The Maine is an American rock band from Tempe, Arizona. They consist of John O’Callaghan (Vocals/Guitar), Kennedy Brock (Guitar/Vocals), Jared Monaco (Guitar), Garrett Nickelsen (Bass) and Pat Kirch (Drums).
The Maine have recently completed their own UK headline tour, with support from This Century, and released their EP ‘Good Love’, an addition to their album ‘Pioneer’.
Following on from this, their DVD ‘Anthem For A Dying Breed’ is released on the 19th November 2012 and it was announced that The Maine would feature alongside Adam Lazzara, of Taking Back Sunday, for a performance of Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ for the Fearless Records ‘Punk Goes Pop 5’ compilation.
Fortitude Magazine spoke to Jared to discuss the band’s development, latest ventures and forthcoming releases. This is what he had to say:
You just finished the Pioneer World Tour, which is your longest stint of touring, how has the experience been for you?
It was an incredible run. We were able to visit so many new places, and it took us around the globe. It was awesome seeing everyone’s reaction to the new songs.
The tour, obviously, included a string of UK dates, was it good to be back after being here earlier in the year supporting All Time Low?
Definitely. I think that tour gave us the opportunity to play to an audience that wasn’t entirely familiar with our band yet. These recent UK shows felt stronger than ever. It was a blast.
Personally, each record you produce seems to be edging into new, more mature, directions; has that had any impact to your original fans, whom remember you for your quirky pop-rock on Can’t Stop Won’t Stop?
I don’t think our fans think about it like that. For us, we’re not the same people we were when we were 17, 18, or 19 even. The great part is that most of those fans back in the Can’t Stop days have grown along with what we’re doing. We’re lucky to have that kind of relationship.
You are featured on Punk Goes Pop 5, alongside Adam Lazzara of Taking Back Sunday, covering Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Girls Just Want To Have Fun’. First of all, how did that collaboration come about?
We toured with TBS earlier this year, so we got a chance to hang with those guys a bit. When we heard the direction our cover started to take, it seemed appropriate to have Adam on the track, so we hit him up about it. We haven’t had many featured spots like that, but I am stoked we did. I love how the track came out.
Secondly, what encouraged you to cover that specific track?
We wanted to do something in the vein of 80’s pop, but the first riff John came up with was pretty dark, so we decided to just go with a loud, almost sarcastic approach.
You’ve now released ‘Pioneer & Good Love’, why did you opt to include a few extra tracks to the original release?
We recorded 27 songs, most of them were polished, and a lot of them didn’t make it on the record. We wanted to show where our heads were at while we were in the studio. Not every song fit the vibe of the record, so we had to wait a bit to release them. We see Good Love as an extension of Pioneer itself.
Your DVD ‘Anthem For A Dying Breed’ is released on the 19th November in the UK, why should the public go out and get this?
It’s got two parts: First, a candid sort of documentary mostly shot by Garrett that shows us writing, recording, and fighting to get Pioneer released. Second is a live concert from Sao Paulo, Brazil. It features songs from Pioneer and everything prior. We just had a première for it in Tempe, AZ. We’re stoked for people to check it out!
As you can see the preparation for ‘Anthem For A Dying Breed’ has begun, following on from their recent ‘Pioneer World Tour’, and Fortitude Magazine will be sure to watch its development. Check out the DVD trailer below: