The Overcast: Tell me a little bit about how your band started.
Dan: Zach (vocals/guitar) and Matt (bass) started playing around for fun in 8th grade then Brian joined on drums. Then they added a turntable player (haha) named Chris who came up with our name and they kicked him out three days later 'cause turntables weren't really needed. Then they recorded a CD in 9th grade I believe and added a kid named Alex on guitar. Later that year they had some problems with him and he left the band, I joined the summer after 10th grade. So the current lineup has been together for almost two years.
That's pretty good. Think it's gonna stick that way?
Dan: We've been really good friends for a long time and we've been through hell together. It would take a lot to break us up.
Who are some of your influences, inspirations, motivations, etc.?
Dan: My current influences are Goo Goo Dolls, Third Eye Blind, Switchfoot, The Starting Line, Brand New. Stuff is constantly changing though, I'm listening to tons of different styles of music now. [On the rest of the band,] Tons of stuff.
You can actually tell the sound has really changed over the past few years.
Dan: Yeah it's changing a lot. Have you heard the song in my profile?* [see end] Me and Zach recorded it in my basement last weekend. It's a lot different.
I actually have. I think I saw it on his profile and was trying to decide if it was even the same group or, like, a side project. I really like it though.
Dan: Haha. Thanks. We're trying lots of new things and seeing how people react to them.
Seems like it. Even with the stuff on PureVolume and MySpace. How are people reacting to them?
Dan: So far we've gotten positive feedback from everyone who's IMed us. Of course there's probably people who don't like them but they probably just don't tell us 'cause they don't want to be mean or something.
I think it sounded awesome, I guess especially considering you just recorded it in a basement last weekend... Good to have variety though.
Dan: Yeah we want to try lots of new things. 'Cause I mean, every local band we've played with around here sounds, like, exactly the same, all emo/pop punk stuff, we want to try and do something to set us apart.
Haha, oh man... It's not just your locals.
Dan: I know, like the only local bands are pop punk emo underground music that will never get anywhere and all sound the same. All the bands who are huge are the ones who are able to try new stuff and make different music.
Totally true. Although there are a lot of huge signed bands that I wonder about too.
Dan: Yeah, I know.
I think one of the things I like about you guys that sets you apart from a lot of other bands, among other things, is your seemingly un-emo approach to emo.
Dan: We used to be all into that with, like, girl pants and tight shirts and we've completely changed that now. And we try not to write about blood and guns and slitting wrists and stuff 'cause that's just retarded I think. We like to make more happy music I guess and not all hardcore and stuff.
I think that's exactly it. The world needs more of that.
Dan: The one thing I love the most about our band is that we always seem to get better at writing and vary stuff up more from our previous songs.
So...anything big planned for the future?
Dan: Me and Zach are gonna record lots of new songs in my basement once we finish them and then eventually we're gonna record more songs for real and send them to labels. Like our main goal is just to get signed to someone big so then we can quit school and focus on the band and finally have someone to back us up with tours and merch.
Tours and merch... Exciting.
Dan: Yes yes. Next year after we have a ton of songs recorded that I am proud of I'm driving to New York and stuff to try and sneak in the major record label buildings and make them listen to us.