We the Kings - punk, pranks and Katy Perry
We the Kings - punk, pranks and Katy Perry
Also In The News
|
A goal from Salomon Kalou ten minutes from time gave Chelsea a 1-1 draw with Manchester United at Stamford Bridge. |  |
Monday, 22, Sep 2008 11:42
We The Kings hail from Bradenton, Florida in the USA and whereas most kids fight against their hometown and think the grass is greener outside of where they grew up, the four guys in the band embrace their upbringing, showing all sorts of love for their hometown on their self-titled debut disc. They have even been asked to throw out the first pitch at a Tampa Bay Rays game and to top it off, the mayor of Bradenton will be giving them the key to the city.
While still unsigned, We The Kings' songs took top spots on Purevolume charts. In 2007, the band inked a deal with S-Curve Records in the States and went into the studio to create their debut, produced by S*A*M and Sluggo (Gym Class Heroes, Cobra Starship) and mixed by Lou Giordano (Plain White T's, Taking Back Sunday) and Tom Lord-Alge (Fall Out Boy, Blink-182). Time in the studio gelled the band's already energetic and tight sound. Instantly addictive tracks such as Whoa, Check Yes Juliet and Stay Young brim with youthful vibrancy and enthusiasm, clocking in at short and sweet three-minute bursts.
Midway through supporting The Academy Is... on their UK tour, Travis Clark from Florida pop-punks We the Kings talks to inthenews.co.uk's Lewis Bazley.
How do UK crowds compare to the US?
I would say the big difference is we play in the US all the time but the kids in the UK only get to see bands like us once or twice a year, so everybody's very excited and full or energy. We always look forward to coming over here.
How's the tour with The Academy Is? Is this the first time you've toured just the two of you?
Yeah, it is. We toured with them on the Warped Tour, with a ton of other bands, and we had a great time hanging out with them there so this is our first official tour together.
How do you guys get along?
Perfectly, our bands are so similar, personality-wise, so it's pretty peachy right now! (laughs)
How did you guys get together?
We all met when we were about eight or nine years old, and we all went to the same school, the King Middle school, which is were got the name. In high school, we started playing in bands 'cos we loved playing music and were trying to get girls! (laughs) And then we had a couple of songs that got played on some radio stations in the US and thought: 'Wow, maybe we can do this for real!' (laughs)
We the Kings isn't your first name though - why did you change from being Broken Image to De Soto to We the Kings?
We were going through name changes and we'd pick one or there'd be another Broken Image or a company called De Soto so we couldn't make t-shirts, so we checked We the Kings and got the all-clear! (laughs)
Are you annoyed you had to give those names up?
A little, but I think We the Kings has a more meaning for us.
And you guys all met in the home of Tropicana, right?
That's right.
Are you a pulp or no pulp guy?
Definitely no pulp. Our rider specifies one pulp, one no pulp, just to be safe.
So when you guys were getting together as teenagers, what sort of bands were inspiring you to become a musician?
I remember the first tour I went to and I realised that I wanted to play in a band and make a career out of this, and it was Jimmy Eat World opening, then Blink 182, then Green Day headlining. Of course these were just teenage, childish hopes at first, but then things just started happening and I'm now sitting in London, halfway across the world, so it's a really rewarding thing. We're so thankful and lucky to be where we are.
Touring the UK is exciting, of course, but tell me about the Warped Tour - That's a massive tour, so is it just a really exhausting experience?
Yeah, to be honest, you don't see a lot of America when you do the Warped Tour! (laughs) You have all these interviews and videos and radio stuff to do - everybody comes to the Warped Tour 'cos they can hit a ton of bands in one day. You literally wake up at 7am and do signings, interviews, have a bit of food, play your show, and then your head just hits the pillow! (laughs)
Obviously The Academy Is. , Gym Class Heroes and people like that were on the tour but a surprise inclusion was Katy Perry - is she fun to tour with?
Yeah, she's a good friend of ours, she's very cool. One of our best friends is Travis McCoy, her boyfriend, so we hung out with her the entire tour.
I hear you're famed for your pranks - how did Cobra Starship's Gabe Saporta like being bombarded with 180 frozen hotdogs?
That was awesome!
Was that the best prank you pulled on the tour?
The best one was probably when our guitarist kicked through the window of Mayday Parade's bus so they couldn't shut it and had to drive to the next venue which was like two hours away in the freezing cold! We had to buy them a new window but it was worth it because it was hilarious! (laughs)
Is that how you spend your time while you're touring, just jerking around?
We love having a good time wherever you go, but we also do these home video blogs for our MySpace page that we write little scripts for, they're good fun.
So what's the strangest thing on your rider?
We had to write a new one, because our old one was pretty ridiculous! (laughs) We used to asked for a piñata filled with beef jerky and cubed cheese.
That's pretty tough to get hold of!
The thing is, we don't really like jerky or cheese, so it would just result in massive food fight - as soon as that piñata was open, it was just a free-for-all
Lewis Bazley
Take a look at the video for Check Yes Juliet below:
Check Yes Juliet