Archives again:
November 20 2008
PW: Let’s jump right in. You guys just released a DVD with some live music and behind the scene stuff of you guys on tour. Why did you decide to do that and why should people check that out?
Paul DiGiovanni, Boys Like Girls: The reason that we wanted to do that was to give kids and fans kind of an insight into what we were like as a band and what we were like as people. We’ve been touring for awhile and our record’s been out for awhile and we have a ton of kids that come out to the shows to see us and listen to the CD in their cars, but they don’t really know who the four of us are, what we’re all about and what we’re really like. So we just wanted to show kids what we’re like as real people and what we do behind the scenes and just how we’re normal everyday people. It’s also to give a recording of one of our most important shows that we’ve ever played. It was a sold out show at home in Boston that we’re just really proud of, so, all those things wrapped into one.
PW: So what is the craziest tour experience that you’ve guys ever had? Do people get to see that on the DVD?
PD: Our director came out with us for two weeks on the road, stayed with us and followed us everywhere we went and did everything we did with us, but with a camera. So we got a ton of random things that go on: funny things and just little problems we had and stuff like that, so that’s really cool. But, one of our biggest accomplishments ever was that we played on this summer tour, this headlining tour we just did with Good Charlotte, we played a show at the Tsongas Arena in Lowell, Massachusetts and it’s like 7,500 people or something like that and we sold it out. We over sold it and it was the biggest sold out show they’ve ever had there. And that’s the place that we all four grew up, going to see shows whenever somebody was playing there, so that’s like one of the biggest accomplishments ever for us. That’s what the DVD show is, so it was great to put that on there. PW: Oh, that’s really cool then. So what are some of the bands you guys grew up with? Who would you have seen there?
PD: All kinds of stuff. The Get Up Kids. Jimmy Eat World. You know, bands from when we were a little younger learning our instruments. We all did the whole classic rock thing, of course, what else? Just all that new, well when that old emo thing came in, like all the 90s rock like Nirvana and Stone Temple Pilots, everything. Which is really cool because the four of us listen to different kinds of things, which helps us sound different as a band. PD:Oh my God, I’m so excited. I was just on their MySpace watching videos from the show they just played and I can’t wait to go see them next year.
PW: Yeah? I actually was just at that show.
PD: You were? No way.
PW: Some of those videos on their MySpace are actually mine.
PD: Are you serious? Oh my God. I’m freaking jealous of you.
PW: Aw, don’t be, that’s like the one cool thing we get in the Midwest.
PD: That’s awesome. I would have loved to have been there.
PW: Yeah, well Spring’s not too far away, but we digress. Sorry to get us so off topic.
PD: That’s OK.
PW: You guys called the DVD Read Between the Lines. Why’d you pick that title?
PD: That’s one of our lyrics and at the same time while watching the DVD, kind of read between the lines. Take it all in and understand just who we are. Take that from the DVD. Like I said, the whole point of it is learning who we are as people and just understanding more about the band and the stuff behind it.
PW: What’s your favorite song to perform live?
PD:On this last record, I’d probably say “Great Escape” because that was our biggest song off our record. We’d always play it last. The kids just went absolutely crazy every time we’d play that song and it would be so late at night. That was definitely my favorite.
PW: On that song, “Great Escape”, you guys had a couple of versions of it. You had the demo that you originally released and it got you a lot of attention. Then you had the album version. Did you ever get any problems from fans wanting to hear one version over the other?
PD: Way in the beginning when all we had was that first crappy demo version on PureVolume. When the record came out in the beginning we had some who would say stuff, but the record’s been out for so long and people have, not really forgotten about the old one, but recognize this as the real version of the song. Nothing too bad, just some stuff at the beginning and a few people said stuff. Whenever you’re used to one thing and then you have a new version that comes out, you kind of just like to hang on to the old. That’s just kind of human nature. Nothing too bad, just typical.
PW: So you guys are working on some new material now, right?
PD: Yeah, we are.
PW: Will you guys mess with releasing demos again then or will people just have to wait for the album?
PD: Yeah, once we get anything final and done for the record, we’ll probably get a couple of singles up on PureVolume and all that, just the same way we did it last time. So kids can hear it first and people can have the music.
PW: What’s your songwriting process? It seems like you guys are always on tour. Do you have much time to write new songs?
PD: Yeah, we’re always on tour, but that also makes it easier because that means that we’re always together with a guitar on the bus. We always have an hour everyday to sound check for the most part. We’ve had a ton of time on the road to write and we have a ton of things recorded for the new record already from live demos on the bus or sound check. Then, what we’re doing right now, is take this month to just kind of organize everything, talk about what we’re going to do and then after the holidays we’re going to go into the studios with everything we’ve done so far. We’ll take like 30 or 40 songs and just whittle them down and make the final record from them.
PD: That’s something that we’re going to take this month to talk about. We haven’t really thought about anything like that. We don’t know who we’re going to work with or what we’re going to do. We’re just focusing on the music and songs right now, which is the most important part. We’re just doing that now and then in the next month or so we’ll have everything figured out and we’ll let everyone know.
PW: You guys are a little more seasoned now then you were when you released your self-titled. How has that changed the direction of your music?
PD: Martin [Johnson] has always written his vocals on real life experiences, so he’ll just take that to the next level probably with different things that we’ve experienced in the past few years with being homesick and in a new place everyday. It’s just a continuation of his life. Musically, we’ve just gotten smarter and a lot tighter and better together. So that’s going to show through on the record.
PW: How about contributors and guest artists? You guys have a lot of friends in the music world and in the past a few Boston artists likeBleu have worked with you on the last record. Would you do that again? PD: I don’t know. I think that’s something to think about a little later on. We’re going to finalize these ideas right now and then when we have a steady ground to stand on we can actually think about working with other people and trying to get some guest vocals in there, but we’ll do that later on. Right now we’re just trying to get a solid ground.
PW: I know you guys toured with Metro Station and you’re pretty good friends. Were you friends before the tour or after? It seems like you have a lot of stuff on your MySpace page and website supporting them. PD: We met them a few months before that tour and started a relationship by crossing paths and hanging out a bit. Once that tour happened, we got to be pretty good friends and hung out all the time. Whenever you’re on tour with bands, I mean, sometimes some bands don’t get along for whatever reason or keep to themselves, but we like to have relationships with all the bands we tour with and we definitely had a good relationship with them and are friends.
PW: When you guys broke into mainstream, I noticed there was a little bit of a whiplash, like one day you had Absolute Punk listing you “Artist of the Day” one day, but then the next people were like, “Oh, they’re too pop sounding.” How do you deal with that or does that not even phase you?
PD: You can’t really let that phase you. People always want to hate and find reasons to hate and make up rumors, stuff like that. You just need to know that. We write our music not just for ourselves but the fans. We’ve had a couple of years to just show everybody that we spin out a good track and you have to ignore the negative. Especially on sites like that you have kids who are just unhappy unless it is indie folk with no record label. Every thing’s going to get hated on and it’s stupid and there’s not a lot of logic to it for that stuff.
PW: MTV really helped you guys out in breaking into mainstream by being on “TRL” a lot. How do you feel about that show ending?
PD: It’s pretty sad. We all watched the last week of it and it kind of sucks because that’s just a memory all had growing up. I don’t remember the beginning. I don’t remember before it. I just remember running home from high school and that was the cool thing to do. Everyone watched it and talked about it and it had the biggest acts. It was the biggest thing in music and on TV, so that’s sad that it’s coming to an end.
One of my favorite memories with this band is the first time that we played “Great Escape” on “TRL” for the first time a couple of years ago. It was one of the most surreal things in the world. To just see it end kind of sucks for everyone really.
PW: Do you think that will affect where people get music videos?
PD: I don’t know. I think part of this whole situation is just how much the internet has just taken over music in general. That’s kind of how people get them. If somebody wanted to watch a video six or seven years ago, you’d put it on TV and watch “TRL”, but now you just type it into YouTube whenever you want, so, I think that had something to do with it. The internet is just the big deal in music right now.
PW: Going off about the internet, I’ve noticed that you guys have one of the most interactive band websites that I’ve ever seen and it’s practically like it’s own Facebook. Did you guys have any part in that design?
PD: We did. It took awhile to get our page and it had just redirected people to our MySpace page when we were figuring it. We talked to a few different web companies to get one that was interactive like that and you could get a profile sort of like myspace, but all about the band. The fans can go to the forums and blogs. We can post updates on it and they can post updates on it. We can all communicate and keep in touch. We can answer questions about the shows and all that stuff.
It’s a cool way because you can have a band website with a picture and a few songs and it can be boring, but the fact that kids can go to this page and pick a name and be a part of it is a really cool thing for them.
PW: What’s the most shocking thing on your iTunes playlist?
PD: Shocking? I downloaded the new Taylor Swift record last night.John [Keefe], our drummer, actually played on a song on that record. So I got it to check that out and she’s pretty awesome. PW: So is there anything you’re really looking forward to for the new year or last month of 2008?
PD: Music-wise?
PW: Yeah, music unless there’s something else?
PD: Yeah, I’m kind of excited to be at home for the first time in a couple of years and to hang out with my friends and family and all that stuff. to just kind of wind down and take it easy. We’re all just going to be clearing our minds and getting ready to do this record, which is going to be such a big project for us. So that’s the one thing that’s on all our minds right now.
PW: Yeah, you have seriously one of the busiest tour schedules that I’ve seen for a band.
PD: Ha, I agree with you. We go pretty crazy.
PW: Yes, very intense. Well, that’s all I have. Anything else you think our readers should know?
PD: We’re doing this record soon and putting a single out as soon as we can, so hopefully everyone checks it out and enjoys it.
PW: Sounds good. Thank you and have a great Thanksgiving. Enjoy your time off.
(Courtesy of PopWreckoning)
Nanananana. I am a bird who sings along to BEP and sings in perfect tune kthxbai.
oh,ok. i'm alyaa. 13 years old. i love reading, listening to music and photography. I'm the type of person who has to play the piano whenever she sees one, the type of person who would randomly dance to music whenever a beat passes through her ears, the typed of person who might even change your life ;)
i'm fairly open minded, fairly optimistic. I'm mostly happy mostly sad. I love my friends and family . And, i love colours. and chocolates.