They’ve just wrapped up their main stage stint on the Big Day Out as they continue to promote their ‘Ex Lives‘ album released last year on Epitaph Records, and as Deborah Konopnicki found out while chatting to them at the Melbourne leg of the BDO, they hope to get back to our shores in headline mode once more before they head back to the studio to make a new record. Expand this post to check out her chat with Keith Buckley from the band. Don’t have the album yet? Grab it on CD or Vinyl [Here] or digitally via iTunes [Here].
How is your first Big Day Out festival treating you?
It’s awesome! This is fantastic. There’s a lot of great bands to watch and a lot of stuff going on. The fact that it’s so short and we’ve got so many days off means that it keeps it really exciting. Something like the Warped Tour is like the military. That’s every day and you don’t know what time you’re going to be playing because every day is different. Here is great. We had like three days off and played a show, and then we had two days off! It’s kind of like a vacation!
Did you have any big expectations with this being your Big Day Out festival debut?
Yeah, I actually didn’t expect us to go over very well! I know that we’re one of the heavier bands and I wasn’t sure if people were going to head out early to check out heavy music, especially if they’re fans of the headliners. It’s totally exceeded our expectations because people actually do show up early!
As you said you guys are one of the heavier bands on the bill this year in quite a diverse line-up so why did you decide to play on this tour as opposed to something like the Soundwave Festival?
It was offered to us, and our friends in The Bronx have played it before and have had only good things to say about it, so when it was offered to us we just jumped at the chance to play it.
This is your eighth time playing down here in Australia, and around my fourth time seeing you play so it’s safe to say that you guys are incredibly good to your fans to keep on coming back so often. What is it about Australia and your Australian shows that keeps you coming back so frequently?
You’ve got the nicest people in the world – I’m not kidding! You’re the most friendly people in the world. Every time we come down here, the shows are just great and everyone is so kind to us. People come out to shows and take us out to show us around. I feel like it’s a great place to be and it’s just beautiful here! Any chance that we come to play in Australia when at home it’s the winter time is perfect.
This was your second last Big Day Out show with Perth only a couple of days away. Have you had a stand out so far?
Being back stage and seeing Anthony Kiedis and Flea just kind of cruising around; bands that you’ve listened to for a while acting like normal human beings! Today is the day that I’m going to try and catch everybody because other shows have been so hot that by the time five-o-clock comes around I can’t even stand I’m so exhausted. Today is nice and cool so we’ll stick around and watch some bands! I’ve watched Death Grips a bunch and I saw the Yeah Yeah Yeahs the other night. I caught a little bit of Band of Horses but I’m definitely going to catch their whole set today. I’ve been trying to diversify and see as much as I can, but there are so many bands to see. Gary Clark Junior is amazing, and I’ve got to stick around for Sleigh Bells tonight.
You guys played in the sauna that was Sydney last week where it got to something stupid like 46 degrees. How was it playing in that kind of weather?
Hottest day they’ve ever had! It was atrocious! Thinking about it makes me cringe, but we did it. It was the only thing that day that we had to do, so we just got out there and did it.
Did all of that denim stay on during that heat?
Kept it all! It was brutal! We’ve done it in little club settings, but that day was as hot outside as it’s ever been in any little club that we’ve ever played in. It’s just something that you’ve got to do.
One of the other heavier bands that’s playing Big Day Out is your main-stage buddies in Against Me! fronted by the incredibly courageous Laura Jane Grace. How have you found their reception and having them play on this festival with you?
She’s awesome. It’s been great. She’s awesome! I back her 100%. We’ve been friends with that band forever. It hasn’t changed anything in terms of our opinion of them, if anything we’re more supportive now. It’s nice to see some familiar faces and have that friendship already established at a festival. We’re like a little team. They stay at the same hotel as us. They’re one of the few bands that stay in the same hotel with us all the time!
This is the first time that you’ve ‘officially’ debuted “Ex Lives” in Australia. It’s been a little bit of a wait for Aussie fans, but it was well worth it! How have you found the album going down at these shows?
I was thinking about this the other day – we actually played one of the songs off “Ex Lives” first in Melbourne on one of those Soundwave sideshows the last time we were here. I think we actually played a song that was going to be on the album for the first time in this city! It’s only gotten better. They were receptive to it then and nobody had even heard it. It’s great.
Do you think you’ll get a chance to do an album tour for that record?
Yeah, I would hope so. I would hope to get back at least one more time before we go to record another one. I still like it! There are still songs on there that we would eke to put into the rotation. It’s weird that seven/eight months makes a record old now. Years ago it was like two or three years in between records. I would love to get down here and properly headline that one.
I spoke to you just before the album came out and you’d written a little rant about social media and your aversion to the addiction I guess you could say. How do you feel about all of that now? Have you had a chance to sit back and contemplate it all?
I think that now I’m a bit more of a casual observer than a participant. You evolve or die. I could say “Argh, I fucking hate the internet!” or I could get used to it. If you don’t get used to it, then you’re dead. You’ve got to learn how to adapt.
Actually while we’re at it, another thing that we spoke about was how someone filmed that “Ex Lives” song debut here in Australia and put it up on Youtube which you were not happy about at all! Have you seen people put down their cameras at shows? Has your message been received well?
I was not happy about that at all indeed! Yeah, it’s unfortunate because you’re still trying things out, the only other thing that I can think of that equates is a stand up comedian trying out new jokes. You have to practice in front of a crowd to see how it goes and to learn things about it, and to see if it’s going to work. For that to happen, and to see a new song online sucks because it’s still kind of practice. People are automatically going to start judging it, which sucks, but I also think that next time you come back stronger and more confident with it. I honestly haven’t seen a lot of cameras on this tour! I think that’s kind of cool. I’m still a big advocate of having that memory of “Oh, I was there and you weren’t… and you missed it!” but now everyone is everywhere. Just different priorities!
Sticking with social media for another moment, all sports fans and Every Time I Die fans would have been as giddy as me when they saw your Twitter exchange between baseball legend Jose Canseco the other day! Do you think that it’s something that could eventuate or was it just friendly banter?
I think it was just banter… I don’t know! I would definitely take that chance! He is extremely interesting! I mean, if you read his twitter feed, he’s out there! I would love to see what he writes! Not that I would necessarily use it, but I would love to see what he posses as possible lyrics!
What do you think he could contribute? Would it be sport’s themed?
Oh, I don’t know! (laughs) I have no idea! Sports themed? That would be so fucking funny. If there was just a song about baseball on an album… It could be good.
Just stepping aside from Every Time I Die for a second, you’ve always said that once things cool down with this record that you’ll revisit The Damned Things and possibly put out another record. Is that still on the cards?
Still possible. The door is still very open. We’ve all been talking but there are no definite plans. The lines of communication are still open and we’re still willing to do more. We had such a good time playing in Australia. The Damned Things only did three tours in total, and one of them was in Australia! It kind of makes me nostalgic being back here. I loved it. I was really proud – I had two bands touring Australia at the same time!
Just finally today, you’ve got Perth to go, and that’s it for Australia! What does the rest of 2013 hold for Every Time I Die?
Yep, that’s a wrap! More touring, hopefully more Australia. I think we’re heading to South Africa as well.
What do you expect those shows are going to be like?
I have no idea! The only other people that I know have been there and have played the same venues were Alkaline Trio! They loved it and said that it was absolutely phenomenal. You never know what to expect when you’re heading to these places and acting like a new band.
There’s actually some cool footage on NOFX’s “Backstage Passport” DVD. I guess the advice would be to stay in hotels with barbed wire around them in some parts?
Oh yeah, that’s right! We’re not as big as them, but we’ll see.
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EVERY TIME I DIE – Ex Lives
In stores Now via Epitaph Records
Buy on CD or Vinyl [Here] or digitally on iTunes [Here].
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