How did things go on this tour?
We were kind of the odd man out. What we were all about and what the other bands were all about was kind of different, and the music was kind of different too. All in all, though, it was pretty good; we got to play a lot of places we haven’t been in a really long time, like New York City. The crowds were a lot of fun, so we are starting to see a payoff for our hard work.

Did any shows or scenes stand out among the others?
Yeah, Albany, NY. I didn’t really expect it. That was one place I didn’t really expect to have a really crazy scene, but that show was insane. Charlotte, NC also. We had been there once and it was the worst show we ever played. This time it was insane. We played this super old punk club that had been around for years; bands like Bad Brains had tagged it.

How do you guys kill time when you’re out on tour?
I don’t think that many people realize that our day consists of about a 30 minutes of excitement, and that is when we play. The other 23.5 hours, we are driving or sitting. Everybody reads quite a lot. This tour we all read this book called Battle Royale. We read a lot and are on the phone a lot. Most of the time when we roll into town, we load in at about 5pm, and after that everything is pretty much closed, so we don’t get to see a lot of the sights. We write and play a lot of guitar while driving.

What do you guys eat when you are touring? I know this can be a subject of debate with a lot of touring bands.
That’s funny, because I hate where we eat. In the beginning of the tour, we all start out saying, “We are going to eat well. No McDonald’s. No Taco Bell. We are going to try to find cheap diners or Subway, and at least try to pretend we are being a little more healthy.” That lasts for about three days. By the end of tour, we are flipping a coin and choosing between McDonald’s and Taco Bell.

How is the music scene in Peoria?
It’s kinda weird because we will have a few months when everyone can be in town, and some when no one will be there. It’s also where Mudvayne is from, so they seem to have a lockdown on what people in Peoria are listening to. But I think the kids are realizing that there is more than just nu-metal in town.

Have you been writing new songs while touring?
The hardest thing for us is to sit still musically. We recorded this record and we had not even figured out what was going on with this record, but two weeks later, we started writing new songs. We have pretty much been writing since we recorded this album, and knowing we are not going to be able to record them for quite awhile kinda bums us out, but I think it’s going to be really good. Whether it’s really good or really bad, we decided that for this next record, we want to write the record we want to write, and not the record we think we need to write.

What would you like to see more of in the music scene today?
I would like to see a lot less candy-coated pop. This sounds a bit cliché, but I really would like to see music revert back to the 60s or 70s where there were all these rock bands, and everything was real. Bands were writing rock and roll and playing just to play, and everyone just had a good time. I remember going to shows a few years ago and nobody was “cool.” Everyone would just jump around and act all dorky, and we are all just having fun. I want kids to realize that it really makes it more fun for the bands and everyone else. Even if you’e just swaying back and forth - just something that is saying, “I’m having fun.” Sometimes, it feels like shows are turning into a fashion thing. Your pants aren’t going to make you cool, your shirt isn’t going to make you awesome, and your shoes aren’t going to make you rad.

If you guys could say one band really influenced you more than any other who would it be?
Honestly and obviously, it isn’t musically, but there is this band from Peoria called Planes Mistaken for Stars that now lives in Colorado. They are still around and they are still putting out amazing records, but they were that band from Peoria that actually made it. They were the ones that were always like, “Just keep doing it. Keep going,” so they actually really influenced us to keep playing music.