Being hailed as the saviour of modern
day pop-punk The Story So Far has an impressive reputation that proceeds them.
As well as playing a handful of headline
shows, the five-piece are over in the UK
to play Vans Warped UK
We sat down with bassist Kelen Capener
before the show in Leeds on the "Road To Warped
Tour" to chat about the forthcoming album, tour life and British food!
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| The Story So Far on stage in Leeds |
You’ve fitted in some headline dates
before the Vans tour – how were they?
It
was good; it warmed us up. We hadn’t played a show in a long time because we
were recording an album, and this summer was the first time that all five of us
were able to be back from school and play shows together. It’s good to build up
that chemistry and get our rhythm and play these shows.
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| Bassist Kelen Capener |
It’s mid-point in the Road To Warped Tour
and then you’ve got the big event on Saturday. How’s the tour been going so
far?
These
are some of the biggest shows we’ve ever played, capacity wise; bigger stages
and it’s a different experience. I’ve been loving it. It’s just a bigger deal
than what we’re used to.
Is it nice being out on the road in the
build up to the main event?
We did the same thing with Slam Dunk Festival so it’s great to see
the countryside and stay busy; it’s the best way to do it. Just the fact that
we’re in another country, playing for kids, it’s awesome.
Do you like being over the UK
Yeah,
I really do. Can’t say I really like the food very much though, or maybe we’ve
been eating at the wrong places. I like Nandos; at first I wasn’t too impressed
but I warmed up to it. The way people approach music over here is different.
You guys have rock clubs whereas in the US
You’re touring with New Found Glory, you’re
named after one of their songs- is it great now actually being on the road with
them?
Y’know,
when we were kids we didn’t think we would be touring with them one day; I
think that would have been really wishful thinking. We named our band after
them without really thinking about it too much. I mean we love that band and it’s
in the same realm of music that we’re playing. But now we’ve been able to meet
them and play shows with them. At that point it’s kind of like “we were young
and we named our band after you” [laughing], but they were really nice. Steve
was giving me a hard time, but no, it’s cool. He’s producing our album now.
I was going to ask you how it was
working with him?
Yeah,
we all love Steve; he doesn’t hurt the integrity of our writing process at all.
He coaxes us and helps us structure things, but we still have the music and
stuff.
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| Kelen on stage at Leeds University |
NFG have been a band for over fifteen years
now- where do you want to be fifteen years down the line?
Well
I’m a big future thinker but like three years ago I was just starting school. Next
thing you know I’m in another school and the next thing you know I’m taking
school off to do this. So I don’t know if I can keep track [laughing]. Things
keep changing, I can’t keep up. In fifteen years, I hope we’re not behind a
dumpster, but we’ll see.
You’re working with the same team and have
stuck with the same label for your new album- do you feel you have a good thing
with them?
Yeah,
essentially Jake took a risk on us and funded our first E.P. I was like sixteen
then; I’m twenty-one now and we recorded at a friend’s studio. A bigger label
may have more money but we’re not in a bad situation. If The Story So Far imploded
it wouldn’t be devastating. It just shows that you don’t really need all that
money behind you; the music speaks for itself.
Do you feel under pressure after the
success of your previous releases?
We
kind of put ourselves under pressure without actually putting ourselves under
pressure. At the end of the day we just have to do what we think is best and
really satisfy ourselves, and then if people don’t like it then they don’t like
it. Honestly, you’re going to have those kids that are always going to hold
your first album in the highest regard, it’s not always something you can control.
We just have to put out something that’s logical, that’s a follow up.
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| The album "Under Soil And Dirt" |
What and when can we expect it?
Well,
we’re not actually going to release the album so… No, I’m just kidding. We’re
going to finish it when we get home and then release it a few months in to the
New Year. I think the songs are a little more refined and a lot of the parts
work with each other; it’s a little bit more coherent. I think with our first
album there were a lot of opportunities musically that we didn’t take advantage
of, so I think this time we’re trying not to leave any blanks
You have been hailed as saviours of the
modern pop-punk scene. How do you respond to that?
Erm…I
don’t know. I kind of think it’s funny. I always think of pop-punk as something
that happened to me; I listened to it as a kid and now it’s had a resurgence. But
I wouldn’t really know about this new collective if I wasn’t playing in The
Story So Far. Typically what I listen to isn’t pop-punk. Being hailed as that
is cool, but you’re talking about a very selective listener. What we want is to
move beyond that. Obviously we love the honour of people holding us in that
regard, but we want to extend that invitation of listening to our music to
everyone outside of pop-punk.
And here’s what happened when The Story So Far took
to the stage…
With
such a strong line-up this evening at The Road To Warped event, the crowd is in
early ready to catch the Walnut Creek Mt. Diablo
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| The Story So Far's lead vocalist Parker Cannon |
The
Story So Far is effortless; whether they were deliberately setting out to make
an impression or not, they definitely did, regardless. With a new album out
early next year we can’t wait to see more from them. Be sure to check them out
at the main event on Saturday at Alexandra
Palace
Stay locked to Est.1987 Music as we bring you all the photo's and review of Less Than Jake & New Found Glory as they play The Road To Warped Tour
