Taking Back Sunday burst onto the scene over 15 years ago quickly finding their way into the hearts of the myspace generation of emo kids and music fans alike. Through the years their sound has matured and loyal fanbase has grown. To celebrate the release of their 7th studio album Tidal Wave the band are headed down to Australia for a March 2017 tour.
We were lucky enough to chat with vocalist Adam Lazzara to talk about the new album and Aussie tour.
SCENEzine
How’s 2017 been treating you?
Adam Lazzara
So far so good man. We brought in the new year much like we do every year, staying at the house and having some friends over. We’ve been just been getting back into the swing of things, it’s always crazy after the holidays to get back into a schedule.
SCENEzine
When you look back on 2016 are there any highlights for you?
Adam Lazzara
One of the biggest things was releasing Tidal Wave then we did a tour of USA in these small clubs where we pretty much just played the album front to back and that was just an amazing time for all of us. I’d say that was one of the bigger highlights.
SCENEzine
Living with the songs from Tidal Wave being out for 6 months now has it become one of your favourites?
Adam Lazzara
Yeah it has I think it’s kind of like anybody that makes any kind of art says their most recent is their favourite. For me I just think there’s a lot of growth on that record and we are starting to go in a direction that I’m really happy and comfortable with. I’m very proud of the whole thing.
SCENEzine
Your vocals on Tidal Wave seem better than ever. Is that something with each album you’ll try and push yourself a little further?
Adam Lazzara
First off thank you for that compliment. I like to think the same thing. Really through the whole career of our band I’ve been learning how to sing. If you listen to our first record I had no idea what I was doing I was just kind of yell singing the words out and hoping that they fit within the melody. Over the years I’ve kind of learned how to use it better I think. I think that shows on this new record.
SCENEzine
With Tidal Wave being the third album in a row with the original lineup back has that made it easier to define what Taking Back Sunday is?
Adam Lazzara
I believe so. This is the first time in the history of the band where we we’ve had the same lineup for three consecutive records. With that comes the fact that you’re very comfortable with each others playing and each others choices. You can not only write with one another but for one another. That’s a really great working dynamic.
SCENEzine
So does the cliché of some record executive in a suit asking your band to write a hit not apply? Do you have the creative freedom to make Taking Back Sunday sound however you like without worrying about radio success?
Adam Lazzara
Well we’d always like to have radio success (laughs) but that’s not something we can always count on. With us in the past we’ve experienced a little bit of that I know other artist where that’s a big reality for them. But with us no, especially on Tidal Wave it’s just five of us in the studio hashing out all the ideas and trying to make them sound the best that we could.
SCENEzine
I love the video for “you can’t look back”. Can you tell us a bit about the concept and was that fun to make?
Adam Lazzara
Yeah that video was a whole lot of fun to make. We just released a part two to that video which is for the song “call come running”. Originally it was going to be a three part thing but we managed to get it to a two part thing. The first video makes a lot more sense after you see the second.
SCENEzine
Did you need to use a stunt double for the falling down the hill scene or was that you?
Adam Lazzara
No that was all me. We figured if we wanted to make it look the best I needed to go for it. I was scratched and bruised for a while after that but in the end it was well worth it.
SCENEzine
Was it cool to have your family involved in the song “homecoming”?
Adam Lazzara
Oh yeah, we had a big group of friends up at the studio that day. It was pretty great because we recoded in Charlotte North Carolina where John and I live so a lot of our friends were just around. They would drop in time from time to time so it worked out to have them lend their voices to the song.
SCENEzine
Does having kids help you stay grounded from the rock star life?
Adam Lazzara
(laughs) yeah well I was definitely never much of a rock star per se (laughs). But being a father definitely changes things a lot. For me I became more conscious when I writing. What I writing and what I wanted to write about. Aside from that when we are home I’m not out partying. I just stay home and hang out with the kids. It probably won’t make us sound like the coolest but it’s a pretty great life.
SCENEzine
You’ll be touring Australia very soon. Do you’re kids know about Australia?
Adam Lazzara
Yeah it’s funny on my sons first day of kindergarten we were in Australia with The Used. I was face timing with him as he was getting ready for school and on the walk there. We have this globe at the house so we try to show them ok well daddy’s going to be here then we are going here. We tell them what the country’s are called and a little about the history and the places. For the longest time my son Keaton thought I worked at the airport because I had to go there so often (laughs). I’ve found the time change is probably the hardest thing for kids to get their head around.
SCENEzine
Is there anything you like to do in Australia besides play shows?
Adam Lazzara
Well I’ve been to that koala sanctuary about 5 or 6 times now so I’m gunna have to try and do other site seeing touristy stuff. For me and probably for a lot of us in the band anytime we get to go anywhere we just go walking around. It’s a good way to get familiar with your new surroundings. It’s definitely different than here in the States but it’s not polarising or anything.
It’s just nice to see how other folks go about their day.
SCENEzine
You’ve been here quite a few times over the years. Is there a particular live memory that stands out for you?
Adam Lazzara
It always blows our minds because we can literally go to the other side of the world and people know our songs. It’s a really incredible things. You get an eye opening first hand experience in how lucky you are. To think that things that we’ve put our whole selves into helps people in some way or they just dig it is always a crazy thing. One of the more memorable things is I did one tour there with New Found Glory and my left leg was broken. I basically got impaled by this tree back home and we didn’t want to cancel the tour so we were like the show must go on.
We flew down there and after the second show I had to go to the doctor to get my right leg checked out it turned out I had an infection in my right leg. So basically we were getting on stage every night and touring and I could hardly even stand up I was on crutches. So it felt like a giant whirlwind of a trip dealing with all of that trying to manoeuvre and still put on the best show we could. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that.
SCENEzine
One of my all time favourite songs is not exactly a Taking Back Sunday song but is “because it works” by yourself. Can you tell us how that song came about?
Adam Lazzara
Thank you for saying that I don’t think I’ve ever heard anybody say that. I have this buddy name Rob Hitt who used to play in the band Midtown. He started a record label called I Surrender and he wanted to put together a compilation of four different singers from different bands doing their own songs. Rob was already talking to Anthony Raneri from Bayside about the project so he brought my name up so Rob called told me about the idea. The song was one that I had kicking around about a third of the way done. I have all these ideas I call them my one third ideas cause they’re about one third done I just haven’t had time to iron them all out and that was one of them.
When he called me about that all of a sudden I had a deadline so I went back and listened to the old demos I had of that song. Then I finished it and recorded it at the house and sent it to my buddy Mark to mix and help it sound a little better. We ended up making a video for it because my friend Shamus that lived in the neighbourhood here is a videographer. We were just talking about it one day and he was willing to do it so we went out to my friends farm at about 5 in the morning to get the sunrise.
SCENEzine
Have you ever played that song live?
Adam Lazzara
I played it at a friends wedding but that’s the only time I’ve done it live. Other than that it’s just been this thing that’s lived in my little studio. I hope that one day I have the gumption and time to sit down and put all these ideas I have together. A lot of the times some of them will end up being Taking Back Sunday songs. I’m not the best multi-tasker but maybe one day I’ll get a little better at it and I could put out a record.
SCENEzine
One thing people know you for is you’re signature swinging of the microphone during live sets. Has anything ever gone horribly wrong?
Adam Lazzara
Oh yeah a few times . I started doing it because originally I was the bass player in the band then I just started singing. So I didn’t have anything to do with my hands anymore so I started doing that . When I first started I would knock teeth out. I knocked our old bass player Matt out once, just layed him out flat. I still feel bad about it to this day.
SCENEzine
A huge Taking Back Sunday crowd favourite is “your so last summer” was that one of those songs that came really quickly in the writing process?
Adam Lazzara
It’s hard to remember that was so long ago when we wrote it. I know that Eddie came in with the riff. I also know that we were looking for a name for the song because we were recording it. John and I went with our friend Sarah to see Jay and Silent Bob in the theatres. After we were talking about some other movie that had came out a year before and Sarah said “oh John your so last summer”. Then we were like oh that’s the name for the song.
SCENEzine
Is it still a cool feeling to play that song live?
Adam Lazzara
It’s cool because it’s like playing “cute without the e” it takes on a life of it’s own. When your in that room with those people playing it becomes this whole new thing entirely that’s much bigger than any one of us in the band. It’s one of those songs that when we are rehearsing for a tour we don’t have to practice because everybody could play that in their sleep. Because we’ve played it since the first tour we’ve ever done. It’s a pretty amazing thing to play that song live and see the crowd.
SCENEzine
Lastly can you leave us a message for your Australian fans?
Adam Lazzara
I’d just like to say thank you, we are extremely humbled to be able to travel so far from home and then have people who know our music there. It’s a really incredible thing and I hope to see you all at the show.
(Interview by Christian Ross)
