BAND: Four Year Strong
INTERVIEWER: Sarah Connolly (SarahC@bandvibe.com)
INTERVIEWEE: Joe Weiss of Four Year Strong
DATE OF INTERVIEW: 02.16.09

BAND MEMBERS:
Dan O'Connor – Guitar/Vocals
Alan Day – Guitar/Vocals
Joe Weiss – Bass
Jake Massucco – Drums
Josh Lyford - Synth/Backing Vocals

SARAH: How did your band form?

Joe: Well I wasn't one of the original members of the band but Dan, Alan, and Jake got together and then through some band members leaving they met the rest of us from being in other band and we ended up all together.

SARAH: What inspired you to make music?

Joe: Just like going to shows when we were younger. It was just a natural progression.

SARAH: What made you guys want to make music that was poppy and upbeat but with breakdowns? How did you find the right balance?

Joe: We take from our influences from other bands. We listen to a lot of pop stuff and hardcore stuff too and i guess it gets all blended up. Personally i listen to a lot of Alkaline Trio, Hot Water Music, New Found Glory, and Saves the Day, stuff like that. Also Blood for Blood and like Hate Breed.

SARAH: You guys were signed to Decaydance just a year ago... What is different from where you are now as opposed to then?

Joe: The shows have been a lot bigger and better in the past year. There have been a lot of new kids coming out to the shows and Next year we are pretty much doing the same thing and just touring all the time.

SARAH: How do you know when you've had a good show?

Joe: When the audience thinks its a good show and there pumped then we are happy. So basically it’s based of the audiences reactions.

SARAH: What is your favorite place you've played and where would like to see yourself play in the future?

Joe: Hometown shows are defiantly the Favorite. Chicago, cause of the Alkaline Trio, thing playing at The Metro. We have been to Japan, Australia, and UK. I really want to play like mainland Europe, like Germany.

SARAH: What was the moment you realized that your band was going to be successful?

Joe: I haven't really realized it yet. That’s a tough one. I really don't know.

SARAH: How has Taste Of Chaos been going so far?

Joe: Its been fun we knew all the other bands coming into this except for thursday but we are still getting to know everyone.

SARAH: You use a lot of movie lines for your song titles... Who picks the lines? Do they have any relevance (i.e. are they from their favorite movies?)(Wrecked Him? Damn near killed 'em!- Men in Black II)(Heroes Get Remembered, Legends Never Die- Sandlot)(If He's Here, Who's Runnin' Hell?- Van Wilder)etc etc..

Joe: Not really, we all just take them from movies we like a lot.

SARAH: Who writes the lyrics?

Joe: Dan and Alex.

SARAH: What is the craziest thing that has happened to you on tour?

Joe: I don't even know. Yesterday at the Olive Garden with Josh was pretty intense.

SARAH: When can we expect a new album? And what can we expect from it?

Joe: As soon as were done with this tour we are going into the studio. Same style just we have progressed a lot over the past year and half touring but i guess just more comfortable with the direction the album.

SARAH: Where do you hope to see yourselves in a year?

Joe: I guess same place just doing a little bigger tours and headlining some tours.

SARAH: If you had a headlining tour who would you want to be on it with you?

Joe: Set Your Goals is one of our bands that we are really really close with so we would love to go on tour with them again. I wish our friends from Dagger Mouth were still a band cause we would take them and then our friends in A Loss For Words.

SARAH: Is there anything you would like to say to the fans?

Joe: Come out to the shows.

For more official information on Four Year Strong, please log onto:
http://www.fouryearstrongrock.com/
http://www.myspace.com/fouryearstrong