Andy Frasco's World Saving Podcast - EP 11: Adam Lazzara (Taking Back Sunday) and The Maine

Episode Date: June 19, 2018

In this week's episode, we take you on a stroll down Andy's musical memory lane as he interviews Adam Lazzara, from Taking Back Sunday. We also have The Maine with us! Plus: Yeti and the Fro get in an argument about who's more athletic. This is Episode 11. To keep up with the podcast, follow us on Instagram @WorldSavingPodcast For more information on Andy Frasco, tour dates, the band and the blog, go to: AndyFrasco.com For more info on our guests... Adam Lazzara of Taking Back Sunday, visit: www.takingbacksunday.com The Maine, visit: www.themaineband.com Produced by Andy Frasco Yeti Chris Lorentz Audio mix by Chris Lorentz Featuring: The Get Ahead, and their song "Mind is a Mountain" Pizza Steve Chad Cocuzza Arno Bakker Shawn Eckels & Andee Avila

Hey guys, this is Andy. I wanna start the show off today with another band that I recently discovered from Portland, Oregon called The Ghetto Head. This song is great, I love this song so much. I thought it'd be a good way to start episode 11. Anyway, enjoy it. The Ghetto Head out of Portland, Oregon.

The song's called Mind is a Mountain. Mind is a Mountain. song is called mind is a mountain Mind is a mountain So climb, climb out Oh, climb, climb out I'm coming to you tonight, I need to see your face Your mind is a mountain, mine is a mountain

I'm coming to you tonight, I need to see your face Your mind is a mountain, mind is a mountain I'm coming through you tonight, I need to see your face Your mind is a mountain, mind is a mountain So climb, climb out Climb out Oh, climb Climb out Here we are. Andy Frasco's world-saving fucking podcast with a motherfucking Yeti.

We getting high in the van right now. When was the first time you smoked weed? When was the first time I smoked weed? I was 19. i was at san francisco state my roommate jeff krasnoff what the super jew like me they just put you guys in there alphabetically yeah and um he is like have you ever smoked out of a vaporizer i'm like i don't even know it would look like a pencil sharpener it was like the vapor brothers have you ever smoked out of a vaporizer i'm like i don't know it was look like a pencil sharpener it was like the vapor brothers have you ever seen those that look and you and i had i took a couple hits it was weed and uh the rest is fucking history was it herb in there it was herb flower so like this is 2006 they didn't have any hash oil or anything well, that was popular and not super fucking illegal, even in California.

And then he took me to a... No, we went to the park. And I just remember sitting on the park in San Francisco. It was like Golden Gate Park. Keep going.

I'm going to sing in the background. It must have been the 4th of July No, it was unbelievable I just remember like looking I've never seen life With so much giggles I used to My buddy Peter Satchian

My buddy Peter Satchian He was basically The first guy He smoked a bunch of weed when he was in high school And I used to be like, you're going to get arrested bro You can't do that You were anti-weed? Basically, the first guy, he smoked a bunch of weed when he was in high school. And I used to be like, you're going to get arrested, bro. You can't do that. You were anti-weed?

I was anti-weed like a motherfucker. You were anti-drugs. You and Nancy Reagan. I was a sports head, dude. I was like, you know. You were a swimmer. I was a swimmer. I was a basketball player. We need to swim against each other and play basketball against each other.

Yeah, bring that shit. You're like 40. I got you. Oh, God. I got you by 10 years. Andy, I'm 38. You only have me by eight years. I still got you. Yeah. No, you that shit. You're like 40. I got you. Oh, God. I got you by 10 years. Andy, I'm 38. You only have me by eight years. I still got you.

Yeah. No, you don't. Here's the thing. We were talking about this yesterday. Bring it. And I was like, because Joe and I were in the pool. Tour manager Joe and I were in the pool. And I was like, I used to swim.

I was a lifeguard. He was like, I did that too. He was like, Frasco was a swimmer. I was like, oh, really? I was like, I'll get a swim cap and brace his ass he's like you should do it he's so fucking competitive well you just called it out on fucking air amigo this shit is fucking happening we're gonna do it today versus frasco no no we're gonna do this and we're gonna have the fans vote who's gonna win this shit first and gentlemen, he just called my ass out.

Shit is about to get real right now, Yeti. You can't. We're doing this legit, too. I won city championship in Los Angeles for the butterfly. But we're going to. What have you accomplished in your swimming career? I never accomplished anything in my swimming career. And you still think you're going to beat my ass?

Yeah, I think so. You're fucking delusional. How about we do this? I'll swim freestyle. We'll do freestyle because I'm not good at any other stroke. That's fine. Okay. All right.

So we swim freestyle and it's a lap. Are we doing... Are you on? Yeah, I can hear you. Yeah, I'm on. Yeah. Talk from the middle of the microphone. Talk to the middle.

Oh, that's what you're like. What the fuck is going on? You're not a rapper. I'm high. Yeah, yeah. Shut up. Rappers do it like... They still talk from the front of the microphone, and they have it up like this.

I didn't accomplish anything in my swimming career. All right, what's the proposal, Yeti? Okay, the proposal is hotel swimming pool. Okay. Down and back. This is going to look so weird. You have to flip turn. Okay.

You're like, I'll kick your ass. That's fine. That's fine. But I saw the pool. It's half. Oh, it's not even. Yeah. I know it's not a full lap. We're like, I'll kick your ass. That's fine. That's fine. But it's just, I saw the pool. It's half. Oh, it's not even. Yeah. I know it's not a full lap.

So we're going to have to do four laps. Oh. Two flip turns. Two flip turns. Yeah, let's see what you got. Okay. And now you don't feel so confident now, motherfucker, don't you?

I just know that when I play you in basketball, I'm going to kick your ass. I know. You're 6'5". Yeah, and I played in college. You didn't play in college. I did.

I played basketball in college. You didn't know that college. I did, I played basketball in college. You didn't know that about me? What? N-A-I-A, but yeah. So you still play, that's hard as fuck. Hey, we were playing NBA 2K. Who did I keep drafting? You kept... He played in the N-A-I-A. Who? Scotty

fucking Pippen. Pippen? Pippen played N-A-I-A ball. Really? In Illinois, yeah. No shit.ippen? Pippen played NAIA ball. Really? In Illinois, yeah. No shit. Shutting the van door because we're done smoking. Pippen played? Yeah, he played at that level, which is NAIA. Okay, so now, let's talk about your basketball career.

Six, five. A lot of NAIA, hold on, I got to clarify this because people don't know this. NAIA schools are like Division III NCAA. That's where a lot of them would fall and if they go up, they usually go into D2. So,

that's what my school did. No fucking way. D3's still hard to fucking, you played college? Did you play at all? I played, what did I have, like one minute?

Yeah, I was bench guiding. Here's the thing. I didn't play, I didn't play, I didn't play, I didn't play basketball in high school. Like, I didn't play the practice of those guys still yeah, I didn't play basketball in high school like I played basketball I played City and Church League stuff, but I didn't play on the team and because it's politics there like it's bullshit and So I really concentrated on that and then my math teacher my senior high school

her husband was the coach at the college that I that i went to that i was going to no and also this was like a private christian school so they kind of had this program that was like a jv program and i was on the jv program how old are you but that was high school i mean that was i mean no that was freshman year of college so they had this jv yeah and the way they said they they played this and sit playing jv and then and then sitting home games for the main team and practicing with the main team. Oh, so when they were away, they brought you to the G League. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I walked on and I got a $1,000 scholarship. What?

What was your game though? I was a middleman. But 6'5"? No, I wasn't six five that's just it is so i graduated high school at six two okay and then i grew three inches over the next i grew three inches by the end of my sophomore year so you were like a shooting guard or no i was but i was big like i was i was six two what i weigh now I was just fat. Oh, this shit's over, dude. You think so?

6'2", center. Yeah. Going in. No, I got your ass. Power forward. Power forward. I'll pound the ground inside and I'll beat your ass. Okay, 6'2". Also, I learned how to dribble with both hands.

Hold on, Yeti. But I will not shoot from the perimeter. You're safe. I'm just going to give you that. So you're a 6'2", power forward, who doesn't have a mid-game, doesn't have a three-point game. I had a mid-game. That means— Bank shots all day.

Oh, my God. I just had epiphany. Bank shots from the corner. I could have fucking played Division III basketball. You didn't know that? What the fuck? I gave up. I was tall.

But I was tall in middle school. I was 6'1". 6— school. I was 6'1". Yeah, I was 6'1". That's right. You told me you hit it. Yeah, I fucked myself, too. I didn't have a mid-range game. I didn't have anything but a post and Rodman-style game.

Because that's all you played, yeah. I loved Dennis Rodman. That was my guy. He's awesome. The worm, dude. He had 20 rebounds a game. Those are the guys that are so important. The Draymond Greens, the Dennis Rodmans. rodman that was my guy he's he's awesome the worm dude he had 20 rebounds a game like those guys those are the guys that are so important the draymond greens the dennis rodman's the guys

that will get inside wallace yeah throwing bows dude did you know this about dennis robin i remember reading an article when he was at the height of the you know the bulls are in the middle of there it's right before jordan retires it's the first three p i remember reading the sports illustrator article and they're talking about rodman and they're saying he's quick. That's why he's so good because by the time you'll go up for like guys playing against him would say you would go up once and come back down

and he's already on his way back up. Anyone. He was just really good at anticipating where shots were going to go. He knew where stuff was. You knew that fool was athletic as fuck. Dude, that fool was athletic as fuck. Dude, that fool was fucking 10 women a day

then go play basketball. That fool broke his dick. He literally broke his dick. He broke his dick. He got some ligaments broken. So he played this game. It was right before a game. He's fucking this girl and he was getting bored with it. He's a stickman. He's like this girl. And he's like, he was getting bored with it.

You know, he's a stickman. And he's like, baby, let's try something. I want you to run from the other side of the hotel room and jump on my dick. I guess he has a big dick. Probably. If you're cocky enough to start, comma, sutras boring. Yeah. And you're starting to have like,

Rajul's doing back flips into the dick. You're crazy. I haven't gotten there yet. Hell, you know, my dick's too small. That shit would break in a second. But he broke his dick, bleeding,

fucking everything. He still played the game. Oh my God. 15 rebounds. Jesus Christ. Fucking guy's a beast, dude. Dennis Rodman. So, yeah.

But you need those crazy guys. You need the Draymons talking shit. Like, those guys aren't going to give you 25 points a game. That was the thing. Yeah, Rodman. He's going to make your team, people be scared of your fucking team. He got in your head. His head game was way stronger than anything he had on the court physically. It was ridiculous.

I love Rodman. Who are your favorite basketball players? I grew up with the Bulls. ridiculous love rob who are your favorite basketball players i grew up i grew up with the bulls so like jordan pippen rodman chorus grant fucking uh steve kerr those are my teams i hated the jazz i lived in boise and i hated the jazz why were they always because they were because it was jordan in stockton that was the last three p when jordan came back or there's the first one oh so that was the tail end of jordan's career when kobe was starting to take no no no i was thinking was no that was the first it was in the first set it was when malone and the jazz and stockton and hornacek and that's when

they were they were big they're in the prime well and and that jordan dagger though at the end it was it was yeah exactly it was yeah the one where he pushes off yeah he totally pushed off but he's quote unquote but i was like the greatest players know how to play. Yeah. They don't give the calls to the greatest. I was a Bulls fan. I remember flying to, like. So Jordan was your guy.

Jordan was my guy, yeah. I mean, Patrick Ewing, huge fan. Dream Team, I talked about Dream Team in, like, the first episode, and I totally misidentified it. I said Atlanta. The first Dream Team was actually first episode, and I totally misidentified it. I said Atlanta. The first Dream Team was actually Barcelona, 92. No shit. So those were my guys.

Dream Team Barcelona. Is that the year where you ever see that documentary of the Dream Team losing to the B-Squad? Yeah. Was that the year? Yeah, that was the one they got a silver, Barcelona. And they're like, what the fuck? Oh, no, that's second tier. No, no, this was the one they got a silver, Barcelona. And they're like, what the fuck? And that's when...

Oh, no, that's second tier. No, no, this was... You're talking about second tier. The dream team with Jordan and Bird and stuff. Yeah, it was 92. They won, yeah. The second tier team... Yeah, it was Shaq.

Yeah, they were like, what the fuck? Yeah, 98. No fact checking here, but thanks, Rappaport. But yeah, so Jordan, huh? Chicago. See, I was Kobe. I'm eight years younger than you, so I was Kobe. I was going to say you were.

I was Sean Kemp. Whoever was big when you were in fifth grade is basically who you follow. Pretty much. Because that's when you start looking at, like, oh, I'm going to play sports next year if you're going to middle school. But my first team I ever fell in love with was the Seattle Supersonics. I like the Sonics. Gary Payton was my guy.

Oh, yeah. Payton and Sean. Detlef Schrempf. George Carl. That's a nice statement. That's what was like 10 children. George Carl comes to. I feel bad for him.

He never won one. That guy. Then he got cancer. Yeah. One of the greatest coaches ever. His son played at Boise State. Kobe Carl and i wonder if my path would have changed i wanted to go to usc university of spoiled children yeah yeah yeah i don't care i mean i'll own it yeah it's 75 000 a year or it was 55 000 a year in 2006 it's got to be $75,000 or $65,000 a year. It's fucking ridiculous.

Because that campus is in LA. Yeah, I wanted to be in the music industry. I wanted to be in the music industry program. And just because I didn't have money, they didn't let me in. I was the most fucking qualified guy to be in that fucking industry. You've been granted since day one in the industry. I think that's what hurt my soul

to tell the music industry, fuck you. Really? I'm going to be a musician. I'm going to market myself. That was your calling. I'm going to promote myself. Like, that hurt my feelings when I didn't get into SC.

You know, like, that hurt my fucking feelings. And that's what made me a monster. That was your dream Was to go to USC and become a music executive Exactly And I didn't get invited to the club And I was the most fucking qualified Andy are you glad that you didn't get invited to the club?

Yes So fucking glad Good I am glad too But you know when I cried That was the first time I really cried Really? I was like yeah Like I don't really when I was I cried that was the first time I really cried really

I was like yeah like I don't really cry I mean I cried a couple times but that was the first time I really cried I'm a baller yeah

I'll cry at the drop of a hat yeah you are sensitive I look in your eyes and I feel like you're always about like any moment you'll have that one

Indian to your mark give me yeah give me five give me give me yeah give me five give me give me give me five minutes i'll be crying for you but i the thing is is i'm an emotional person anyway and so those emotions are raw and they're right they're right below the surface i cry fucking every time when the star spangled banner is played every time legit damn yeti teach me how to be sensitive i want to study philosophy i want to learn about people i want to learn about this but no one is reading books right now like i look at all my

my peers no one's reading books about you know dukowski and yada yada you know and sart and fucking oh show all the existentialism that everyone's preaching about so if i could get become a musician and i could do my words and just get people out of their heads it's just as effective as writing a book and hopefully getting published when you're 40 and you have a phd at 50 you know yeah then you're living on through theses i just felt like this would be a more exciting way to experience philosophy it's more personal i mean it's i mean it's how i think it's i mean that's how the people that were around Plato and Socrates, although my Western Civilizations teacher in high school always said, it's so crates. So crates.

Well, we've been talking a lot. Should we get to the interview? Roll it. I like this. We're bonding. We're talking about good stuff. We're talking about where we came from. You're so sweet.

I'm sorry I think you're a trash basketball player, but I still think you're a trash basketball player. I think I could beat you in basketball too, but we will not talk about that yet. We'll talk about that later. Listen to this. Speaking about bringing it back to memory lane, we're doing a two-for-one interview session this time. interview session this time. If you didn't know, I was a serious pop punk fanatic. I used to work at Drive Thru Records and stuff in high school. It was my first job in the music industry. But I got to play with Taking Back Sunday in the main in Germany. And it was such a weird experience because I used to go to these guys' bands so much. And now to be sharing the same stage with them and having a beer with them

and just asking them about their lives, it was unbelievable. Hope you enjoyed the interview. Take it back to Sunday, Adam Lazaro, and I got the whole boys from Maine. Enjoy and have fun with it. Adam Lazaro, and I got the whole boys from Maine. Enjoy and have fun with it. What the fuck's up, everybody? We are on the World Saving Podcast with Andy Frasco.

We got the Maine in the motherfucking building tonight. What's up, dudes? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. John, how you doing, man? I'm well. How are you? I never thought I'd be interviewing you guys in fucking Germany. That's for sure. It's kind of bizarre. Dude, what a fucking career.

How bizarre is that? Do you guys do club dates out here? So we initially, when we got the call that we were doing a festival called Download Fest, it was going to only be in England. So that was going to be like 24 hours of travel for 30 minutes of playing on stage. And we were like, we got to be able to try to do something else. So fortunately, we got these two shows and then Taking Back Sunday. You ever toured with TBS?

We have, yeah. And then we've kind of since kept in touch and, you know, gone back and forth playing one-off stuff. But yeah, they invited us on three shows and then we got these two and then we're doing a couple headliners and so we made a whole deal out of it instead of just one. You guys are really getting

blown up. I feel like I see your name higher and higher on these festival things the last couple years. We're trying. You guys have been doing this since 2007? 11 years yeah how many dates a year you guys doing uh a year we probably a shit ton dude i see you guys everywhere yeah it's a shit ton dude so you grew up in 07 so that was when the record label yeah it was right before the label stopped giving tour support. So how was Fearless in 2007? Were you with Fearless in 2007?

So we started, yeah, I guess we signed in 2007. And the first summer that we were a band, we were doing everything just DIY. We were doing the MySpace thing. Yeah, fuck yeah. And that was the big deal for us. We couldn doing the MySpace thing. Yeah, fuck yeah. And that was like the big deal for us was like we couldn't be on the road. So we tried to get our music to people online.

So what were you doing? What was your ideas for marketing in 2007? What were you guys doing? I mean, we were fucking just sitting on the internet for hours a day. Just adding people? Yeah, just adding people, talking to people. That was like a real big thing.

I remember how impactful that was for people. Oh, yeah. Just the interaction. Like, oh, I'm actually talking to this person that has these songs up. And like that made them feel some sort of connection. So we would spend hours a day. Just that was kind of part of our band.

So what was the game plan? Okay, so like during the day, you guys would be just adding people and just like connecting with like social media and stuff? Well, we were still, I mean, I was still in high school. Yeah, how old are y'all? I'm 28. 28?

29. Yeah, yeah. We're all the same age. 2006, 2005 high school year? 2007. Six. Yeah, six and seven. All right, yeah.

All right. So yeah, we're in the same breed. Yeah. Yeah. And then, yeah, you know, so I'd be at school all day and then I wouldn't do fucking homework or anything. And I just get on the internet and add. And then like, just as soon as I'd add, I'd send a message like, hey, what's up?

Like, check out our song. And then they'd be like, is this really you? And you're like, yeah. And if you got like a second response, that's when you realize that like they were connecting. Yeah. Don't you feel like MySpace was like the first ever like chance where like an independent band who didn't get signed could really build a fan base just like without having a major label budget you know i remember watching other bands that were unsigned they had a chart for them

you know they had a sign for signed bands and then a chart for unsigned bands and it was like the top bands as far as plays went. Yeah. And then you have these people that are buying plays and buying people, like buying friends and all that shit. Totally remember that. It was... I remember we were locally just doing okay,

and then all of a sudden we're in the top... In Tempe. Yeah. So what were you doing? What were your rooms? Well, these guys were like..., they were in bands since. What bands? I mean, just local shit.

Like, nothing. Well, not even local shit, because Tempe has a really fucking good music scene. Yeah, but we never played outside of Tempe. So it was just like, you know, we'd play. We'd rent out a church for the week, you know, Saturday or something. And then we would just book all our all our own stuff and then you know because our manager was our drummer's brother so we're just all figuring it all out at the same time so it's just yeah booking your own stuff and then and then

it's starting to work i guess so did you guys start regionally or did you how'd that work did you guys get a big break on a tour were you you just like hitting Phoenix, hitting San Diego, hitting LA, hitting the chain reaction? That's kind of where we started. It was like, I remember we first went to San Diego and that was like the first trip and we didn't play. And I remember like we were really bummed out, but we were really... What happened? The show, like nobody bought tickets.

So they just canceled the show? Yeah, yeah. Normally they put like five or six bands on a pop-up bill I know I know the show that we got added to

on that trip that we played before Doors I don't know why they did they were just like we were just like sure how many bands were on the bill I don't even remember

27 it was Goodbye Tomorrow was on it oh it was in Fullerton California oh yeah what venue not the Glass House

it was a corner stage. The Brick. Might have been the Brick, yeah. Yeah, dude. I used to play with Hello Goodbye over there. Oh, nice. Yeah.

There were seven people at the show. And that's actually where Fearless... Fearless, Saly and Fullerton? Where were they at? That's kind of where we were. Huntington Beach.

Oh, that's why all those fucking bands play Glass House and stuff. In Pomona, yeah. Okay, so let's go back to this. 2007, 2006, 2005 area when you guys were going on. Who were the bands? Because you had the format. In Arizona.

Who are now fun. Jimmy would have already blown up. Jimmy blew up, yeah. So what were the bands like? Were you guys in competition with the format to get bigger? No, the format was already big. And then by the time we started, Dog Problems had come out. And they were already like, I feel like the- Was it Dog Problems in 07?

Yeah. Yeah. And then like when we actually started going and doing well, they like broke up. Like right around that time. So it was like- Yeah, Atlantic fucked them. We were like a new start of stuff. Like it was like all-

So you were the second gen of pop, punk. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So what were the bands you were touring with in 07? I mean, we would play local shows with a band called The Somerset. Oh, yeah. And then just like Ann Arbor was a band, yeah. But it was like quickly we just transferred to just being a legit band, I guess. It was like less about playing locally and more about like, hey, how do we go and tour like right away?

Yeah. A band from Vegas called The Cab took us and we kind of swapped shows with them. So whoever's bigger in the market. Yeah, like you come and play our place and we'll play your place. Was Hopeless given tour support back then? Or is it just like, hey, guys, I'm going to set you up with some shit? We never took tour support. Because you just have to owe it back to the label.

Yeah, you're owing that money. And I think even before we signed, we've always been very DIY, very hands-on. I totally see that. It was always like, I don't know. We always weren't fishy about it, but we were always like, we're going to have to do this on our own anyways, so let's take as little as we need to and move forward from there. I think once we actually ended up going unsigned like eight years ago we

were only signed for such a short amount of time like so as soon as as soon as we went completely independent it was easy because we had already been doing it yeah and so yeah i think it ended up helping a lot so what was the moment like was it a show was it a record what was the moment like holy shit this is happening i don't know if there really was one in the beginning like in 07 08 i remember you know we got a tour early early it was called the soundtrack of your summer tour and it was uh boys like girls was headlining fucking love that at the at the pinnacle of their career they just did a reunion tour but i think for that record so that was the tenure man you're bringing me back boys like girls good charlotte was co-headlining it was like a co-bill

and then you were the the no then metro station when they were fucking blowing up so shake it they're tuned they were massive rooms oh oh shit so like the first night in Chicago was at the Metro or something? No it was at the something ballroom Like yeah yeah 6000 or something And so that was like the Charles was on the shit though Yeah it was like a comeback for them They were pretty much just playing

An hour's worth of hits and hits and hits Wow that's crazy Okay so let's go So 2007, 2008 What was the record in 2007? worth of hits and hits and hits. Wow, that's crazy. Yeah. Okay, so let's go. So 2007, 2008. What was the record in 2007? I have notes here. Can't Stop, Won't Stop was our first full length.

Can't Stop, Won't Stop. Yeah. I fucking remember that record too, dude. Dude, you guys were dope. So how many shows you guys, you've been doing what, 200 plus shows a year now? Every year?

It's been what, 11 years? I mean, we've been going pretty hard. Yeah. It's actually gotten more intense and like the past two albums have been pretty great for us yeah it's been killing so it's just been we're on the fucking road almost constantly yes it's been pretty pretty insane how how do you feel about it how is it tearing you down you guys no single men you guys taking drugs are you drinking like we're not taking drugs most of us are not single that's good um but i straight i think what what what it is now is that there's

this resurgence it feels like of of spirit in us because of the the energy we've been shown recently so i think we could have easily gone the opposite route had people not been so supportive of the last two albums and fortunately it's been the opposite so it's fucking crazy man yeah man 11 years of consistently being on the road yeah just like fighting for the purpose yeah what was the dream what or we still don't we don't know. I mean, I think that we've realized that this is more than we ever expected already. So I think like even last night after we got off stage, it was like we were riding a high. And then I probably killed the whole buzz because I was like, how do we get to that next fucking level? You know what I mean?

It's like we want what we don't have at the moment. Like if you talk to yourself at 2007 thinking about like a fucking player in Germany for a bunch of people who know my songs. I think that that's what

hopefully will continue the band is just the fire that we all share still. Do you guys still love each other? Yeah.

You had a couple band member changes? Very early. Very early. The first three months member changes very early very so you guys the first three months yeah oh for oh so you guys yeah together you guys are fucking roughing it out yeah oh yeah what all right so tell me uh i want to know the you know i i travel too i do too i've been doing 250 shows a year for the last 12 years you know i'm in a jam band so like or not jam band but i'm in the jam area so like you got to play four hours a night and stuff.

But tell me, I want to hear a crazy road story, or you don't have to go into specifics, but was there a moment where crazy fangirls just waiting for you on the side of the stage, or a crazy ex-boyfriend, maybe someone hooked up, and some boyfriend fucking wants to beat the shit out of someone. I want to hear. These guys were talking about, because we're playing in Harlem

in the Netherlands and these guys were talking about a night that we all took mushrooms or like the truffles that they had there. They're strong as fuck out here, dude. Yes, they were. And we kind of all like, I got separated from the group

and these guys went on their own journey and like then where'd you guys end up? well we just no it wasn't the first time I'd ever taken them but first time with a group of people and we were just fucking we would just walk

really fast and then stop look at something for like two minutes and then walk really fast and we must have looked like a gang of psycho people. What the fuck are these? We're like, all right, we're out of our headspace. We're feeling a little uncomfortable with like, are people going to approach us?

And then we realize later like how scary we probably looked. Just like 10 dudes bulging out of your fucking skull. Yeah. Because there's like different stages of the mushrooms. Like you could do the really strong stuff. You didn't even know. I went tiny.

Don't you feel like the drugs out here, I'm not saying you guys take drugs all the time, but when you took your mushrooms, that I feel like it's more, it's pure out in the Netherlands because it's all tested.

Like you bring your drugs to the doctor and they will test exactly. Like you could bring your cocaine. I did not know that. I mean, it's like Spain, where it's like it's legal. Drugs are legal here. So they don't want you to harm over the drugs.

They want you to have a good time. But they don't want to be considered just a fucking drug town. So it's kind of like wishy-washy. But that's crazy. Harlem's great. The canals. Do you guys tour in Europe a lot? We've recently done a lot more

way more recently yeah um started off this record cycle in london and that was just the most killer show for us what we guys what what rooms are you guys doing in because you guys do big rooms in america where we did electric ballroom i think it's called in london yeah last time was coco which was dude yeah that was that's sick by yourself? We were headlining. Yeah, it was crazy. Fucking dudes are doing it, dudes! Fuck yeah, dudes. That's fucking killer. So I was like,

what do you think of the fan bases between Europeans and the UK between American fans? Like not... Because they don't know your songs as much as they do your diehards who know every lyric, everything about you.

But I feel like they're still in. Yeah, I feel like... like i mean just watching the couple songs that i've watched of you guys it's like they're especially here at this festival i feel like they're showing up for live music that's it you know what i mean like they're just excited to be there like yesterday even our set was like that it just felt like even people in the back that didn't know what we were about, they were just still having just as much fun as people in front. But you're right. There is especially the dialect disconnect. Yeah.

It's difficult. Were people singing your songs last night? A few, yeah. But some of the shit that I would say normally just falls so fucking further on its face than it would in the States. Oh, yeah, dude. It's hard. But I think it's a good experience. It's a good learning experience.

Totally. Because we get comfortable with our schticks when we're in America. We know what's going to work. You kind of have to like, oh, fuck, I can't go into autopilot tonight. And I really have to. I'm in Germany. I'm in Nuremberg. So, fuck, I can't go into autopilot tonight. And I really have to. I'm in Germany or like. I'm in Nuremberg.

So I'll start the bar mitzvah. Do you feel like you guys written your opus yet? Do you feel like what song like as a band collectively? Do you feel like you've written that tune or that record that you guys always dreamed about writing in 2006? I don't think you can ever feel like that you know explain explain that to people i just think that it's like if you're still hungry for something you can't be complacent you know it's like uh i don't know it's like i don't know if you were an athlete right if you hit the the most home runs in the season you wouldn't say

like okay i'm fucking done you know like you're in the season you wouldn't say like okay I'm fucking done you're in the championship you come back because you're trying to I think for us every time we've had a success we put that mile marker just a little bit farther than ourselves and it's not so much about legacy as it is about

it's not so much about legacy at all it's about maintaining integrity the whole time maintaining character and the integrity behind our songs and what those mean to us and hopefully sharing that via the stage or the internet or you know however we can so i mean for us it's we want more all the all of the time yeah you know and and not to say that we are not humbled by what we have and so fortunate to experience that but we just want but once you get to that point like

how do you keep the dream alive you want a little bit more of that dream right i think it's part of this shit it's like we never imagined that we'd be playing these festivals and now we're here and now what's next it's like can we continuously surprise ourselves you know and that those experiences those moments when you're like well fuck we're in nuremberg wow we've never been here those are the those are the aha kind of moments you know and it's like growing as a person you know we're out of that we're out of you know we're all 30s and almost there it's like we're out of the party scene like we're focused now yeah you know and that's like the most important thing is like how do you stay focused how do you get all the

distractions away for you if it's the girlfriend or if it's the fans or if it's the social media you know there's so many different layers of the onion in a band sure that you have to do you can't just play music anymore no you have to do the social medias. You have to meet the crowd. You have to hug everyone. You're talking about the MySpace thing. Absolutely. How do you get out of those distractions and just focus on the music

when it's time to focus on the music? Definitely difficult. But we still make it a thing. When we're in writing mode or we're going to record, it's very much that is what we're doing we're not outside fucking around we're not doing anything else that is what we're the task at hand if you will you know um so it's really just about how how much longer do you want to do this you know you can put in the work and you can fucking sleep in these

hotels without air conditioning they're fucked up out here dude and you? You know, you can put in the work and you can fucking sleep in these hotels without air conditioning. They're fucked up out here, dude. And then you can get back in the van without air conditioning and you can drive three hours after the show tonight to make it halfway and wake up at seven to drive another three tomorrow if that's what

you want to do. And fortunately, we're all still on the same page. That's great. Alright, two more questions and I'll let you guys go. I want to talk about Warped Tour. How many years have you done Warped Tour? This will be our fifth. Fucking A. How do you guys, it's fucking harder than dick out there. It's hard. Dude. Like, oh yeah, you guys get it. Yeah. It's like fucking, it's like, but when you're in Florida is what we don't get. Oh fuck. The humidity. Oh fuck that. Wow. So, but like, what are your time slots? Are you like, you when you're in Florida is what we don't get. Oh, fuck. The humidity. Oh, fuck that. So, but like, what are your time slots?

Are you like, you guys like as the years go on? Oh, really? Yeah. Same states though? Do you know what stage you're on? Yeah. We've been on the main stage now. This will be the second time.

Do you think Warped Tour is, because I grew up doing the Warped Tour too. Yeah. I used to, Motion City Soundtrack. Oh, yeah. I used to book, you know like hidden plain view and totally corporate and you know like totally the drive-thru bands i used to do you ever play the cobalt cafe in uh west or in los angeles at the all ages bar yeah it might be you guys are you guys are past that i think um but like i feel like a lot of bands like I saw Under Oath like they're on some small stage

in 2006 and then 2007 they were on the biggest stage four o'clock it was the biggest thing like do you feel like Warped Tour really

helped your career a lot? Oh yeah. Is it? I really do. Yeah. Well I think you know cause we had a little dip down

you know a few records ago and we did we hadn't done Explain what a dip down is for the fans who don't like we made a record called forever halloween and it was like um i don't know it just wasn't yeah it just didn't hit hit the same hit the same yeah hit yeah you know people weren't as into it i guess um and then we did war producer or try to producer no we did it to tape actually which probably was part of it the records for you guys yeah exactly and we did it

with this dude brendan benson who plays in a band called the raconteurs uh produced it yeah okay three more questions okay tell me about benson's producing he is the fucking man like what was it like what was the vibe like how was he how was he tracking you guys we did everything live like even vocal we did everything live so on a click or no yeah yeah click but uh started from scratch every day it was fucking crazy yeah because he's a space cadet no yeah he is that's what i hear totally yeah producing i've heard he's really spacey but like at the end your sessions are like they're awesome i think one of the best moments was i mean everybody knows what I'm gonna say

but he wouldn't allow I smoked at the time he wouldn't allow me or our guitar player Jared Smoke in the studio

but he where are you guys recording this record at? in Nashville which one? Cash Cabin? no his own spot for a second

and then it's gone now but he was the only one allowed to smoke so he he's fucking he's got his shirt off. He's laying on his back and he's smoking a cigarette. While listening to the track? While listening to the track.

And we're like, that's the fucking. That's the guy. That's the Fonzie kind of cool. You know what I mean? We would do, you know, we'd do like four takes or something and then like, he wouldn't say anything. You'd just see his hand pop up. Yeah, and all of a sudden you just like, you just see the cigarette pop up he's like that's the one and

you're like all right it's 1 a.m let's go engineering it or he was just producing no he's just producing it yeah fucking badass yeah ben's genius it was cool dude he's a genius like rock and tour is like most that vibe is him oh totally like you know jazz got his vibe but i think benson really brings that's a great idea. He's got the great... He's got a great sense of pop, too. And we shared a lot of the same... But all those rock and tour songs that were pop were like the best songs. They're fucking rad, yeah.

So why didn't you think your fans understood that record? I think it was a darker... We dressed it up darker. The material that I was singing about was darker. I feel like it was just a... I think it was, we didn't do pre-production. So there was no thinking of the song after being written. Was that Benson's idea, though?

I think on accident, kind of his process. It was like, we'd get in there, and it was just like, hey, let's do this. He was very spontaneous. Yeah, he heard the song, and it was like, okay, let's do that one. And we're used to taking time and breaking it down. It's like, is this good enough?

And I don't know if we took enough time to do that. And I think that maybe the songs weren't as strong as they could have been. For you as musicians, was it your favorite session? What was your favorite recording session? Mine was the one before it, Pioneer. It was our first independent one, and we just fucking went to El Paso. And we recorded 30 songs just because we wanted to. We were freaks, dude.

Yeah, we were nuts. 30 songs? Yeah. You picked how many? 12? No. The record's like 14. We all are freaks, dude.

Down the road, we released a bunch of them later. Just throw it all against the wall. Just see what sticks. Yeah, there's a country song, then there's like a heavy song. You guys are dope like that. Music is fun. But you could, like, that's the great thing about being in a pop punk band,

I think, and like an alternative band, is like, you could like throw curveballs throughout your show and throughout your sets, and they're going to be cool with it. As long as you have four bangers that fit that category or whatever your fans think the main is. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, it's like, throw a couple of those in, it's like for you.

Totally. That's why I think it was fucking badass. Rock Benson, that's some fucking type shit. You don't see pop-up fans doing that. Yeah. And I respect that, dude. I respect that. I think our biggest respect that, dude. I respect that. I think our biggest influence as a band is like Wilco.

You know? Dude. Yeah. Sweetie's my guy. Yeah. So it's like, you know, like look at what they did and they can put a record out and it still fucking matters, you know, for their fans. Maybe it's not your favorite record.

Maybe it's, you know, not their best. But they still show up. But it's like, I mean mean i would go see them a hundred times and like because they put in the work good and it's like it's still like jeff tweety you go up there you look at him he looks like he's having a good time like it doesn't seem like it's forced um i think that yeah just the longevity of a career i totally agree you know like it's like out it's it's not about it's not about the records that's just one piece of this puzzle you are building a community

you are you're not trying, you guys are fucking doing it I see it and I'm just very proud of you guys you guys have been working your fucking ass off it's happening and Tweedy produces bands boys there you go

who cares if it's another dark record yeah we'll probably need another one of those in a couple years we would do that if that was for ourselves oh yeah

the heroin years you know yeah yeah exactly dude the man thank you so much thank you so much man would you have anything to promote

what do you got to promote anything new record coming out what's going on we're doing Warped Tour we got an acoustic album coming out on the 22nd of June

it's all old tunes so we took two songs off each record that we've done and we kind of done them up in the acoustic way Rufio used to do that

remember Rufio? oh I fucking love Rufio love Rufio throwing it back yeah dude alright guys kill it tonight

thank you fucking skull fuck the shit out of them fucking do it all I'm just really proud of you. I've just been seeing your name going up and up and up. And I've just known you since 2007. That's awesome, man.

Keep up the hustle. Well, thank you very much. Likewise. Likewise. Thank you. It is halftime at the Enni Fresco interview hour. You are listening to a brand new episode of Getting Off on Books, a series of book talks by Jack Offenbacher,

hoping to inspire you to stick Axe Hamster and the Donkey Pong right back up your lap to sleep and rediscover the wonderful world of your imagination. Today, we take a closer look at the sailing from Nantucket I rediscovered a wonderful world of your imagination. Today, we take a closer look at the sailing from Nantucket of a whaler. The good ship has sex, need I say more, romanticized by her, by Melville. In this man-only story, one of that lachemish films with a number of hot, smelly characters may look out for a sperm whale called Moby Dick. The whale bit off the member of the captain previously, so there is a lot of harpooning.

Oh! And in the end, they all die. You were listening to Get Enough Books by Jacob from Maryland. What's up, everybody? We are with... This is a very exciting moment for me because I've known this band. I don't know you, but I've watched you maybe 15 times.

Oh, wow. Thank you. We have Adam Lazaro from Taking Back Sunday. Yeah, man. How's it going? How you doing, man? Great, man. We're here. I mean, doing the damn thing. Dude, this is crazy because you're back. You've been doing this thing for so long. You got the original members back. You got John back.

How does it feel? Like, how's the chemistry right now in the band? It's great. It's actually better than I think it's ever been, which is funny that because you would think after all that time, it would be the opposite. You know, like we'd be sick of each other or something. But yeah, it's not like that at all. It's funny because John and I actually just live right down the street from one another now. Yeah, let's talk about that. You had John, you had brand new...

I mean, you guys all basically lived together, right? Or not lived together, but you lived in the same area. Yeah, we did back then. But since, you know, I've moved out of new york and then uh so i live in charlotte north carolina and then john ended up moving down there too he just liked the area yeah so how many years was john with you um before it took uh he did stray light like it was i like think it was well like from the beginnings if you're counting those years, and then just probably about three, and then they were gone for about eight.

So what records was he on? Tell All Your Friends? Tell All Your Friends, and then fast forward to our self-titled record, Happiness Is Entitled With. Oh, great. So you have these boys back. How many dates are you doing a year now um i don't know i mean like the this year it's been kind of nice because

we've had some time off um but yeah i mean we're you guys been fucking on it since 2002 2001 yeah man like we're we're very lucky yeah there's but we've uh we're typically gone more than we're home, I guess. Yeah, like what's the transition? Because, you know, when you're on Warner Brothers, you're on Warner Brothers, right? Yeah. For a while. So, you know, the record business in 2006, 2005

is way different than it is now. Oh, yeah, of course. Well, they didn't, they got rid of almost all their rock bands, too. Because it's like, unless you... Who you signed with before Warner? Were you with Victory? Yeah. Victory.

Yeah, we were with them and then Warner. Now we've been on Hopeless. Yeah, Hopeless is dope. I mean, I'm glad he's with... Yeah, they're great. Yeah, they're great. So let's talk about chemistry. How is it like...

You know, you've had a couple guitar players in your band. Yeah, yeah. You know, like... Like, you know, you and... I you're you're a front man and you're you're bad you're fucking insane i haven't seen you a long time so i'm really looking forward to seeing you tonight you know we're doing the same festival we're in germany right now um playing rock and ring and rock and park um so the chemistry like getting john back in the band like do you feel like it it was like it was in 2001?

Is it like a more mature now? You guys are I don't know. Do you have a wife? You have a kid? Yeah, it's it. Well, I mean, it's definitely changed. Like we're not because we were a little loose cannons back then. Oh, fuck. Yeah, you were. But but then now it's like as far as writing and stuff goes, it's really similar to how we used to do it. It's kind of like, hey, I have this idea. What do you think of this? That kind of thing. Did you miss John? Yeah, I did.

I missed having my butt around. Yeah. I want to talk about the brand new beef. Because I feel like the journalists and shit back then brought that shit. It was insane. Yeah. Basically what happened was we thought

because Jay-Z and Nas had their beef. New York, dude. Yeah, so we thought, oh man, that would be funny to do that with our bands. And then we'll make it a thing. Alternative Press blew that up

like fucking crazy. Did that ruin your friendship? No, I mean will make it a thing. Alternative Press blew that up. Yeah. Like fucking crazy. Yeah. Did that ruin your friendship? No. I mean, John was close. Yeah. Like you'd have to ask John

because he was closer with them than I was because he grew up with them. But, yeah. Didn't you guys, were you guys in like the same, like,

I don't know, Poets Club or what was that? What were you guys in? Oh, we called it the long island band pool talk about that what is that basically back then it was it it was just a few of our friends and we would uh like if somebody had a good line or something or like idea that would it that wasn't

working for them but they knew was good you kind of you'd bring it to the group hey if anybody wants to use how many other bands were on that because there's a lot of new york bands in 2000 yeah there who else was involved in that well like some guys that weren't even in bands you know like our buddy mike dubin like he named he ended up naming a couple of her songs that yeah that way and then uh neil rubenstein he was uh doing that with us so and he was in a band called sons of abraham and then in a band called Sons of Abraham and then in a band called This Year's Model. Yeah, but that was a long time ago now. Yeah, man.

So tell me, so what's going on now? You have a new record? You guys? Yeah, well, I guess it's not that new now. I was doing an interview earlier and they were like, oh, it's been two years since your last one. I'm like, two years, man. That time just flew by.

But, yeah, I mean, like, we're just kind of, we're starting to just work new stuff out. Like, we were in the studio a week before we came over to Europe. Yeah. Who's producing it? We're still in, like, the writing phase now. So just kind of throwing every idea out there and seeing what sticks, you know. So how hard is it? You know, you built this, like, what, 20-year career now, right? Yeah, it phase now. So just kind of throwing every idea out there and seeing what sticks, you know. So how hard is it? You know, you built this like, what, 20 year career now, right? Yeah, it's crazy.

So how hard is it to like branch out and try and experiment when your fans are? Yeah. Is there like a pressure to write songs that the fans want to hear? Oh, that sounds like yeah, well, I like first, I like think there's a little bit of that in our brains when we go to write. Like, oh, we don't want to disappoint anybody. But there's a thing I've come to realize that Mark plays the drums the way Mark plays the drums. And my voice sounds the way it sounds. And John plays how he plays. So I feel like if it's us doing it, it's always going to sound like Taking Back Sunday.

So we just kind of try to keep that in mind. Because that way, just so we don't prohibit ourselves from accidentally doing something cool, you know? Yeah, right? I mean, it's tough to keep on collaborating and keep on inspiring yourselves. Because it's like you're playing, do you play some of the songs you play you keep on playing for 20 years like how do you like how do you keep the set alive for you

you know instead of there's like with some of the older songs they are they become their own thing you know the crowd just just kind of takes that over and then it and then and then you like the moment is so i guess electric that you i just get lost in that yeah so um are you still jumping on shit and stuff yeah yeah fuck yeah dude if there's something to climb i'll climb it yeah yeah dude i mean have you ever got like seriously hurt yeah yeah what was the worst i fell off the stage one time and I dislocated my hip. How tall? It was probably about five or six feet, but it was like I fell in my, like, because, you know, on the inside of the barricade, there's those steps. So then like I cracked my head open on that.

Blood was everywhere. What part of the set was this at? You know, I don't remember. It was just like a long time ago. But yeah, that was a crazy thing too. Just a weird injury. Dude. Did you have to go to the hospital? Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Had to cancel the tour. It's fucking crazy. I'm very curious with, you know, pop punk, alternative rock scene because, you know, you built your careers on those Vans Warped tours

and packaging each other with bands and stuff. Is it hard for a band building up in the scene, doing 30-minute sets, 20-minute sets, is it hard to make a living in the beginning years? 2006 was different because you guys had tour support, but bands that you have open for you now, it's like, you know,

it's the grind. Yeah, it can be tough and you just have to keep busy, you know, to make those ends meet. But us, man,

when we started, we would, we all found jobs to where they would let us leave like, for like a week at a time and then come back. So,

so then we, you know, we'd work and save money and then go on the road and then come home and then work and save money and then go on the road. Just kind of that thing. What are you feeling about the state of the band and the state of your musical soul in 2018? Well, we're always trying to get better. And that's something that I think we'll hopefully always be chasing. And because that's kind of the driving force, you know, it's like, oh, I bet we can do better than that.

And so that's, I mean, the thing for us. And yeah. And then even like... Do you feel like you've ridden your opus? No. That's what I'm trying to say. No. No?

No, man. See, it's a hard thing too because I guess it depends who you ask. But if you ask me, no. I still think we have a ways to go. And I'm glad we're able to do it. How do you get there? Take all the feelings aside. Take all the mortgages and the baby payments you know and really write genuine music with your friends like is that difficult now no no it's actually that's that's the fun part there there's

a I mean obviously touring and playing songs for people is also fun but no but the writing is the best part because because you learn something new uh both about the craft and then also about yourself like each time you get to do it yeah and then so um yeah i mean we're really lucky people that that's what we get to do you know are you happy oh yeah fuck yeah yeah Fuck yeah, dude. Yeah? You love it? Yeah. I mean, I'm tired right now. How many days are you in? Well, it's been about two weeks. In Europe? Yeah. Well, yeah. Like, started in the UK.

But then we go home after tomorrow. Nice. Yeah. Great. All right. I've got one last question for you. Okay. Dream band.

Dead or alive. You get to run the show. So you can pick the drummer, bass player. we don't have to piss off your band here if you want to add some guys yeah don't worry so dream band you could pick the whole lineup dead or alive who would be i would love to see nirvana play just as they were yeah like that would be amazing yeah would that be the band you'd want to open for no i wouldn't want play. I just want to go to the show. Oh, no. I want to talk about, no, I want to talk about all-star band.

You had a choice of the drummer, the bass player, the guitar player, whoever you want in the band, dead or alive. Who would be your band if you had a solo project? Well, let's see. Okay, so you want John Bonham on the drums. Duh. And then, let me think. There's this guy named Corey Brannan.

What band was he? He's a solo artist. He's from Tennessee. Nice. But he's such a sick guitar player, so I get him. And then, let's see. James Jamerson on the bass. One Finger James.

Yeah, dude. And then... That's funny you would say. You like solo Motown? Yeah. Like, dude. And then, that's funny you would say. You like someone in Motown? Yeah. Like, who do you listen to? What do you mean? Like, who are your guys?

Who are your, like, songwriters? Like, your Motown songwriters, your soul singer songwriters that you really dive into? I've always loved Al Green. Like, ever since I was a kid. Like, I remember the first time

I heard my dad play in that and being like, what is this? Oh, my God. Like, I want i want this all yeah so he's a front man yeah oh yeah man do you like yeah even like yeah if if you watch some of those old videos like he's yeah yeah who are you inspired by as a front man like you have so much energy you had to like that i'm honest i'll be honest you haven't seen my band but but I've learned so much from you, Adam. Like, I jump around. Honestly, like, you're the guy.

I have the 40-foot cord now. How the fuck do I do it? Because of you, man. I'm serious. Like, you're a big inspiration with me, and I know my drummer, Andy. I mean, we love your band. Man, you're getting me blushing over here. But who were your inspirations, man?

Like, who were your guys? Like, holy fuck, I want to fucking jump on the stage. I want to punk rock. I remember the first time I saw At The Drive and play. Fuck. I was like 14 or 15. And it was like, they're just the best live band. So that was a big inspiration.

Those guys, for me, yeah. Sick, At The Drive. All right, back. James James on the bass. Sick. At the drop. All right, back. James James on the bass. Who's on the guitar? Corey Brandon and yeah, I would just

I would just keep it like that because I'd want to try to play and keep up with those guys too. So it'd be a three piece. Yeah. Plus you. Yeah.

Fucking awesome. See, I've been we got we're interviewing a lot of jam bands like guys from Grateful Dead and Widespread Panic and stuff. They're all talking about two fucking drummers,

fucking two bass players. Like the Allman brothers. You have like two drums. You don't need that. I mean, like how many pieces is your band? Five? Five. Yeah.

Well, yeah. We've added, there's our buddy Nate will play some keyboards from time to time. So yeah, five piece. All right, I got one last question. So I'm getting excited now. What is your favorite, lyrically your favorite song you ever written? And what was the show in the early years? You might not remember, but you felt like we're gonna do this

that question i can remember there was this place on long island and it was a small place you know it held maybe like what year uh this was like 2000 maybe 2001 and uh it's the first time that the crowd like was really singing along and like, and the show was just insane. What record is that? It was, you know, it was before like to all your friends. Yeah. It was, it was before you were playing some of those songs. Yeah. Yeah. And like we had a demo that we had made with like half of that record on it. So, um, yeah, so people, people were going crazy. And I remember john had this red honda civic and so like we're unloading and we're putting stuff back in the car and uh i just remember sitting there

and we both looked at each other like holy shit this is gonna work like there's and it was the craziest feeling yeah i'll never forget that and then uh yeah i'm like trying to think forget that and then uh yeah i'm like trying to think yeah it was either 2000 and 2001 like it was very early on like i i just started long island hit before like they were the first town that was hip on you guys and then did you or were you going regionally and you're realizing oh like you know upstate is working and downstate yeah like we would go between there and connecticut and then we'd go like there, New Jersey, Connecticut. And then we just, it just started to grow from there. And then when did Victory start getting hip with you guys?

It actually happened pretty fast. It was funny because, you know, I was given the demos that anyone and everyone I could think of. And, but there was a friend of ours was, was driving to a show in Philadelphia and Angel Huarbe, who, who is one of my best friends now, but he happened to be in the car and just she had her demo in. And he asked, oh, who's this band? And she told him, let's take him back Sunday, and they gave us a call. Fucking badass.

Yeah, that's how it happened. So how were the record deals back then? Was it like a development deal, or was it like, all right, we're in on you guys. We're doing a five-album deal or a three-album deal. What I'm allowed to talk about three hours it was like it what i'm allowed to talk about is that it it's uh it was an it was an insane deal yeah that's awesome but were they a sub of warner like because no i was at geffen and like once you made a hundred thousand records

and i worked for drive-thru and like i saw something corporate all these guys hello goodbye you know once they made a thousand hundred, they got to get shipped to Geffen and then drive-thru is fucked because their band is gone. It's fucked. There was a time, I think, when Victory was talking to MCA or something. But they were never an incubator for anybody.

That's crazy. Adam, what a life. You're still here. Yeah, it's wild. One last thing. Was there competition in the beginning years between you and Brand New? Like to get a, were you guys, because I feel like you guys were on that same fucking stride. Seeing, nah man.

Like together. No, it was like, yeah, I mean it was just a friendly thing. Yeah, no, totally. Yeah, yeah. Like, I don't know, because I have some friends. It's a fun, competitive... It's not like bad blood, but you're like, yeah, we're both doing this together. Let's keep on rising with it.

Well, yeah. If there was any competition, it would have been in a friendly way. Yeah, it's awesome. Adam, thank you so much for having me, man. Thanks, man. No, thanks for having me. You got anything to promote promote you got a new record

you got a new live record nah man we're just living the dream right now fucking gigging dude you guys have been gigging for so long it's like respect man it's like it makes there's hope for us you know it's like yeah the fans still show up they sing

awesome yeah yeah it's fucking nuts I finger banged my first chick on it The fans still show up. They sing. That's awesome. Yeah. Yeah. It's fucking nuts. Dude, I finger banged my first chick on it. I fucking had a record, dude. It was like. So, Adam, thank you for letting me finger bang my first chick, man. I appreciate you. Anything I can do to help in that department.

Take them back Sunday. Check them out. You already know them. Kill it tonight, buddy. Yeah, man. I'll see you tomorrow, too, because we're playing with you tomorrow, too. Yeah. Same bat time. Just a different bat station. Be safe out there. Later, buddy. Yeah, man. I'll see you tomorrow, too, because we're playing with you tomorrow, too. Yeah. Yeah. Same bat time.

Yep. Just a different bat station. Be safe out there. Yeah. Thanks. Later, buddy. Hey, Bruno. This is Carmine down at Carmine's Auto-Tuning Lube.

We got your son Andy's tour van down here again. This little sizzle chest pizza Steve comes in earlier telling me that he put unleaded where the diesel goes. Now, I don't know if you know what kind of problems this causes me. I got fucking ten fucking cars back there that need to be out by fucking Sunday or it's my ass. Now, I know you got me on retainer and everything, but this shit is starting

to get fucking ridiculous. Call me. Woo-hoo. Woo-hoo. I'm going to drive a tour bus through the festival. He got stuck in the mud He put a lot of gas in the diesel engine Lord And now we're late for

the show Be Steve Be Steve What that woman long, she ain't doing to Steve. Beat Steve, beat your Steve, what that woman long, she ain't doing to Steve We do our best work in the morning. All the time. Now I'm stoned though. Now I'm tired and lazy.

It seems like when we start the episode, we're like, let's do it. They're turning, recording, recording. I'm like, fuck yeah. And then we listen to the whole episode. It's an hour. For a segment, like we let's do it. They're turning, recording, recording. I'm like, fuck yeah. And then we listened to the whole episode. It's an hour. The first segment, like we're looking at it, we're like, oh, it's 20 minutes.

We'll just keep going. Well, I hope you enjoyed the episode. Thank you so much for sticking around with us, getting deep and dirty in basketball and life this episode. But any final remarks, do you think? What should we tell the people any last words you still

you still upset that I played basketball in college yes I'm pissed because I love basketball I love

you know everyone knows my deep love for Los Angeles Lakers and I cry I you know I not like physically cry

but emotionally cry whenever they lose or whenever people talk shit and whenever I get pissed off too when fucking fair weather fans go to the goddamn Clippers or go to like fucking Golden State and you're from Los Angeles, California

and just because they're fucking cool. But, fuck! And then they come back Now they're gonna win again And they're gonna Fucking come back Oh god That pisses me off I hate fair weather fans

No I get it That's why I don't like LA so much Cause there's a fucking Bunch of fair weather people Out there The loyal We know our local

Our local loyal Laker fans The ones that show up No matter what The ones that show up The ones that are Shout out to all my Laker fans Out there The ones that have been there Been out to all my Laker fans out there. Been there through the Nick Van Exel years.

Through the Kobe years. Through the fucking Still Kobe years. Yeah, still Kobe years. Then go through the heartbreaking Achilles injury. Then have him come back like a G. Score almost 60 points on his last game. Motherfuckers

40 Kobe. Shout out to you. And, alright, I'm done talking about the Lakers. I hope it was good. Follow our Instagram. Frasco and Yeti. What was that? My wire's kind of fucked. Oh, okay. Follow our Instagram. Follow

my band. AndyFrasco.com. This is why I can't do the tag at the end. You told me to do this. Follow us on Instagram at Frasco and Yeti. Check out our website, FrascoandYeti.com for tour dates. Arno will tell you about that in a little bit. But go to AndyFrasco.com.

Love you guys. Be safe. Have fun. Take care of your lives. And make sure you smile and brush your teeth. Comb your hair. Comb your hair. Well, thank you for listening. We hope you enjoyed episode 11 of Andy Fresco's World Saving Podcast with Yeti,

produced by Andy Fresco, Yeti, and Chris Lawrence. Please subscribe and rate the show on iTunes and Spotify so we can make this a worldwide phenomenon. For info on the show, please head to our Instagram at Fresco and Yeti. For more info on the blog and tour dates, head to AndyFresco.com. For more information on our guests, The Main and Adam Lazara from Taken Back Sunday, head to TakenBackSunday.com and themainband.com main

with M-A-I-N-E themainband.com This week's special guests were Jack Offenbacher, Pizza Steve, Chad Kukusa, Sean Eccles, Andy Avila

and Arno Bakker. Yes, we will be back.