On May 7th, the Atlantic Record’s band needtobreathe will be in Seattle, WA for a night of energy, passion, and straight up great music. This band, like other bands, came from humble begins and rose to stardom. Last year, they were featured on the Ps. I Love You soundtrack. Since then, these guys have gone from playing for hundreds of fans to thousands almost overnight.

Today, April 22, 2010, I (Colleen) sat down in a Starbucks with a free Iced Dark Cherry Mocha after sleeping 3 hours the night before (doing homework, nonetheless) and spoke with Bo, guitarist and backup vox from the South Carolina quartet needtobreathe. Here’s the challenge: ask as many cliché questions in 15 minutes or less…. And go!

Rain City Ambience: By the way, thank you for taking the time to talk with us. We know your lives are busy. First question, How has the road been treating you?
Bo: Awesome. Apart from the flat tires and stuff, this has been the best tour. We get to go to cities… where we used to play for only hundreds, if that… and now, play for thousands almost every night. It’s unexpected every night. Such a blessing.

RCA: Wow. Sounds like a dream! So, what’s your favorite song to play?
Bo: Right now? “Better”. I get to play the bango. People might get skeptical but it explains what we’re all about.
RCA: What are you all about then?
Bo: Something different. We have passion every night and we wear our hearts on our sleeve. [A lot of bands might say that same thing but] we offer something different, and we mean it.

RCA: Well, that’s true. So, who would you say has influenced your music?
Bo: I really don’t know. Growing up we listened to Jump, Little Children. We wanted to model what they did. [They started locally and] we started locally. We wanted to just map it out, [show by show]. Then, go to the next level. Lyrically, [that band] was amazing. They were a great live band and gave a real show. We wanted to be like that.

RCA: So, you guys are on the Ps. I Love You soundtrack. How does that feel?
Bo: It’s crazy. We never thought we could get there. We never thought THAT would happen. There are some make-out scenes [in the movie], so when you write a song, you don’t think that visual would happen. The cool thing about music, when you put a visual to it, it takes it to the next level. Now, there are tons of new fans brought to [our music] by [the movie]. It’s a way people can learn about us.

RCA: Any tour tradition s you guys have? Any special places you like to eat at?
Bo: We try to eat around and take suggestions from the locals. Our favorite restaurant on tour is “Winehouse Steakhouse”. They don’t even serve steak. They serve fried chicken and stuff. We are big into food, so we like to check around.

RCA: A day in your shoes looks like…
Bo: Depends. Sometimes [on tour] we have time to walk around and check out the stores and meet people. That’s a part of being in a [touring] band. I’m now getting caught into touring. Every day is a pleasure to play. I don’t take anything for granted. [Each place has] something unique. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

RCA: Who would win a fight: Lady Gaga or Beyonce?
Bo: Wow. Uh, Lady Gaga could, depending on what she’s wearing. I don’t know. Beyonce would put up a fight, that’s for sure.
RCA: Any underlining themes present in your music?
Bo: Passion no one has seen before. We bring something different.
RCA: Could your music change someone’s life?
Bo: It may. I think it does. We have passion.
RCA: So would you say your message is about hope and being true to yourself?
Bo: Well, sure. We are a hopeful band. We can write music in the studio from our hearts. Always, no matter what, wear your heart on your sleeve. Then, you’ll be able to connect with the audience. One theme in our music is that everyone gets wounded. People get hurt, and we feel like if you don’t try (to overcome it), you’ll never experience (being free). We’ve experienced that. We know that we can relate with fans.

RCA: Any finals thoughts?
Bo: We are having the time of our life and we can’t take it for granted. So, come see a show.