My girlfriend told me she’d kill me if I didn't ask you if the future freaks you out. So, does the future freak you out?
I think the inevitability of all things tends to freak me out. But the immediate future, not so much. It’s really about the amount of time one has versus the amount of projects and things they want to accomplish and the hope that they all equal out before our eventual demise.
Nice, getting deep right off the bat. Congratulations on the new single “Inside Out”, which is awesome. It seems a departure from the bands traditional style, what inspired the change in direction on the new track?
It’s tough because it’s just one of many songs we’ve written over the last year. We recently got a new drummer, Claudio Rivera, and since he lives in Minneapolis it allows the band to get together a lot more. And because of proximity we’ve been doing a lot more writing than we ever have in the past. For the most part, the songs we’ve written for this record definitely have a sense of urgency about them. Not that they’re super fast, but the feel of speed is there. With “Inside Out” , our thought after writing it was that it would be fun to play on Warped Tour, so why not just put it out now.
Is it setting the tone for what to expect with your next album?
I don’t know—it’s both yes and no. For the most part, time is really the thing that allows you to gauge the differences in sound throughout the album. And where I’m at right now, it’s definitely more upbeat and a bit heavier, but there are also poppy songs, and a few that drag behind. There is definitely more excitement on the creation side of songwriting than there has been in recent history.
How would you categorize the new sound? Straight up alternative rock or will there still be an injection of the pop punk style that your fans love from you?
There’s really no plan to do anything. I feel like our last album was more of an indie rock thing, I don’t know if that was an intentional thing or not [pause]. Actually, I think it was.
So the chemistry of your writing process has lead to more upbeat and aggressive music?
Not aggressive in a mean way, but having a new member of the band has definitely put the momentum back in us putting together new music. It’s hard to say without having put the new album together totally. Adding Claudio has definitely helped us rediscover ourselves as a band. His positivity and excitement is rubbing off on us for sure.
So touching on your new drummer Claudio, a few months back your drummer Tony Thaxon recently announced he was leaving the band after 11 years. Was this a rough split?
It wasn’t rough, but it came as a shock. In the wake of the split it really made sense. It was mostly because he didn’t want to tour, it was taking a toll on him, emotionally, physically, all that. So it just made sense. We talked to Claudio, and just kind of accepted that it couldn’t have happened any other way.
How do you think this will affect the dynamic of the band especially on the road to the fans?
Well it’s tough to say, but some fans may be looking for something that may or may not be there now without Tony. Being in the band, I can say that you are the sum of all your parts, and that changing any part makes it work differently. I can say that we’re all very excited by this new machine that we are. The positivity, fun, and excitement that we’re all feeling in this moment far outweighs anything that we can’t see changing us.
It’s 2 weeks till you kick off your tour, should fans expect a lot of newer stuff or are you sticking with the hits and fan favorites?
Other than “Inside Out”, it’s scary to play new stuff, because it tends to just kill any kind of momentum you’ve got going on stage. So I think we’ll play stuff we’ve released up to this point until our fans have time to get their hands on the new album and digest it.
What is the most exciting aspect of the new tour for you?
I’m really excited to play with some of these bands, like Bayside—I've been a fan of them for so long. I also ran into Chad from What’s Eating Gilbert, and it looks like we’ve got some dates with them which is awesome. Not that I’m not excited to play myself, it’s just an added bonus to share the stage with musicians that you personally enjoy listening to every night.
So you’ve been through Toledo before right? Any highlights or low points, or has the Midwest just become a big blur of gigs for you?
I have a really bad memory. But highlights would be anytime after 2007, because a very low point was between 2005-2007. I was drinking so heavily—it was before I got myself sorted out. So if anything unsavory happened in the Toledo area during that time, I appologize profusely. Otherwise, if anything happened since 2007, I apologize because that was just me being a weirdo.
Hypothetical question time—If you could force any band to cover your songs regardless of genre—who, what song, and why?
Ugh, give me a week and I’ll get back to you. I guess I’d be really interested in what Tom Waits could do with one of our songs. I don’t know what the song would be, but I think “Everyone Will Die” would be fascinating to see done. Obviously that’d never happen though.
If you had to get into the rap game what would your hip hop name be?
High-C. I tried writing a screenplay in 1997 and one of the characters was named High-C.
You get one superpower—what is it and why?
I forget what it is, but I want whatever Hermione Granger had in the Harry Potter book where she could be a bunch of places at once. Some kind of time-based spell.
The time turner?
Yeah, I want to be able to do so many things that I am constantly falling behind. From movies to music and books that I want to take part in, but just don’t have time to participate in.
Well speaking of time, we’re out of it. I appreciate you talking to me and we’ll check you out when you roll though town.
Motion City Soundtrack plays at Mainstreet Bar & Grill on Saturday, October 19. 6pm. With Bayside, State Champs, What's Eating Gilbert. 141 Main St. 419-697-6297. motioncitysoundtrack.com