Spraynard Interview!

Recently I had the opportunity to interview Pat from Spraynard.

PPND- First off, thank you for making your brand of positive, emotional pop punk. It's inspirational and comforting. Also thanks for taking part in this interview.

Spraynard- Dude, thank YOU. The fact that someone cares enough about our band that they'd be interested in doing an interview leaves us speechless.


PPND- How is the new album coming along?

Spraynard- The new record is coming along awesome. We've never spent so much time dissecting our own songs and trying to make them as rad as they can be. We're really excited to be trying some new things while still emulating all of our favorite bands.


PPND- I think you guys are one of the most underrated bands in Pop Punk. Who would you say is quite underrated in the scene?

Spraynard- Dag! You really know how to stroke an ego! Thanks so much for the kind words. I think the most underrated band in the scene right now Sundials from Richmond, VA. While it's not technically released yet, their upcoming LP is literally the most incredible thing to come out of the DIY punk scene in years. Not only are they the sweetest dudes on the planet, but they write totally innovative punk songs while keeping them politically minded (which is lacking in punk these days).


PPND- What bands are you guys really into right now?

Spraynard- I personally have been listening to Superchunk non-stop lately. I think I snoozed on that band a little bit, but daaamn... great band. Dos has been listening to nothing but the new Snowing and Tigers Jaw records lately, as well as always blasting the newest Roots album. Mark has been listening to Vacation (AMAZING band from Cincinnati who play fast paced chaotic pop punk that sounds like the Ramones on speed) 24/7 as well. He also talks to me about the new None More Black record every day... still have yet to listen, though.


PPND- What has been your favourite place to perform?

Spraynard- Not to toot our own town's horn in any way, but I honestly love playing our house's basement more than anything. It's such an incredible feeling to have all of our closest friends crammed in our basement having a good time and spreadin' duh love. Not to say that we don't love going on tour and meeting new buddies, though!


PPND- What is your favourite song to perform live?

Spraynard- I think all of our favorite to play live would probably be The "Z" Sealed It for Me. Our goal as a live band is to play as fast as we can, and considering that's one of our fastest songs I think we all love to push through it. Also, the end of that song always ends up being a really fun singalong, which is always a plus for a pop punk band.


PPND- Lyrically which song of yours is the most important to you?

Spraynard- The song that is most important to me as of now is Say What You Want About Jesse. While it's not a particularly stand-out song or anything, its lyrics are really important to all of us. While I won't get into the nuts n' bolts of it all, it basically looks at the struggles women face in feeling equal in the punk scene. We feel like not enough men empathize with this struggle and brush it under the table when it should be brought to the absolute forefront of the scene.


PPND- What band do you dream of sharing the stage with?

Spraynard- Bouncing Souls. No questions asked. Best. Band. Ever.


PPND- Do you have any plans on playing in Canada?

Spraynard- Absolutely! We all always say how silly it is that we haven't played there yet since it's so close and it's an entirely different country. We have a bunch of friends who have toured up there and said nothing but great things. Actually, we were supposed to play there on our most recent tour, but Dos spent the entire night before we left for the tour looking for his passport... to no avail.


PPND- What’s the strangest thing that has ever happened on tour?

Spraynard- While this never seemed anything but hilarious to us, we got called "strange" on our last tour thanks to a tour game we came up with. The game ran on a point system, and the goal was to pee on each other without the "person getting peed upon" noticing. You got 1 point for peeing on someone, 2 points for peeing on a stranger, 3 points for peeing on whoever set up the show, 4 points for peeing on someone in line at The Fest, 5 points for peeing on someone while they are playing a set, and finally 100 points for peeing on someone with a visible gun. I think our buddy Luke from the UK won by peeing on our friend Ed like 10 times. Oh, and women got bonus points strictly because it is more of a challenge for them to secretly pee on someone.


PPND- Who would win in a fight? The Ultimate Warrior or Henry Rollins?

Spraynard- While Dos would say The Ultimate Warrior, I'm going to stick to my "Henry Rollins is God" standpoint and say the H-man.


PPND- What was your favourite album of 2010?

Spraynard- We've been arguing about this ever since all those lists started showing up on the interwebz. After much deliberation and self-searching, I'm going to go with Everyone Everywhere's Self-Titled LP. Good friends of ours, so I was foaming at the mouth to hear this record to say the least. I was beyond psyched when it turned out to be as insane as it was.


PPND- What’s your favourite movie of 2010?

Spraynard- Jackass-3D. It brought me back to my high school years and reminded me that you can never be too old for poop jokes and self-inflicted pain for the sake of humor. It's also always cool watching anything those guys do and being like "Hey! There's my hometown in the background!"


PPND- Do you have any final comments for your fans?

Spraynard- Literally all I can say to anybody who listens to our band or comes to shows is thank you. Like I said before, it's unreal that anyone gives any sort of shit about our band. We've been playing music for years and really really love it, but the fact that people outside of our immediate group of friends are into our music makes us feel like we're actually accomplishing something. Luckily, being involved in punk rock means that our "fans" become way more than just kids who are into the music. In the community we find ourselves in, a kid who buys our record or sings along at a show is on the same level we are. Through playing and going to shows I have met some of my best friends, many of whom live in other states and countries. Meeting rad people and making new homies is one of the main reasons what we do is worth doing.