What made you want to become a band in the first place? How did this whole thing get started?
We really just wanted girlfriends to be honest. We never expected to make it this far, but obviously we’re happy that we did.
What were your influences? Have they changed at all? When did you all pick up your first instrument?
We all listened to a variety of styles and artists, but I think if I had to not avoid the question, I would say The Beatles, Coldplay, Foo Fighters, Blink 182, and Jimmy Eat World. The influences that we all admire have evolved, but I still think that we cherish those early influences and credit them to a lot of our success that we’ve had so far! I started playing piano when I was 5 years old and wrote my first song when I was 8 years old on the piano. it was called “Runaway.” I think I still remember the whole thing.
You’ve made four records now so what is the writing process like for you guys? Is there anything or a certain place that helps you out?
The writing process has always been constant with We The Kings, typically I get into the studio and record some ideas that turn into rough demos, I then show the rest of the guys to see what they think, and if all comes back positive, then we all record the song together and slap it on the album in hopes that the fans enjoy our work.
Is there a reason you guys like playing so many colleges? Is it a different atmosphere than other venues?
Well for starters, we didn’t really get the chance to live the “college” lifestyle, so it’s nice to see what we would be missing out on. The band got signed right out of high school, and don’t get me wrong, I’m not upset by any means about that, but college was always something that we all wanted to be a part of, so playing at colleges is the happy medium between being musicians and graduates.
You guys have stayed really humble throughout the years. Is that important to you?
We’ve had the amazing opportunity to meet some of our favorite bands that we adored growing up. Some of those members have been humble, some have been completely arrogant, so I think we decided early on that we never wanted to forget who we are and that we always wanted to maintain being humble no matter what success came our way. It’s also important to us due to the fact that if we ever came home cocky, our mom’s would literally slap us so hard it would knock us right back down to earth.
Was there ever a moment where you thought the band wouldn’t work out? Has there ever been a moment of doubt in your career?
Always. Being in a band is the least stable career we could have thought to pick, but it’s the most fun when it all works out, that’s what keeps us going. We always cross those life and career “speed bumps” but we get through it just like any normal person gets through their own life’s hazards. We always hope for greatness and try representing ourselves as best as possible, that way even if we do fall short of what people think we should reach, we’ll still be successful in our own minds.
How is the support from your family, friends, and the people back home? Is it strange coming home from tour?
We have an incredible support system from our fans to our friends and most importantly our families. Our families have been there through the thick and thin and have seen us grow from immature kids playing music too loud in our parent’s garage into immature kids playing music too loud in venues across the world. It is strange coming back home sometimes because new restaurants will be built and some streets will be newly paved and some buildings will be painted different color etc., but no matter how much the town tries to change, the people who we grew up with and our hometown will always know us better than anyone else and that is always something we can appreciate coming home to.
What do you guys like to do when you aren’t touring, recording, or writing?
We all have pretty normal lives outside of touring and recording. I’m getting married in December, so wedding planning has been the highest priority as of late, but besides that working out, going to the movies, going to get drinks with friends, date nights and other “normal” things is what we’re all into.
Do you have any tips for starting musicians? Any friendly advice?
I’ll give the same advice my dad gave me. “Figure out what your idea of success is and chase it. If it’s girls, money, cars, or fame, then go for that and don’t stop until you have it. But if you’re anything like me success is about being able to do what you love with people you love, not being worried about will I make it, or what do I need to do… Just put one foot in front of the other and let everything fall into place. If it’s meant to be, then let it be.” my parents were both Beatles fanatics so they brought me into the world with these types of ideals and I couldn’t be more grateful for them.
What is your craziest fan encounter?
The craziest fan encounters I definitely can’t mention due to giving people horrible ideas…but some fans gave us voodoo dolls of ourselves once. We were all afraid to do anything with them because we were scared that real events would take place based on the environment of the dolls. It was actually really stressful having the dolls on the bus, I’m not sure what happened to them to this day, but I know that all of us are still alive and haven’t broken any limbs or been jabbed by any needles (knock on wood.)
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