Warped Tour 2008: A brand new era of artists emerge: The Academy Is...

William Beckett of The Academy Is

Singer William Beckett performs at Warped Tour 6/21/08

The Butcher of The Academy Is performs at Vans Warped Tour

I had a chance to speak with one of those bands at this years Vans Warped Tour in San Francisco, CA on June 21st 2008 at Pier 31/32. Mainstage acts and Vans Warped Tour veterans, The Academy Is... who happen to have a new album due out on August 19th.

What were your influences on the new album?
The Butcher: "We tried to think about what our fans like, and have always liked about TAI, The first album compared to Santi the focus on our new album was making something the fans want to hear and what we enjoy playing and making."

William Beckett: I think that we influenced each other a lot more inspired each other a lot just like what we're good at I'm good at starting songs and their good at finishing songs it was an attitude and mindset of having fun, s**t that I love about music, really interesting real. The core of lyric, really cutting you and telling the truth telling our story of the last 5 years.

The last album had a darker edge.
William Beckett: This one doesn't have that edge. The edge has been filed down on this. I mean, were proud of everything we have put out. This is exactly the perfect mesh of music, melody and lyric and its more based on songs. It's fun, more hopeful and happy. It's real and bittersweet. This is my favorite s**t. It's what I would listen to going back on the bus, music I love.

You're saying it's a lot of stuff you love about music. Lyrically, musically, or over all?
William Beckett: Yeah I'd say it all, I mean we really revisited our roots, got back to why we started music an this band in the first place. I feel like this is as far as expectations and what people are epecting and how this weighs on us, if we had no expectations, and lets just imagine this was a different band or whatever, I would still feel the same exact way about this record as I would because its such an undeniable album because, were just so comfortable with the album and its just what we wanted to do with the album. Its about the songs and stories as opposed to it being about an atmosphere.

Would you say it's more like Almost Here than Santi?
William Beckett: People have said that to me that have heard it, but I'd say as natural as it felt, the process was a lot like Almost Here. But, it's a whole different band I mean Michael and Butcher being in the writing process, we didn't have that on Almost Here, and they're two of the best musicians I've ever seen and played with. I mean, having that collaboration and inspiration, as a band we all really trusted each other a lot. I would show them a song on acoustic and then get inspired to write some sick S**t over it that never got in the way of the songs cause the stories are so good as they are. And the songs, well when a song can stand up on acoustic and I could come out here right now and play a song on acoustic for you guys and you can get it, and you feel it and you understand it. That's what makes a great song, and that's what this record is full of, that.

Are you guys planing on doing a tour after Warped Tour to promote the new album?
William Beckett: Yeah, well we're doing some overseas stuff with Panic [at the disco] first, it should be great. Then we're coming back and doing our own tour with We The Kings and a couple other bands and thats gonna be like a headlining thing so we'll be touring 'til the end of the year pretty much.

Will there be any acoustic stuff on the album?
William Beckett: Well its just like big 'ol songs, dynamic songs, there's some acoustics in there. Yeah, there are some acoustics in there but its a rock record.

Well, verring away from the new record, I noticed at some of your shows on the last tour, Sleeping With Giants, that after the show there were a lot of fans waiting for you. How does that, and if this is too personal you don't have to answer, can that be overwhelming at times to experience that rush? I mean, I witnessed something at a show that basically tore my heart to shreds. I saw you get bumped into the tour bus by the fans and the door starting to squish you.
William Beckett: Yeah I mean my personality isn't necessarily like this dominant character where I'm like "You here. You go there. Step away. Form a line." you know? I'm not really like that. So in that way I think I probably should be more like that just to like

For your own safety?
William Beckett: Yeah to like save myself a bit. But you know, plus towards the end of the tour, it was like also we were really tired. We stayed out and talked to like all our fans until they were all gone a lot of times. I've been known to do that, but in certain shows it's like I'm just so tired and exhausted. I just want to go on the bus and chill you know, but I do love meeting the fans meeting fans is a great thing. It's a great thing to know fans too.

Now with internet and media sites such as Myspace and Buzznet, do you think those have helped you? And Friends or Enemies, do you think those have helped people get notice of your band?
William Beckett: Yeah, I mean we do a lot of cool stuff on those sites. We do like a bunch of video stuff. We have like TAI TV, I dont know if you know about that, it's this weekly thing, this weekly show that we do on our website and we do a lot of photo updates on Friends or Enemies and s**t and you know it's all for the fans it's all to show the fans a little bit extra, a little bit more since you can go download the songs for free anyway here's something else thats gonna you know make you feel good about, a little bit of an inside peek into the band and a little bit of extra.

Do you feel that maybe because you guys give that sort of access to your fans that is might create some, I don't know, personal drawbacks or not personal drawbacks, I don't know how to explain it per say but do you think theres more invasion of territory because of that?
William Beckett: Is there a sense of entitlement? Like fans feeling they're entitled?

Yeah like fans feel they're entitled to be able to come up to you?
William Beckett: I think a little bit, but I think that if we don't give it to them every time, like sometimes I'll just want to go on the bus and I'm just gonna go on the bus and you have to... Like Billy Corgan and s**t like I never met those guys. I never met any of my favorite bands growing up. Part of it was, I was a little too scared to go talk to them but I think that it's a really special thing that there's this personal......[trails off] 'cause I feel personally attached to our fans. And I love talking to our fans and seeing the familiar faces and stuff you know? Like seeing the familiar faces and being able to like grow with our fans. That's a really special thing, and I think for the most part, there's a certain amount of respect that our fans have that they understand that like we're human beings and you know?

Yeah, they're not like Spice Girls or Backstreet Boys fans, you know that kind of...
William Beckett: Yeah, right right.

Alright, well, I think that's it. I hope that wasn't, too, you know, hope I didn't invade your privacy too much with that.
William Beckett: No you didn't, I was expecting worse.

You can go to http://theacademyis.com to view Episodes of TAI TV and get more information regarding the release of The Academy Is... "Fast Times at Barrington High"

Iris Wasabi can be contacted via eMail at iriswasabi@gmail.com

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