Mayday Parade (AP Tour: Fall Ball 10-3-09)
Published by Rhea on November 21, 2009
Having been over a year ago, Mayday Parade still remains the same, but many changes have occurred since then. Now with the recent release of a second full-length, Anywhere But Here (October 2009) these guys are getting to where they’ve always dreamt to be. Catching up on lost time, the guys quickly began to act in their quirky ways. Discussing how they’ve gotten to where they are today, their thoughts on the band, and their input on the album, Mayday Parade doesn’t fail to impress anyone put in front of them. (This interview was done with the entire Mayday Parade band on October 3, 2009 at Sokol Auditorium in Omaha, NE).
SDS: If you could state who you are and what you do.
Jeremy: I’m Jeremy and I play bass in the band.
Alex: I’m Alex and I play guitar.
Derek: I’m Derek and I sing.
Jake: I’m Jake and I play the drums.
Brooks: I’m Brooks and I play guitar.
SDS: It’s been since February of 2008 since I lasted interviewed Derek.
Derek: Uh huh.
SDS: How would you say that you guys have changed since then?
Derek: Since February 2008?
Jake: Well, Derek’s facial hair has grown out a lot more.
Jeremy: *points at Derek* He got a tattoo.
Jake: Yeah, he got a tattoo.
*Derek shows his arm*
Alex: We all….
Jake: We’ve all gotten tattoos *shows his leg*
Alex: We’ve all learned how to play our instruments.
Derek: Yeah
*everyone laughs*
Alex: We’ve figured it out.
Jeremy: We’ve got a new album coming out October 6.
Derek: I don’t know. We’ve toured a lot since then and wrote a new cd and we’ve obviously grown as people, changed as people and hopefully for the better.
SDS: Who or what is your main inspiration?
Jeremy: Who is what?
SDS: Who or what is your main inspiration?
Jeremy: For the new cd or just in general?
Derek: In general
Jeremy: Saves the Day and The Get Up Kids for me just because without their music I probably wouldn’t be playing in a pop-rock band
Alex: Any band, any musician. Anybody that I look up to
Jeremy: Like who?
Alex: Like George Washington
*everyone laughs*
Derek: Abraham Lincoln
Alex: People that have overcome adversity. I don’t know.
Brooks: I come across new ones all the time. Especially music. For me it’s mostly music
Derek: We respect a lot of the bands that we tour with and stuff and we look up to them and learn a lot from them, but Freddie Mercury from Queen is the big one.
Jake: Dave Grohl from Foo Fighters for me and some of the guys from Green Day.
Brooks: There’s a lot of new ones that I come across a lot *laughs*, but I like Guns n Roses.
SDS: What are some of the obstacles that you guys have had to face to get where you are today?
Jake: A lot of obstacles.
Derek: Yeah
Jake: We sold cds at Warped Tour in 2006?
Derek: It was 2005 I believe
Jake: It was one of those years
Derek: It was 2006, I’m sorry.
Jake: We rode around in our van and sold some cds. We wrecked in that same van, but we’ve pushed through. We’ve lost a singer. Well, not a singer, but another member and we’ve had to figure out how to perform without him, and I’m glad that we did and we eventually made it to Atlantic Records and we’re now putting out our sophomore release so it’s good. Anything else? What else have we done?
Alex: That’s it
Derek: Yeah, just all that stuff.
Jake: We’ve got tattoos and stuff. *points at Derek’s arm*
*everyone laughs*
Jake: That’s pretty cool.
Derek: That’s probably the hardest thing that band has had to go through was my tattoo
Alex: I think one of us had food poisoning
Jake: Really?
Jeremy: Alex had rabies at one point
Derek: Alex had to overcome his rabies. That was bad
*Jake bursts into laughter*
Jeremy: He had is brother Balex fill in for him
SDS: What has been your most memorable experience since being in Mayday Parade?
Alex: Going to Japan
Jeremy: Yeah, Japan was awesome
Derek: It’s hard to just pick one as the most significant, but for sure, going to Japan. Really, all of our overseas stuff, going to Australia, going to the UK. Going to Alaska was awesome.
Jake: I think all of us are on the same boat that we’ve touched down in every state except for Hawaii, so we’re trying to get there soon. That’d be awesome.
Brook: Playing for extremely large crowds. Those all stick in your head.
Derek: Lots and lots of kids at a show.
SDS: Your second full-length Anywhere But Here, what can people expect from it?
Alex: A huge difference in sound.
*everyone laughs*
Derek: Craziness! No, they should expect a Mayday Parade album you know? We didn’t try to do anything too different. We did the same thing that we’ve always done, which is try to write the best songs that we could.
Jeremy: It sounds the same as the last album. It has a Mayday Parade feel to it. It’s not too off.
Derek: It’s still us.
Brooks: But at the same time it’s totally different.
Derek: *laughs* What?
Alex: Oh, it’s gonna be different. You’re gonna be surprised. *laughs*
Derek: *laughs* Oh, you better get ready. I’m sorry, we’re just kidding.
SDS: I’ve heard it already. It’s really good.
Alex: Thanks
SDS: How did you guys come up with the name Anywhere But Here for the album?
Jeremy: I came up with it I think.
Brooks: I think Cabbage came up with it.
Alex: I’m pretty sure it was Cabbage.
Brooks: Was that? Wait.
Jeremy: That was the one when I was telling Chris Fortell to use.
Brooks: Is it what we were talking about…
Derek: It was basically….
Brooks: Derek!
*everyone laughs*
Derek: Oh no, we can’t give serious answers. It was just a lyric to one of the songs, obviously Anywhere But Here. It was the lyrics to that. Once we decided to name that song that, I don’t know who…
Jeremy: Cabbage did
Jake: I’m pretty sure it was Cabbage.
Alex: Cabbage did it.
Derek: To call it Anywhere But Here.
SDS: Where did you guys record at?
Derek: In Elmwood Park, NJ
Alex: With David Bendeth
Derek: With David Bendeth at the House of Loud Studios
SDS: How would you guys say that Anywhere But Here is going to compare to A Lesson In Romantics?
Jeremy: I hope it does equally as well if not better.
Derek: There’s no way to really say right now. It’s very possible that it could go either way. It’s extremely possible that it could not close to as well and it’s possible that it could do way better.
Alex: I think that we all hope it opens us up to other fans, other people, a new market of kids. We’ll just expand our fan base. Were just trying to do it.
Derek: Yeah, while trying to keep the fan base that we have as well for sure. We don’t want to loose any fans, but we also wish to reach out. It’s a goal you know.
Brooks: And you have to. You can’t just stay in the same spot because then you get such a changing scene of music. There’s different sounding new bands emerging and they become the favorites so if you’re not growing and moving and changing towards other things, you’ll just die off like all the others.
SDS: How did you guys manage to get yourselves on the AP Tour?
Jake: We paid lots and lots of money
*everyone laughs*
Jeremy: They just contacted us to see….
Jake: They contacted us to see if we wanted to do it and we said alright.
Derek: We’re really stoked about it. We found out that we were offered the tour and of course we wanted to do it so yeah.
SDS: That’s cool. I’m glad you guys are back.
Derek: Yeah
Alex: Absolutely
Derek: It’s been a different period
SDS: I saw you guys in Des Moines too.
Derek: It’s been awhile
SDS: It was the Cont… whatever, that tour with All Time Low.
Derek: Uh huh
SDS: Okay, now that you guys have 2 full lengths and an EP, what is your favorite song overall?
Derek: That’s really hard to say. It’s really hard…
Jake: Be careful what you say! Be careful!
Derek: One of my favorites has always been the last song on the EP, The Last Song That Meant Anything. That’s always been kind of my favorite Mayday Parade song. It’s hard to say though because, I don’t know. It would have to be that one or I Swear This Time I Mean It from the new album. It would be one of those two for sure. I don’t know, maybe not though.
Jake: I would say You Be The Anchor…. I got a tattoo *looks at his foot*. I got an anchor on my foot.
Alex: I don’t know.
Jake: It changes
Brooks: It’s too hard for me to answer *laughs*
Alex: Maybe just say you’re not into it *laughs*
Brooks: Maybe say that I’m not into it?
Alex: Because honestly I’m not answering it
Brooks: Yeah, you’ll have to come back. I truly can’t give an honest opinion comparing the new cd with the others because it hasn’t sunk in enough, but it would probably have to be… I don’t know
*everyone laughs*
Alex: They need an answer Brooks, right now.
Brooks: When I Get Home! Let’s just go with that.
Alex: Wrong! *makes sound of buzzer*
*everyone laughs*
Derek: Boring.
Jake: Which song? The EP or the full-length?
Brooks: Oh, uh, the EP. I’m cool, yeah
*everyone laughs*
Derek: I liked it first!
SDS:: Okay, did you answer. *points at Jeremy*
Jeremy: Nope.
*everyone laughs*
SDS: I was going to say…
Jeremy: I would say Your Song from the EP.
Jake: Your Song?
Derek: *with country accent* Your Song. Y-E-R. Yer Song.
*everyone laughs*
SDS: What is another band other than yourselves that you think people should know about?
Jeremy: City Lights
Brooks: I like trains…
Derek: The City Lights
Brooks: Wait, did I miss, did I get the question completely wrong?
Derek: You got the question completely wrong.
Brooks: I thought you asked…
Derek: Trains!
Brooks: Trains. The City Lights.
Derek: There’s a band called….
Alex: By the way, Brooks really likes trains
*everyone laughs*
Brooks: Oh yeah, the City Lights and I like trains a lot
*everyone laughs*
Alex: He just wanted to get that down
Brooks: I was prepared for that question and I thought you were going to ask that.
Derek: Do you like trains?
*everyone laughs*
Alex: Yes I like trains!
Derek: Yes, yes!
Brooks: Trains!
*everyone laughs*
Derek: There’s a band called The Dangerous Summer that I’ve listened to recently that I like a lot. They’re really good. *says something to Alex* I’m done, sorry.
SDS: Don’t apologize, you’re like me. It’s okay.
Derek: Alright.
Jake: You’re like our old bus driver.
SDS: What is an interesting fact about you or the band that you think people might like to know?
Brooks: Trains!
*everyone laughs*
Derek: Umm…
*everyone laughs*
Alex: *laughing* Trains…
Derek: We’re not very interesting
Brooks: I like football
Jeremy: *pointing at Derek* Derek’s tattoo is a line from his favorite book.
SDS: What book is that?
Derek: It’s a series of books called Dark Tower Series by Stephen King. They’re amazing
Brooks: I really like football a lot and it’s college game day Saturday.
Jake: Brooks has been on a massive football kick
Brooks: Florida State just actually lost 21 to 28
Derek: Dang! Wah wah wah.
Jake: *pats Brooks on the back* It’s okay, it’s okay. They’ll keep loosing. They’ll get better.
Brooks: You don’t even have a team
Jeremy: There’s always next year
Derek: There’s always next year
Jeremy: Alex likes to use his cell phone a lot
Alex: Yeah, I listen to my Ipod a lot and read
Jeremy: Yeah, I do every now and then. I haven’t a lot on this tour
Alex: You just started Curious George didn’t you?
*everyone laughs*
Jeremy: I just started, what’s that…
Derek: He finished the Berenstain Bears
*everyone laughs*
Jeremy: I just started One Fish, Two Fish…
Derek: Red Fish, Blue Fish
Alex: Yeah, how was that?
Jeremy: It’s actually very good.
Derek: He’s a big Dr. Suess fan. The Cat in the Hat is one of his favorites. Green Eggs & Ham, All The Places You’ll Go
Jeremy: I still read at a third grade level so…
Jake: So you moved up?
Jeremy: Yeah
Jake: Last week you were at a second grade level.
Jeremy: I’m getting there
Alex: Slowly but surely.
To view pictures from the show, work your way on over to the gallery.