INTERVIEW: The Maine (2)
/
We got the lovely opportunity again to chat with Pat Kirch and John O'Callaghan from The Maine about tour, their new album and more.
Click here to see our first interview with them!
Read below to see what American Candy is all about!
It's safe to say that The Maine's sound has shifted some with every record from The Way We Talk to now. How would you describe your sound based off of your newest record American Candy?
PAT- I would say we are a rock band, it is so hard for me to get into any of these sub genres and pin point exactly what we sound like. We play rock music with guitars, bass, and drums.
When American Candy comes out on March 31st, what song are you most excited to show your fans? (besides English Girls)
PAT- The second song on the record "Same Suit, Different Tie" is a song that I am really excited to see how people react to it. I think it is a different sound for us that everyone in the band is really excited about. It will be interesting to see how people react to that one.
Speaking of your new single "English Girls", what made you choose this as your first single?
PAT- As far as why we chose to release "English Girls" first I think it is a song that really represents where we are as a band right now an reflects a lot of our influences from growing up in the 90's. It just felt like a good introduction to what this album is.
What is the story behind on why you titled this record American Candy?
JOHN - To me, American Candy is anything without a heartbeat. The gluttony and overconsumption we are born and bred to exercise. Basically, anything that attempts to please or entertain with complete disregard for integrity and character. That said, this wasn't necessarily a focal point on the lyrical side of things save for a few tunes (specifically the title track). However, I kept my viewpoint in mind for the entirety of the writing and recording process and truly feel like my soul is in this project. I don't want the title's meaning to overshadow my true goal for this release: to inspire and awake the dormant happiness that sleeps in all of us.
What is your typical recording and writing process like?
PAT- It starts with John sending us hundreds of ideas that he has came up with, usually it is a short demo he recorded on his phone. We all sit with the ideas and pick out what we want to work on as a band and where we see each song going. We then get in a room together and work it out. We sometimes try playing a song three different ways until we lock into what the song needs and sometimes it ends up being the first thing we tried. We try to keep our demos very rough and leave parts open ended so that when we get into the studio we leave room for inspiration to hit.
You guys are always coming up with awesome out of the box ideas. (i.e. The Pioneer World Tour, selling your own presale tickets without service fees, etc ) What do you guys have in store next for your fans?
PAT- I always just try and think about what I want bands that I love to do for me and try to put that into action as often as possible. Most of the ideas like you are referring to just kind of happen, we get ideas as we are working on a new tour or album. Saying that, I am not sure what will come next but know that we are always thinking about how to treat the fans as best as possible and that will never change.
Not only are you guys coming out with a new album, but you are also going on the American Candy tour! What can fans expect to see/hear when they come out to a show?
PAT- It will be a good mix of our all albums and a chance to showcase songs from the new album for the first time. We are looking forward to being able to put on a bigger show than we ever have before on this tour and put together a cohesive show that pushes where we can take the songs. To me our best tours are the ones that feel more like a celebration than just a regular show and I think this tour will be that. American Candy is a new chapter for the band and the fans and this tour is the start of that!
How is this tour different from all the rest?
PAT- We are touring with three other bands which is something we have never done on a headlining tour before. People will get a great show from start to finish and get to see some bands they might not have heard of or seen yet. We plan on trying to collaborate with all the other bands as much as possible!
If you could tell yourself something from when you first started touring that you know now, what would you tell yourself?
PAT- We made some mistakes early on but we would be where we are without them so I don't think I would want to change anything. This has been a really great journey so far.
Anything else you would like to add? Thanks guys!
PAT- Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me! I am so excited for everyone to hear American Candy, everything feels really fresh and new for us right now. It feels like we still have so much to do which is a great thing. We have the best fans in the world, and they are probably sick of me saying it but we would not be a band if they didn't listen so I just want to thank them.
