JW- Yup! absolutely, we grew up going to a lot of hard core shows in our hometown. See, New Found Glory is from South Florida and that’s kind of where we found our hard core and pop feel. definitely a big influence.

SW- out of your 4 releases, which one is your favorite and is there a reason for that?

JW- It’s kind of weird. When people ask me that question, I don’t know what to say. I like each record as what it is. Each holds memories of places and times. It’s weird, but I like our new record a lot. It kind of pushed us to the forefront of what we’re trying to do, it says a lot on the record.

SW- You’ve been together for quite a few years; as the music industry changes, do you feel as though that influences you all as a band? how so?

JW: Not really, because we never became a band to say, ‘we’re going to sell a million records,’ or ‘we’re going to become millionaires from this,’ or anything like that. That’s never been what we’re trying to do, so as far as the business changing, record sales not doing as well, touring not being as good as it used to be, all that kind of stuff. We don’t really care. We play hardcore pop punk, a think that does not make sense at all. That should go to show that we don’t really care, that we’re just doing this to have fun.

SW: How is your relationship with your label mates?

JW: We don’t really know too many, we have done that much touring [with them], but all the ones we know are awesome dudes.

SW: How has the fan reaction been to What Separates Me From You?

JW: I think it’s going pretty good. It’s our newest stuff and our touring is all the biggest shows we’ve done, ever. I would say that it’s translating pretty well.

SW: I’ve read that your last two albums have debuted at #1 on the US indie charts, how does that feel? You were saying the success doesn’t really matter.

JW: You want to do well, but if it all started to go down hill now, I never expected any of this, so I’d be happy. Our very first touring show, we played to one person, one human being. To watch today and see how much it’s grown, it’s just insane.

SW: Who or what do you pull inspiration from now and how does that differ from what your earlier inspirations were?

JW: It’s actually pretty much the same. Any new bands or bands we’ve been with on tour, even old bands, just listening to music like, ‘I want to write a heavy part like this band has been doing.’ As far as lyrical content, Jeremy [McKinnon], just takes everyday life. Anything that you or me would experience, it’s stuff that anyone can experience.

SW: Your lyrics are very upfront, take for instance “All Signs Point To Lauderdale,” is it nerve racking putting those kinds of words and lyrics out in the open?

JW: No, because like I’ve said, we don’t care. Not to say that we’re those rockstar dudes that are like, “eff everything.” We’re not saying that, we’re respectful kids. We’re doing what we want to do, if you like it, listen to it.

SW: This isn’t your band’s first time on Warped Tour, so as veterans of sorts, how would you sum up the tour?

JW: Crowds are great, bands are great. We know our way around and we know where like, the showers are, or secret showers. We know a little bit.

SW: How would you say your music has changed throughout the years?

JW: I don’t know, because people said the old stuff was heavy, but I feel like some of the heaviest songs we’ve ever written are on the new record. 2nds Sucks, I mean geez, that song is heavy as hell. Sticks & Bricks, first song on the record! The songs have just gotten better, we’ve become better song writers.

SW: What do you think music, as a whole, is all about? How do you think the industry affects that?

JW: I don’t even know. People ask these questions, they aren’t bad questions, I’m sure some people have answers for them, but we aren’t really focused on what’s going on around us, we’re just trying to figure out what we want to do.

SW: Would you trade being in a touring band for anything?

JW: No! These are the best memories of my entire life. This is what I want to do.

SW: Any last words?

JW: Just thank you so much for doing in the interview! I know it sounds dumb, but without people like you, you keep people interested.

Big thanks to Josh for sitting down with us and to the whole band for putting on one of the best shows I’ve ever seen! The crowds get absolutely wild for these guys, I suggest never giving up and opportunity to see them!

SW: What’s the meaning behind your band name? Was it a coincidence the way the acronym worked out?

NM: It worked out that we were sending out demos to our producer and our management and yet we didn’t have a band name at the time, so we just put Drugs on it, for fun. Then, when it came time to actually decide on a band name, we had this massive white board and we just wrote so many band names on it. Then management said, “To be honest, Drugs is better than a lot of these.” So, we were like, alright! We like the intensity of it, whatever comes from it, if people are offended by it. We wanted to come up with some sort of deeper meaning, so we sat on it for a bit. Craig and I decided on Destroy, Rebuild, Until God Shows.

SW: Very cool. So, your album came out in February, any thoughts on how the response has been to it in such a short time?

NM: Crazy! Being on the main stage and only having the record out since February,  we were a little scared, at first. I don’t know, though. We did the AP tour and crowds were crazy at those shows. It was quite intense. So, at that point, we noticed that the record was doing pretty well. Then we came out here, thinking here’s the test, we’ll know if we come out on stage and there’s only 20 kids watching, but the crowds have been insane, so far.

SW: Well, there was a lot of hype when Craig left Chiodos about what he was going to do next.

NM: Yeah, ya know, there was a lot of hype around the band, with all the different members.

SW: Of course, I mean, you’ve all been in different projects before.

NM: Yeah, yeah, yeah! We just thought it was either going to be really bad or it was going to be really good.

SW: How did you all become acquainted?

NM: I’ve known Craig since 2003… 2004. My old band used to play with his old band and then, by total fluke, I hit him up on MySpace years after, in 2006, telling him to check out my bands new record. He said he would check it out. He listened to it and called me the next day saying he wanted me to sing on the next Chiodos record. So, I did that, and then from there on out he and I just wrote together. Then, we started this new band the day after he got disbanded from Chiodos. We started hitting up out favorite musicians. We called up Matt, and Aaron was looking for a new project. We were in the studio and Adam from Story of The Year came in, and that was it! It was really easy, really, really easy.

SW: Those connections really help you, huh?

NM: Yeah!

SW: How was your experience in your other band compared to your experience now?

NM: Um, I think we’re just older and more mature. I think our previous bands were kind of like our high school, going through the years of learning and learning from your mistakes, a lot. We came into this project knowing the right way to do things on every aspect, whether it be the business side or just personality wise; how to deal with people.

SW: Do you feel like your old fans have followed your from all your guys’ previous projects to where you are now?

NM: Yeah, completely. I think, to be honest, there really hasn’t been any backlash… well there’s been a little backlash from kids coming over. I think they wanted to see what everyone was going to be up to and what everything would sound like. I think, for the most part, everyone has been really stoked on it.

SW: Are there any hard feelings with your ex-bands? How would you feel about touring with them?

NM: There’s no hard feelings, necessarily. A few guys in my previous bands are kind of doing there own thing, now. Maybe we don’t talk as much anymore, but I miss the guys.

SW: What is the meaning behind If You Think This Song Is About You, It Probably Is?

NM: I think a lot of people can kind of speculate on what it’s about. Actually, you probably want to ask Craig that one. Most of the lyrics are a lot of what he had gone through that whole entire year. He went through a lot with Chiodos, but he went through a lot just personally with his own life and his own battles. So, I think that song is just a massive culmination of feelings he had pent up with a lot of shit in his life.

SW: Being a young band, you all have already toured overseas, which usually takes quite some time to achieve. What’s it like to be able to do that so quickly in the D.R.U.G.S. career?

NM: There’s like no words to describe it. We were all very optimistic and very positive coming into this band. We new that we were going to take it as far as we could and we were going to do all that we could to make sure that it was as successful as possible. However, I don’t think we quite knew it would go that well. Being over there is just insane. Kids are very receptive. It is different playing over there, but they are still very similar. Every time I answer that, it’s impossible to explain just what those things are.

SW: So, what’s your relationship like with your label mates?

NM: Everyone is awesome. Our boy from The Ready Set came out the other day and sang with us.

SW: Jordan is a great guy.

NM: Jordan is the nicest kid ever. We actually don’t know a lot of the other bands, yet.

SW: Do you think being on one of the notoriously hardest tours has affect you guys, at all, as a new band?

NM: All of our previous bands have done it before. Not saying we’re veterans, by any means, but this is my fifth Warped Tour, so I kind of knew, going into it, what it was going to be like. We knew how to go into it, and how to put the right set together; we know what the kids want and we provide.

Having an incredibly busy schedule, it meant a lot that Nick took the time out to chat with us! This band has huge things in store. Be sure to check them out on the last few days of Warped Tour and on any upcoming tours!

Shelby Wilson: Where are your roots in music, what made you start playing and performing?

Matt Johnson: I got into music because of punk rock stuff, basically. I grew up in Vermont and I was into skate boarding, but I remember, this was before… Vermont didn’t get internet ‘til pretty late on, it took us awhile, it takes awhile for a lot of things to get up there. So, I just looked through skateboard magazines and saw these ads for punk rock bands and I ended up getting into those and their influences. I remember being so into the music and I needed to give back to this music that I like so much. That’s when I started playing guitar.

SW: That’s really cool. Everything just lead off from there?

MJ: Yeah. Then I was really close-minded about music seeing as I only liked punk rock stuff for all throughout high school. Sort of around 19, or when I was in college, I just went really open minded. I had no guilty pleasures or anything like that.

SW: Speaking on that, your music is different than a majority of stuff that is out there right now. Is it ever nerve racking that there might not be a good response to it?

MJ: Well, Kim and I, whenever we’ve done music, whenever we’ve written music that is, we sort of write what we’d like to hear in music, you know? I think as long as we’re true to what we like, then we’re happy. I’m really happy that so far people do respond [well] to it. It doesn’t really fall into one genre, it’s not really easy to describe all the time. It just seems to work.

SW: What’s your inspiration for all of this then?

MJ: As far as musically, it’s just whatever is fun, like I said, we have no guilty pleasures or anything. Kim and I are big fans of hip hop still. I like pop punk stuff. Yeah, just whatever is fun. I see our music as a mosaic of those things. Is there isn’t a genre, but you can pick out specific parts. Like, you know when a beat is hip hop inspired and that fast crashy chorus part is from some pop punk. It’s just a combination of a bunch of different things.

SW: I’ve heard your stuff play in a lot of places like American Eagle. How does it feel to be in that main stream realm of things? Do you think it’s helped you at all?

MJ: It’s funny because it can be confusing to hear that out of context. As a side note, Kim and I, I remember being in some store and one of our songs coming on and Kim being like ‘Why do I recognize this? It sounds really familiar.’ and I go ‘Kim, it’s us.’” ‘Cause sometimes it doesn’t sound right out of context. Even my mom has mentioned to me that she’s heard a couple different songs of ours. It kind of legitimizes you to your parents. [Laughs]

SW: Surreal, in a way, then?

MJ: Yeah, totally. We did this commercial recently, we hadn’t seen it on TV yet, but we had the TV on a couple days ago and we were in the other room and were like ‘Why do we hear our song?’ then we realized our commercial was on. Then, it came on again, it’s just kind of bizarre to have a commercial with us in it.

SW: With it being so far out there, sort of broadcasted, is there any message you want your fans or people to take from it when they hear it?

MJ: I think with Sidewalks there was a common theme I noticed about living your life right now. Kim and I have been really busy over the last year and a half. Sometimes it’s hard to fit in just time for yourself and what not and we keep in our minds that we’ll take a couple of days and do whatever, but those couple of days never come. You just need to realize that you need to fit your life into everyday. A lot of people are busy and work hard with jobs and school and all that other stuff; they just need to be sure they’re fitting their life in.

SW: Now Sidewalks, how did it feel for that to go so high on the iTunes charts in just a few days?

MJ: We never expected anything like that. The day after it came out, seeing it in the chart, the normal chart, where number one was Taylor Swift and number 2 was Matt and Kim and I was like ‘What the hell are we doing there?!’. We don’t take it for granted in any way.

SW: So, you’re definitely proud with what you’ve done.

MJ: Oh yeah, we work so hard on this band. It’s the hardest work I’ve ever had. Most rewarding, but the hardest in my life. So, that we get a good response. Just looking on Twitter and Facebook, I check the comments sometimes and seeing such positive messages coming from the people who are directly listening means a lot.

SW: Okay, I have a kind of fun question for you. I was told by somebody that you and Kim told somebody that the coffee stains on each cover were done by hand by you and Kim. Is that true?

MJ: It is true! Well, our demo, which was like a 5 song demo. We toured before we released any albums which was years and years ago. They looked like a letter, and they were actually addressed to the address in which we really lived. Kim was picking coffee cups and had a little plate of coffee and dipping the bottom in making individual coffee stains. We were burning the CD’s and driving in the van and what not. It was a very DIY project.

SW: Your processes like that leads to asking, what made you think of making a video where you were stripping in Times Square?

MJ: I came up with that idea at one point because I… Well, I had gone to school for film and I have a lot of ideas of what I really like with film related things. I had come up with that idea seeing as I wanted to shoot a one shot video where there was no cuts. So, I thought, ‘What could we do for three and a half minutes?’ I had come up with the idea of taking our clothes off. It wasn’t initially in Times Square, until I decided we had to step things up. Then, it was me trying to convince Kim for a long time that it was a good idea. Finally, she agreed.

SW: Were you nervous doing that?

MJ: Well, yeah. Kim swears she doesn’t even recall because her nerves had made her black the whole event out. I thought it was pretty liberating, actually. I do remember being pretty nervous about it as we were headed to Times Square.

SW: On a different note, Mike D from the Beastie Boys did a remix of Cameras, how do you feel about that?

MJ: I think it’s wild, you know, when bands such as the Beastie Boys, who I’ve been a fan of for years and years, then it comes around and Mike D likes our band. He wasn’t looking for money or anything, he just wanted to do the remix for us. It’d mind blowing that you respect someone so much and they turn around and like your band.

SW: Final Question, what’s coming in the future for you two?

MJ: We just shot a new music video, and I just saw the first edit, it’s totally crazy. That’ll be coming out and then we’re headed to Australia for a tour. Coming Spring, we’re going to a lot of colleges and the US more. Then, we have Europe and Japan. I don’t know, there’s just a lot of places to go.

Big thank you to Matt for sitting through what may be the most awkward kind of interview for any musician. Matt is definitely as fun as the music he and Kim put out. Make sure you all have your eyes open for the many upcoming tours. I’ve been told they have one show you definitely don’t want to miss.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010. It was a glorious night to be in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The weather was fair, with music lilting over the sidewalks from venues participating in this year’s CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival. Clutched in my hand was my spandy-new CMJ press badge, a laminated card boasting not only the EastScene name, but my own. I felt legit.
At that moment in time, I was cruising down Wythe Avenue, en route to Brooklyn Bowl’s free Yo La Tengo show, with Screaming Females and Dom as opening acts. The fact that Yo La Tengo was not only playing CMJ (often seen as a showcase for up-and-comers, much like South by Southwest) but they were playing a free show. Free. Zero bones to get in the door and enjoy a performance by one of indie rock’s hugest success stories.

Brooklyn Bowl is tucked among the many warehouses that line Williamsburg’s East River waterfront. It’s a sprawling venue, consisting of a full-service restaurant, two bars, a bowling alley as well as their performance space. Being in the business of telling the truth, it’s a newer venue with a not-entirely-hip clientele. Clientele that most Brooklyners refer to as “bridge and tunnel”, meaning visitors to NYC who access the city via bridge and/or tunnel. No self-respecting local spends any time there, unless there is a show worth seeing. Ahem.

When I arrived, there were two lines forming at the entrance, well-guarded by bouncers with headsets. After showing one of the doormen my press badge, I was directed towards a short line (approximately 10 people). All right! I thought. Yay for being press!

Soon enough I was the next in line for entrance. I presented a different doorman my press badge/ID, who then passed it onto a girl with a clipboard. I hadn’t noticed her initially. She flipped through the her papers.

“Sorry,” she said.

“What? What do you mean?” I asked.

“You’re not on the list,” she informed me, handing my credentials back.

“A list? There’s a list? This is a free show!” I replied, now feeling slightly miffed.

“Yeah. There’s a list.”

“Ok. Uh. What do I do?”

Clipboard girl then gestured to the much bigger general admission line. There had to have been at least 300 people waiting to get in.

“Thanks,” I said somewhat bitterly, and dragged my feet to the end of that line, which wrapped around the street corner.

And I waited. And waited. For thirty minutes, I stood in the same place. The line didn’t move. I glared at my press badge, as it seemed to wink sheepishly in the glow of streetlamps. I checked Twitter from my iPhone for the #CMJ tag, and learned Screaming Females had already taken the stage. And yet, the line didn’t move.

So, dear readers, I gave up. I shouldered my gear bag, and with a “screw this, I’m going home!” to my linemates, I left my place in line.

I then proceeded to the nearest dive bar and got deliciously buzzed with a friend. Because I was all dressed up, and there were still so many places to go.

But in all seriousness, I don’t understand being granted press credentials and then not having the ability to gain entrance to a show. There was no mention of a required RSVP for press or guests on the Brooklyn Bowl website. I’ve heard of this kind of ridiculousness happening at South by Southwest; maybe I should have expected a situation like this.

As the only writer from EastScene covering CMJ, I had to very carefully pick and choose what shows I wanted to cover. When I picked up my press badge, CMJ officials gave me no press packet or information of any kind about the festival. If I had known about the Yo La Tengo list in advance, I could have picked a different show that night. In short, there seems to be a huge lack of organization for a festival which spans multiple boroughs and dozens of venues.

Which leaves me, the journalist, unable to do one simple thing: my job.

And if the one item which is supposed to help me- my press badge- isn’t enough to help me gain entry to venues, I ask this:

What’s the point?

Lisette Voytko
lisette@eastscene.com

Shelby Wilson: How did you guys form?

Sergio Otaegui: Chris Pennings (guitar/vocals/piano) and me had met through the Hudson Valley NY music scene in 2005 when we were in different bands. At the start of 2007 our bands broke up and we decided to start playing music together. We grabbed some friends, started recording/touring right away, and here we are.

SW: Was it intimidating being signed to Victory Records and recording an album so soon after forming as a band?

SO: Intimidating isn’t even the word for it. It came really really quick and we weren’t even sure how to handle it at first. Right after signing we did a short run with The Atari’s and it was crazy to be at those shows feeling like every eye in the room was saying “okay, who are these kids & whats all the fuss about? they better be good.” We were so nervous before those shows and really stressed out about putting an album together so quickly. I think it definitely showed in the quality of the album because we were too unsure of ourselves to really stretch out creatively and take risks. But soon after, we became comfortable with our position and really made up for it on our upcoming sophomore album “South America”

SW: ”Thieves and Villains” as a name kind of embodies a negative connotation; is there any meaning or significance behind it?

SO: Oh yes, of course. When starting the band, we decided that we wanted to always run it with good/honest intentions. We really wanted to, and still do, treat everyone kindly in our business interactions and because of that we figured we’d call the band “thieves and villains” so that we as people wouldn’t have to be.

SW: There’s been some line-up changes throughout the history of TAV, do you feel that the music has changed at all with the members? Did the change make you all stronger as a whole?

SO: Chris Pennings (guitar/vocals/piano) and myself are the principle songwriters so we’ve always really controlled the vision/sound of the band. I play drums and bass as well, so when it came to writing I would always dictate the parts that those instruments played, regardless of who was in the band. But things just weren’t working out personality wise with anyone that we had played with and we realized that in order to carry on we’d need people that we felt close to and could really expand with. So in Spring 2009, we effectively started over with two close friends: Chris Competiello (Bass) & Joseph Penna (drums). It was the first time that we had members who were actually real friends of ours and once that happened, everything just took off amazingly. I’m still just as involved in the arranging of the drum & bass parts, but Chris & Joe, really bring their own flavor to the table and just mesh with us perfectly personality wise & business wise. We’re beyond happy to have finally found the perfect lineup and can’t wait to see how we grow together over the years.

SW: Growing up, did any of you think you were going to be/want to be in a band when you got older?

SO: We all started playing music between the ages of 11-15 and we’re all similar in that it became our main interest right away. At that age its too hard to tell where you’re going to end up in life but by high school its safe to say that all of us knew music was what we wanted career wise. It was definitely a dream and a long shot but I had faith in my abilities and knew that my work ethic was strong, so by age 17 I just knew that this is where I’d end up. Though I didn’t think it would have happened within my first 2 years after high school like it did.

SW: What sparked your interest in music?

SO: I always enjoyed music like anyone else but when I was about 9 or 10 my older cousins introduced me to Sublime and a lot of the 90’s skatepunk bands. I got really into it once I realized that there was a whole world of underground bands out there for me to discover. I started playing guitar when I was 13 and became obsessed with music, practicing/writing/studying for 8 to 9 hours a day, between school, work, & soccer.

SW: Do the fans have an influence on your guys’ music, or do you just write with the hopes that the fans will have a positive reaction to what you all came up with?

SO: We actually never even think about that. We just write things that get us excited and assume/hope that other people will enjoy them too. It’s also our job to push the envelope in order to hopefully expand the tastes of our listeners. If we can make them feel a bit uneasy or surprised by something, then we’re doing our job.

SW: Have any of the bands you’ve toured/played with had an influence on you? (Positively or negatively)

SO: I’d say that everyone we’re involved with, whether its friends or bands, influences us in one way or another. Whether its their policies on life, business, or art we always try to approach things like a sponge soaking up information. You can really learn something from everyone and we take advantage of that everyday.

SW: Has anyone/anything outside of the music world influenced/inspired you?

SO: Oh absolutely. I take just as much influence, if not more, from people in the literature/arts world. Some of my favorite authors: Hemmingway, Kerouac, & Bukowski really played a part in influencing my writing of our new album. And I also gained tons of insight on pushing my creative limits by studying the work of great artists like DaVinci (whose notebooks are a key source of inspiration to me), neo-expressionist painter Jean Michel Basquiat, Raymond DuChamp, & more. Now that I think about it, authors/artists inspire how I think about and approach music a lot more than musicians do.

SW: What would you consider your lowest and highest points in your careers as musicians?

SO: I would say that our lowest point was in April 09 after we had gotten back from a 3 month tour. Chris P and me were at absolute odds with our bassist/drummer and knew that we needed to change literally everything if we wanted to last as a band. The sad thing was, popularity wise we were at an all time high, so we knew that if we took some time to change our lineup we’d lose that buzz and have to rebuild.  Thankfully we made the right choice in rebuilding, because popularity aside, it was only a matter of time before we would have fallen apart. And our highest point would have to be sitting down and listening to the final finished copy of our new album “South America” and realizing that we made it through our awful 2009 and really achieved what we set out to do in this band since day one: make a creative record with great friends that we can be proud of.

SW: Is there anything un-assuring or scary about being in a band?

SO: Oh, of course. The music/entertainment industry is ever evolving and shifting. What’s hot now wont be hot tomorrow and because of that we all have other side businesses ranging from recording/songwriting/production to screen printing. We’ve all taken up other trades within and outside of the industry in order to maintain a constant stream of revenue that’s entirely independent of the up’s & downs of our career in Thieves and Villains.

SW: What is your #1 goal that you wish to accomplish as a musician or as someone who other people look up to?

SO: I speak for myself and all of us when I say my only financial goal is to be able to make just enough money off this to live comfortably while being able to fully take care of my parents and one day a family of my own. Aside from that, our artistic goals are to constantly push/challenge ourselves while making music that really speaks and connects with people. Very simple…we don’t want to be rich & famous. We just want to be good at what we do while making sure our loved ones are secure.

SW: Has there been any particular time in the lifetime of TAV that you will always remember? If so, what was it?

SO: We’ve been lucky enough to have countless amazing experiences in this band. And aside from trivial stuff like hearing ourselves on the radio or seeing ourselves on TV, I’d have to say that the entire process of recording our new album was an experience we’ll never forget. Our producer, Tim Gilles, is so experienced and wise when it comes to life in general, that it was truly a privilege to be able to make music with and learn from him.

SW: I know that some bands have admitted to this, so, if you weren’t in your band, do you think you would listen to TAV’s music?

SO: I wouldn’t have listened to our first album because it was the sound of a rookie band warming up, but I would absolutely listen to and be very into our new record.

SW: In March you all finished recording your sophomore album, how does it compare to your first album?

SO: We were like nervous rookies on our first album. We were new to the game and scared to go out there and really mix it up. Now that we’re comfortable and confident with who we are, we weren’t scared to take risks on this record.  It literally sounds like a new band, but I really believe that people who liked the first record will LOVE this one and that people who hated the first album will really really appreciate this one. Back in 2009 we took a glance at what our peers were doing and became disgusted. So many bands adopted the whole “neon color” image and dumbed down their music in order to get big quick. What they didn’t realize is that they aren’t REALLY connecting with people and while success may have come easy, it surely won’t be lasting. We wanted to raise the bar on this record to remind fans of what actual creativity and effort sounds like, while hopefully inspiring some of our peers to do the same. People are applauding mediocrity these days and that needs to change. We hope to help be a part of washing away a lot of this B.S in the same way that Nirvana and the other early 90’s punk/grunge bands helped get rid of cheesy 80’s hair metal.

SW: How does it feel to have your music featured on really popular shows such as Gossip Girl and The Hills?

SO: While we don’t watch the shows ourselves, its cool to get that kind of mainstream exposure and our friends/families love it. It makes us a little sad to be a part of the dumbing down of America via these silly shows, but our band isn’t in a position to be picky with this kind of stuff and the checks from it keep the lights on!

SW: You guys share a label with bands such as A Day To Remember, The Audition and Bayside. Do you look up to any of your label mates and is there ever any competition between any of the bands?

SO: We absolutely LOVE our Victory Records family for all that they do for us and we consider the other bands to be family. When we signed we immediately hung out with Silverstein and A Day To Remember. And Bayside (who we had previously known) hit us up to congratulate us and offer their support. We’re super inspired by the bigger bands and really want to establish ourselves as a big band on the label.

SW: Lastly, if you could create the tour of a lifetime and be a part of it, who would be on the line-up?

SO: Hmmmmm. That’s really tricky but lets just go with something old: Red Hot Chili Peppers, something new: Vampire Weekend, and something blue: The Blueman Group

A HUGE thank you goes out to Sergio for taking the time to answer these questions. Sergio and all the other guys in Thieves and Villains are out on tour this summer. Make sure you go check them out!

How did you all first decide to get serious with music, and start this band?

We all really just wanted to do it, so we formed the band then something progressed. We didn’t really say to start this band, more like what are we gonna do next. We’ve seen and done so many cool things one year after another, and it’s something we all loved. We work as hard as we do so we can do that. Early on, when we started doing it we busted our asses so now being where we are is just awesome. It’s something I always wanted to do, it’s something we all wanted to do.
Was there ever any hesitation in what you guys were doing?

There always is, especially when you aren’t indecently wealthy and have the whole set up to fall back on. You just gotta throw yourself into it, and whatever happens in the end happens. Of course there is hesitation, like for it was paying my student loan and life getting in the way, but you just have to go for it and not look back.
You guys have already been playing together for seven, almost eight years. Had you ever thought that the band wasn’t going to work?

Oh definitely! We never thought we would make it this far. I mean we just finished our fourth EP, we never thought we would have done anything close to that. Every day I think about where we are and everything we do, it still shocks me.
How would you describe your style of music?

I am the worst person to ask that! [laughs] People would ask before, and I would say something then after think “What in the world was I talking about?”[laughs], but honestly I would just definitely say that we are emotionally driven, hardcore influenced music.

What do you think it is that attracts listeners to your style of music?

I don’t know actually, we always just have been truly honest. Honest about the lives we live, and it makes it easy for them to relate to us. We write about things that we go through, things that people are going through right now as we speak. In our songs, we write stories. And I think listeners can feel closer that way. We have a little bit of a unique Long Island sound, which I think attracts listeners.

In one sentence, what is your ultimate goal as a band?

I just want every person to be crying and singing “I love Crime in Stereo!” [laughs] and be able to have the songs just get to them.

It’s not hard to sometimes find trends between bands’ songs, as far as inspiration for what the song is talking about (love, hate, being happy, etc.). Is there one sort of emotion that dominates the songs that you guys write, or is it more sporadic?

This last record that we wrote was mainly just based on love, love lost, personal life heart-ache, heart-ache in general, again just life experiences. We write about what we live, which there is a lot of happy moments but there is also a lot of sad emotions included. All of which we write about.

You guys did a split album with Kill Your Idols in 2003. Has there been another band that you guys have wanted to do a split with since then?

There is a million bands! We actually tired to do a split album at first with another band from Long Island, which I was totally psyched about because the singer had inspired me so much. But, there had been some conflict with the label and such, which had made it so that couldn’t happen, which sucked.

Of all the tours you’ve been on, which would you say has been your most favorite?

We did an Australia tour with Against Me!, which was incredible! Australia is one of the best places, I loved it. We also toured just got off the tour with Brand New, which is honestly one of the best experiences because they are just awesome guys! So I would have to say both of those tours.

As you just mentioned, you just got off the tour with Brand New. What’s it like touring with them?

It’s honestly one of the best experiences like I just said before, they are just such cool guys and such positive, fun people. Since we all are from Long Island, it’s like we are just a huge family on tour.

What was the motivation behind writing I Was Trying to Describe You to Someone?

The biggest motivation honestly was just pushing ourselves musically as far as we could go! We want to give every record we make 100% and so it’s always just getting your mindset to that point.

Do you feel more or less confident about this album compared to previous albums?

Definitely more confident, I think that this is the best record yet!

You guys have moved from label to label, three in the span of almost six years. What do you guys look for when you’re evaluating which label is best for you?

We actually were really good friends with the guy that worked the label, and even initially working there he would help us sell our CD’s and promote us a lot because he liked our music. They still are amazing though he’s not there anymore, but the main thing we look for is just to have similar values, and to make sure the relationship between us seems right.

What are your goals for 2010 as a band?

Tour our asses off! [laughs] Definitely sell some records, and just get out as much as we can. Come hang out!

Do you have any touring dates just yet?

We have some upcoming U.K dates, but we’re just gonna be staying busy, so keep an eye out!

How did the band officially get together?
Well Zack and our former singer Craig Mabbitt started the band, soon followed by Tony P and Nick.  They then enlisted Tony A who brought along Dusty. The rest is history!

If you don’t mind me asking, why did you leave Greeley Estates for The Word Alive?
Well that’s not exactly what happened, I left GE because of financial reasons first and foremost and knew I could sell my bass gear and make a good amount back.  So I left the band and was soon offered to tryout for TWA, I did and the fit was right so I joined.

The Empire EP came out in summer of 2009, how well was it received?
Very well, we’re approaching 10,000 cd’s sold and I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved in our 1st full year as a band, and the 6 months almost to the day that our EP came out.  This is what I feel I was born to do.

As many know, you were a part of the bands Emarosa, In Fear and Faith, and Greeley Estates, now being in The Word Alive and in the family of Fearless Records, do you feel like you achieved what you’ve been looking for?
Very much so.  As I just touched on, I feel as if this is what I was born to do.  This is where God has led me and I’m more stoked than ever to be making music.

Now it being 2010, is there any plans for The Word Alive? Anything fans should be looking forward to?
We’re recording our full-length cd in April with Andrew Wade and I’m pretty sure the new stuff will blow minds!

You’re playing not only Bamboozle, but also Warped Tour 2010 Have you played either festivals before? What is your opinion on this year’s line-up?
I’ve personally played both before, and they are amazing festivals.  We’re all really excited about them, and the line-ups for both see very solid!  We have a lot of close friends on Warped Tour with us so it’s gonna be a great year!

Since Valentines Day is arriving, and as many of your Twitter/MySpace followers know, you are madly in love! What is you and your girlfriends’ story? How do you make it work while on tour?
We’ve been together for the majority of 3 years now, and are recently engaged!  She supports me constantly and I’m very lucky to have that.  We do what we can to see each other and talk as much as possible to keep the flame burning.  It’s not easy being apart so much but we both know it’s how it has to be right now.

Who are your biggest influences music wise?
Jared Leto is one of my personal influences vocally, but Jesse Lacey of Brand New is probably the main influence all around.

What is the craziest experience that has ever happened to you while being on tour?
There’s quite a few both good and bad, the last one was being stuck in Colorado on top of a mountain during a blizzard with no snow chains.  I had to drive for over 6 1/2 hours since I’m the only one in the band with snow driving experience.  It was crazy how many wrecks we saw, we were lucky to get to Denver safely, but missed our show.

The music industry is getting harder and harder to make it in, do you have advice to give to any upcoming musicians who want to be where you are today?
Just don’t give up, and always try to make good impressions with your music, your show, and to the people you meet.  It goes a long way.

When did you guys get together?
Well long story short, I have been in Broadway for about 5 or so years now. We were originally a lot heavier, played lots of local shows, and started getting a buzz, then have been switching members and genres since then! We have a pretty bad curse with keeping members. This style of genre and (most) members have been going for around 2 years now.

Are any of the guys in the band other than you been in Broadway originally? Or are most of them new?
Nope I am the only original member. Misha joined 2 years ago, and then everyone else has come and gone since then.

Let’s hope the curse has moved on now! What influenced you the most musically?
[Laughs] Well sadly no…we are still going through more changes. Currently only Misha, Jack, and myself are the only permanent members right now. But we’ll hope for the best! But tons of things have influenced us, its hard to name exact examples
Obviously there are too many artists/bands that have influenced us, all of us have different tastes in music ranging from radio pop/rap to really heavy metal/hardcore music. So I think thats what helps give us a more unique sound, with everyone bringing their own ideas into the mix.

Broadway is from Orlando, FL, what do you think about Orlando when it comes to trying to build up in the music industry?
Florida is amazing for music I have to say. A lot of bands that are really popular these days have been from Florida…UnderOath, A Day to Remember, We the Kings, and a bunch of others. I think Orlando specifically has been pretty good to us while trying to make it in the industry. I mean, its hard to make it ANYWHERE, but at least being in a huge city with a lot of people/places to promote to is a good start.

Your first release was on Uprising records, how did you guys manage that? Was it intimidating at all?
I wouldn’t really say so. Once we had this “sound” that we have now, we recorded a few demo tracks which gave us a pretty decent size buzz online, which then led to a bit of hype in the industry I guess you could say. When we started talking to Uprising about releasing an album they were really cool to us about everything and things just clicked. When we signed with them, it really wasn’t an “intimidating” contract or anything we were signing our life away too. It was more of a deal to help boost our career and help get us to where we want to be!

You also did an amazing cover of “I’m On A Boat”, what made you guys want to cover that song?
Well we always had the idea of doing a cover song, but we never really could decide on one we liked. Every band is doing a cover these days, and we really didn’t want to be just like every other band and do a typical radio pop song or something.. The idea of “I’m on a Boat” came up one day thanks to Misha while we were on tour. We thought it would be really funny, but we didn’t really take the idea too seriously. We were just kind of nervous you could say about how people would react to it (with all the swearing and such). But we figured with all the hype the song was getting on YouTube and such, we figured it was a good idea and did it!We’re really happy with how it came out and the reaction we got from fans.

Since its 2010 now, what are the bands plans? What can fans expect?
There’s a lot coming out of us this year. Right now we are writing and recording demos to a lot of new songs! We have about 10 right now that we have been working on, big things are coming alongside of a new album though that we are very excited about! Until we can release new stuff thats what’s going on with us along with new songs, we’ll be keeping up with fans on myspace, twitter, ect. and doing some video updates along the way, as well as play some FL shows while we’re home!

As you told me before, you guys are off to Japan too! Have you guys ever played out of the country? If not, are you nervous at all?
We have been to Canada before a few times but that’s it. We’re stoked to go over to Japan though! We’re really excited to meet all the fans over there. They have a lot planned out for us while we’re there so we’ll be busy but definitely fun.

With Valentines in the uprising, I know being on tour so much can really be tough when your in a relationship, so for the ones who have girlfriends in band, how do you make it work when your on tour?
A few of us have had girlfriends while we’re on the road. Its a very, very tough thing to do but if the couple really wants to make it work then they can! And you better have a good minute plan on your cell phone.

Do you have any advice to any upcoming musicians who are trying to make it in the music industry?
Just be patient! And definitely practice, practice, practice. Bands that stand out on a recording AND live are the ones that will go farther. Also, be original! Everyone these days is just trying to copy so many of the popular bands out right now, which for the most part, won’t be as good!

What’s it like being a well-known alternative band out of Tallahassee Florida, that’s also known for it’s college town?
I’ve actually grown up here, it’s amazing and just so many supportive kids.

In 2007, you lost band member Jason Lancaster, how did you feel as a band?
We were a band before he was in the band, so I mean we were okay when he left.

Did you struggle at all after losing a band member?
Well he left in the middle of tour [laughs], so that was really hard but we got back home in Tallahassee and figured out what we needed to do so everything worked out in the end.

The new album, Anywhere But Here was released in October 2009.What inspired you the most while writing this album?
We are on tour 80%-90% of the year, so about 8 months out of the year [laughs] so we wrote while being on tour, and all the songs were based on the feeling of being away from home, relationships, family etc.

How did the fans respond to your new album?
I really didn’t know what to expect because of everything, but I hope that the fans enjoy our album and I’m really looking forward to playing the new songs on Take Action Tour.

You leave Sunday (January 24th) to co-headline Take Action Tour 2010, is there anything else that fans should keep an eye out for?
We are going to be doing Warped Tour 2010 also, and I’m really looking forward to that. I’m not really sure about any other tours that we may be doing right now, but fans should definitely keep an eye out.

You recently have switched from Fearless to Atlantic records, why did you make the switch?
We have always talked to Atlantic, and actually did before we talked to Fearless but they told us to sign to another label first and then they would take us on. We were really excited to sign to Atlantic, and really excited to finally be able to tour in a bus.

That being said, how does it feel to tour in a bus rather than van?
Amazing! Touring on a bus is seriously so much fun, and touring in a van can make things a lot harder. Plus now I can finally sleep! [laughs] but even just sleeping helps with the way we perform and write.

I’m friends with your guitar tech, Nick Froelich, and he mentioned to me you a big fan of reading. Who’s your favorite author?
[Laughs] I wouldn’t say I have a favorite author or anything, but I will say that I love reading a series by Stephen King but I’m a pretty big nerd so I would have to say that I do enjoy the Harry Potter books.

Where are you hoping to see yourself or the band in 5 years?
I would really love to see us not only a band but still touring in a bus, and doing an arena tour would be incredible!

Do you have any advice for inspiring musicians who want to make it in the music industry?
My advice would be to work hard and dedicate yourself 100% to the band, push yourself harder and harder, and never give up. We got where we are now from following Warped Tour in 2006 and handing out our CD’s to people in the lines.

How long have you been a band/Have you been in any other bands prior to CCL?

We’ve been a band for almost 3 years.  We were involved in other projects in high school, but this is the first real band we’ve ever been a part of.

Who/What inspires you to continue making and performing music?

Our families are a huge inspiration to us, with how much they’ve supported us over the years, but we continue making music for the fans. For the people that put on a Camera song and it connects with them on some level.  That’s the most we could ever wish for, a chance to be  apart of someone’s life.

Did any of the band members attend college?

We all took a year of college before dropping out to tour full-time.

Tell us about some of the struggles you face on a day-to-day basis?

We struggle with a lot of the same things everyone struggles with: the bad economy, missing loved ones, and the cold MN winter.

Mac or PC, why?

We strongly endorse Apple over PC.  When you’re in the music industry, you just need your computer to work without any hiccups.  And I’ve yet to see a PC that does that.

What is life on the road like?

Life on the road is a roller coaster.  There are some points where it feels slow, boring and tedious while you climb to the top, but when you start the fast decline, there isn’t another thing in the world that gives you the same feeling.  To stand on stage every night is the greatest job in the world.

What is the single most useful resource that has helped you achieve the level at which you are at today?

We owe a lot of our success and growth to our families and friends who have supported us from the beginning, and also our manager and mentor, Stephen Short.  He’s been an invaluable member of this team for the past 3 years from the first time he heard us playing in a basement to being instrumental in helping this band be heard by the world and helping us grow as musicians, songwriters, and people.

What would you say was your most memorable moment of your tour with Anberlin?

Playing in front of packed houses of screaming music lovers made those the most fun shows ever.

What can we expect to hear on your upcoming album, any surprises?

I’m not one to lead people on to certain expectations, because those are personal and different for everyone.  I would say that we’ve got more than a few tricks up our sleeve for you to expect on the new record.

Do you feel the internet has helped to keep you closer contact with your fans?

Of course, social networking sites and tools have exceedingly increased our access to our fans and our fans access to us.  However, for all of its benefits, a disadvantage is that the one-on-one time with fans at shows becomes a lot less special with the increased online access.

How have you matured as a band?

Addition by subtraction.  Over the past year, we’ve focused on removing a lot of the stuff that was distracting and holding us back, learned how to let go of our crutches and go back to the basics of playing as a band.  That’s made us better musicians and a better, more mature band.