Every Avenue
Coming to the end of a support tour with Young Guns, Every Avenue are looking ahead to touring with Yellowcard.
We spoke about the new album, Yellowcard, The Warped Tour and much more.
-Were you pleased with how Bad Habits turned out?
Yeah, yeah, we were really excited. We had a lot more freedom and a lot more time. We just did what we wanted, it was a lot of fun.
-For anyone who perhaps hasn't checked it out yet, how would you describe the sound of it?
We tried to make a record that sounded more like how we sound live, I guess. We just had more time to do it. We're stoked, man.
-Do you prefer playing live then, if you're trying to get closer to that sound?
Yeah. I feel like we come across as more of a rock band live. We wanted to make a rock n' roll record, and have a lot of fun.
-How do you think it compares to your earlier work? Is it just a shift towards a more live sound?
Yeah, I guess. We didn't try to be anything we not. We still focused mostly on the melodies, and tried to write catchy songs. We had a lot more fun with the music around those melodies.
-With it being your third record, you've had a lot of time to hone your craft. Did you do anything differently this time round?
We just spent more time in a room, in this really s***** practice space in Detroit We had a lot of late nights, bottles of whiskey. That's kinda how the record came out.
-You worked with Aaron Sprinkle and Mark Weinberg. How was that?
It was great. They're both really talented dudes. Aaron Sprinkle was awesome. We did most of the record with him. He just gave us a lot of freedom. We also had a live room in the studio where we could get together as a band, and really focus in on what we wanted to do.
-How was the Warped Tour this summer?
It was good. It was sweaty, disgusting, crazy, drunken, awesome! It was kind of a blur, but it was one of my favourite tours we've done.
-Have you played it before?
In '08 and 09' we did about half of it each time.
-How was it doing the full leg for the first time then?
It was good. We actually didn't get as burnt out as I thought we would. Like I said, there's long days, heat, exhausting days, but it was awesome.
-It's kind of a hybrid between a festival and a proper tour, so is there anything special about the whole environment?
It's cool. You get to hang out with a lot of bands you wouldn't ususally get to hang out with. You end up in circles with bands we wouldn't really get to tour with, because the genres are so different. It's cool, you meet a lot of new people.
-How was your mindset coming off something like that into these support shows?
We were stoked. We feel like we definitely have the touring momentum going. Coming over-seas, it's a different kind of tour but we're still just as excited to be playing the new songs live. It was a good transition, it's nice to be back over-seas. We've been waiting to get back to the UK for a while.
-How's the reaction been to the new material?
It's been going over really well. We've been playing some of the new songs live. Even before the record came out, kids were singing along to the songs. It's nice to be playing new material on the road. You're always nervous, but kids have been going nuts for the new songs.
-Does that make it easier keeping it fresh?
We always try and split up the songs so we don't only play new songs. You know, if you go see a band and they only play new songs, you want some of the old songs. We try to keep it fresh and mix it up, and have some of all our material in there.
-Does being on a support tour in front of maybe another band's fans change your mentality?
Yeah. We definitely come in with a mentality that we want to win people over. We're stoked to be out with Young Guns. They're a great band, and actually all the bands on the tour, we actually like to listen to all these bands. We hope to win people over and put on the best show we can.
-How's the atmosphere backstage on the tour? Are there any egos, or is it quite relaxed?
Yeah, all the other bands are assholes. [Laughing]I'm just kidding. Everyone's been awesome on this tour. Everyone hangs out. We all got kicked out of a bar together last night, because a bouncer was messing with someone on the tour. We all just ran and started pushing bouncers, trying to fight these bouncers. They kicked us out of the club, but that's how it is. One person on the tour got messed with, and everyone ran and started pushing the bouncers without asking questions. So yeah, there's a lot of new friends on this tour.
-Are you excited for the Yellowcard tour later this year?
We're really stoked, man. We grew up loving that band, they were definitely an influence. We've worked with Ryan in the past, and he's always been really cool. Ryan told us a long time ago, "hey, when we headline, we want to bring you guys out." They stuck true to their word, so that's pretty cool of them. We're really excited for the tour.
-Didn't Ryan co-write one of the tracks on the album?
Yeah, we wrote a song with Ryan, the first song on the record called 'Tie Me Down'. It was cool. We just hung out, had a couple of guitars, drunk some beers and wrote a song.
-What can people expect from your live show?
I don't know, a lot of energy, hopefully. We really love what we do, so we hope it comes through. If you love what you do, and you're genuine, then hopefully that translates.
-Going back to this tour, how have the shows been so far?
They've been great. All the shows have been a lot of fun, the crowds have been great. All the bands have been great, it's been fun. It's a crazy, awesome, f***** up tour.
-Do you have any plans for a headline tour in the UK?
We'd definitely like to. We're already talking about trying to come back, hopefully pretty soon. It's always up in the air, but we're pushing to come back as soon as we can.
-What does the future hold for Every Avenue, after the Yellowcard tour?
We're not really sure right now. We're just going to keep touring. We're definitely trying to do a lot more over-seas stuff, and tour our asses off.
Female First - Alistair McGeorge
Coming to the end of a support tour with Young Guns, Every Avenue are looking ahead to touring with Yellowcard.
We spoke about the new album, Yellowcard, The Warped Tour and much more.
-Were you pleased with how Bad Habits turned out?
Yeah, yeah, we were really excited. We had a lot more freedom and a lot more time. We just did what we wanted, it was a lot of fun.
-For anyone who perhaps hasn't checked it out yet, how would you describe the sound of it?
We tried to make a record that sounded more like how we sound live, I guess. We just had more time to do it. We're stoked, man.
-Do you prefer playing live then, if you're trying to get closer to that sound?
Yeah. I feel like we come across as more of a rock band live. We wanted to make a rock n' roll record, and have a lot of fun.
-How do you think it compares to your earlier work? Is it just a shift towards a more live sound?
Yeah, I guess. We didn't try to be anything we not. We still focused mostly on the melodies, and tried to write catchy songs. We had a lot more fun with the music around those melodies.
-With it being your third record, you've had a lot of time to hone your craft. Did you do anything differently this time round?
We just spent more time in a room, in this really s***** practice space in Detroit We had a lot of late nights, bottles of whiskey. That's kinda how the record came out.
-You worked with Aaron Sprinkle and Mark Weinberg. How was that?
It was great. They're both really talented dudes. Aaron Sprinkle was awesome. We did most of the record with him. He just gave us a lot of freedom. We also had a live room in the studio where we could get together as a band, and really focus in on what we wanted to do.
-How was the Warped Tour this summer?
It was good. It was sweaty, disgusting, crazy, drunken, awesome! It was kind of a blur, but it was one of my favourite tours we've done.
-Have you played it before?
In '08 and 09' we did about half of it each time.
-How was it doing the full leg for the first time then?
It was good. We actually didn't get as burnt out as I thought we would. Like I said, there's long days, heat, exhausting days, but it was awesome.
-It's kind of a hybrid between a festival and a proper tour, so is there anything special about the whole environment?
It's cool. You get to hang out with a lot of bands you wouldn't ususally get to hang out with. You end up in circles with bands we wouldn't really get to tour with, because the genres are so different. It's cool, you meet a lot of new people.
-How was your mindset coming off something like that into these support shows?
We were stoked. We feel like we definitely have the touring momentum going. Coming over-seas, it's a different kind of tour but we're still just as excited to be playing the new songs live. It was a good transition, it's nice to be back over-seas. We've been waiting to get back to the UK for a while.
-How's the reaction been to the new material?
It's been going over really well. We've been playing some of the new songs live. Even before the record came out, kids were singing along to the songs. It's nice to be playing new material on the road. You're always nervous, but kids have been going nuts for the new songs.
-Does that make it easier keeping it fresh?
We always try and split up the songs so we don't only play new songs. You know, if you go see a band and they only play new songs, you want some of the old songs. We try to keep it fresh and mix it up, and have some of all our material in there.
-Does being on a support tour in front of maybe another band's fans change your mentality?
Yeah. We definitely come in with a mentality that we want to win people over. We're stoked to be out with Young Guns. They're a great band, and actually all the bands on the tour, we actually like to listen to all these bands. We hope to win people over and put on the best show we can.