Hailing from the South Bay in Los Angeles, Joyce Manor will release their new album ‘Never Hungover Again‘ this Friday via Epitaph Records. In 2011, Joyce Manor’s self-titled debut was impactful with its standout anthem ‘Constant Headache‘. Lauded favorite, ‘Of All Things I Will Soon Grow Tired‘, was released in 2012 on Asian Man and saw the band visit Australia for the first time in 2013. Now, this week comes the highly anticipated new album. We caught up with Barry from the band to tackle our Hotseat questions ahead of the release. Expand this post to check out his answers. Pre-order on iTunes [Here], or grab physical copies (CD, Vinyl & Bundles) [Here].
THE BASICS
Name : Barry Johnson
Band : Joyce Manor
Job In Band : Vocals and guitar
Website Address : joyce-manor.com
HOME
Hometown : Torrance CA
Hometown is best known for : Especially racist police officers.
Best venue in your hometown : Non existent!
Favourite show you’ve seen in your hometown : OHHOME in my friends living room.
Favourite show you’ve played in your hometown : Gable House Bowl in 2010.
THE BAND
How did the band first come to exist? Chase scored free tickets to Disneyland so we went and it was weird so I bought us some malt liquor energy drinks then we had fun and decided to be in a band.
How long has the band been going? Since 2008.
Any particular story behind the name? Apartment by my house. I initially wanted to use Joyce Manor as an alias in a Power Violence / Glam Rock band but decided it was a pretty cool name for a pop punk band too.
What’s your most recent release? Tell us a little about it… Our latest record is called ‘Never Hungover Again’. It’s our first for Epitaph and in a lot of ways my favorite record we have done so far. I think we lost some of the charming qualities a young hyper active band can have, but I feel these are the strongest lyrics and riffs we have written thus far.
Got a personal stand out achievement of your band to date? Getting to tour Japan was a literal dream come true. Too good.
OFF THE STAGE
What was your first introduction to music that made you think seriously about playing it? Operation Ivy was a huge band for me personally. Just loved how simple the drumming and vocals were but it was done with such energy and feeling that I felt maybe I could do it too.
Any particular band / album or song that you personally credit as a major influence? A major influence on Joyce Manor’s sound has been a band from San Pedro, California called Toys That Kill. Whenever we work on a song and we get stuck we tend to ask ourselves, “What would toys that kill do?”
Your first band name, and what style did you play? Kid Gruesome! Sounded EXACTLY like Operation Ivy.
Most prized music related item you own? My Peavy T-60 guitar. I hope to play the exact one for my entire musical career.
When you’re not doing band related stuff, what are you usually found doing? Watching TV or just drinking beers and shooting the shit with friends. No real hobbies like rock climbing or painting sadly.
The thing you most look forward to just before a tour is… Getting to see friends, Drink good coffee, and eat excellent food all over the world.
The thing you least look forward to before a tour is… The soul crushing boredom of long drives and missing my friends and cat Charles.
ON THE STAGE
When on offer, what’s your one must have item on the rider? Prefer not to have a rider. Some local craft beer would be nice but by no means essential.
Favourite place you’ve toured… and why? Japan. We had all been dreaming of going there forever and it somehow lived up to all the hype we had built in our minds. Such an inspiring and fun place.
Most memorable show you’ve played? and why? We just recently did a surprise set at a Title Fight show. When we walked out there was this HUGE roar from the crowd. I’ll always remember the feeling that gave me. Really cool.
Got a favourite song to play live? Love playing ‘Constant Headache’ because it seems to connect emotionally with a lot of people.
Any embarrassing on stage moments come to mind? Watched videos of us too drunk to play.. But that was only embarrassing in retrospect. At the time we probably thought we sounded great.
Any pre-show rituals? Pacing nervously.
What do you find is the hardest aspect of touring in a band today? Nothing really. Touring can be draining at time but it really is living the dream. I’m really grateful that people care about our band and we are able to tour.
RIGHT NOW
Last song you listened to? Erasure – a little respect
Last album you picked up? Cheap Girls – Famous Graves
Which band or album is currently on high rotation? The Kinks
Tell us an up and coming band or artist you think we should go and listen to right now? The Exquisites
What’s on the cards for the next few months for the band? Lots and lots of touring!
IF ONLY…
You can pick any one album for your band to cover in full, what would it be and why? The Clash – London Calling. Classic record! And if we learned how to play all those songs I feel it would make us a much better band.
You can pick any one band / artist to cover one of your albums in full, what would it be, and why? Weird Al – because I would love to see what he would do with the lyrics .
One band you wish you were able to see live but never had the chance? Minor Threat.
One venue you have yet to play that you would love to? Triple Rock Social club in MPLS.
The chance comes up to fill in for a member of a band for one tour, which band would it be, and why? Yo La Tengo. I’d want to just be a fourth member though so I could learn how to groove like their rhythm section.
A headline tour overseas comes up, tell us two bands you’d take along to support your band. The Croissants from Scramento and Royal Headache from Sydney!
PLUG TIME
Got any final words? Check out Nate from Glocca Morras new band Gunk. The track kill em all is a classic. The melody and lyrics are devastating!!
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JOYCE MANOR – ‘Never Hungover Again‘
Available Friday 18th July on Epitaph Records.
Pre-order on iTunes [Here], or grab physical copies [Here].
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