nerves sometimes, but it’s a family kind of nerve. Like, “You’re being so loud! Shut up.” [Laughs] “You won’t. Stop. Screaming. Be quiet.” Or if, they’re blaring music in the front and I’m trying to sleep. Just things like that, but it would happen to anyone.

SW: So, Hey Monday is a Florida band, tying you with names like Mayday Parade. How does that feel?

CP:  It’s pretty cool. I mean, I’m really proud of where we’re coming from and all the bands that are coming from there recently and in the past, too. You know, we have New Found Glory and Dashboard Confessional and all those bands. It’s really cool to be on tour with those bands and see how all of us have a fan base throughout the country. It’s crazy that we’re all from that same place.

SW: I ask almost every band this because I feel like it’s really important. Your label mates, how are you guys together? Are you like family, supportive of each other?

CP: I feel like Decaydance is more of a family vibe than Columbia. Columbia is huge and has acts like Aerosmith and John Mayer, who I obviously don’t know or hang out with. I wish! Decaydance is definitely a close-knit kind of family. Pete is like everyone’s brother, everyone’s dad. Bands like Four Year Strong, who are completely different than us, it’s just that comfort you have of each other. You know, “We know the same people, we’re signed to the same label.” We look out for each other, it’s really cool to share that with some of your favorite bands.

SW: You said earlier that you like Four Year Strong. So, is Hey Monday similar to any of the music you listen to?

CP: I think we’re similar to my main influences which are Michelle Branch and old Avril [Lavigne], we’re not too close to Blink 182, but there is a huge influence of them in us. There are a lot of bands I listen to that we sound nothing like, take for instance Four Year Strong and A Day To Remember. We’re the complete opposite. I like all kinds of music, pretty much.

SW: Lastly, fall touring? What’s going on with the new album coming out and everything?

CP: I can tell you it’s going to be sweet! I can’t tell you who’s on it, we’re still working things out. I can’t really say, it hasn’t been confirmed yet. A ton of new songs are going to be played, also some old stuff just to balance it out. We’re really excited, it’s going to be great.

Secrets, surprises, and all other fun things have been revealed. All you West Coasters, make sure you check out Hey Monday on the rest of Warped Tour and be sure to pick up Beneath It All on August 17th!

Big thanks to Cassadee for taking time out of her hectic day for this interview.