Speed of Sound Issue 1 | Page 14

Speed of Sound : So first off how’s the tour treating you guys?

John Stirrat (bass) : It’s good, it’s good.

Donovan Melero (vocals/drums): It’s awesome, lots of driving, more driving than we’ve ever done…

John Stirrat: Every day, really. [Laughs]

Donovan: and good crowds.

John: Yeah so far crowds are really good on this tour.

Donovan: Texas was awesome, we love Texas.

SOS: What’s it like touring with Dance Gavin Dance and A Lot Like Birds?

John: It’s awesome.

Aric Garcia (guitar) : It’s really fun because we’re really good friends with A Lot Like Birds, so it’s just like a vacation and we get to watch them play every night.

Donovan: Yeah exactly, we’re all just a bunch of pals.

John: We really didn’t know Dance Gavin [Dance] before the tour, getting to know them has been a swell time. They’re fun guys, Tillian, the new guy in the band and he’s been awesome.

Donovan: He kills it. He’s great. We all get along really well. They even let us on their bus some times to watch them be rock stars --

John: We sneak on their bus.

Aric: If we’re good boys they’ll let us on the bus [laughs]

SOS: How long have you guys been playing together?

Donovan: This line up, for three years. Me and Aric have been playing together for over a decade now, but Hail the Sun’s current lineup, for about three years [we’ve been] active and preforming together.

WSGAF: Growing up what where your influences that made you want to make the music you make today?

Aric: At The Drive In, The Fall of Troy, Circa Survive any thing along those lines.

Donovan: Yeah, same.

Aric: Equal Vision records, anything they put out is great.

SOS: Growing up what where your influences that made you want to make the music you make today?

Aric: At The Drive In, The Fall of Troy, Circa Survive any thing along those lines.

Donovan: Yeah, same.

Aric: Equal Vision records, anything they put out is great.

John: Reba McEntire.

Donovan: [laughs] John has a different -- awesome, more awesome influences.

Aric: Yeah, [John] has got the funk side.

John: Yeah, [I’m definitely] funk influenced and when I joined it was definitely a new style of music for me. So it’s fun to kind of bring in what I grew up playing was The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rage Against The Machine, so playing with these guys is really fun to open up a whole new genre of playing for myself.

SOS: Other than the Texas date what has been your favorite date of the tour you have played so far?

John: Las Vegas!

Aric: Our show at the House of Blues got cancelled, so last minute we were able to put on an impromptu show in Vegas at our friend Sergio’s banquet hall. It was nuts, kids came out and it was crazy, it was super fun and super intimate too.

Donovan: Kids are always really cool about shows.

John: Very eager to watch music.

Donovan: Eager Beavers!

WSGAF: What’s your favorite song to play live?

14