The Tired And True recently released their new EP, Haunts, and are currently on tour with Rust Belt Lights and Legend Has It. If you enjoy the band, make sure to check their tour dates for a show near you, and their EP on Bandcamp. Below is our interview with the band's vocalist/guitarist, Kurt.
Firstly, could you state your name and role in The Tired And True?
Kurt: My name is Kurt and I sing and play guitar in the band.
Dating back a minute, can you tell us how the band got together and how the band name was chosen?
Kurt: I was playing in a band from New York called Like Skeletons at the time, and I had met Jay through an ex girlfriend and we basically became really great friends. Him and Pat also were playing in a band at the time and we just decided to try and start a band together once both of those bands called it quits. The name was literally just a result of a misread text message I sent pat one day ha.
The band recently released its new EP, Haunts, the follow-up to last year's full-length, Scenarios - so far, what's the reception for the EP been like?
Kurt: It's hard to say really because we haven't really done any touring in support of it yet (we leave for tour Thursday), but via the Internet I can tell kids are enjoying it.
I feel that this year in particular, the band has risen to a new level, progressively making a name for itself. Do you feel you've met any goals you may've set for yourself over time?
Kurt: With the release of Haunts I think we've finally settled into our sound. It takes a band years to really understand what they are capable of and feed off each other's strengths and weaknesses in the writing process and I think we've finally overcome those obstacles. That's always sort of a goal I've had for us and I think we've finally achieved it.
As we mentioned in our review, the EP shows various manifestations of growth and overall improvement. As a band and individuals, how much do you feel you've changed over the years?
Kurt: Like I said earlier, I think we've finally found a writing dynamic that works well for us and have finally built a sound that is our own.
How did the writing and recording processes compare to working on Scenarios, and what was it like working with Jay Maas?
Kurt: Honestly it was very last minute and thrown together. We just really wanted to get more music out as fast as we could. I think that is what made it so much more fun. Not a lot of planning and very spontaneous. Working with Jay was awesome. He really understood what we were going for right off the bat. He really made Haunts sound the way it was meant to sound.
Tell us a little about the band's intentions behind Haunts. Do the lyrics for EP explore any common or particular themes?
Kurt: I'm from a small town where everyone knows everyone and I would say the lyrics on Haunts are mostly about my experiences I've had here whether it be with girls, drinking at a bar with my friends, or playing shows as a young kid.
Will Eulogy Recordings also be releasing Haunts? So far I've only come across the limited tape run. What's your relationship with the label been like?
Kurt: Haunts was meant to be released very quickly, therefore trying to put it out on a label with the distribution that Eulogy has wouldn't have allowed us to do that. John and everyone at Eulogy have always been super awesome to us and I've never worked with such down to earth people before. We are still very much a part of Eulogy Records.
The band is also about to embark on a 19-date East Coast tour with Rust Belt Lights and Legend Has It - what're you looking forward to the most about this tour?
Kurt: An easier question to answer would be what are we not looking forward to the most! This particular tour is hitting all our favorite spots and we're going to get to see all our good friends we've made over the years. Absolutely stoked for it!
As a musician, how do you think the local music scene's holding up? It's not often we see bands with the amount of passion and dedication you guys show.
Kurt: Wow thanks for the compliment! Our local scene here in CT has been thriving for years. Even more as of lately with so many great new bands coming out of the state.
So the word is Team Shithead is taking over the world, what're your thoughts on this new initiative?
Kurt: Team shithead is a label my friend Charles has just started up. Definitely go check it out, and his band Latin For Truth!
Thanks for taking the time to do this, would you like to add anything else?
Kurt: Thanks to you guys at Easycore and please consider picking up our new EP, Haunts on iTunes, Bandcamp, or at our merch store on limited edition cassette!
Exclusive: Life On The Sideline EP announcement, music video premiere
Since releasing Honesty Is A Dying Breed two years ago, Life On The Sideline has remained active on the road and is now ready to unveil its upcoming EP, Never Settle. To kick things off, we're premiering the music video for the band's new single, "Echo", which tells the sad story of a young girl reminiscing times spent with her deceased partner. While not a pop punk song per se, it's as catchy as one with an infectious chorus that you'll inevitably get stuck in your head. The band's sound could be compared to that of Transit's and The Early November's. Fans can pre-order the EP on iTunes and CD here, before it's released on June 7th. […]
