August 12, 2010
Mayday Parade - Derek Sanders

Olivia: For the record can you state your name and what you do in the band?
Derek: My name is Derek, and I sing in the band Mayday Parade.

O: Warped Tour is coming to close, and I know you guys have been here before, but how has it changed and how has it changed you guys?
D: Warped Tour is very unique. It's cool because there are a few things that have changed about it, technical things, but it's always the same fun experience, and a great summer every time. It's definitely been a very big part of our band. We sold CDs in the beginning and then we played it for three years, so we feel very at home on Warped Tour. It's great, we love it.

O: Do you have any good stories from this year?
D: I mean, we had so many, you know?
O: You guys have been on the whole thing, yes?
D: Yeah, the whole thing. We've been around the country and now back to California again. Chicago was awesome, Boston was awesome, it was just a lot of really good times. We had a day off in Vegas, which was a lot of fun.

O: So what are the bands that you've been looking forward to having the opportunity to see every day, and have you discovered any bands that you hadn't checked out before?
D: Absolutely, yeah! There were a lot of bands that I had been looking forward to seeing at Warped, a lot of bands that we were friends with on tour that we were looking forward to seeing again. Four Year Strong is an incredible band that I was looking forward to. Same with Pierce the Veil, Sum 41, a bunch of bands... Then, on this tour I had never listened to Revered Peyton's Big Damn Band before, those guys are great. So are White Chapel, and this band called Tip the Van...

O: Yeah! So your last album came out almost a year ago...
D: ...yes yes, almost a year ago.
O: Looking back on the recording process, is there one track off the album that left you feeling the most accomplished after you set it down?
D: I don't know, it's hard to say. I'd say either the song "Kids In Love" or "I Swear, This Time I Mean It" which is just the acoustic song, one of those two. Maybe "Bruised and Scarred", there are a lot of songs that mean a lot to all of us.

O: From your EP to now, how has the band progressed? How has your sound changed, or has it changed at all?
D: In my opinion, no. The only thing that's different about the band is obviously the fact that we had six members, and now we have five. Jason was part of the writing process and a dynamic part of the band, so that's the one probably biggest change that's happened. But, other than that it's still Mayday Parade, it's still us just trying to do what we do and write songs that we love to write and tour. We've changed as people and as musicians, and we've been a band for almost five years... Things are going to change, but all in all nothing will ever change drastically. I think we're still just going to keep writing songs that we love and that's what we'll always do!

O: I hope so! So what do you have planned for after Warped Tour is over?
D: After Warped Tour we are home for about a month. I've been writing a lot, and I'm super excited about it. Whenever we're home we're going to really start focusing on writing. We're going to go to the U.K., we're doing the Fearless Friends tour which is us, Breathe Carolina, Every Avenue, Artist vs. Poet, and Go Radio. It's going to be the most fun tour ever.

O: I know you guys have done bigger tours, so how do you reorient yourselves when you get home, going from touring to a kind of normality?
D: It's weird, because now it's kind of to the point where it's reverse. We feel more at home when we're on tour, and when we're at home it's always really weird. It's great to be home, and I always enjoy being there for a little bit, but if we're there for a long time I start to get really bored and I start wishing that we were on the road. It's just kind of weird, but it's still good!

O: What's goes on your tour playlist, then? What do you like to listen to on the bus?
D: The Dangerous Summer, they're one of my all time favorite bands.
O: I've seen them so many times! Seeing them in a month actually.
D: They are so good. Brand New, too. There are a ton but Third Eye Blind, Taking Back Sunday, Copeland, Further Seems Forever, Jimmy Eat World, Queen, The Goo Goo Dolls...
O: I love 'em.
D: I've always loved them...I mean, I could go on for a long time. Those are a couple.
O: The staples?
D: Not all the staples, I could keep going...

O: [laughs] Okay. What is the biggest issue you see in the music industry? Have you experienced it and if so, how did you overcome it?
D: I think the biggest thing is that... I've only seen so much of the "music industry". We've dealt with Fearless Records and we're just as much a part of it as any other band, we hear other people's stories and stuff... But I'd say, out of my experiences with labels, I wish that labels had a little less control over the creative side of the band. I think there has to be some collaboration, and there should be some compromise on either side, but for them to have a little less control of that. I don't know, as I've said, that's just based on the little bit that I've experienced. Other than that, I don't think it's really that bad. CDs don't sell anymore, and it does affect bands, and it does affect labels, but people are still going to listen to music and love music and people are still going to come to shows, so that's really all that matters.

O: So what would your advice be to musicians who want to start being a little more relevant and gain exposure but also stay true to their sound?
D: The best advice I think I could tell anybody is very generic and simple: just to work hard, be positive, and don't give up. In anything you want to do in life, if you work hard and have positive attitude, you're probably going to be successful.

O: Okay, now for a not-so-serious question: if you guys were on a deserted island, and you had to resort to cannibalism, which band member would you eat first, and why?
D: It's tough to say.
O: It's hard question, I know.
D: Based on meat, I'd say Jake because he works out all the time and he's jacked. I mean, certainly not me, I wouldn't be able to provide much, they'd be starving again in a day. I hate to say it, but I'd probably have to go with Jake, just based on that reason... for survival.

O: If you could sum up Mayday Parade in one sentence for people who haven't had a chance to check out your music, what would you say?
D: Okay, I'll keep it short.
O: Short and sweet.
D: Fun, emotional, pop rock. I don't know, just pop rock I guess.

O: Any closing statements?
D: Thank you! That's the only thing I can say. Thank you, to anybody that's ever supported the band, thank you.