Backstage on the Raisin’ Hell in the Heartland Tour at the Sylvee in Madison, WI, Cutter and Kaytie had conversation with singer Jeremy McKinnon and guitarist Neil Westfall of A Day to Remember. During the conversation, Jeremy discussed the band’s distinct sound:
“Yeah it was kind of necessity for our local seen too. So, like, the only shows that were coming through town were like tough guy hardcore show from like Face Down Records. There was this band called Seventh Star, they were from Ocala as well, and their bass player, Drew Russ, who went on to do a bunch of our videos, he’s amazing, but he would book all the shows through town. So it’s all hardcore bands, cause they’re a hardcore band. So we grew up going to their shows and we also liked pop punk and you know Epitaph records and all that stuff. So to really combine everything that we loved in music with both of those things, we could play shows, we fit in our hometown. We like these kinds of shows, we like this energy, we like what these parts do to the show, but let’s also be a punk band at the same time and here we are.”
It’s been three years since A Day to Remember released Bad Vibrations on Epitaph Records. Being on Epitaph was a big deal to the band:
Jeremy: “Yeah it was a big deal to us and uh they helped us out when we really needed somebody to help us out. We’re very appreciative to those guys and that was an awesome cycle, just to be ale to work with them, they were really supportive, really put anything behind us that we asked for. So it was cool, we got to work with Bill Stevenson, Jason Livermore at the Blasting Room which was f***ing awesome.”
Neil Westfall: “All those experiences I don’t think they would have happened if we didn’t do the record with them at the end of it. Their legacy influenced all of that, it’s kinda crazy.”
They also confirmed work on new music but no specific details on a release.
