Interview with Stay Strong

     This Is Pop Punk Promotions, with an exclusive interview featuring Stay Strong. Stay Strong is 4 piece Pop punk band from Eau Claire, Wisconsin. You can pick up their new Ep tomorrow on their bandcamp!

http://defendstaystrong.bandcamp.com

www.facebook.com/defendstaystrong

Josh (J), Zach (Z), Rad (R), Sam (S)

TIPPP- How long has Stay Strong been a band?

R: A little over a year, since December of 2012.

TIPPP- How’d you guys get the name Stay Strong ?

J: I had a (now former) best friend who was going through a lot of the same struggles I was and when we’d end a conversation or say goodbye for a period of time we’d always tell each other to “Stay Strong.” I brought it up to the other guys and they seemed to dig it so that’s what we went with.

R: It basically just symbolizes staying positive.

Z: STAY POSI (haha)

TIPPP- Where are you guys from?

J: Well I’m originally from Madison, Wisconsin, but I moved up to Eau Claire for school.

Z: I’m from Chippewa Falls just outside of Eau Claire.

R: I’m originally from Duluth, MN but moved here 3 years ago. All of us besides Zach currently live in Eau Claire, which is also where we practice.

TIPPP- How did Stay Strong come about as a band?

J: I met our original rhythm guitarist Chris Korman in the summer of 2012 and we hit it off right away. We were frustrated with the music coming out of Eau Claire at the time and we were really into bands like The Wonder Years, The Story So Far, Turnover etc. and wanted to start writing some more aggressive pop-punk. We started recruiting members shortly thereafter. I knew Zach from a previous band we were in together (he joined as our lead guitarist) and he enlisted the help of our former bass player Paul Rieck. Chris brought Rad in on drums and we kicked out 3 songs in the first 3 weeks of being a band. Rad approached us about two months after he started saying he had to leave the band.

R: I left the band for a few reasons, one was to take over more of a booking and managing aspect and the others were a number of personal reasons.

J: Shortly after that Adam Kirby joined us on drums and we kicked out 5 more songs and started playing shows.

TIPPP- How is the scene in your area?

Z: Eau Claire is a scene oversaturated with every genre of metal known to man, we kind of feel like the odd band out. Other than us, there really aren’t many other bands with a similar sound. The closest would be our good buds in Arms Aloft. There are quite a few venues in the area, unfortunately, not many are all ages venues, but we take what we can get. I’m just glad to see venues popping up willing to host shows and bring in outside touring acts.  If you took a look at Eau Claire 5 years ago, there really was nothing going on. Bands came and went, but nothing was coming out of this area.

R: The scene here, truth be told, I feel is lacking. But like what Zach mentioned, we don’t have any other bands close to our genre or style. Its all death metal, which don’t get me wrong I love, but I wish we had more to work with here. But since we are kind of the odd band out, it makes us work 10 times harder. We all just have high hopes f0r this band and this scene.

J: The only other music than metal that really comes out of Eau Claire is indie or pop music and that’s not really our thing.

TIPPP- What would you guys say that makes your band different from every other band?

J: Pizza and Sparks (alcohol)! Just kidding haha I think we have a wider range of influences that shine through in our music. We’re definitely a band who is all about the music. We like to have fun, but for us, it’s not about excessive partying, popularity or impressing women. We just love to write songs.

TIPPP- How long have you guys been together?

J: With this current lineup (who recorded the EP)? Since October 2013.

TIPPP- So you guys are releasing a new Ep on February 28th, tell us about that!

R: The EP really puts how we all feel about life into music.

S: For me, this is my first experience recording in a professional environment so I’m pretty excited. Very fun, much wow. It was a good experience getting to travel with my good friends to Madison, Wi to write and record music we love.

Z: …and getting a honeymoon suite together…in a sketchy ass hotel!

J: This is really the first band, the first recordings, I’ve been truly proud of putting out as a musician. With all my other bands, my heart was never truly in the music. But this is everything to me, it’s all I had for so long.

TIPPP- Explain the writing/recording process of the new ep?

J: We went into the studio with all the songs basically written, so it was just sitting down and tracking out our individual parts. Working with our producer Jared Norton of Norton Studios was really a great experience. He did a fantastic job on the recordings.

S: I was nervous because it was my first experience, but Jared made it really easy.

J: What generally happens is, I’ll record a rough version of the full song, take it to the guys, and they’ll write their parts and make changes. Some songs, like “Worst Intentions,” Zach and Rad wrote live and I came in and finished it off with a few lead guitar suggestions and vocals.

Z: The sky is blue.

R: I went down there looking for one of the best experiences of my life; time to get away and play the music that I love.

TIPPP- If you don’t mind what are the lyrics about in the new Ep?

J: The lyrics are about where I’ve been for the past 4 years of my life. I’ve suffered from severe depression since I was 16 years old and once I moved to Eau Claire, away from my family and old friends, and with the added pressures of school, it got a whole lot worse. That’s what “Oh, Claire” deals with directly, the poor choices I made in regards to my drinking habits and addictions, the decline of a 4 year relationship and going completely broke. “Nothing to Come Home to,” even though it’s the first track, is dealing with the aftermath of the content in “Oh, Claire.” I basically took an inventory of my life and realized I was broke, relationship-less, and drinking way too much. I felt like I had nothing to come home to, literally, and also felt like I myself was nothing special for someone else to come home to either. That track is extremely honest, comprised of real conversations between my ex-girlfriend and myself, conversations with myself, and real life situations I found myself in. “Worst Intentions” is just me personifying my depression. I wrote it to sound like I was talking about a person, but it’s really just about how depression can creep up at any moment and put you in a vice grip, squeezing the life out of you.

TIPPP- Do you have any plans for the Ep? (Release show, Release tour, Music video?)

S: On the day of our release we’re having a listening party with some close friends.

R: We’re just really stoked to show all of our friends and family what we’ve been working on.

TIPPP- How have the shows you guys have played gone?

J: We haven’t played shows in almost 6 months because of some rebranding and restructuring we’ve been doing. But the shows we did play went extremely well and we got really positive responses.

TIPPP- What are your current favorite bands?

J: BAYSIDE BAYSIDE BAYSIDE. They’re definitely always first for me. Others include Motion City Soundtrack, Van Halen (odd one out I know), Alexisonfire, I Am the Avalanche and Glassjaw.

Z: Blink 182, Alkaline Trio, Sum 41, The Ghost Inside, Hundreth, The Wonder Years and The Story So Far

R: Comeback Kid, Story of the Year, The Wonder Years and A Day To Remember.

S: Into It. Over It., There/Their/They’re, The World is a Beautiful Place and I am No Longer Afraid to Die, Tiny Moving Parts.

TIPPP- What would your perfect show lineup be?

All: Bayside, Blink 182, Sunny Day Real Estate and The Wonder Years

TIPPP- What has Stay Strong  been up to in the last couple of months? (Shows,tour,recording,ect.)

Z: writing, writing, writing.

S: also maybe some writing

J: and practicing what we write!

TIPPP- What does Stay Strong  have planned for 2014? (Shows,tour,recording,ect.)

Z: Shows, and record a full length towards the end of the year.

J: and obviously releasing this EP “What the Hell Are We Doing?”

S: Work on moving to China, no for real, that’s my long term plan.

J: Any bassists out there wanna join?

TIPPP- What has been the craziest experience you’ve had on the road together?

All: “WE’RE NEVER GONNA MAKE IT HOME!”

J: Our old drummer Adam Kirby had some great quotable moments on the road, including that one from when we were driving in a severe storm on the highway.

TIPPP- What are your hobbies when you aren’t playing music?

J: Writing music

S: Studying international financial reporting standards!

R: I enjoy promoting a lot of shows and being a collector of KISS merchandise and horror films.

Z: Working on vehicles

TIPPP- What are your favorite movies?

J: The Godfather series or the Hannibal Lector series

S: A Clockwork Orange

R: SLC Punk, Evil Dead Trilogy

Z: Dragonball Z

TIPPP- How would you describe each member of the band personality wise? (weird, funny, awkward, nice, mean, grouchy,ect.)

Z: oh shit. Josh is extremely depressing to be around but we all love him. Rad is the old crazy drunk guy you see screaming at birds in the park, and Sam is the highly sophisticated scholar.

J: He’s not wrong.

R: I do hate birds…

S: Zach is the token fat kid. (We died when he said that hahaha)

TIPPP- What are our favoirte fast foods or any type of foods you guys like to eat?

All: Taco Bell, Kwik Trip (gas station food), Pizza Hut or Little Ceasars.

TIPPP- Anything else you would like to add or mention?

Z: I’m not that fat.

J: We also have tshirt preorders up at https://www.booster.com/staystrong and our EP will be up on our bandcamp for FREE on February 28^th.

S: Check us out and follow us on twitter!

Storyteller Interview

This Is Pop Punk Promotions with an exclusive interview with Storyteller. Storyteller is a pop punk band from South Wales UK, Listen to them here! https://www.facebook.com/StorytellerUK

How long has Storyteller been a band?

Me, our Guitarist (Mason) and our Bassist (Nathan) have been in previous versions of this band since 2010, under different names. We kicked Nathan out at one point and we didn't have any other members so it was just me and Mason looking for a lineup and then we met Alex and he joined the band as our second guitarist and we had these other two dudes on Bass and Drums and that's when we changed the name to Storyteller. That started around august 2012. We let Nathan back in and Kyle joined the band to shred drums early 2013. We've only really been taking things seriously since we've had this current lineup, which came early 2013.

How’d you guys get the name Storyteller?

It's after a Such Gold song. Such Gold rules.

Where are you guys from?

We all live in the Swansea area of South Wales but me and the bassist are from England and our Guitarist was born in Australia so we're not really a Welsh band.

How is the scene in your area?

For our kind of music, pretty much non-existent.

What would you guys say that makes your band different from every other band?

I'd like to think we have our own sound. I couldn't tell you exactly what that sound is, but a lot of bands out there seem like they're trying their hardest to be just like their favourite band and I'd like to think that wasn't the case with us. 

How did Storyteller come about as a band?

Well the majority of the local scene is just Hardcore and Metalcore, which is fine if you're into that, but we were all bored of the local shows only consisting of that, I think. We all wanted to play music, and we didn't like what the current local scene had to offer. (Don't get me wrong, there are a few really sic bands in South Wales)

What are your influences?

Slayer.

How have the shows you guys have played gone?

We did a couple self run house shows that I'd say were probably the most enjoyable we've played. It was mostly just our friends at those. We played a show with Me vs Hero. That was cool. Otherwise they've been fairly bad, high hopes for the new year.

What are your current favorite bands?

We all like new the Balance and Composure record a lot. My favourite artist is Into it. Over it. and Mason basically just listens to Gnarwolves. Me and Alex listen to Mac Miller a lot when when we smoke. Turnstile rule. None of us really listen to Pop Punk all that much anymore, we mostly jam stuff like Title Fight, Touche Amore, B&C, American Football etc.

What has the response been like for your single Commonplace?

It's been pretty sick so far. Releasing our first bit of proper content has been exciting for all of us. We get a lot of people hearing our single and asking where they can hear more, which is awesome, even though we gotta tell them they can't, haha. It's cool because I think people who maybe might not have taken us seriously as a band before have a different perspective on us now.

What would your perfect show lineup be?

Slayer and us.

What has Storyteller been up to in the last couple of months? (Shows,tour,recording,ect.)

We released our Music Video/single (obviously)! We played a sweet halloween show. Otherwise we've been mostly just writing and writing and recording Demos.

What does Storyteller have planned for 2014? (Shows,tour,recording,ect.)

7" and Weekender tours.

When can we expect new songs?

April/May seems fairly likely.

What has been the craziest experience you’ve had on the road together?

Technically we haven't been on tour, because we've only played one off shows since we've been a band. But talking about the road LITERALLY, me and Alex have tons of breakdown stories. Look up the severn bridge.  We broke down on that one time and spent 3 hours there until Police rescued us.

What are your hobbies when you aren’t playing music?

Skate and bake. Well, Mason skates and the rest of us try to. Sometimes we like to scout out abandoned mental asylums.

What are your favorite movies?

I'm gonna get an answer from each member of the band.

Nathan: "Shaun of the dead, bro"
Mason: "Scary Movie"
Alex: "Disturbia"
Kyle: "I'm a boring fuck and I'm too cool to like things" (actual quote)

I'd say Spirited Away or Into The Wild.

How would you describe each member of the band personality wise? (weird, funny, awkward, nice, mean, grouchy,ect.)

We're all chill as hell except for Kyle, that guy sucks.

What are our favorite fast foods or any type of foods you guys like to eat?

I don't fuck with fast food all that much because I'm all about healthy eating an that but if I had to pick one, does Dominos count? Pretty sure the rest of the guys would say Dominos.

Anything else you would like to add or mention?
Listen to Slayer.

Interview with FUSS

This Is Pop Punk Promotions with an interview with FUSS. FUSS is a band from South West London. You can check them out here! https://www.facebook.com/fussband

Where are you guys from?

Beautiful South West London. More precisely: Mortlake, Putney and Twickenham.

How is the scene in your area?

It’s not amazing, really. It kinda feels like the local scene has become fully immersed in chart music. You can get great record stores like Banquet Records over in Kingston, which isn’t too far, but other than that the nearest ‘good punk scene’ is probably Camden…

What would you guys say that makes your band different from every other band?

We aren't your ‘generic’ modern pop punk band where everything is tuned to drop d and you just have chorus, verse and then a breakdown, although we gotta say there are some great bands that can do that! It’s just not what we do... We take the pop punk sound right back to its roots, with the likes of early Green Day and The Ramones.

How long have you guys been together?

FUSS in its current form has been around since November 2013. We got Charlie on the drums earlier in the year and then Joe on bass later on.

How did FUSS come about as a band?

Jamie started it all in January 2012, when he and another bass player wrote a couple songs and uploaded them to Bandcamp. More recently though, Jamie found Charlie to play drums, and then we found Joe in October 2013. 

Joe: “When I checked out FUSS' music, I instantly realised it was something I wanted to be a part of, so I sent Jamie an e-mail and it all sparked from there.”

What are your influences?

Surprisingly, being in a pop punk band, we’re influenced by the likes of the daddies of the genre: Green Day, Blink, etc... Other influences range for each of us, but include Patent Pending, Flatline Stereo, Biffy Clyro and Sum 41.

How have the shows you guys have played gone?

We played our first gig as a full line-up on December 13 2013. It was unreal because we had only been playing as this line up for three rehearsals, but still decided to jump into our own headline show. We managed to get over a hundred people in and they were all jumping and moshing to our music... Craziest night of our lives.

What are your current favorite bands?

We listen to so many different bands… Man, I think we can all agree on Green Day and Blink as being all our favourites. Joe’s a big fan of Patent Pending and Enter Shikari. Jamie and Charlie are going through a big Biffy Clyro phase. We also listen to a lot of unsigned bands when we find them. A favourite is Flatline Stereo, for sure.

What has the response been like for your album Behind Closed Doors?

So far so good, to be honest! People seem to really enjoy it. It’s had great reviews from what we’ve heard.

What would your perfect show lineup be?

Supporting our idols would be class. Getting a slot on a festival like Reading/Leeds, Glastonbury or Coachella is still surreal in our minds. Who knows what could happen.

What has FUSS been up to in the last couple of months? (Shows,tour,recording,ect.)

We released the album Behind Closed Doors on December 6^th, followed by the album launch show on the 13^th. We went quiet over Christmas so we could buy presents and get drunk like the festive people we are. We then rekindled for an interview and spent a whole day in Charlie's bedroom shooting a video for our tune, New Year's Revolutions, which will be up on YouTube very soon.

What does FUSS have planned for 2014? (Shows,tour,recording,etc.)

We’re gonna gig, gig and gig some more. We’d love to do some shows outside of London to spread the word around! We’ll jump back into some pre-production when the time is right, we’re just gonna have fun!

What has been the craziest experience you’ve had on the road together?

We discovered Charlie’s bug and cat feces infestation in his room, as well as his obsession with shouting ‘men’ at random times...

What are your hobbies when you aren’t playing music?

Music is the biggest part of our lives, but as well as that we like eating pizza, watching football (soccer, for you Americans), and hanging out with friends.

What are your favorite movies?

School of Rock, Anchorman, Forrest Gump to name a few.

How would you describe each member of the band personality wise? (weird, funny, awkward, nice, mean, grouchy,ect.)

Joe: Jamie is possibly the nicest band mate I have (being in 4 bands, that is quite a big deal), he is a lovely guy, always up for a laugh and not the worst looking guy either (no homo).

Jamie: When Charlie stops shouting ‘men’ and how he wants to ‘play with fish’ when he’s older, he’s one of the funniest guys I know. I think we’re all a bit weird deep down, though.

Charlie: I'm extremely pretty, handsome, good looking, hilarious, fun to be around, and the front man of FUSS. Who's Jamie? Joe is just a nutter. He's our nutter, though.

What are your favoirte fast foods or any type of foods you guys like to eat?

Pizza, burgers, bacon. You now know us perfectly.

Anything else you would like to add or mention?

Give us a shot! You never know, you might actually like the stuff we play! Thanks for having us, TIPPP!

Interview with The Longest Monday

This Is Pop Punk Promotions with an interview featuring The Longest Monday. The Longest Monday is a pop punk band from Nanuet New York and check out their new record being dropped on black friday! https://www.facebook.com/thelongestmonday/info

TIPPP- Where Is the longest monday from?

TLM- The longest Monday is from the Lower NY and Northern NJ area

RIPPP- How long has TLM been a band?

TLM- TLM has been a band for three years now, it’s crazy how fast time flies.

TIPPP- How did you guys come up with the name the longest monday?

TLM- We struggled for a while initially to find a name that fit us. We were looking for inspiration in literally everything we did, and it ended up that one of my favorite episodes of the nickelodeon cartoon Hey Arnold! (The episode where all the 5th graders throw the 4th graders in the garbage cans one day a year) was named “The Longest Monday.” I suggested it to the band and it stuck haha.

TIPPP- How is the local scene at your hometown?

TLM- In our personal hometown, we unfortunately have to do our best to keep the scene going. Local venues that used to do a show a weekend have pretty much stopped booking shows. Elio does an awesome job booking bands from all over for house/garage shows that usually do really well. We gather up our friends and a few local bands and rock faces and it’s a ton of fun. We usually feed and house touring bands as well, and have made a ton of great friends and heard tons of great music through the experience

TIPPP- What has TLM been up to in the past few months? (shows, touring, recording)?

TLM- We’ve had to take a break from shows due to our placement at different schools, but we do have shows planned during our November and Winter breaks that we’re stoked on. We’ve also released two singles form our upcoming EP to amazing response, which is awesome!

TIPPP- You guys are releasing a new 5 song ep tell us about it!

TLM- Our latest EP, titled “Cease and Desist”, is ready to drop on black Friday (11/29/13) and we couldn’t be more anxious about it. We can’t wait for everyone to hear what we’ve created

TIPPP- How was the writing process?

TLM- The writing process was similar to how we’ve written most of our music. Usually one member has an idea, whether it be a guitar line, bass line, or lyric/melody, and we just all jam on it and flesh out a song. Most of the songs finish instrumentally first with vocals to come after. We actually finished writing two of the new songs while were recording them in the studio haha

TIPPP- How was the recording process?

TLM- The recording process was a blast. We recorded with Anthony at Small Room Studios in Yonkers, and couldn’t have had a better time. Ant was a great producer with a great ear that definitely helped us while we were tracking, and the EP sounds amazing (in our opinion of course.) As a band collectively, we have never been more proud of something we’ve written

TIPPP- Do these songs have a special meaning to you?

TLM- As the lyricist, I guess I have the opportunity to craft lyrics that really mean something myself personally, but most of the lyrics describe feelings and situations that people can relate to, especially my bandmates and I. Specifically, Dr. Girlfriend is half based on dealing with my childhood best friend’s battle with drug addiction, so that one hits me the hardest. The rest of the songs are really about personal growth; they are about personal growth, they are about removing negative aspects of your life, and moving forward no matter what.

TIPPP- Do you guys have any big plans for the upcoming months? (shows,touring ect.)

TLM- Elio booked an awesome show at The Meatlocker that we are playing, along with a ton of other great bands. The show is on November 27th and people in the area should come out! We also have our EP release show coming up in December. The card is stacked with all our talented best friends, and we are gunna have a great time. More details to come shortly!

TIPPP- What has been the favorite show you guys have played?

TLM- My personal favorite shows have been the ones where we have opened for my favorite bands (With The Punches, Mixtapes) but we always have a great time performing. Some of the garage shows we’ve played have been off the walls.

TIPPP- Have you guys had any favorite moments together?

TLM- My favorite moments are probably when we are being least productive haha. Moments where we can just jam and chill and troll each other to death. I try to appreciate all the times we have where we can just enjoy the company of our brothers and everything seems easy in those moments; outside stresses seem to melt away in those instances and it’s definitely therapeutic.

TIPPP- Whats other things do you guys like to do besides playing music?

TLM- The usual I guess; play video games, watch movies, goof off with our friends, enjoy the sunshine. White Castle trips are a regular thing haha, We enjoy any chances we have to get together and hang

TIPPP- What kind of music do you guys play and what do you think sets you aside from other bands?

TLM- We play pop punk and have fun doing it. I think our overall genuineness is what sets us apart from other bands. All we want to do is be ourselves, we have no desire to be anybody else or live anybody else’s life. We put our hearts into writing music we like, and we get on stage with the intention of having the best time we can, and hope to provide a fun and fulfilling experience for whoever comes to see us.

TIPPP- What bands currently influence you?

TLM- The Wonder Years, Four Year Strong, New Found Glory, With The Punches

TIPPP- Is there anything else you would like to say or mention?

TLM- Thanks for having us, and be sure to check out/download our new EP “Cease and Desist” when it drops on Black Friday!

Interview with First Class Ticket

This Is Pop Punk Promotions with an interview with First Class Ticket. FCT is a pop punk band from Berchtesgaden Germany, they're releasing their new EP "We Are" in 3 days on November 13th! You can check them out here, https://www.facebook.com/firstclassticket

TIPPP- So you already filled us in that you guys are releasing a new ep and video, tell us about it are there any specific details you would like to share?

Mo (FCT)- Our new EP “We Are” is very special for us. It’s the first CD without our lead singer Martin. After 6 years he quit the band. Now Simon (our guitarist) and I doing the lead vocals and we are very nervous about what the fans will say about our new stuff.

TIPPP- You’re new Ep is called “We Are” where did you guys come up with this name from?

Mo (FCT)- Well, it’s the answer of our other EP “Already there?” from April 2013. We are on a point of life where we have to start from the beginning in the view of our music. “We Are” ready for what’s coming next.

TIPPP- Recently your singer quit the band, how has this changed the atmosphere as a band, and who stepped up to the roll as lead vocalist?

Mo (FCT)- We started FCT in 2007. We have always been 5 dudes. Martin our lead vocalist quit the band in May 2013 because of personal reasons. That was a big shock for the rest of us. We talked about a new front singer or starting a new project, but it wasn’t a possibility at all! We decided to continue as “First Class Ticket” and Simon and I are doing the lead vocals from now on. The atmosphere is great. We see things easier than the last year. We will see what the fans say about the “vocal change”.


TIPPP- The usual question, where is FCT from, and how is the local scene in your hometown?

Mo FCT)- We are from a village called Berchtesgaden (Bavaria/Germany). It’s on the border of Austria. The Pop Punk / Punk Rock scene fell asleep the last 3 years but now it's coming back rapidly. The scene in Austria is growing faster here then in Germany. Germany has great Punk Bands, but its bigger than Austria, so its harder to make a mark than in Austria.


TIPPP- What has FCT recently been up to in the past few months besides recording the new EP?

Mo (FCT)- From January to May we played a lot of shows to promote our EP “Already There?”. Since the break up of Martin we wrote songs as fast as possible to promote us as a 4 headed band! That was all we’ve done since then.

TIPPP- Does FCT have any upcoming plans in the near future? (Shows, touring)?

Mo (FCT)- Our plan for the future is to play as much shows as possible. The biggest dream is a festival tour for 2014. We hope that our new EP “We Are” will help us with that! Among other things we plan a full length Album for the end of 2014!


TIPPP- Do any of you guys have a favorite memory from the band?

Mo (FCT)- Hahaha good question! We’ve been collecting memories for about 6 years. The greatest memories we have about shows are in Czech Republic. We always freak out totally when we are in this country! But I think I can't get any closer to the details :D!


TIPPP- What has been the best show you’ve ever played?

Mo (FCT)- Puhh, that’s difficult. But I think the best show was in a courtyard of an abbey in “Benediktbeuern” (Bavaria / Ger). We were support of one of the greatest live Bands from Germany “LaBrassBanda”. There were about 7000 people there. That’s a great memory!


TIPPP- Has anything absolutely just bizarre happened to you guys while on the road?

Mo (FCT)- Last Febuary we were on tour in bavaria and at this time we were planing our shoot for our music video “The Road Song”. We still needed this special van for the shoot and suddenly we were cruising right behind this kind of van. We wrote on a piece of paper “PLEASE STOP” and put the sign to the window so the driver could read it. After crazy passing maneuvers the van stopped. We get out of our car and told the guy who drove the special van “Dude we need your car for our music video next week. We are a Punk Rock Band and you are our last hope”. He just said “Of course you guys can use my van. I don’t know you at all but you all seems to be nice boys”. Call it coincidence, destiny or whatever.


TIPPP- What is the bands favorite thing to do outside of playing music?

Mo (FCT)- We all worke from Monday to Friday. Simon is a mechatronic technician, Michael is an electrican, Bert works at an office and I am a driver for the red cross. Its hard to get all of this under one hat. If we are not working, we are playing music or hanging out together!


TIPPP- Do you guys have any particular influences or favorite bands?

Mo (FCT)- Every band has! We love music from bands like “A Day To Remember”, “The Story so Far”, “Blink 182”, “Four Year Strong”, “Snoop Dogg”, “Johnny cash”, “Rihanna” or “Title Fight”.


TIPPP- Do you have any tips or tricks to bands just starting out?

Mo (FCT)- If you’re planning to start a band, do it with friends!! I’m not a fan of band castings or something like that. In my opinion, if people come together to play music they have to know eachother.


TIPPP- Is there anything else you would like to mention or say?

Mo (FCT)- We need shows all over the world! If anybody is interested in our music and wants to book us, write us! booking@fct-music.com