First off, I would like to thank Steve of New Found Glory, Bonnie of Drive-Thru, Michelle of MCA, and Cathy Cook NFG’s manager for making this interview possible. At times, it looked like it would never happen but Steve from NFG made it all work. I also want to thank him for giving my girlfriend the Smith hat that he did. The interview was done on April 14th Convention Hall during the first annual Skate/Surf Fest. Participating in the interview are Steve (S), Chad (C), Ian (I) of New Found Glory, and Amy my girlfriend (A).

T: Can you please introduce yourselves…. what you play…. and the funniest things about you?
S: I’m Steve, I play guitar and I’m going bald.

C: What thing about us? Ummmmm. My name is Chad I play guitar, and the funniest thing about me is my looks.

S: I’m definitely going bald , that was funny right?

A: It’s not bald it’s a receding hairline.

S: Whatever… I’m still cute.

T: What effect do you think MTV will have on you as a band, and what would you say to those people who call you “sellouts” for having a video on it?
S: I think MTV will effect us as a band by expanding our music to the toppest level we wanna be, ya know what I’m saying. We want to expand our music to as many people as possible. Using MTV, and using radio, and using touring and using all those things all coincide to making our band as big as possible. We want to get our music out to as many people as possible that’s basically……..

C: We’re not a sellout because we didn’t change anything to get big, We are still the same band ummmm….. MTV and radio gets out to a lot of people. We want to get our music out to a lot of people. We aren’t going to be close minded and be like only this person can listen to our band, everyone else screw you…… that’s like being close minded ya know? We have a lot of different kids comin to our shows now and it’s cool ya know?

S: I think once we sound like Limp Bizkit you can call us sellouts. Seriously! A sellout to me is a band that gets signed … changes their music, changes their views, and changes their outlook, and sells them selves out just to make a dollar.

C: We still always have the same attitude we always had we’re just playing in front of more people now and on the radio.

S: And it’s cool people like us. Sometimes people go on the radio and MTV and no one likes them, and it’s cool that people like our music and we respect that, and we respect our fans.

A: Do you think MXPX sold out?
S:No!

T: Blink? No!
S: Bands like Saliva, like Linkin Park, like all the radio bands…. Like all these bands you never heard of until they got signed to a major label and never toured, those are bands that are just made to sell records, they are like a machine. Ya know what I’m saying…. They put out a song and tour and sell a million records. And it’s like we worked for every step and taken every step slowly so we learn everything along the way, and learn what to do and what not to do. We look at other bands and know not to do those things those other bands do.

C: What you were saying about MXPX though is different. I don’t think they sold out to their fans or anything, I think they didn’t wanna.. I think they felt were subjecting like…. They were turning away an audience by saying “We’re a Christian band”. A lot of people didn’t like them and they just wanted to play for everyone. Which I mean, you can’t give them crap for that I mean, if that’s what they wanna do and that’s what’s in their hearts then if they want more than just Christian kids to listen to their band then more power to them, but you know what I’m saying! Like I think if you have a belief you should stick by it as much as possible, ya know. I think they still do but I don’t think they are as Arrggghhhh this is how we are.so……

T: I recently read in Alternative Press about how you used to scam rental car companies…. Can you please explain?
S:Well, basically like we didn’t have a van…. Didn’t have any money, and weren’t 21 or 25 or anything so we had Ian who is the oldest one in the band rent a van and weren’t supposed to take it out of Florida and it was unlimited miles in Florida, but instead we drove it on tour and just went to New Jersey, Boston, every where and put like 5,000 miles on the van then told the place we went back and forth to Key West. We had to do what we had to do to tour, ya know? We all quit school. We all sacrificed school and like everything we’ve worked for to do this band. Me and Cyrus had full scholarships to universities, Jordan was going to arts school, Chad dropped out of high school ya know what I’m saying? Ian was working at a bagel shop hahahh so……..

T: Do you guys like Ralph Machio or Mr. Meguy more and why?
S: I like Mr. Meaguy more because he gets drunk and sings funny songs! Ahhaha

C: I like Ralph Machio more because he whines like a little bitch! Ahhahaha All the time dude. “I wanna go home, I wanna go home, ugghhhhh”.

T: What can you guys be found doing at home is Coral Springs, Florida when not on tour?
S: Sleeping as much as possible, taking showers as much as possible, and hanging out with family and friends. Basically, go to the mall a lot. Shopping!

C: Play Dreamcast, hang out with my old friends I never get to see, go to movies, go to Friday’s, order Firebites as appetizers ehheheheh every day. We don’t do anything.

T: What has being on MCA done for you guys as a band?
S: MCA has basically…… when we were on Drive-Thru records there were ten people working for our band, and then when we went to MCA there were like 150 people working for our band at all time, people working ten days a week on our band. Also, people who work their come from indie backgrounds and we wouldn’t be signed to their label if they didn’t know what our band was about and know what our band has done. MCA doesn’t sign bands any more that are going to have a radio single they’re going to sign bands that have already toured and already have a fan base, and has their stuff together.

C: MCA signed H20….. MCA signed H20! MCA got us out to this huge audience and let us do what we want to do. They took exactly what we were doing and just got it out there ya know.

A: It makes your job easier.

C: Yea, exactly.

T: Have you all finished high school and if not do you plan on going back or finishing college in the future?
S: Everyone but him finished high school so you talk to him
C: Ummmmm give me my Cheez Its man. Ummm… with school, everything I wanna do I mean the point of going to school besides learn….. is to find out what you want to do with your life ya know. You go to a college to get a real good job! Including school and going on tour I have opened so many job opportunities it’s ridiculous like if my band broke up tomorrow I could have a job in a second. Like if different places and I’ll have options and if I ever go back to school it’s going to be when I wanna learn, like if I’m like ohhhh I’m interested in this ya know what I mean? I’d go to school just to learn about it. For a career I wouldn’t go back to school, I’d just go for fun. But probably not. I don’t have time!

T: Is it true you are going on tour with Blink 182? What’s your favorite Blink song and do you plan on seeing lots of boobies?
S: We’re going on tour with them in the summer time for 10 weeks (52 shows). My favorite song by Blink is probably Carousel from Cheschire Cat ummm and do I plan on seeing boobs? Hopefully! I don’t know, I’m a boy and I like looking at boobs so if they’re going to be there I’ll watch them and look at them and be like “whoah those are boobs”.

C: Ummmmm my favorite song is the song that’s like “this is something I regret….. it didn’t have to be so bad”. But anyway, that song. The whole boob thing, we’re not really like that. We played in Cleveland and there were all these girls there flashing us and one of em got on stage and like Ian our bass player doesn’t mind it, but I said something and was like “why are you on our stage naked, I didn’t ask to see you naked, and you’re degrading yourself in front of all these people”. It’s weird I don’t really care…. It’s not like I don’t like boobs, of course I like boobs…. I like girls ya know what I mean? As far as being in front of all these people at a huge show it’s weird. It’s just weird.

T: Do you have any amazing fan experiences?
S: Fan experiences? There are these two girls

C: Lia and Robin

S: They’ve both seen us 35 times.

C:Tomorrow will be 8 states and 35 shows.

S: And they have New Found Glory tattoos on their back, and I think one of them will be here tonight. One of them has a test or something. They’re from here Jersey… Delaware yea 35 shows. We always prop them out. We always get them in our shows for free, so they don’t have to pay.

T: Have you guys ever been in love and how did it feel?
S: Ummm….. I don’t know if I can ever say that……. I thought I was in love a couple times. Obviously, if I was in love I would still be with that person. Umm, love for me is really hard ummm I mean if you read our lyrics. I write the lyrics for the band. Um it’s a tough subject just listen to the music and everything. Lumberjack!

C: Yea, I’m a lumber jack. Dude I gotta fuckin stop what are you laughin at? Ummmm I’m pretty much in the same boat like, I mean I have liked a person so much that ever when we weren’t together I still wanted to be with her ya know what I mean? Like I care about someone a lot, but the same point is if I really cared about her I wouldn’t break up with her, if I was in love with her ya know what I mean so. I guess I don’t really know. I DON’T KNOW WHAT LOVE IS MAN! I LOVE Rachel Lee Cook, I’m really obsessed with that girl and I’m going to find a way to meet her.

T: Emo has really blossomed in the past year. Do you stay in touch with other bands such as Saves The Day, Alkaline Trio, Midtown, and so on?
S: All the bands. When we were out in L.A. we were hanging out with Saves The Day while they were recording their new record. We talk with Dan and Matt from Alkaline Trio all the time. We keep in touch with all the bands we’re friends with ya know? We always try to play with the bands we’re friends with, and those are the bands we want to take on tour and the bands we already hang out with and already know.

C: Not some stupid radio band. S: We hate playing with those stupid bands, like American Hi-Fi. The campus invasion tour played Rutgers University and it was only 200 kids. We played last night and there was 500 or 450 or something.

T: Who are your favorite bands to listen to and those you can’t stand, besides radio bands?
S: Bands I don’t like listening to are umm

C: New Found Glory

S: I don’t know. Godsmack definitely. They suck! Every band on the radio basically except for Blink and us.

C: Good Charlette.

S: Good Charlette’s good.

C:Can I answer that question man? I like listening to the new Alkaline Trio all the time, Element 101 we got them on this show, and I listen to their cd all the time. The bands I don’t like to listen to are Dragbody, Catch 22 I’m just kidding.

T: What do you think of Johnny Knoxville and the show Jackass. Would you appear on the show if you could?
(Ian arrives)
I: What was the question, I’m deaf. Fuck yea dude that guy kicks ass man. That shit’s funny man. I’m backin it! S: Would you be on it if you had a chance? I: Hell yea dude I’d be on Tom Green’s show too man, I’d do whatever man let them fuck with me and pretend I don’t know who they are. I’d let them put me in the porta-pottys.

C: I’d be on the show but I’d be the friend like “Do it….. no no you do it and they’d do it”. I: I’d like to punch that guys dad in the face, just go in and start punchin him in the head.

S: Yes, I’d like to be on the show. I’d like to be in it, but I don’t know if I’d do anything crazy. I just want to be in it to say hi.

T: What’s your favorite song to play live and why?
S: My favorite song to play live is probably tied between Dressed To Kill and Sucker. I like those songs a lot. Why? Those songs like I feel the most energy in those songs, and mean a lot to me personally.

I: My favorite song to play live is uhhhhh favorite two songs is uhhhh I’d want to be So Many Ways but Jordan always fucks it up so it makes it not as fun as I thought it was going to be. But I would probably say the Warrant cover we just started playing is one. That one’s really fun.

T: You guys will be playing the first eight days of the Warped Tour this year into the Blink tour. What are you all expecting and is there anything you’re nervous about?
S:I’m just expecting to play in front of a hot sweaty crowd. Warped Tour is really fun and a really great experience like a punk rock camp ya know? I don’t know I’m expecting this year to be really good. Every year we’ve played on we’ve been on a side stage and a couple of people would watch us and maybe people will watch us this time. We’re actually on the big Warped Tour poster and we are only playing seven shows so people are going to buy tickets and get pissed at us because we aren’t playing like last year when we were supposed to play here. We weren’t even supposed to like, we told them we’re not playing any east coast shows. We’re doing Minneapolis, Chicago, and Cleveland and they put us on the flyers for the shows and I hate when

I: That candy bar looks really fuckin good dude!

S: people do that because it’s like false advertising ya know? They think if they put us on the show it will draw more people then we don’t play it and get hate mail. “You guys are assholes because you guys didn’t play the show”. Just stuff like that. We try so hard not to do anything wrong, because you walk on a thin line, We try so hard to make everybody happy but sometimes it’s really hard to do that.

I: I think for that one last year for me it wasn’t like punk camp because I kinda felt like a shmuck. Because all the bands we like “clicky” and everyone was friends then we were like the outcast band, that no one cared about.

S: But we did hang out with Saves The Day.

I: This year I guess it will be better because more people will know who we are, and we won’t feel as dumb. Well, I won’t feel as dumb and for the Blink show. The Blink tour is going to be awesome. Like the scariest part for me is that like Unwritten Law and Blink 182 are like the reason I even started playing punk and like it’s kind of nerve racking when one of your favorite bands is sitting there watching you on the side and you’re shitting in your pants because there is so many people and to make it even worse they stand right next to you so it’s like…..

S: Blink and Green Day, well Billie Joe is the reason I even started playing guitar (phone goes off and the ring is a Blink Song). Ya like my Blink ring? I wanted to learn to play all the Green Day songs so that’s what I did.

T: Ya like Big D?
I: I like Big D and The Kids Table, and I like Drexel too. We played with this other side band too! What the hell was their name? We played with them at Bill’s Bar…

S: Kicked In The Head I think it was. That sounds familiar. Drexel hooked us up with the first couple Boston shows that we had. Drexel and Juntion 18 hooked us up. No we’re going back to Boston and playing in front of a sold out 2550 Palladium.

I: Everyone that’s reading this, go and buy a Snicker’s Cruncher Bar because they’re really fuckin good!

T: Who was your favorite Goonie?
S: Chunk.

I: My favorite Goonie….. hmmmmm, favorite Goonie, I like ummm the Chinese kid. S: Cory Feldman. I: Yea him and Cory Feldman. Him and the Chinese kid are tied. He had all the cool contraptions.

T: Who are your biggest musical and non-musical influences?
I: Biggest musical influence, I don’t know if I really have influences but I like Britney Spears a lot and I like the 18’s and I like Tick and Tac. Punk band wise I’d probably say like Blink, the old bass player from Unwritten Law was a big influence on me, and Green Day. Non-musical, I’d say my dad because he kicks ass. He paid my bills while we toured all the time because I never worked. That’s probably what I’d say.

S: Billy Joe from Green Day. Lyric wise, the Beatles maybe. My parents only listened to the oldies station and they’re all love songs that got me into the whole love song thing. Non-musical? I don’t really know. I don’t really have one.

C: Musical would be, They Might Be Giants. Non-musical uhhhhh….. my older brother.

T: Lastly if you saw an old lady fall would you: just keep walking, stand their pointing and laughing at her, help her up and push her back down, or take her money?
S: None of the above. Probably help her out.

I: It depends on how old she was. If she she was one of those disgusting looking old people I’d probably be like, “Sorry this old lady needs help someone help this lady”. Maybe call 911, but if she was bleeding I probably wouldn’t touch her. If she wasn’t I might help her up. Steal her groceries, grab her ass, ya know. Hehehhehe. That sounds about good.