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October 2, 2008
Hit The Lights –Nick Thompson, Nate Van Dame, Kevin Mahoney
Cathy: For the record, can you state your name and what you do in the band?
Nate: My name’s Nate & I play drums in Hit The Lights.
Nick: My name’s Nick and I sing in Hit The Lights.
Kevin: My name’s Kevin and I play guitar in Hit The Lights.
Cathy: This is your last night on tour with Motion City Soundtrack & Chiodos. Do you have any interesting tour stories from this tour?
Nick: It hasn’t been too crazy, this tour. Let me think.
Nate: Omar was going to poop in a box yesterday and give it to Person L as a going away present. I can’t say that it happened, because it didn’t… But it was about to.
Nick: The problem is that it’s such a short tour, we didn’t get to do anything really sweet.
Nate: We don’t really know them, we don’t know what we can get away with.
Nick: Man, what a boring answer. You got screwed on that one.
Cathy: Do you have any other good ones from other tours, maybe?
Nick: Nope!
Cathy: I don’t believe you.
Nick: Most of the stuff is pretty vulgar.
Nate: You could always tell a pee one.
Nick: I always tell the pee ones! It’s always pee…
Nate: You gotta get some poop ones in there.
Nick: I know!... On this tour we shared a room with Person L, and one night I got naked and put a lampshade on my head and tried to get away with being a lamp to see if they’d notice… They did.
Nate: They said there was an interesting lamp…
Nick: They tried to turn me on! They tried to pull the string! [Laughs]
Nate: It didn’t work.
Nick: We played beer pong on All Time Low’s tour, on stage on the last day. We took a BP table on and played beer pong.
Nate: We all had booty shorts on.
Kevin: The usual answers are like “This person drank pee” or “This person pooped on somebody else” or stuff like that. This tour’s got nothing.
Nick: Well, I guess this is the last night. There’s still time!
Nate: Let’s make it happen!
Nick: So you’re saying there’s a chance!
Cathy: In a couple days you start up your tour supporting Cobra Starship. What are you looking most forward to on the upcoming tour?
Nick: Just playing in front of a lot of kids that I think are going to dig us. I think it’s a good market for us to get into. I always like being the heaviest band on the tour, and I think on this one we will be, so I like that. Playing in front of a bunch of new people who probably don’t know about us, it’s a good opportunity. I hope we don’t screw it up.
Kevin: I’m going to go ahead and say Vegas, on Halloween.
Nate: It’s a Friday night, too. It might be the last time we ever play.
Kevin: Yep, we might die that night. [Laughs]
Nate: Someone or all of us may die that night.
Nick: I’d jump off a balcony, I don’t give a fuck.
Kevin: I’m just gonna sell myself.
Nick: “Where’d Kevin go?” “Kevin got a healthy dose of AIDs last night.” [Laughs]
Cathy: Who are your favorite bands that you’ve gotten the chance to tour with?
Nick: New Found Glory, Hot Rod Circuit…
Nate: I like to tour with Person L.
Nick: Person L is great. Our friends, like All Time Low and Valencia, are fun to tour with. MxPx was awesome, we went to Australia with them and that was a lot of fun.
Kevin: I Am The Avalanche and Set Your Goals are always really fun to hang out with.
Nick: …So, everyone. It’s a long list, we have a lot of friends.
Cathy: Whenever you guys perform a set, you express a lot of energy which transfers to the crowd. From your point of view, which song is the most fun to perform when you're on the road?
Nate: Mine is “Cry Your Eyes Out”, it’s got breakdowns and stuff. We worked a lot on it in the studio.
Kevin: My favorite to play is two answers. My favorite to actually play is “Hangs Em High” because it’s faster and the guitar parts are really cool. It’s just fun. But still, “Bodybag”, just because kids always go nuts for it. Any song that kids go crazy for is one of my favorites.
Nick: I’ll say… I like “Hangs Em High” a lot because it’s fun and fast. I’ve always liked “Save Your Breath”, that’s a fun one to play live.
Cathy: It is obliviously very hard to keep relationships with family and friends strong while you’re on the road. How have you dealt with and overcome that situation?
Nick: That’s a good question.
Cathy: … Or have you overcome it?
Nate: I have no family... no friends…
Kevin: I’ve gotten rid of anybody and everybody.
Nick: I just killed all mine. [Laughs] I think all of us are pretty close with our families. We keep in contact through phones.
Kevin: Families understand, too. They want what’s best for us, they see what we’re going through.
Nick: Yea, our families are pretty supportive, so it’s easier. What’s not easy is if something is to happen to your family or your friends and you’re not there for it, that’s what takes a toll.
Nate: I’ve missed out on a bunch of weddings.
Kevin: Friends weddings, those suck the most to miss.
Nick: I love when you come home and nothing’s changed. You’re like “Thank God!” I don’t know. What happens now is that we see our out of state friends more than we see our family. We keep pretty close contact with all of our out of state people and then come home to our families for like a month or two. It would be a lot harder if our families weren’t supportive, but all of us have sweet, supportive families and it makes it easier.
Cathy: Your new album Skip School, Start Fights was released over the summer. What were some differences between the recording processes of your new album and This is A Stickup… Don’t Make It A Murder? How was working with Rob Freeman?
Nick: We took more time on this one. After everything happened and our original singer, Colin, quit and we decided I was going to sing, we wanted to go with someone we liked and trusted instead of a bigger-named producer. That’s where Rob came in. We did a few demos with him awhile back and loved working with him. He’s one of those dudes that we work really well with, he’s fucking awesome - we bounce ideas off of each other. It was probably the best recording experience we’ve ever had. Our last record was our first record, and it was a learning experience. It’s always a learning experience, no matter what you do. You go into the studio and learn and you get on the road and learn a little more. We’re doing more of what we want and we show who we are as a band on this record. So yea, it was awesome. I loved the recording experience - it wasn’t too stressful and I think everyone had a good time. The end result speaks for itself; we came out with something that we’re really proud of.
Nate: The first record I didn’t play on, I did drum fills. Colin did the drums on the record and anything he couldn’t play, I played. They stopped the song and I’d play and then I’d leave and it would go back and forth. This was the first record I got to play through the whole thing, which was cool. Then Kevin came into the band at the end of the recording –
Kevin: I just slept the whole time!
Cathy: This one’s directed at Nick. When Colin left the band, what made you decide to step up as lead singer? In your opinion, how has this experience been different than when you used to play guitar for the band?
Nick: As soon as Colin quit, we brought up the idea of me singing, but it wasn’t something I wanted to do at all. I like playing guitar and I like singing backups and not having to worry about my voice. When Colin quit, I just figured we’d be able to find someone else. I thought we had enough resources, like Myspace, and we’d find the right person. It never really happened. This is pretty much the last place I thought I’d be - in this band, singing. I’m getting better at it, though. Kids like it, and that’s really all that matters. I think kids know that I want to be up there and with the band, whereas Colin, by the end, I think you could tell he didn’t want to be up there. I don’t think our energy has changed at all; if anything, I think we’ve gotten better. Not because of my voice, but just the chemistry in general. But I’ll get better, too – by the next record, I’ll get it.
Cathy: How would you describe your music to someone who’s never heard it before?
Kevin: Ear bacon.
Nick: Ear bacon! Yea!
Nate: Bacon for your ears.
Nick: Crispy, crunchy, goes down smooth… And a little too hot to eat sometimes. [Laughs]I think on this record, something we wanted to do was be like The All-American Rejects meets New Found Glory, but maybe a little heavier in some spots. I think we have a heavy-pop sound.
Cathy: If you could choose any animal to be the mascot for your band, what would it be and why?
Kevin: I’m going to go ahead and say the chipmunk, because I want one.
Nick: The brave, noble chipmunk! Because our infectious tunes burrow under your patios and cause cracks in cement. [Laughs] I’m going to say…
Kevin: Spider-monkey.
Nick: A manatee. Big, chubby, but kinda sexy at the same time.
Kevin: The ol’ sea cow, yes.
Nick: A sea monkey! … You’re not going to get a serious answer out of us on this one. [Laughs]
Cathy: Luckily, it wasn’t a serious question to begin with.
Kevin: I’m trying to work on a serious one, but there’s nothing…
Nate: I really just want it to be a pig.
Kevin: Like Babe?
Nick: Babe, pig in the city!
Cathy: If you were stranded on a deserted island with no food and no one but your band members, who would you eat first and why?
Nate: Dave.
Nick: Dave.
Kevin: Dave, he’s the biggest!
Nick: He’s got some thighs on him, the best chicken legs ever.
Kevin: He puts a lot of care into the foods he eats, too. He spends a long time planning it out. His meat’s been seasoned.
Nate: Just look at his calves and you’ll understand.
Nick: Yep, definitely Dave. Dave’s done for, he’s a goner.
Nate: Dave’s gone, right away.
Nick: We’ll get him while he’s asleep. I’m starvin’ right now for some Dave.
Cathy: Well that was my last one. Any closing statements?
Nick: What’s funny is how that was the easiest answer.
Kevin: Dave!
Nate: It was almost like we’d thought about it before. [Laughs]
Nick: Well, come check us out on the Cobra tour. If you haven’t heard of us, shame on you. If you have, pass us on to your friends, burn that shit. Just get the word out.
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