State Champs is one of the most respected, high-energy pop punk bands in the scene today and are currently experiencing a whirlwind of success after releasing their sophomore album Around the World and Back last October. The upstate New Yorkers are enjoying a full summer on Warped Tour and recently received four Alternative Press Music Award (APMA) nominations, including “Song Of The Year” for their smash hit “Secrets.” The five-piece band has matured immense growth and maturity since their debut record and are reaping the benefits.
We recently sat down with Tony (rhythm guitar) and Evan (drums) of State Champs on Warped Tour to discuss their summer on the road, the success of Around the World and Back and what’s in store for the band in the near future.
First off, how is this Warped Tour been going so far?
Evan: To sum it up, it’s been the hottest summer of my life so far.
Tony: But, also the best. You can’t for a better situation than what we have right now. The first time we played Warped Tour we played on the Kevin Says Stage which has since been removed from the tour, but playing in front of tens of kids to now thousands.
Evan: Everyone calls it the “Summer Camp” and it’s exactly like that. Every year you see people you’ve met from previous years, there’s a lot of camaraderie and it’s just fun. It’s fun to meet the kids and yesterday we played to like 10,000 kids. It’s insane!
Tony: We felt bad though because the storm hit mostly during our set and we we’re supposed to do a photo op after and it got rained out. We need to find a way to make it up to North Carolina next time we’re there.
Since the set times are randomized everyday, do you have a time slot you cross your fingers for?
Tony: I think we’re generally pretty split on it, but we’re not picky. I generally like playing either before five o’clock, because I feel kids have energy in them yet and haven’t been incinerated by the sun yet and then I also like the eight o’clock set (the last one). Usually it cools down by that time and it gives us the opportunity to send everyone home happy. We’re having the time of our lives on stage and we want to make sure the kids are having fun too and try to bring that energy.
Your most recent album, Around the World and Back has been out for almost a year now. Do you feel that your fans now know the lyrics and are bringing more energy because they’re more familiar with album?
Tony: Yeah, it’s been crazy to see how fast the album clicked with them. We toured on The Finer Things for what felt like forever and it wasn’t until the first year went by that the kids knew the words. With Around the World and Back it was almost instant.
Evan: A month after release, kids were singing back all the words and we thought, “alright, we’re doing something right.” It’s fun to see something brand new come out and everyone is having a blast singing along. We appreciate it for sure
Tony: It’s been really cool to see it that well received. It’s really humbling.
Did you have any specific goals for Around the World and Back before you released it last October?
Tony: I think the one goal for every band is to make a record which is better than the last. A lot of people thought highly of The Finer Things which we appreciated but we didn’t share the same sentiments. We thought we could do better.
Evan: That was a general consensus. We we’re just trying to make a better record and just wrote the songs we liked.
Tony: We learned a lot from doing the first record out in California. It taught us how to be better song writers and when we went into the pre-production for the last record, we showed up with 11 songs. We had a full record where as with The Finer Things we recorded two songs that were on an EP.
Evan: This time around it was a lot easier. We were in the right mindset. I’m glad we didn’t put an crazy expectations on it.
Well it worked out for you. You’re nominated for three APMAs in relation to Around the World and Back and one for “Best Breakthrough Band.” How does that feel?
Evan: It’s always something you want to accomplish but it’s never expected. When we got the nomination, it was an amazing feeling.
Tony: It was surprising to us that we got put up for so many. When we started thinking about the awards coming around, we thought maybe we’d get to present something again. Last year we introduced New Found Glory and were up for one award, which we lost…
Second times a charm?
Tony: Maybe! This time we’re nominated for four.
Evan: Hopefully we’ll take at least one of them home. But, it’s nice that all bands get recognized for the things they work hard for. I think it’s a really healthy thing for our scene.
Are you working on any new material at the moment or just enjoying the ride?
Evan: We haven’t had the time. We’ve just been touring non-stop, but we’ve been thinking about it.
Tony: the conversations have started but we’re lining it up. Warped obviously takes our entire summer and then afterwards we go oversees and only have a day before playing some festivals in Europe. The after that we have a couple of months off to work. We’re gonna wind down for a week and then start writing.
Evan: It’s exciting because when you tour for so long, writing is new and refreshing.
Tony: And I’m not by any means over the songs we’re playing.
Evan: I still feel like this record just came out. We toured The Finer Things for so long and this came out last year.
If the energy is always there each show, it’ll always feel new.
Evan: Exactly. There’s kids everyday that’ll say that they just heard us for the first time the other day and I love it. I feel like we’re still getting a lot of new people coming in discovering Around the World and Back.
You’ve hit the road with quite a few notable bands, whose been your favorite that you’ve toured with?
Tony: New Found Glory, Neck Deep, The Story So Far.
Evan: I’ve always enjoyed Issues. All Time Low treated us so well. Our tour with 5 Seconds Of Summer was great tour. they treated us like we were rock stars. It was awesome. I would say, most bands we’ve toured with, if not all, have been an awesome experience.
Anyone on Warped Tour that you’re really into?
Tony: I try to watch a couple of bands everyday. I’m a big fan of Against The Current. I watch them almost everyday. I watch New Found Glory almost everyday. But then also, With Confidence, Broadside. There’s so many good bands on the tour.
Evan: I’m trying to get my fix of Yellowcard before they stop playing. I’m just nerd-ing out.
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