Exclusive: Boys No Good Interview

Boys No Good is a Pop Punk/Hardcore band out of Jacksonville, FL, who have their debut full-length, Never Felt Better, only days away from being released. In a short period of time, the band has proven just exactly what they're capable of. Make sure to also check out the album pre-orders then read our review of the record here. Click the Read More… link to read our interview with the band's bassist, James.

For the record, can you state your name and role in the band?

James: Hey I'm James and I play bass.

Fill us in on the band's history - how did you guys meet and how was the band name chosen? I understand a few of you were in other bans before Boys No Good.

James: Yeah Bob and I are both in other bands, those 2 bands used to play together a lot, that's how we knew each other. We both knew Adam because he had the raddest Pop Punk band in Jacksonville. I have known Tylor for a long time and we used to play music together, I knew he was talented and I knew I wanted him in the band. Bob and Adam both knew Jeff, so, when we needed to find a singer he was the first person we called.

We stole the name from a Lifetime song, 'cause we are all big fans.

The band is about to hit the road, and will be touring 'til late September in support of the upcoming record, Never Felt Better. What would you say you owe the band's current success to?

James: Really. Hard. Work. And dedication. When we were starting the band we really gave it everything we had. We were practising 3 or 4 days a week, going out every weekend to pass out flyers, spending countless hours recording and writing, working shitty jobs to save up money to buy a van.. Adam even sold his car to buy an amp!

Is there anything in particular you're anticipating for the tour? How much of the record will you guys be playing at shows and do you have any favourites to play and listen to yet?

James: I'm just anticipating fun! Ha-ha. We can have a blast in any city or at any show. BNG tours are always super fun.

We are going to play 6 songs on this tour. We like to keep it short and sweet. All of those songs are on Never Felt Better. I really like playing So Far Gone but I am really stoked to play Bold City Tigers! We have never played that one live yet.

What are some essential or even interesting items we might find in the Boys No Good van while on tour?

James: iPods, bottles of urine, empty Coke bottles, PB&J, 2 drunk guitar players being funny and Bob singing along to Kiss songs. There really isn't much stuff. It's a super cramped van!

Last year we posted your demo on our site and it got quite a positive response. Aside from writing and recording, what else have you guys been up to since then?

James: We have been staying busy! We have played a good amount of shows over the last year. We have done a few really fun tours. This year is going by so fast!

Almost all of the songs from the demo have been re-recorded for the record. Was this a conscious decision or something that developed over time?

James: Well, BNG has written soooo many songs over the last year, but, we knew we only wanted to put 12 songs on the album. So, we listened to the demo and all played all the newer stuff and picked the 12 we liked the best and it just worked out that we wanted to hold on to some of the demo stuff. We really like those songs still and we wanted to more people to hear them, we knew that putting them on Never Felt Better was the way to do that.

Never Felt Better is roughly a week away from being released and already it's received very positive reviews. On a personal level, what does the record mean to you and how would you describe the lyrical content?

James: I know! I have been really stoked how on the positive reviews (including xEasycorex.net)! I am personally stoked about this record because it is something new and exciting for me. I have been playing in Hardcore bands for years and it is really fun and rewarding to be a part of a band that is more poppy and melodic! I have been listening to Pop Punk for over a decade, so, it's great to be playing it now.

I think the lyrical content is cool because its not full of all the clichés you tend hear in Pop Punk music. We try to stray from the broken hearted stuff or the whiny and sad stuff or cheesy love song style of lyrics. We write the lyrics that we like and we do not feel like we have to stay in the box of what people expect from Pop Punk lyrics.

What was the recording process like, and how did it compare to previous releases in and outside of Boys No Good?

James: Great! We recorded this with the very talented Stan Martell. I had worked with Stan before on a Casey Jones record, so, I knew what to expect. I have recorded music with a lot of different people in different studios but I think Stan is my favorite person to work with.

Recording Never Felt Better was a lot different for us then recording our demo, because we recorded our demo ourselves in Bob's garage, so, we were able to really take our time and work at a comfortable pace, but when recording the album we definitely felt a lot of pressure involving time, because we had a strict deadline to meet and a budget that we could not exceed. We recorded, mixed and mastered the entire album in 15 days.

Now, not all bands are lucky enough to sign with a label and release a full-length as soon as you have. How did you get involved with Indianola Records and what's it been like working with them?

James: We are totally lucky. We actually signed with Indianola exacting one year after playing our first show! We kind of just had some mutual friends with the guys over at Indianola and somehow they got their hands on our demo and really liked it! It has been really great working with them! We could not be happier. They are the best dudes around... and believe me, there are a lot of shitty people in this industry.

Your breed of the Pop Punk/Hardcore fusion is definitely a less common one, in the vein of Such Gold and The Story So Far. This isn't a bad thing in the slightest - rather the complete opposite, but how would you describe your music to someone who hasn't listened to the band before?

James: Man, I always have a hard time with this one... Fun but not cheesy. Melodic but not Disney. Fast but not sloppy. Heavy but not contrived... How's that?

Do you have any recommendations you'd like to make to your fans, perhaps some of your interests outside of the band?

James: Go skateboarding, travelling is rad, 30 Rock is a funny show, Through Being Cool is a great record.

Thanks for doing this, would you like to finish off with anything else?

James: Dude, thanks for letting me do this. It is 5:58 in the morning. I'm going to sleep.

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