This interview was done with Caleb and Austin at Warped Tour 2008 in Camden, NJ.

1. You used a lot of older songs on your new album. What was it like re-recording them?
Austin: Uh, exciting. We did a lot of different things on the new songs that we didn’t do on the EPs. And when we originally recorded the EPs we recorded them as EPs. Like we knew we were going to go back and record them. So going back and recording them actually felt really good.

Caleb: Oh, so good. It was literally like being reborn all over again.

2. What is your favorite song to play live?
Caleb: Me personally I like “She’s a Lady”. I love “She’s a Lady” live. It’s fun.

Austin: Mine right now is “My Worst Nightmare”.

3. You recently played a free show in a New Jersey mall. What was that experience like?
Caleb: Nuts

Austin: That was crazy.

Caleb: It really was cool. Like everyone was screaming and it echoed. ‘Cause you know you were like in a mall. So I lost hearing that day.

Austin: It was the first time we ever walked around with mall security. It was really weird.

4. Your music tends to attract a younger crowd of girls. Do you see that as negative or positive or neutral?
Caleb: Neutral

Austin: Neutral

Caleb: We have a lot of dudebros that listen to us also. It’s dudebros and 14 year old girls.

Austin: Yea, our crowds are pretty bloody.

Caleb: It’s so funny because dudebros are surfing landing on top of 14 yr old girls.

Austin: Big muscley guys.

5. Do you tend to base your songs on real experiences or are they more story-like?

Austin: Absolutely real.

6. What was your main inspiration behind your cartoon series?
Caleb: That’s a question.

Austin: I don’t know it was an idea brought to us by our label like “hey you guys should be cartoons” and we were like “Hey! Okay, let’s try it.” So we wrote a storyline.

7. How does your upbringing in Texas affect your music?
Austin: Um, the town that me and Caleb specifically grew up in there were so many bands. Like, if you weren’t in a band you were in sports.

8. What inspired you to go into an upbeat direction for your music?
Caleb: The thing about our music is it’s upbeat in a weird way but it’s not. If you read the lyrics you’re going to realize they aren’t really happy lyrics. But it’s poppy music.

Austin: I think if you play all the songs slower with an acoustic guitar you could end up crying.

Caleb: Yea, me and Austin write a lot of weird music. And on our own time we don’t always have to write poppy. So it’s same kind of lyrics but different music. And it’s sad.

TMI
1. Who won the prank wars between you and All Time Low?
Caleb: I’m going to go with us.

Austin: Yea, we still haven’t finished it. Have you ever seen a dead fish crushed by a hammer? It’s awesome.

Caleb: Sledge hammer.

Austin: Sledge.

2. What’s your favorite flavor of Capri Sun?
Austin: I’m going to go with fruit punch since I just had one.

Caleb: I’m going to with mouth cooler.

3. If you were told you were no longer allowed to have 6 members in your band, who would you kick out?

Austin: That is the worst question anyone has ever asked us. I would kick myself out.

MLM: It was morality test to see if you’d kick yourself out.

4. What’s a crazy tour story you never get sick of telling?
Austin: The pee story

Caleb: One time we were on tour with Powerspace and a few other bands. And we thought it would be funny to pee in a bottle and put it as stage water so they would drink it. But they didn’t. And Jonathan came up in the middle of our set and was like “Who’s thirsty?” and grabbed the first bottle of water he saw, opened it, and started throwing it on kids. And we were like “Nooo.” And kids were like opening their mouths and started facing it.

Austin: It was pretty bad.

Me: Did you learn your lesson?

Caleb: I learned my lesson because when I grabbed it from Jonathan it went all over. And I was sweaty…

5. Recommend a band from your home state.
Caleb: I like They Were Stars and Pirates Vs Poet.

Austin: I was going to say Pirates Vs Poet.

6. If you were female, what would we find in your purse?
Caleb: I think a DVD collection.

Austin: I’d go with a pair of scissors.

MLM: Any particular reason?

Austin: Just to have them.

7. What’s your favorite pokemon and why?
Austin: Pikachu

Caleb: Charzard. Oh no, Garrados.

Austin: You’re just saying that because they were holographic cards.

Caleb: Yes. I had every single one of them and I gave them all to Austin.

Austin: But I lost them.

Caleb: I had every single hologram.

8. What’s your number one Warped Tour crush?
Austin: Crush?

MLM: Yes

Austin: On a girl?

MLM: Not necessarily. It can be a mancrush or on a whole band.

Austin: I love Four Year Strong. They’re a band’s band.

Caleb: I’ve watched them pretty much every day and they’re incredible.

9. Do you consider a hot dog a sandwich?
Caleb: No, it’s a hot dog. Right?

Austin: What kind of question is that?

MLM: I don’t know. It’s an ongoing argument. Some people think a hot dog is a sandwich.

Caleb: Wait. A hot dog with a bun?

Austin: No freaking way!

Caleb: A sandwich has like meat packaged in…

Austin: And like wheat bread and it’s like flat. You don’t put mayonnaise on a hot dog.

Caleb: I had to think about it for a second.

Austin: I’m offended. Next question.

Think Fast Questions
Red or Green: Green
Shorts or Pants: Pants
Walmart or Target: Walmart
CDs or iPod : iPod
Mac or PC: Mac
Warped Tour or Regular Tour: Regular Tour
TV or Movies: Movies
East Coast or West Coast: East

Describe each member of the band in 1 word:
Austin: Austin’s he’s, well Austin’s kind of… (Austin himself)
Jonathan: all powerful
Kyle : majestic
Marc: git er done
Kent: sloth
Caleb: romantic idealist