Interviews

Bayside

Interview with Jim on May 11, 2004 by Archive Bot

May 11, 2004
 
Nina: “Sirens and Condolences” was produced by J. Robbins. Did you guys personally pick him out to work with you on the album, or was he assigned to the band? From working with other bands like Jets to Brazil and The Promise Ring, were you nervous about working with him? I mean it was the first full length you guys actually recorded, and you were relatively new to the music world, and here you are working with a guy who has dealt with some amazing bands. It must have been hard at first.
 
Jim: Well actually, we did pick him out. We had originally submitted to a lot of different people, and he was the first to respond so we chose to work with him. I was definitely intimidated even before we started to work with him and not because he’s recorded with The Promise Ring, or any other band, but because when I was younger I used to listen to Jawbox, the band which he used to be in all     the time. They were like my favorite band. So working with him was a really good experience, and I couldn’t believe I was actually getting to be a part of this. When the album was finished, it just turned out so good and it’s all thanks to Jay. It really sounded great, and we’re so happy with the outcome of it.
 
Nina: On a whole, did you achieve everything you had planned on accomplishing during the writing and recording of “Sirens and Condolences”? Is there anything you would have liked to expand upon on the album, or any additions that may have been turned down and saved for future full lengths?
 
Jim: Well Jack and I joined the band in April and in October we went into the studio to record. There wasn’t much time in between the two. We practiced for about two to three weeks before we actually went in to record, but we learned     most of the new songs, and basically what was going to be on the album we sat down and worked on. I wish we had taken more time to collaborate on songs though and actually sit down and work through them. So in a way I guess it was all kind of rushed, but it had to be. It would have been nice if we could have        taken time off to just sit down and write music and really learn the songs, so next time around that’s definitely what we’re going to do.
 
Nina: Since the release of the album, what has fan response been like? Most of the dates on the Armor for Sleep/Fall Out Boy tour are actually sold out, so that has got to tell you something. Has the response been a lot greater than what you originally had in mind, and general question, but how has the tour itself actually gone?
 
Jim: Well since the album came out, all we’ve been doing is touring. Every show         we play, I think we get a more solid performance out of it. The crowd response has definitely been a lot more than we imagined. It’s really been great. We have people come up after our set and they buy the album, and you know, we see kids       singing along to the words, and they’ll come up to us and tell us their favorite songs and what songs they want to hear us play, and that just tells us that people really do like us. It’s interesting to see what people want to hear, and it’s good for us to talk to our fans.
 
Nina: For all the UK fans, do you plan on rescheduling all of the dates on the tour that were cancelled? It probably would have been cool to go over there and check out what the fans are like in the UK compared to those in the states, but they’ll be other opportunities, I’m sure.
 
Jim: Yeah, if the chance ever arises we would love to go back to the UK. Well, to tour I mean. We wouldn’t just go over there to say we went. But if we can get something scheduled, it would be great. So hopefully we’ll get a chance to plan that out soon. It would be fun to go back there and play some more shows.
 
Nina: You’ve also played shows with the likes of Andrew W.K. I’ve actually seen him a couple of times in concert, and it’s always a guaranteed fun show. He really knows how to get fan participation. Do you remember what it was like playing with him at all, and what you thought of him? How do you personally try to make the fans an important part of the show each and every night?
 
Jim: Ah, good question. Well, I play drums in the band so it’s hard for me to really come into contact with the audience. I just give as much energy as I possibly can, and hope that it conveys a message. I give 110% every night, or whatever it is they say. I don’t talk to the crowd that much mainly because I don’t    have a chance to, but if people are shouting requests, and if they’re songs Jack and I actually know how to play, then we do them. I just try to be as involved as much as I can behind my kit, and really the only thing for me to do is give it my all.
 
Nina: Have you guys had any luck, in general, on your past tour? I was reading the stories about the flat tires, the arrests, the loss of equipment, not being allowed admission into Canada…although I’m not sure that’s such a bad thing…But it seems as if it were one horrible thing after the next. With everything that was going on, how did you still find it in your heart to keep playing each night, knowing that something else was bound to go wrong? I mean obviously this is what you love doing, but after awhile, don’t you get frustrated, and want to just forget about it all and head back home?
 
Jim: That was actually in Anthony’s livejournal, right? All of that bad luck was just in one big chain. We couldn’t believe it. I actually even had a broken pinky for the last fifteen shows, and that was just gruesome. It was really rough. But we had a lot of van problems, too, and sometimes that drove us crazy. But it’s like one good show out of every five shows can just make up for it. And a lot more shows were better than one out of every five, but I was just using that as an   example. We love to play, so every night when we see the fans re-act and respond to our music, it’s worth all of the trouble that we’ve gone through. We just got done playing a couple of shows with The Early November, and every night the crowd was so enthusiastic. It’s like while you’re playing, you just forget about            everything that went wrong, and you focus on what’s happening at that time. That’s how we manage to get through it all.
 
Nina: Your also a part of some dates on Warped Tour this summer, are there any bands you’re looking forward to checking out on that tour? And not even bands, but what are you going to try to get out of playing those dates?
 
Jim: It’s funny, because I’ve been so busy that I don’t even know who’s playing Warped Tour this year. I’ll have to look and check that out. I know that Silverstein is playing though, and we’re on the same label as them so it will cool          to get out and play with them. They’re cool guys to hang out with. I’m excited about just getting to meet people, and meet bands, and talk to everyone that’s there. The crowd is going to be a lot different than what we’re used to, so we’re going to make sure we play our best, and just talk to people. We can play to X amount of people in Chicago, and know that next time we go there, X amount of people will definitely be there, but you can never be sure as to what is going to happen at Warped Tour. The crowd is really diverse, and it’s going to be important for us to make a good impression.
 
Nina: I just found this interesting, and what I discovered might have no relevance at all, but one of your songs is actually called “How to Fix Everything”, and Face to Face has a song titled “How to Ruin Everything.” So at first I figured it was just a coincidence, and then I saw that you had contributed to Jawbreaker tribute album, and Face to Face was also one of the bands that participated. Is there any sort of connection between Bayside and Face to Face, or is it all simply coincidence?
 
Jim: Oh wow, hah. Yeah, that is definitely all a coincidence. I didn’t even think           about that. We don’t know Face to Face personally. We just thought that “How to Fix Everything” was a good song title that we could relate to, and that’s how that came about. It’s pretty funny that they have a song called “How to Ruin    Everything” though. Definitely just coincidences, and ironic ones too.
 
Nina: On one of the entries on the band’s livejournal, one of the members of the group had talked about how kids base their opinions around what magazines and other forms of media have to say about a band, or just music in general. To an extent, for some people that’s the only way they hear about bands, and for the most part, the band doesn’t really have control over how many articles are written up about them, or how many reviews are done of their CDs. So, how do you judge when the press has gone too far in playing out your band, and do you really think there is anything you could do about it? I know it’s important for kids to make their own decisions, not in regards to what the media is saying, but it’s really hard to get that message across.
 
Jim: As far as reviews go, we really have no control over those, or what people say in them. No matter how many articles are published about us, we’re just going to try and stay true to the music and that’s what I think is the most important thing. We’re going to write songs from our heart, not songs that we think people will like, or whatever is popular. We’re always going to keep working hard no matter what, traveling from town to town, and we’ll know who our true fans are because they’ll keep going out to the shows and checking us out each time we’re in the area. So I think that’s a good way to maintain ourselves with all of the press. Just staying true to the music and ourselves.
 
Nina: Did you get a chance to read the Teen People article yet? Heather was just       talking to me about it before the interview went underway…
 
Jim: Yeah, we actually just saw that. They got all of our names wrong, but that’s        okay. The band name is right at least. And it’s not a big issue anyways. It’s cool        that we’re even featured in there. Some ridiculous amounts of copies are sold each time an issue is released, so it’s big news for us. It will help get our name out.
 
Nina: What are the benefits of having two lyrical song writers in the band as opposed to one, and what are some of the main disadvantages? Who originally decided to have two song writers, anyways? Was it just something that was suggested and automatically agreed upon, or was it worked out and decided upon over time?
 
Jim: Actually on the last album, Andrew wrote all of the songs, so we don’t really use two song writers anymore. We all think that he’s very clever and talented, so the job is basically up to him now. So it’s hard to answer that question now. Since I’ve been with the band, he’s been the only one writing the songs so I didn’t get a chance to see both Andrew and Anthony at work. Sorry!
 
Nina: After Warped Tour this summer, what can your fans expect Bayside to be up to, besides taking a break from touring and possibly getting a chance to relax and gain some luck…
 
Jim: Well we plan to tour until we have to record again. We’re looking at a year,       year and a half of touring left, and then we’ll take some time off to record. Touring is really a big part of being in a band, and going out and playing shows is so important, so we want to continue touring until we feel ready to sit down, write songs, and go back into the studio. In winter, I think we’ll finally take a break and go back to the music. That’s what we’re looking towards at least.
 
Nina: Is there any last message you would like to get through to your fans, or even to kids who have yet to check out Bayside? If so, be my guest.
 
Jim: You know, I’m never good at this part of the interview. One thing I want to        stress is that kids really need to stick to themselves. Listen to music you like even if it’s not popular or cool. Don’t let anyone influence your opinion, or let you feel ashamed of liking something that isn’t “in”. Remain true to yourself and I promise that you’ll go far. Don’t let other people tell you what bands to listen to and what bands not to listen to. You should be able to determine that for yourself.