At this year’s Warped Tour I also had the pleasure of talking to the Spill Canvas. I’d like to thank all the guys in the band for taking time out of their day, and Kate Cafaro for setting everything up. We did the interview before their Chicago show and we did the interview in a cafeteria backstage where my recording equipment had a rough time picking up everything with all the background noise. I did my best to get down exactly who said what, but going off voices it was extremely difficult.

Joe: Well letï¿Â½s start this out right away with this morning, what happened there?

Nick: They jimmied the lock on the passenger side, and the door was open. We were like, ï¿Â½whoahï¿Â½. We had a stand constructed for like our tv and Playstation and all that stuff and it was knocked over and our stuff was gone.

J: That sucks, totally unexpected

N: Yeah we didnï¿Â½t expect it at all

Dan: Yeah it was a nice way to wake up. It was kind of weird because we had like three laptops down there and we were thinking maybe they were so tired that they didnï¿Â½t touch them.

N: They were not very good thieves.

J: They just wanted the Ipod and Playstation?

D: Well they went more for the tv. They didnï¿Â½t even go to the front seats. We had the computers and stuff in the front and the tv was right there. They just opened the door and went for that.

N: And our Ipods were right there

Scott: And they stole our change

J: Ha ha ha

N: Yeah like who steals change?

J: Well I heard Rufio got their stuff stolen too, does that happen a lot on the road?

N: When I was touring solo, like I was touring with a band and all my stuff was in their van and trailer and we came out of a venue and the van and trailer was gone and I lost everything. So Iï¿Â½m like totally used to it by now< . J: Damn. So letï¿Â½s talk music. ï¿Â½Sunsets and Car Crashesï¿Â½ right?

N: Yeah

J: That was just your project?

N: Yeah that was just mainly me because I just didn’t have any musicians that really were inï¿Â½ I mean I live in South Dakota soï¿Â½

J: Ha ha ha, that’ll happen

N: Yeah, so there’s not a vast choice of musicians to pick from, but it was as good as I could do and it’s what I wanted to do the whole time. I mean it turned out great and I had a lot of fun so.

J: I reviewed that album for our website actually

N: Really?

J: For some reason, I have no idea, it has the most hits out of any other album.

N: Really?

J: Yeah, I believe I said it was, well how would you describe yourself?

N: How would I describe it?

J: I think I said it was like John Mayer meets Dashboardï¿Â½

N: Yeah that’s so hard. I mean I can’t put into words music that I would write. Especially on that record. I mean especially to compare we sound like thisï¿Â½I mean I’m honored to be perceived like that. They are both amazing musicians so.

J: I noticed a common theme for the first album was angst, or a lot of heartbreak on that album.

N: Oh yeah

J: So is there any reasoning behind that? Or was it just a rough time in your life?

N: You know it was just kind of a point where I was going through stuff in my life that was going on at the time. Itï¿Â½s just your average, you know, garbage that everyone goes through.

J: The new album, ï¿Â½One Fell Swoopï¿Â½ right?

D: Yeah yeah

J: Whenï¿Â½s that come out?

D: August 9th

J: So how is this album different than the last one?

S: Itï¿Â½s a lot more fast paced.

N: Up-tempo

D: Yeah thereï¿Â½s still those songs on it that resemble the first album. But it has more of that full band feel to it.

N: Yeah

D: Itï¿Â½s really fast paced and kinda rocks out

J: So the first album was just Nick, so how did you guys come

D: Yeah he had different musicians record, like he had someone do drums, and someone else play bass. But that was pretty much his thing.

J: So how did you guys form as a band for this current album?

S: All living together in Sioux Falls I guess.

D: Yeah the three of them went to high school together and these two (Joe and Scott) were also in a different band together.

Joe: Yeah Sorry I’m here now, sorry I was late.

J: Oh thatï¿Â½s alright donï¿Â½t even worry bout it.

Joe: ha ha alright

D: And just through like the local scene

J: The local South Dakota scene?

D: Yeah

Joe: ha ha ha

D: If you could call it that I guess. But just talking and sharing a common interest in music and stuff we came together.

J: So what are your expectations for this new album coming out in August? Like maybe not from reviews and critics but what do you expect from your listeners?

S: I donï¿Â½t know I think just a more mature album.

Joe: A wider audience

D: yeah, maybe branch out to people who wouldnï¿Â½t necessarily go for just the acoustic stuff.

J: And how is being on the Warped Tour helping that? Is it helping at all do you think youï¿Â½re reaching more people?

D: Well you reach more people, but Warped Tour is definitely more rock-based. I mean there are a lot of different styles now, but itï¿Â½s definitely a rock- based crowd and thatï¿Â½s the type of crowd that maybe didnï¿Â½t listen to any of ï¿Â½Sunsets and Car Crashesï¿Â½ that might now get into it.

Joe: Thatï¿Â½s the plan anyways

J: So when you play your songs on Warped Tour do you play your old stuff?

N: We play a couple full band versions of the old stuff. Like where theyï¿Â½d be acoustic on the old cd, now theyï¿Â½re more rockinï¿Â½ and more fun. Itï¿Â½s a little more accessible too. I mean there are people that even if they like acoustic stuff, more majority of people can just get into rocking out.

Joe: Yeah if there was some guy just playing by himself with an acoustic guitar

J: Yeah that doesnï¿Â½t really sell that much on Warped Tour not too many people wanna see that.

Joe: Yeah that would go horribly just a guy and a guitar by himself.

J: So other than the break in this morning how is the Warped Tour experience as a band? Is this your first Warped Tour?

N: Well we played a day last year.

D: Itï¿Â½s been pretty good, weï¿Â½ve gotten a pretty good response. Especially from kids that actually know about us, they come up to the merch-table they exceed our expectations by like 500 times. I mean weï¿Â½re not getting all rich

J: ha ha ha

D: Like last year there was probably like $30 sold total that day. So anythingï¿Â½s better than that.

J: Anything better than 30 and youï¿Â½re heading in the right direction?

D: Yeah

J: So have you guys become friends with any of the other bands? Like what bands do you most relate to?

S: Like some of the bands that are on the Smartpunk stage I say we relate to most because weï¿Â½re with each other a lot. Weï¿Â½ve only been on a for a week or so though soï¿Â½ Just the guys on the Smarpunk stage, meeting those guys.

N: Yeah itï¿Â½s hard because the big bands, like the really big bands they might not really have time to come check you out or anything. You donï¿Â½t want to be that guy thatï¿Â½s like, ï¿Â½Hey man. Come check us out!ï¿Â½ like totally just bugging them. You just kinda go with it and whoever you meet you meet.

J: So do you guys have any plans to tour this fall?

N: Yeah

J: Going on the road with anybody or headlining?

N: We have a label tour.

J: One eleven

N: Yeah, yeah itï¿Â½s with a band called This Day and Age, theyï¿Â½re really good friends of ours and another band Mashlin.

J: Mashlin?

D: Yeah theyï¿Â½re based out of Florida

N: Itï¿Â½s us three and weï¿Â½re just going on a whole US tour and itï¿Â½ll just be a whole lotta fun.

J: Well alright thanks so much for taking time out of your day.

N: No thank you

J: 6:50 Smartpunk stage right?

Joe: Yup

J: See ya guys there