.How was your first tour as a band?
Our first tour as a band was self-booked and spotty. It was almost three years ago come Spring, and we booked most of shows off of some mild credibility we had been getting from PureVolume.com. We did about two weeks on the West Coast, travelled north to Seattle and then east to Utah (which has always been great for us) and then down through Vegas and Arizona. We weren't making enough money at the shows to cover gas, so we would walk around local malls in every city before our show with headphones and CD players and would try to sell as many CD's as we could, which most of the time was more than at the actual shows!
What's your favorite city to tour in?
Seattle, WA and Logan, Utah. Both cities have the most supportive and enthusiastic fans we have ever encountered.
Where is San Luis Obispo, CA?
San Luis Obispo is on the central coast about two and a half hours north of Los Angeles and and three hours south of San Francisco. Have you ever seen the movie Sideways? It's pretty much wine country…
What's the Cali scene like?
Well the Cali scene is so diverse it's not an easy question to answer. We are not an LA band and we are not a San Fran band. Its true though, it's pretty cut throat. It was so hard to get on shows when we were first starting out. We stood outside of many clubs with sampler CD’s and free buttons just to get our name out to the kids who were actually going to shows. So for a while we just put on our own. It took some time before any venues were even willing to put us on the bill, and usually the stipulation was pre-selling a lot of tickets. But the nice part about being in central California is that we could trade weekends back and forth between San Jose/ San Francisco and Orange County/LA.
Do you have a lot of hometown support?
Yes, and even more so now! The weird thing about starting a band while in college is that the college eventually starts supporting you. So now that most of our peers and original fans from the town have moved/graduated, there is still a lot of support from the kids who are now a part of that town.
What bands should we look out for back in your hometown?
Well Lakes is definitely one of them (Seth from Watashi Wa); and Briertone.
There's a Sherwood in AK, MD, MI, ND, OH, OR & two in WI, and even one in Zimbabwe. What do you think about a Sherwood city tour. Seriously though, where did you get the name for the band?
I didn't realize there were that many cities! It probably won't surprise you too much but the name comes from the movie Robin Hood. The story of Robin Hood has come to mean even more to us now, but the Sherwood Forest was just a good idea...we are kind of crazy hippie nature kids so we wanted to come up with something organic sounding.
How has the many lineup changes affected the overall development of the band as a whole?
Well when our original guitarist left the band, we were one man down in the writing process. And his influences were definitely more Mineral/Get up Kids and his favorite guitar player was Omar Rodriguez (of famed At the Drive In/Mars Volta). Over time though, we all started listening to older Pop Music, smart chord changes and harmonies. Our ear's are definitely more inclined towards catchy hooks over shredding guitars, but we are still in love with our early "emo" roots and have become interested in some more dance elements of the 70's, without losing interest in the Beach Boys.
Surpising with all the record labels that were pursuing you, you chose to sign to Myspace Records, why is that?
Well, we went with Myspace records for several reasons. Tom Andersen was the only President of a record label that actually took the time (for hours) to meet with us and discuss any and all of our apprehensions about the label, as well as the pro's. At the time it felt like a bit of a gamble to go with a record company that has not proven itself to sell records, but the sheer amount of force and support they have for us is really great. Truthfully it is also a matter of "what if's." The potential for us to build a career on Myspace records is one of the many "what if's" that we are willing to take.
With the help of Myspace Records, what are your expectations for "A Different Light"?
Our expectations have already been exceeded! We made a really great record with the budget we were given, worked with an incredible producer (Lou Giordano), and are opening up a tour for two really great bands (Relient K and Mae). We have always been a band about playing shows and for us our goals are more focused on making fans and putting on a show that keeps getting better. We also would really love to tour overseas at some point.
The three albums have very positive names "Sing, But Keep Going" "A Different Light", "Summer EP", who has come up wih the names, and why?
We are visited by this Gypsy woman once a year who reads our palms and gives us album title's in exchange for alms for the poor.
What are your favorite songs on the album, on all the albums, and favorite to play live?
My favorite songs on the album are The Simple Life, The Best in Me, For the Longest Time, Middle of the Night, and Alley Cat (all done with electronic instruments). Songs from other albums would include The Summer Sends it's Love, Traveling Alone, and Lake Tahoe. My favorite songs to play live are The Town that you Live in and Learn to Sing because people seem to get crazy when we play them.
I've interviewed alot of bands, and at least 80% have dropped your name, This Providence & Daphne Loves Derby. Who are some of your famous friends?
Well we are definitely friends with both of those bands. We have also been fortunate enough to befriend the guys in Motion City Soundtrack and Saves the Day, whom we are really big fans of. They aren't famous yet, but House of Fools on drive thru records are a phenomenal band! Also Waking Ashland are great friends of ours and we hope to do a tour with them again in the future. I would add Gym Class Heroes to that list, as well as The Rocket Summer.
What do you think is the biggest part of your success?
We are kind of always thinking ahead. What are we going to do in six months from now? Our singer is a tremendous manager and everyone is willing to put in extra time to give back to our fans who have remained loyal to us through the seasons. I don't think there is just one Big part but the accumulation of many ideas and pieces..
If you were to win an MTV Music award, who would you thank?
The band A Long Story Short for threatening to sue us if we didn't change our name. Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! [CO]