Just as a pre-interview warning, we tried a slightly different approach with these guys. Honestly, this was not originally our intent, but this interview was a ton of fun for us and hopefully you enjoy reading it as well.

Setting: There For Tomorrow’s tour van in front of El Corazon

Christian (holds up a nasty headband from who-knows-where): …Dave’s headband, dude. There’s a disgusting story behind that.
Maika: Oh, why? Did he wipe his—
Kelly: Oh, you want to start this interview with story time?
Maika: Noo..
Christian: Absolutely not.
Jessie: Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat’s---
Christian: Wait, are you in the interview too?
Maika: What was that? Who is… what was that??
Christian: She’s part of the interview too, dude.
Maika: Was that the interview? I like that. Go on.
Jessie: No, I’m saying what’s up, guys?
Everyone: What upppp.
Christian: Alright, so I’m Christian. I play guitar, and sing a bit.
Kelly: I didn’t ask what you do, I just want your name.
Christian: You just want my name?
Kelly: I’m just kidding, you can say whatever you want…
Maika: This girl’s feisty, man.
Jessie: We just pull things out of this. Don’t worry, we’re not going to post everything. [Editor’s note: That’s what you think, Jessie. ;D]
Christian: No, post the entire thing; starting from when you went ‘what uppppppp?’
Kelly: It’s starting from when you said “what the hell is that? Oh, it’s Dave’s headband.”
Christian: Oh, so that’s a good thing!

Kelly: Right. So.. Maika.
Maika: Uhh.. (silence) I’m Maika. (more silence)
Christian: That’s it.
Jay: I’m Jay.
Kelly: Fantastic.
Jay: I’m Jay.
Christian: Wow, I’m the only one who went overboard and said that I play guitar..
Kelly: OKAY, so let’s do this. That was an interesting two minute long introduction.

Jessie: Alright. This is a big question. I’m gonna start with the big ones and just get them out of the way… If you could change the world with your music, what would you change first?
Christian: That is a worldly question.
Maika: That’s nice. It’s a very considerate question; I like that. I don’t think we have any crazy goals to push our beliefs on anybody. This is just our way of doing what we do. I don’t know, there’s nothing else we could be doing right now. To say that we wanna go out there and beat cancer or something… That would be weird, you know, because all we do is sing about what we know. We don’t know about curing cancer.
Christian: If they figure out a way-- if music could cure cancer, that would be wild.
Maika: That would be sick. One day we’ll do that, I promise.
Kelly: You promise you’ll cure cancer with your music?
Christian: You’ll play our CD and somebody will be like (weird heave noise) “oh, cancer gone!”
Jay: Then we will go feed all the Ethiopian kids.
Maika: Yep, we’re gonna do that. We’re gonna feed everybody.

Kelly: In what ways in your new album different from your EP, Pages?
Maika: Well, it’s a couple of years after Pages, so that should tell you that..
Kelly: It’s newer?
Maika: Yeah, and it’s more progression and we got older. That’s all we’re gonna do is get older and keep doing what we know.
Christian: AND… It’s longer.
Maika: It IS longer. It’s an Elllll-Pee. Instead of an Eeee-Peee. Phone home.

Kelly: Alright, how do you explain your music to people? How do you describe your sound?
Maika: That’s like one of the hardest questions you could ask… That’s good though, I like that! Just wanted to clarify that it’s hard for us to put a finger on it, which is maybe a good thing.
Christian: Honestly, that’s the hardest thing to ever answer somebody. It’s one of the most common questions people ask, even when they don’t know anything about the band, you know? We’ll be sitting at a gas station getting gas and some guy will be like “you guys in a band?” and we’re like “yeah..” and they’re like “what do ya’ll sound like?” and like… We don’t know! It’s just hard to explain.
Maika: Not like Skinnard.
Christian: We usually just lie to them.
Maika: The generic like, to the point way of saying it like, genres… I hate genres… is rock/pop/alternative. That’s our Myspace. And Myspace tells life, so there it is.

Chris enters the van.
Maika: He’s getting Germ-X. Say something!
Chris: CHRIS BLUNT IN DA HOUSE. TURNING 21. FUCKING SHIT UP, SON.
Laughter. Chris leaves.
Kelly: I’m glad that just happened.

Kelly: Where do you see your sound evolving?
Maika: Ahh. We don’t plan! I feel like we understand now how to be relaxed, and to not worry about all the other shit that people in our age bracket are worried about so much. We just want to be telling the truth and telling it like it is. Know what I’m sayin?
Jay: We’re just gonna let it happen and do our thing.
Jessie: So you guys signed to Hopeless last year.
Jay (in a mocking voice): Hopeness.
Jessie: Uhh.. Was I saying it wrong?
Maika: No! We were saying it wrong.
Jessie: How do you like Hopeless? ..and the people who work for Hopeless?
Jay: They’re very nice. I think we all share the same general drive for our band and what we want to do. I think they just generally like our band, and that’s why we like them.
Maika: They’re very realistic about a lot of things, especially when it comes to money, but that’s good! They’re smart about it. A lot of people just throw themselves out there on the biggest platters they can find and expect that to make it happen. They and our old manager/best friend J.R. have really helped us learn to take the long road, because shortcuts eventually lead you to somewhere you don’t want to be.
Kelly: So they’re not trying to make you change?
Maika: No, no, no. They’re really smart about. They’re music lovers— Looks as Jessie, who sighs. WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU, you okay?
Jessie: I’m fine! A little tired I’m just trying to breathe before this next question; it’s a long one. Shit there’s a lot of words in this one.
Digression about how we are all chewing our gum loudly.
Jessie: Dream tour-mates?
Christian: OH!
Maika: I thought you said there were a lot of words in that question. Dream tour mates. Three. Okay. What’s a dream tour for us to be on?
Kelly: Yeah. That is the question.
Maika: Anybody that we can just look up to, I don’t know…
Jay: Huey Lewis and the News, TRAPT for sure…
Laughter
Maika: Trapt. Yes.
Kelly: Oh no…
Christian: On a serious note, Foo Fighters and Jimmy Eat World. Let’s just do that tour.
Jay: Third Eye Blind would be sweet.
Maika: Okay it’s gonna be like this: There For Tomorrow out in the parking lot, Third Eye Blind, then Jimmy Eat World, and then Foo Fighters closing it out. At Wembley Stadium every day for a year.
Christian: Us in the parking lot, Third Eye Blind in the waiting line, Jimmy Eat World at the bar, and then Jimmy Eat World backstage. Nobody’s actually playing on the real stage.
Jay: That’s where everyone stands.
Christian: Yes.
Maika: It’s called the hangout tour.

Kelly: Realistically, who are your favorite bands that you have played with?
Maika: Anberlin. They’re a real band. It’s awesome because they came out with their new record; it’s their fourth record, and they are just now hitting their peak.
Christian: It’s cool to see that.
Maika: It’s good to see that they’ve made it after all these years.
Kelly: And he can wear a leather jacket while performing.
Everyone: Oh my godddd.
Maika: I would die.
Jay starts yelling…
Kelly: I wish I understood that…
Jay (still yelling): You don’t have to!!
Laughter
Kelly: Ummm..
Christian: Onto the next question.
Kelly: Uh, alright. How many times have you been to Disneyworld?
Christian: Oh my goddd.
Jay: More times than we can count on all of our hands put together.
Christian: Uhh I’ve never been.
Everyone: You are a LIAR!!
Jay: He actually invented the Pooh ride.
Kelly: The Pooh ride?
Jay: Winnie the Pooh?
Christian: Nahh the other Pooh ride.
Maika: The doo doo brown Pooh ride.
Christian: Yeah I invented that.
Maika: DOO DOO BROWN.

Kelly: Alright, well that’s a solid ending.
Jay (yelling): I KNOW!!!
Kelly: What…?
Maika: It goes like this… Ask me a question.
Jay: What time is it?
Maika: It’s—
Jay: I KNOW!! Hey, what time is it?
Maika: I think it’s like 9---
Jay: I KNOW!! I know. I know. Thanks for the interview. THANKS!
Maika: Thanks! We take ourselves SO seriously.
Jay: Hey, is this recording?
Kelly: Yea---
Jay: I KNOW!!