Interview with Tyler Albertson

Part 2 of my Mad Hops interview, this time with singer/guitarist Tyler Albertson. The same questions were asked.


QUESTION 1: when was the band officially formed?

Albertson: January 2011

2: How did you guys get going and start getting gigs?

Albertson: Practice, practice, and more practice until we were ready. Our first show was about a year ago at a local skate shop and we got it because we know the owners. With shows following that, we have either met people and gotten them through them, or booked them ourselves and played with bands we did not know personally yet. At each show we always meet great people with only good things to say. It means so much to us.

3: Why did you choose to play pop punk? basically, what about pop punk made you guys play it?

Albertson: Pop Punk was always something I loved. I remember back to when I was 7 and bought Simple Plan's debut record,"No Pads, No Helmets, Just Balls" and listening to it every single day and learning every word. The words that are said in pop punk songs are what really got me into it. The honesty of them is what makes them great. I could relate to them so much and I wanted to tell my own story, and that's what we're in the process of now. We're all telling our stories and our point of view and insights on things. We have so much more to experience, only being at 16. So that will just lead towards the further progression of the band.

4: How have you been able to get your recent album out to people?

Albertson: We focused primarily on an online release and promotion. We do have physical copies, but we feel the reach can expand with the internet being used as our tool. It's what all artists are doing these days to let the world know what's up with them. DOWNLOAD IT FOR FREE AT MADHOPS.BANDCAMP.COM

5: Describe the ups and downs of being in a band like the Mad Hops.

Albertson: The ups exceed the downs. I'm honestly pleased just being able to play music that I love with people who do too. I will be honest though, the drive and passion sometimes seems to be more with some of us than others, and it can be frustrating. That would be it for the downs. Other than that, I love what I'm doing and where we're at and will hopefully end up.

6: What's the ultimate goal that you guys want to achieve with your music?

Albertson: I want someone to listen to our songs, come to a show, and tell us that they had an impact on them in some way. I want them to tell us they feel the same way, and know that with all the struggles we face, and some face more than others, they aren't alone. I just want to make an impact on people like the artists I love have on me.


Thank for taking the time out to do this with us.

REFLECTION FOR BOTH PARTS: What have you learned about the genre from these interviews with pop punk artists that you may not have known before?

CITATION:

Albertson, Tyler. Email interview. 13 May 2012.

Interview with Austin Gannon

As I had stated in the previous post, I interviewed two members of the Mad Hops. This is the interview I had via email with drummer Austin Gannon.


QUESTION 1: when was the band officially formed?

January 2011

2: How did you guys get going and start getting gigs?

Gannon: When i met Tyler we somehow ended up having a conversation about him playing guitar and he said that he already had a band. (Little did i know it wasn't really a serious thing). That night i saw a picture of our bassist Conan recording and i was like "I wanna do that." So i told Tyler the next day that i wanted to drum for his band. (I thought they already had a drummer with the non-serious band, but i wanted to let him know anyway). He said yea (i guess they didnt have a drummer) and we arranged to have practice at my house. We started playing blink songs and that was it. Our first show was at a skate shop right across the street from our school. From there it really was all about getting online and facebook pages to get shows. and thats still how we do it

3: Why did you choose to play pop punk? basically, what about pop punk made you guys play it?

Gannon: I was never really into the pop punk scene. I knew a lot of blink songs but i didnt like realize they were all sung by blink 182. (I was young, sue me) So when i got older i started to look up blink 182 and i found out that i knew every song, without knowing i knew them. Then one day Tyler asked me if i had heard of this band called The Wonder Years. I said no and when i got home i looked them up and i fell in love. The lyrics were honest and real. All the songs werent about girls and not a lot of people really knew them so i thought that was cool too. Now i try to write drum parts like the wonder years and other pop punk bands. Most songs are just fast. But theres others that are different and have complicated beats, which i adore. 

4: How have you been able to get your recent album out to people?

Gannon: Mostly online, we bring physical copies to shows and we gave a few to our close friends. But we figured online would be the best way to get our music out there since everyone is doing it now, so we might as well join the crowd. People in our school who actually listen to it say they like it. They tell us their favorite songs. its kinda cool really, im like very mini famous.


5: Describe the ups and downs of being in a band like the Mad Hops.

Hmmmm...well there are way more ups than downs. The ups are that i get to play music that i love with the people who feel the same way. Were all friends and we get along. We work well together, everyone has different ideas for songs or whatever it may be. The downs for me personally are that lack of passion some days. I'm currently in 2 other bands. Along with school and school band. All my days are planned out all the time even on the weekends (which is just awful). Some days i get up and i dont even wanna play music. Theres days where i want to quit and not play or take a break or whatever. But i know if i do, Ill wake up the next day and miss every second of it. But lack of passion turns into songs so its really full circle with music for me. Which is an up...so i guess you could say that my down is still up?

6: What's the ultimate goal that you guys want to achieve with your music? 

I want people to enjoy it. But at the same time i want the band to enjoy it. Writing music to make sure other people enjoy it is not what you should do. I'm not saying you should write it for yourself, but just write the songs you wanna write. If people dont like that kinda music, oh well. you cant please everybody. I want someone that i dont know come up to me and say "that was good." or you guys are really good." Its happened before, like with adults or friends or friends of friends. But its not the same. I want someone that i dont know and that is my age say "i love your songs." That tells me that someone else feels the same way i do and thats always a good feeling.




CITATION: 
Gannon, Austin. Email interview. 13 May 2012.

Interview with the Mad Hops background

Recently, I was able to interview suburban Chicago, Illinois pop punk band "The Mad Hops". The band, formed in January of 2011, is one of many that strives to maintain the true culture of the genre that may have been consumed in the hype of its mainstream success in the last 15-20 years. These bands aren't signed to major labels, and they don't fill 20,000 capacity arenas, but they play pop punk because they enjoy it. These are the bands that remind us of the fun that comes with playing music. Consisting of singer/vocalist Tyler Albertson, bassist/backing vocalist Conan Costa, and drummer Austin Gannon, they have made a name for themselves in the region the hard way: through personal connections, hard work getting shows to play, and simply owning the stage every time they go out to play. I was able to interview two of the three members of the band, and get their opinions of being in a band and why they chose to follow the pop punk path. (You can check out the Mad Hops' recently released album, For Real This Time, at madhops.bandcamp.com with a free download).

The Modern Sound

    The modern pop punk, or emo sound, as previously mentioned, centers around melody rather than energy. Its songs are generally at a slower pace than those of the 1990's, but are generally more powerful. These bands evolved from the 1990's bands after they discovered maturity in their music, and therefore, much of today's pop punk is more serious than humorous. The modern genre has also acquired a large female appeal, as many bands are fronted by singers with very colorful personalities (and in some cases, hair). There is a much larger amount of softer songs in the modern genre than in years past, which is attributed to the maturity that the bands have discovered. Two modern songs will be analyzed, showing the elements of how the music is presented today.
    A surprising, but influential song from My Chemical Romance's 2006 hit album, Welcome to the Black Parade, is "Teenagers". It is a very melodic but powerful song meant to point out many of the flaws of modern teenage society. Vocalist Gerard Way describes teenagers' fondness of drugs and sex and leads it all into the memorable lyric to begin the chorus, "teenagers scare the living s*** outta me". Way emphasizes the singer-first mentality of the modern bands by leading the song's melody through his lyrics throughout, except for a quick guitar solo after the second chorus. Fronted by a memorable guitar riff and chorus, it is a perfect example of the modern, melodic pop punk sound led by a charismatic singer and powerful band behind him.
    A very similar song to "Teenagers" that features the missing element of the modern pop punk sound is the final track from Paramore's 2005 album All We Know Is Falling, "My Heart". Basically a hard rocking love song, it is opened by a loud and powerful Josh Farro riff, leading into Hayley Williams singing along to a soft verse. A loud chorus leads to a repeated cycle of the two, which then leads to a quiet bridge. There, the listener can continually hear the phrase "this heart". Williams leads with the lyric "This heart, it beats, beats for only you", before the tempo and guitars pick up. At this point is where we find the missing element of the post-2004 sound: screamo. Guitarist Farro screams into the other microphone, mimicking the lyrics of Williams in an energizing way. The album starts and ends with heavy, guitar driven songs, and the screamo in "My Heart" is a perfectly powerful ending to the album, as well as a good model of what pop punk sounds like today.


(Song analysis done myself)


REFLECTION: Try to think of another song with screamo parts. Why do you think artists put these parts in their songs frequently?


CITATION:
Jones, C. A. (n.d.). What Is Emo Music?. EzineArticles Submission - Submit Your Best Quality Original Articles For Massive Exposure, Ezine Publishers Get 25 Free Article Reprints. Retrieved May 10, 2012, from http://ezinearticles.com/?What-Is-Emo-Music?&id=985608

The Evolution of the Frontman

    Since the inception of rock music, media and fan focus has generally centered on the singers of bands. With bands like the Beatles, where everyone had a singing role and shared equal importance, this was not the case. However, classic acts such as the Jimi Hendrix Experience and AC/DC were groups where the focus was on the lead guitarist and singer. For pop punk bands, this is also the case, as singers Billie Joe Armstrong, Hayley Williams, and others are considered the leaders of their respective bands and are the favorites of media and fans.
    The concept of the frontman began around the time of blues and the birth of rock. Legendary artists such as B.B. King and Elvis Presley used their mastery of the voice and guitar to become musical icons. As rock and punk became more energized in the 1970's, singers like Jimi Hendrix (also a guitar legend) and Iggy Pop (of the Stooges) seemed to assume control over their bands while not necessarily declaring themselves solo artists. When the earliest pop punk bands began and became popular, this was not necessarily the case, as they remained local and were in it for the group as a whole. Mainstream popularity, however, changed this.
    A singer that underwent significant change after assuming popularity is Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day. In the 1990's, he was known for throwing mud at Woodstock crowds and slipping into drug-induced rants on stage while looking like a true punk rocker along with his band. Around the time that American Idiot came out, however, Armstrong dyed his hair black and began to wear eyeliner and skinny jeans. This, as you may expect, made him a large fan club with the girls. The band dressed similarly and assimilated into the modern pop punk culture based on female appeal (with modern singers such as Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance). This made Armstrong the focus of media attention and music video airtime, which actually caused the band to conflict while recording 21st Century Breakdown. Paramore's split in 2010 was similar, as the Farro brothers quit due to the media focus on Hayley Williams and her open response to mainstream popularity. Dual vocal teams such as the men in blink-182 avoid these conflicts (especially considering Travis Barker is a drumming legend), but the frontman has evolved into the center of pop punk culture under the new wave of bands, led by Way, Williams, and the new Armstrong. 


REFLECTION: Imagine you were Billie Joe. What would you do if faced with the loss of success (this was during their period of commercial decline)? Would you stay the way you are or change your style to attract a larger audience?


CITATION:
Grierson, T. (n.d.). Rock Music History - What Is Rock Music - History of Rock Music. Mainstream Rock Music - Hard Rock Music - Rock Music Reviews. Retrieved May 5, 2012, from http://rock.about.com/od/rockmusic101


Billie Joe Armstrong - GeekStinkBreath.net. (n.d.). Green Day fan site - GeekStinkBreath.net. Retrieved May 5, 2012, from http://www.geekstinkbreath.net/greenday/billie-joe-armstrong/

Good Riddance

    Even as Green Day was involved in their commercial decline in the late 1990's, they produced popular music that resulted in platinum albums. 1997's Nimrod, a double platinum release, was the most diverse of these albums. It featured elements of southern rock, their classic pop punk sound, and even metal in the song "Take Back". However, one song catapulted the album to success and took pop punk to proms, weddings, and graduations. That song was the acoustic ballad, "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)".

    Billie Joe Armstrong wrote the song in 1997 as a response to his girlfriend's departure to Ecuador. It is noted for having a sarcastically warm tone while basically telling this person "good riddance". A song completely driven by Armstrong's acoustic guitar, the two and a half minute epic describes a turning point in someone's life and the memories that they will leave behind wherever life takes them. This makes it a fantastic graduation and wedding song, and has therefore become one of the most popular songs ever written. The song has multiple themes that can involve death, relationships, life in general, and even punk rock. Punk was about battling the normalities of society, and therefore, according to Mike Dirnt, "it was the most punk thing we could have done". While the song gave Green Day a larger taste of mainstream success, the song ultimately opened a new world to all of pop punk. The ballad was no longer looked at as untouchable, and many bands used it as an opportunity to mature and continue to improve their music and expand their audiences. Many songs, such as Paramore's "The Only Exception" and blink-182's "I Miss You" have since become classics, showcasing how "Good Riddance" singlehandedly opened the door for a new opportunity and changed the genre forever.

REFLECTION: Try to read or recall the lyrics in "Good Riddance". What themes do you take out of it?

CITATION:

Green Day song meanings: Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) - GeekStinkBreath.net. (n.d.). Green Day fan site - GeekStinkBreath.net. Retrieved April 25, 2012, from http://www.geekstinkbreath.net/greenday/song-meanings/good-riddance-time-of-your-life/


(2010, December 10). Behind The Music Remastered [Television broadcast]. New York City: VH1.

The Second Wave Sound

    We've already examined the original sound of pop punk (see the post with the analysis of "Burnout" if you have not), but before determining how today's music is different, we must first examine the sound of the second wave. These bands served as a bridge between the old and new, and typically provided a sound geared towards speed and energy with humorous lyrics. Two of these songs will be looked at in this post, both conveniently on blink-182's Enema of the State album. First, the faster, energetic opening track, "Dumpweed", followed by the classic "What's My Age Again?" that served as a good example to the mainstream side of late 90's pop punk.
    "Dumpweed" is the first chronological track by the band to feature Travis Barker, and he makes his presence known from the start. The song is just over two minutes long, and is extremely fast, driven by Barker's insane ability behind the kit, a powerful Mark Hoppus bass track, and a technically sound, rather complicated guitar riff from Tom DeLonge. DeLonge takes care of the vocals, using his unique vocal tone to introduce the first verse very well. The lyrics tell the story of a man who needs to get rid of his girlfriend, using lines in the chorus such as "She's a f****** nightmare" and "I need a girl that I can train" to express that his girlfriend is a problem to him. This shows the humor that blink was capable of while conveying a sense of being serious, which contributes to the passion and energy of the song. The speed of the song and the drumming complexity is what generally stands out among listeners, but the song "What's My Age Again?" displays that blink-182 also had the melody to be a pop punk icon.
    "What's My Age Again?" tells the story of an adult who still acts like a child. Mark Hoppus sings, and describes the adult's night with his girlfriend and how he basically ignores her to watch television. While it is not as fast as "Dumpweed", the song is a very melodic hit that was actually the first single from the album. The song has extremely humorous lyrics that give a vivid image of this person's experiences, and following a slower middle portion, Hoppus caps the song off with the question, "What's My Age Again?", basically showing that the man can't help but be immature. These two combine to form the late 90's pop punk sound. Energetic, funny, and melodic, these are the ways that bands of this era manipulated their music to keep the genre alive and well. 


REFLECTION: Try to think of another song by blink-182 or any other band that fits into this late 90's to early 2000's category. How does that song further express the elements of the wave's music?


(Song analysis done by listening to and memorizing lyrics and instrumental tracks)


CITATION: Blink-182 | Bands & Artists | Rock Sound - New Music First. (n.d.). Rock Sound Magazine Online | Rock Sound - New Music First. Retrieved April 21, 2012, from http://www.rocksound.tv/artists/article/blink-182