July 8, 2006
The Academy Is – Mike Carden

C = Cath, M = Mike

C: For the record, can you say your name and what you do in the band?
M: My name is Mike Carden and I play guitar in The Academy Is.

C: How would you describe your music to someone who’s never heard it before?
M: I guess it’s a rock & roll band, and I think you have to see it live to totally experience it. I don’t know, we kind of write little rock songs.

C: Can you describe every member of your band in 3 words each?
M: Yea… Wow, this is a rough question. I mean, Butcher is a crazy, hippie dude who’s really nice to be around and puts you in a good mood. Siska is the same way. He’s kind of a wild child and he keeps the whole thing gelled together and puts humor in it. Tom is very - he likes photography a lot, and he’s the artist of the band, I would say. William is my counterpart. He’s obviously the singer, & we write songs, & I think he does a real nice job of what he does. Then myself… I don’t know. I guess I’m the guy behind the scenes that keeps the whole boat afloat.

C: On your website right now, you are holding a contest-like thing where fans can send in pictures of their summer to help inspire a new song. Where did you get the idea for that?
M: Basically, we wanted to make a record. We haven’t really had a chance to put out anything, and we wanted to do a new song and this idea came up for that. We thought it would be interesting to take a different perspective with the writing, so we have. The song is actually done. We looked at the photos and everything else, so it helped. It was a nice way to do it. I’m not sure what’s going to come of it just yet, but the song’s cool and hopefully you’ll hear it soon.

C: What are your plans for after Warped is done with?
M: We’re going to go make a new record, that’s the plan. We’re going to take a little more time to totally compile the songs and make them what they need to be, and then we’ll go in the studio. Hopefully we’ll tour at the end of this year and our record will come out early next year. That’s the plan right now – tentative.

C: Do you have a favorite city to play in?
M: No, I don’t. I mean, I love playing Chicago, I love New York, I like san Francisco a lot… As far as a favorite? There isn’t, no.

C: Do you have any interesting tour stories that you could share?
M: Interesting? Well on this tour… I’m trying to think… We have been leaving people lately, like at the bus call. We have a bus call at like 2 in the morning, and we’ll leave someone, and then we’ll have to come back. I don’t know why, it just happened twice and we are usually pretty good about it. But there’s so much hanging out, where you can grab a ride from any band, so it’s not a big deal. I guess that’s kinda interesting.

C: If you could tour with any band, still together or not, who would it be and why?
M: Led Zeppelin probably, that’s kind where I’m at. Or another would be The Smashing Pumpkins, if it had to come down to it. Those are some of my favorite bands.

C: What’s the best thing in your opinion about being in a band?
M: Being able to see so many places. We’ve gotten to go to England now 3 times, & Japan. I get to travel and write music with my friends. On this tour, it’s just fun to have a family vibe or whatnot. It’s a different tour, but it’s good. It’s very healthy and can help you tour as opposed to being in dark clubs all the time. It’s nice to be outside and everything. Don’t get me wrong – I love playing clubs, too.

C: How do the fans from the US compare to the fans in other countries you’ve toured in?
M: Relatively speaking, it’s similar. In Japan, people are very respectful and they’re just glad that you’re there. There’s already a different vibe as soon as you get off the plane. We’re like, “Wow, thanks for coming out!” and they’re like, “Well, thanks for coming”. I think in America, it’s more just like… you tour. You come to cities and you just tour and no one really thinks much about it. I mean, I don’t either, I’m not saying I need a pat on the back or anything... But there, the hospitality’s on a whole new level. As far as England, there are definitely some crazy fans here, but there it seems like there’s a plethora of very hardcore fans.

C: What do you hope to have accomplished by the time your band decides to stop playing music?
M: Since “Almost Here” has been released, it’s surpassed my expectations. So, as long as it just keeps going, I’m in. I mean, there’s definitely a part that I don’t think about a lot, about how you want to leave your mark on music and pop culture or whatever. But that’s not something I walk around thinking about, though it’s definitely something. I can see the end goal is to make your mark with the people, and hopefully they’ll walk away with the music of our band.

C: If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?
M: I’d probably fly just because its bad ass. I don’t know, I’m not sure.
L: You could avoid traffic.
M: Yea, nooo traffic!

C: What are some bands that you are currently listening to?
M: I like the new Yeah Yeah Yeah’s record a lot. I’ve also been hanging out with Armor For Sleep, and they’ve been showing me some demos. I’ve been listening to those the past few nights. On this tour, I’ll go watch Motion City [Soundtrack], Thursday, Saves The Day… There’s a lot of music right here that I can listen to. As far as on my iPod, a lot of STP and Sound garden. I don’t know, I’m kinda re-living the 90’s I guess.

C: If you were stuck on a deserted island with no food and no one but your band members, who would you eat first and why?
M: I’d probably eat Siski first because I don’t think he’d make it on a deserted island. I think we’d just have to cut our losses…
C: You’d be doing him a favor?
M: I’d be doing him a favor, exactly.

C: Do you have anything else you’d like to say?
M: Just check out the website - theacademyis.com, and we have a new video for “The Phrase That Pays” coming out soon.