Team Players: An Interview with Taking Back Sunday

Taking Back Sunday aren't about to let small talk stop their assault on the masses

With the expansion of Victory's roster, some may speculate that they have caught wind of the recent popularity of more pop filled rock acts. Seemingly set to take their piece of the puzzle, Victory Records has began reaching to more than just hardcore and metal that has so defined the label for so many years. Some will call foul and say that they're cashing in while the pot is stirring, but after listening to Victory's Taking Back Sunday, you can begin to see that even though it sounds a little different; the heart and rage remains the same.

Hailing from Amityville, this five piece have ripped on to the music world like an unfolding horror classic, much carnage, and few survivors. With their debut full length Tell All Your Friends currently in stores nationwide, it's catchy pop filled punk rock was as much fun to record as it is to blast out of your stereo. Says lead vocalist Adam Lazzara, "It was absolutely amazing! The guys we recorded with, Tim Gilles and Sal Villanueva are just amazing guys who know so much. We were in there for two weeks and then we took 3 days off, then we were in there for another two weeks. Just being able to wake up everyday and go into the studio, I mean, it's been our dream."

It was a bit of good luck that landed them with Victory, Lazzara explains, "It was kind of like a friend of a friend. What happened was one of Ed's friends, he plays guitar, she had a copy of our demo and she went on a road trip with one of the employees at Victory and just happened to put our CD in and we got a call. I guess it was a stroke of faith." Good luck and good faith lead to good things. Tell All Your Friends is more than just an excellent record, it's a recording of the band's everyday lives, "It comes from everyday stuff, like stuff we jot down in our notebooks and things that we think of. Friends and relationships, you know, everyday things." And it's these everyday things that Taking Back Sunday hopes will reach out to listeners, "We just really wanted to put something out there that kids could relate to."

With new opportunities knocking at the door, some old unwelcome issues appear. With the success of Victory's Thursday on a mainstream scale, tired questions are raised. Lazarra is more displeased about such topics, "Nothing bothers me more than seeing kids not listen to a band anymore or seeing kids talk shit about the band because they are on MTV, being on MTV doesn't mean they sold out. Selling out, in the proper definition, 'Punk Rock-101', is like changing whatever you play and what you do to meet the standards of the masses. Thursday is a really good example because being on tour, I get in conversations with kids and the will say stuff like "Oh! Thursday's selling out!" They're not selling out. They didn't change a thing. They're at a position where they can afford to tour and not have to come home and work 60 hours a week."

Opinions aside, Taking Back Sunday aren't about to let small talk stop their assault on the masses. Having toured across the country with numerous artists, they will make a stop on a few Warped Tour dates and Lazzara couldn't be happier, "We're so excited! I've been to the Warped Tour the past two years. We're on the North East dates, so unfortunately we won't be on the whole thing, but still, just to be able to play" but headlining their own tours may still be a few steps away, "Like on all the tours we're on, we jump on and off and meet up with another one. So, all our headlining dates are scattered but as far as by ourselves, I don't think we are in a position where we would do really well if we are by ourselves because the record hasn't been out very long," something that can rectified over time.

It's no surprise that Victory is expanding their roster, it's with quality bands like Taking Back Sunday that prove it's more about the music than anything else. Soon enough, Amityville will be famous for more than horror flicks, so tell all your friends about Taking Back Sunday. They'll tell their friends, and they'll tell their friends, who'll tell their friends...