after taking an indefinite hiatus these pop punkers are finally ready to talk
pop punkers are finally ready to talk
pop punkers are finally ready to talk about their time away from the band
about their time away from the band
about their time away from the band welcome to watchmojo.com and today we’re
welcome to watchmojo.com and today we’re
welcome to watchmojo.com and today we’re speaking with Ryan Keefe lead singer of
speaking with Ryan Keefe lead singer of
speaking with Ryan Keefe lead singer of Yellowcard about their album southern
Yellowcard about their album southern
Yellowcard about their album southern air and how it addresses their break
let’s talk about southern air tell us
let’s talk about southern air tell us what you guys were going for on that
what you guys were going for on that
what you guys were going for on that right now it’s easy to kind of talk
right now it’s easy to kind of talk
right now it’s easy to kind of talk about both the two records we’ve put out
about both the two records we’ve put out
about both the two records we’ve put out posts hiatus the first one was driven by
posts hiatus the first one was driven by
posts hiatus the first one was driven by the you know band comes back together
the you know band comes back together
the you know band comes back together and they were charged and the energy
and they were charged and the energy
and they were charged and the energy that we felt to go back out and tour
that we felt to go back out and tour
that we felt to go back out and tour again and I think you feel that on that
again and I think you feel that on that
again and I think you feel that on that record I mean there’s just in your face
record I mean there’s just in your face
record I mean there’s just in your face constantly
whereas southern air being even though
whereas southern air being even though it’s it’s the second record in the
it’s it’s the second record in the
it’s it’s the second record in the process I think is more about the time
process I think is more about the time
process I think is more about the time leading up to when you’re through
leading up to when you’re through
leading up to when you’re through thinking yes say yes then that record
thinking yes say yes then that record
thinking yes say yes then that record itself was
I think I had a chance to kind of look
I think I had a chance to kind of look back and realize how we’ve ended up back
back and realize how we’ve ended up back
back and realize how we’ve ended up back where we are now and what led to that
where we are now and what led to that
where we are now and what led to that and a lot of that from you it was my
and a lot of that from you it was my
and a lot of that from you it was my time back home and I realize how
time back home and I realize how
time back home and I realize how important those two or three years were
important those two or three years were
important those two or three years were for me to be spending time with my
for me to be spending time with my
for me to be spending time with my family and off the road and having sort
family and off the road and having sort
family and off the road and having sort of an uncertain future and working a day
of an uncertain future and working a day
of an uncertain future and working a day job I mean we you know we were out of
job I mean we you know we were out of
job I mean we you know we were out of money and there was no we had no idea
money and there was no we had no idea
money and there was no we had no idea what was gonna happen
what was gonna happen
what was gonna happen at the beginning I mean we were pretty
at the beginning I mean we were pretty
at the beginning I mean we were pretty convinced that that was it the yellow
convinced that that was it the yellow
convinced that that was it the yellow card was gonna be done
and I think southern air is so much
and I think southern air is so much about shedding the negativity in your
about shedding the negativity in your
about shedding the negativity in your life and realizing you know how grateful
life and realizing you know how grateful
life and realizing you know how grateful you are for the things you have in your
you are for the things you have in your
you are for the things you have in your life and that’s that’s more what
life and that’s that’s more what
life and that’s that’s more what inspired 70
now I want to talk about awakening a
now I want to talk about awakening a little bit I want this to be
little bit I want this to be
little bit I want this to be awakening tell me a bit about the
awakening tell me a bit about the
awakening tell me a bit about the concept for that song and the video the
concept for that song and the video the
concept for that song and the video the song was a riff that Ryan Mendez and I
song was a riff that Ryan Mendez and I
song was a riff that Ryan Mendez and I wrote after Yellowcard had already kind
wrote after Yellowcard had already kind
wrote after Yellowcard had already kind of disbanded for a while
of disbanded for a while
of disbanded for a while definitely feel like it’s the best album
definitely feel like it’s the best album
definitely feel like it’s the best album opener we’ve ever written I mean it’s
opener we’ve ever written I mean it’s
opener we’ve ever written I mean it’s just I love starting the record with
just I love starting the record with
just I love starting the record with that song I love starting the show with
that song I love starting the show with
that song I love starting the show with that song the video I just got an email
that song the video I just got an email
that song the video I just got an email saying hey the label wants to do this
saying hey the label wants to do this
saying hey the label wants to do this animated video we need like a funny tour
animated video we need like a funny tour
animated video we need like a funny tour story our best to our story kind of for
story our best to our story kind of for
story our best to our story kind of for funniest one we already had done an
funniest one we already had done an
funniest one we already had done an animated version for MTV Canada so I was
animated version for MTV Canada so I was
animated version for MTV Canada so I was like I know what I’m gonna do
like I know what I’m gonna do
like I know what I’m gonna do you know I don’t I don’t know what
you know I don’t I don’t know what
you know I don’t I don’t know what pg-13-rated tour story I have to do for
pg-13-rated tour story I have to do for
pg-13-rated tour story I have to do for a video but I remembered a story that a
a video but I remembered a story that a
a video but I remembered a story that a friend of mine had told me about one of
friend of mine had told me about one of
friend of mine had told me about one of the members of the band getting left at
the members of the band getting left at
the members of the band getting left at a truck stop and having to hitchhike and
a truck stop and having to hitchhike and
a truck stop and having to hitchhike and all this stuff crazy stuff to make it to
all this stuff crazy stuff to make it to
all this stuff crazy stuff to make it to the show the next day and so I just kind
the show the next day and so I just kind
the show the next day and so I just kind of wrote a treatment as if that was
of wrote a treatment as if that was
of wrote a treatment as if that was happening to me happening to yellow card
awakening any favorite to collaborations
awakening any favorite to collaborations from them we’d never done any kind of
from them we’d never done any kind of
from them we’d never done any kind of co-writing before and on this record I
co-writing before and on this record I
co-writing before and on this record I was sort of doing some weekend
was sort of doing some weekend
was sort of doing some weekend songwriting sessions with different
songwriting sessions with different
songwriting sessions with different people not not for Yellowcard just just
people not not for Yellowcard just just
people not not for Yellowcard just just getting out and working on songwriting I
getting out and working on songwriting I
getting out and working on songwriting I had the chance to start working with
had the chance to start working with
had the chance to start working with Patrick stone has always been a friend
Patrick stone has always been a friend
Patrick stone has always been a friend of mine but we obviously got a lot
of mine but we obviously got a lot
of mine but we obviously got a lot closer writing songs together and our
closer writing songs together and our
closer writing songs together and our producer gave us the challenge kind of
producer gave us the challenge kind of
producer gave us the challenge kind of of writing a song in a certain tempo and
of writing a song in a certain tempo and
of writing a song in a certain tempo and we were like why and he said well that’s
we were like why and he said well that’s
we were like why and he said well that’s everything left on the radio right now
everything left on the radio right now
everything left on the radio right now this time in this time signature and we
this time in this time signature and we
this time in this time signature and we don’t really care about radio it’s not
don’t really care about radio it’s not
don’t really care about radio it’s not really a part of what we do anymore and
really a part of what we do anymore and
really a part of what we do anymore and we’re fine without it but we thought
we’re fine without it but we thought
we’re fine without it but we thought okay let’s try it
it’s super pop it’s a really pop song
it’s super pop it’s a really pop song for yellow card I had no idea where to
for yellow card I had no idea where to
for yellow card I had no idea where to go with it and melodically and lyrically
go with it and melodically and lyrically
go with it and melodically and lyrically and I was working with Patrick on a
and I was working with Patrick on a
and I was working with Patrick on a couple of other things and I was like
couple of other things and I was like
couple of other things and I was like hey man you know you’re pretty good at
hey man you know you’re pretty good at
hey man you know you’re pretty good at writing pop songs what do you think
writing pop songs what do you think
writing pop songs what do you think about listening in this demo and see if
about listening in this demo and see if
about listening in this demo and see if you have any ideas
you have any ideas
you have any ideas so together we wrote all the melodies in
so together we wrote all the melodies in
so together we wrote all the melodies in the Earth’s
it was a co-write that I thought and we
it was a co-write that I thought and we thought his bam-bams would do it excited
thought his bam-bams would do it excited
thought his bam-bams would do it excited about it wouldn’t be like Oh yellow
about it wouldn’t be like Oh yellow
about it wouldn’t be like Oh yellow cards you know doing these producer
cards you know doing these producer
cards you know doing these producer co-writes to get a hit you know that’s
co-writes to get a hit you know that’s
co-writes to get a hit you know that’s not really what we were doing I was just
not really what we were doing I was just
not really what we were doing I was just hanging out with my buddy and song ended
hanging out with my buddy and song ended
hanging out with my buddy and song ended up on the record so most people seem to
up on the record so most people seem to
up on the record so most people seem to be pretty stuff
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