Rain City Drive on Slither, new album, Warped Tour FL

Matt, first things first, how's the tour going? The tour's been great. We've been saying this is maybe one of the best tours we've ever done, for sure. I know it's been a bucket list for us for a while, too. Sleeping With Sirens is just kind of a legendary band in the scene, and one that I'm a personal fan of. So, yeah, it's been great. And you guys also put out a brand new single, Slither, earlier this month. You also talked a little bit about spending September in the studio on a new album. How is that? How was that experience? It was great. We did the majority of the new record with Andrew Bayless in Nashville, who crushed it. I mean, we did a lot of writing for this record, and we booked a couple sessions with him just to write and vibe. And we got a couple songs with him that were just really great. And so based off that, we kind of knew we wanted to do the album with him kind of behind the behind the helm so yeah it's cool we're we're just kind of putting the final touches on everything in the mixing phase now for a lot of the songs so pretty exciting but yeah slither as you said came out and it's been doing really well it's been it's been fun to see the fan reaction over these couple weeks you know like when you when you drop a song on tour and people don't know it at first versus like a couple weeks in you like i just see more and more people every show are kind of singing sing along with us so it's cool yeah i was watching a uh a video of one of your performances i think in in wisconsin last week or so nice they were singing it back to you i mean how yeah bro how awesome is that You know, the song dropped less than a month ago and your fans already know it. Yeah, it's cool, man. And you know, we'll see. Time will tell where it winds up. But for right now, I feel like it's exceeded our expectations and it's just doing really good. So it's a good way to kick off the new album for sure, you know? And it's definitely one of those songs that starts a little lower, a little more subdued, and then just the drums kick in, the guitars kick in, kind of really kicking off this new era for Rain City Drive. For sure, bro. Yeah, we're stoked. And we have a lot of singles we're going to drop on this album, too, just to kind of keep people interested as we roll out the whole record. So it's going to be cool. We're going to have a lot of stuff coming out. And when it comes to Warped Tour, what is your personal history with Warped Tour? Man, I was never somebody that got to go growing up. Oh, I had one of my first bands, we did a Battle of the Bands competition, and if we won, we would have gotten to play Warped Tour, my and we came in second place. So that was interesting, and then obviously it was gone for a while, and now it's back. I just remember the first one we got to do when it came back God. was just surprising how good it felt. For us, there is some sort of sense of kind of kumbaya and like camaraderie and everybody's just, I don't know whether it was just the nostalgia and people were happy it was back or if there is just something different about that festival, but it's definitely like a a really nice vibe and and it's uh probably what i'm most looking forward to on this on this run so yeah it'll be it'll definitely a fun way to end it for sure and i and i think work tour Orlando in particular is always a really special one so it's good and Rain City Drive from Florida your bandmates met in Manchester tell me a little bit about that yeah so the the band was originally a band called Slaves fronted by Johnny Craig and um Johnny had just got ousted from the band and they needed somebody to fill in like super, super last minute. I mean, we're talking like they were about to board the flight and they didn't know whether to cancel the tour or not. Thank A good buddy of mine, Kevin Thrasher, was playing for a band called Escape the Fate at the time, who was also on the tour. So he recommended me to the guys and vice versa. you And I listened to like 30 seconds of one of their songs and I said I would do it. And then a couple of days later, I flew out. very And so we did that tour and then came together and started writing. Eventually formed what is Rain City Drive now, but yeah, much. definitely a weird whirlwind way to get together, but it was cool, man. I mean, I think the guys really had their thing dialed in, and so it was pretty easy for me to just step in, and we just kind of hit the ground running, so cool. And what was the difference in terms of writing and producing and releasing that first full Rain City Drive album versus this current album cycle? Oh man, I mean, you know, I feel like it was interesting because it was certainly so fresh for me. You know, I'd been a solo artist for years and years, so it was really refreshing and cool to do something in the rock vein. Like, I had been a fan of Bring Me the Horizon for a couple years at that time, and I just always really enjoyed that style, but never thought I'd get to do anything in the same universe as that. So it was just it was just really fun. And, you know, we were we'd been touring and playing together a lot at that point. So I think we were pretty locked into a shared enough vision. But I think over the years, we've just had the experience of doing these records together and just kind of further honing in. our sound and vibe and kind of where we want to take things and it's it's a lot of trial and uh, you know, like I think that first record just kind of came together like so fast and it was just we're sort of flying by the seat of our pants, you know what I mean and then the second record we were like, so what is this going to be and kind of experiment more and then I think our third record was our last full album we put out, I feel like we really landed on a winning formula and then I And I think this record is just. Kind of expanding upon that, but I feel like everybody is more confident in what the band is, you know, what the band should be, what the project is. So, yeah, there's a lot of strength to that, that maybe people don't realize. It's just like knowing yourself and what you're going for is almost the first battle you have to tackle, right? So having that shared kind of collective vision, shared goals is super important as a group, right? How difficult is it to find time to work on new music in the middle of tour? Yeah, I mean that's something that we'll do once in a while. Typically you really do kind of like feed one off of another though, so like when you're touring extensively a lot of times you're thinking about what would be fun to put in the set list, which I think is a healthy way to think about it, and so you kind of like pin them against each other. When you've been touring a lot, it sounds nice to get back in the studio and after you've finished a record, you're like, it sounds nice to just go play these for people. So I'm always kind of imagining, when I'm on the road, I'm imagining what kind of song that I should write and imagine myself recording that. And then when I'm in the studio working on it, I'm imagining what the crowd reaction is going to be like. So you have to have both kind of going always and they sort of feed off of another. And in this current tour you're on with Sleeping With Sirens, you've opened with Frozen a couple of times, first song on the set list. Yeah. What was kind of the mindset in that? It's just always been a really good opener song. We have a couple that stand out as a good way to kick off the show, and that one's sort of tried and true. I think with the new album, we might have some new contenders. It's really interesting. This is our fourth record together, and so... It's tough. And it's, again, going back to the setlist kind of mentality. It really is like, what songs do we want to write to inject into a setlist? If maybe you already have an hour of music that you're really happy with, it's like you're competing against yourself to get one more thing, one more thing, especially these big legacy bands. You know, it's like, how do you fit in one more hit into the... Because you might already have a full set, like, well, I have to play this song. Well, the fans want to hear this one. They want to hear this one. So we're obviously not to that point yet, but it's cool. I mean, I think everybody's really excited about the new album. And I can tell you, I think there will be, you know, a lot of non-negotiable live songs from the new record. So we'll see. A lot of the old stuff's going to get ousted. So you guys got to come see us now if you want to hear some of the old stuff for sure. How difficult is it looking ahead to kind of trimming down that setlist for something like Warped Tour where you don't necessarily have as much time in the set as ahead of Warped Tour? I think sometimes it's those in-between length sets that are actually the trickiest because if it's real short, like I think sometimes the shortest sets we'll do maybe on a festival or whatever it is, is like 25 minutes. And that's actually kind of great because it's just like, if you can only play five songs or something, you sort of know what those five have to be. To be, and it's just. You know, it's just kind of like all a blast and it's just fun and quick. The really long set, you're like, well, I know I'm going to do basically have time to do everything that I want to do, which is which is which is great. And then sometimes it's like that 45 minute where you're like, do we have time to bring it down and do a ballad? Do we have time to do this? And so but the short ones are always easy and fun. And as a vocalist, always very welcome, a little less demanding. What excites you the most about performing and being on a festival stage? Man, the festivals just always really mean a lot because, you know, people could be at any set. There's bands playing at the same time, you know, and there's a lot going on at once. And so, And so. Every time you just don't know if especially like, oh, so-and-so is playing the same time or so-and-so is playing here. And so, you know, knock on wood, we're always very lucky that we walk out on that stage. It's always pretty, always pretty filled up. So that's that's definitely something to look forward to. And it's cool. It's just it's just a great opportunity, obviously, to get in front of some some new people. I think there's so much marketing that goes into these festivals and people know what to expect for the ones that just happen every year. Like, when we announce a tour, you know, we're lucky if our own fans know about it. Like, I can't tell you how many times I'll go on a live and somebody's like, come to New York or whatever. I'm like, we're actually playing in New York tomorrow. And they're like, oh, my God. You know, and it's like, well, thank God I got on here, you know. So versus with something like a Warped Tour, there's so much push that goes into it. And I just think even for your own fans, there's a lot more eyes on it. So it can be cool. And how has that process of marketing your music changed? Because you can make, you know, banger after banger, but you got to make sure your fans hear it and know where they can see it. Sure. You know, I feel like it's kind of like an ever-changing thing. Everybody's always trying to figure out what to do in terms of what does marketing look like in the current era. And I don't know, I feel like there's a lot of... There's a lot of social media push that goes on now. Like we sometimes like our our biggest videos are just like the most low key, stupid stuff could just be like me walking down the sidewalk with the song behind it. And that's the thing that gets a lot of traction. And then we'll really work on. something and put money behind and a lot of thought behind it or whatever and like that that doesn't do numbers or it's like it's always great when it's like the fan generated content right and yeah like so often that's just somebody like sitting in their car and it could get a million views and you're like all right so one of the things i think is is so interesting with the Warped Tour especially when it came back is just the age range of the fans that are there yeah because the bands have been some of these bands have been around for decades and some people People are just coming up. What is it like to get out on that stage and see that your music is impacting such a wide range of people? Yeah, I mean, it's cool for sure. I mean, it's like there's just it's a surprise, I feel like, for us to see, like you said, like a multi-generational thing from it. I don't know. I think ultimately, like the biggest acts are just always going to have that component, too. So that's that's definitely like a not to be nerdy about it, but sort of like an analytic that we'll look at if you're looking at your Spotify numbers or whatever. It's like. You know, trying to see, like, are we hitting this demographic Are we hitting this demographic? And it's and it's cool. And I think a lot of times that fan base will grow with you and like get older with you and mature with you. But hopefully there's also room for the younger fans too, like it's it's it's been really. It's cool to see. There's a lot of young kids at this sleeping tour, and there's a lot of excitement. It's just always fun to play in front of that audience because they're just loud and enthusiastic and new and green to probably this whole world. I think it's important to keep that energy injected into live music and rock music as well. Um, cause ultimately that's like the, the new, the new generation, right? So it's, it's cool to see, especially emo and this era of like. You know, MySpace, bands, or seeing stuff that's like, gets old enough now where there are people that are bringing their kids to the shows and stuff. So it's pretty cool. It's crazy how tight the circles are now, too. Like, I can't believe all the stuff that's cool that I'm sure you probably feel the same way. That's like stuff when we were growing up that's just like back again. And you're like, damn, that didn't take long, you know? What was like your first concert that was like, man, I want to do this? My first serious concert that I went to was Modest Mouse back in the day. I was probably like 14 or 15, and that was great. Another really big one for me was Radiohead at the end of high school. I was such a huge fan. And yeah, I mean, it's I'm. I'm funny, though, because even when I saw Radiohead by the end of the set, the best thing I've ever seen in my life, but I was like, all right, now I need to go do something. Now I need to go play. I need to go whatever. And I think there's always that. Itch to scratch when you're somebody that wants to do it, you know, as opposed to just like being content with being a fan and watching like I don't I don't I don't know if I could watch anybody more than too much longer than an hour or something. And then I'm like, all right, like I like to get up there, you know, so. Is it nice scratching that itch at festivals, something like Warped Tour, where you see, you know, this band over here, you know, crush it and you're like, I want to do even better than that? Sure. Yeah, I think I think that's a good point. And I also think, yeah, I do get spoiled that 99% of the time I am watching. Uh, an, an artist that's like, I'm also there to perform and do my thing. So yeah, maybe I'm like, Hey, wait a minute. If I just go see a show, I'm like, that's it. Like, I don't need to do anything. So, um, there's, I had a, I had a friend growing up that, um, took his, he was also a musician and he, and he, uh, took his son to a lot of local gigs in Philly. And so they would always go backstage and hang out or whatever. He got tickets to see Paul McCartney, so his young son, he's probably 10 or something, was like, all right, now we go backstage and meet Paul. And he's like, no, no, no, you don't always do that. So yeah, you got to curb your expectations, I guess. What is your favorite thing about coming back and performing in Florida? Oh, man. I mean, so yeah, when the group of us got together, that was sort of our home base. I think at one time we had at least three, if not four, people living there. I've always been based out of L.A., but I would always fly to work on stuff. So we did probably grow a little bit more of a following there and a fan base, and people kind of rallied behind that a little bit. So, yeah, I always feel like we see a little bit of extra love. I love, you know, I, um, I'm not sure how true that is now, but we're always like... Well, I would, if whoever wants to claim us, if you're going to be happy to see, you know, I'll be like, yeah, sure, man. I'll, I'll wear your, I'll wear your sports Jersey. I'll do, I'll do whatever, you know? So what's the, what's the coolest little piece of, what's the coolest thing in your tour bus? Do you think Nintendo Switch to maybe I just picked one up. That's been, that's been fun. But yeah, I mean, it's like anything that helps you pass the time because 99% of this This gig is just. Traveling and just kind of sitting around. So anything that. Makes you feel like it's something that you would or could do at home. It's really welcome. So I remember a couple tours ago, I was watching Peaky Blinders for the first time. I'd wait until everybody else went to sleep, and then just load it up on the TV. And that was great, because I felt like it was something that I would enjoy. Not, you know, you just, you just. It's really bad if you get into just a doom-scrolling-in-the-bunk type of scenario. Then you're just like, you know, because we only get to do something of meaning every day for like. Half hour, 45 minutes, and then the rest of it's just kind of sitting around. So it's cool to try to find something fun to keep yourself occupied. And so if you're playing at 7, let's say, what time are you pulling up to the venue usually? We usually get there really early. I mean, it depends on the routing and where we're coming from. It depends on whether it's a drop and go or not. Yeah, usually we could, I mean, we could be here at like, really, whenever they'll let us here, sometimes we can't get there that early, like 10am, 8am, sometimes. So, um, yeah, and I usually try to stay up as late as I can, for some reason. So I'll wake up at 4pm, sometimes something like that. So and what's it like with the, it's like I played sports as a kid. Yeah, the anticipation before a game. What's the anticipation like before before a show at this point for you? Too much. I mean, that's a good point because it's something I look for. Because if I do feel a little nervous or like excited or anxious, it means that we're doing something that is like exciting and new. So that's actually a welcome feeling. It is one that I don't get that much anymore. And anytime that it does happen, I'm like, oh, this is, you know, this is a good thing. But usually I just am, it's, it kind of. I wait to judge it based on how the audience is. And sometimes by the first or second song, you're like, oh, OK, is this going to be a good show? And other times, it's a little more of like a sleepy crowd, and you just do the best you can. What makes a good audience? I think it depends on the band. There are certain bands that are really heavy that a good audience would be just like a lot of movement, maybe a lot of moshing, a lot of whatever. For a band like us, I always say it's just The more people singing along, the better, and that's really how I judge it. Thank So yeah, just simple crowd participation stuff, but it's mainly just the more people I see singing along, the more I know we have good fans out there, you know? One more question about set lists, because you put Slither, at least in the set that I saw, like third or fourth kind of towards the middle. you. What's the reasoning for your newest song being there as opposed to just anywhere else? Um, you know, it's just always you have to move everything around. It's sort of a trial by error. Even tonight, we're trying a slightly different set order. So I mean, it, I guess you factor in the newness of the song, like we probably wouldn't want to close with it or open with it at this point in its like, life cycle. But also, I think the main thing is just judging by the song itself, like what kind of energy it has, and just how it's going to flow with the other songs. But yeah, probably wouldn't want to Open with it or close with it, yeah. But maybe one day, if it becomes our biggest song, it'd be fun to do that. I saw you also have Uncrustables in your band's rider. Yeah, we have a lot of Uncrustables. I think that's something that I'm excited about at the beginning of tour, and then by the end of tour, we have so many of them, I'm like, I don't need to look at these ever again. What are the other go-to road snacks that are dependable? I think we're big on sparkling water. Drink a lot of bottled water on tour, so any kind of sparkling water is a welcome little treat. We've got some bananas, and we have some chomps here. We have these Brookside chocolate things that are pretty good. And then every once in a while, somebody will come up with a new rider idea that's like a real game changer. And then. A couple tours ago, I was really into those little dots, pretzels or whatever. I'd never really gotten into those, and then I totally overdosed on them, and I'm good never having those again. If you could go back to the mat on his first tour to give him one or two things of advice, what would you let him know? I would buy the backpack that I have now. It's like, it's like a giant 40 liter backpack that has a lot of organization stuff too. And that's been really helpful. Just like little things like that, like having the feeling like you have the right tools for the job and just trying to stay organized, trying to lose stuff on tour is a big thing too, because we're constantly coming in and out of places and then you're just gone, you know? So I think that's a big thing and it's like something that you can't really Figure out until you have done a couple of them and you're like, oh, I want this on me at all times or like, oh, I should have packed this or I should have brought this or should have organized it like this. And I mean, it depends, too. Like when we first started out, I know certainly when I first started touring, like showers were a real rarity thing. Like when we're playing these nicer venues, there's multiple showers and all the green rooms and stuff. But there was like a lot of dry shampoo showers when I started, you know, doing like some dude wipes in the trailer and some dry shampoo on your hair. So it doesn't look super greasy. So different different needs, depending on what stage of touring you're at, for sure. How do you take care of your voice on tour when you know it's, you know, these stops here, you know, you're going to play a couple of festivals later and all the travel? How does that even happen? Sure. I mean, as a vocalist, there's only so many things you can do. I do. I'm big on warming up. I'm big on cool down. So I always warm up before performance, always cool down after performance. Look into that if you're a vocalist. Hydrating is super important, so I drink a lot of water, but then I also have a thing called vocal mist that's like a saline mister that the, you know, the mist is small enough that it'll actually get to your larynx. And I think that's been helpful, too. And then also just taking vocal rest, like if we have a day off and if I'm kind of feeling it, sometimes I'll just not talk for a whole day, which is kind of extreme, but I've been known to do that. So those things, just trying to sleep, you know. Well, um... The main thing is just not getting sick. Like, any time that I've lost my voice on tour, it wasn't because I, you know, just overdid it. It's just, there's a little cold going around. And same thing, like, if you're just, people's speaking voices are shot, it's like, you're definitely not going to be able to do the kind of stuff that I'm doing, for sure. You know, where, like, you really have to be at your, you know. Top, top of your game or close to it to get it to work. So, um, yeah, that's, uh, those would be my tips for anybody. So for the fans who are coming to Warp Tour, um, what is your pitch to have them check out Rain City Drive as one of their stops? Oh man. I think, yeah, just, uh, anybody that likes, you know, upbeat, fun, melodic rock. Um, I would say we're like, part of more of a kind of like a modern wave in active rock or rock and sort of have been for a while now it's it's been cool honestly to see like more singers in our scene and bands that like really emphasize sort of a more pop leaning vocal and stuff so um if that's your that's your bag come check us out