Interview: Hit the Lights

April 26, 6:32 PMDenver Music QA ExaminerJulie Wagoner

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Hit the Lights

Q: As a band, what are your best qualities?
Hit the Lights: Our best qualities as a band – I think we put on a gigantic stage show. I think it’s also our personalities. We are all personable guys. We all think we are very funny. We love to make a lot of jokes. I think we’re friends – and it shows too.

Q: I read that you are releasing a new EP this summer, what can you tell me about it?
Hit the Lights: It’s going to have five or six songs on it. There’s going to be two acoustic songs, two cover songs, and then two brand new songs. It’s actually all done finally. Yeah, it’s awesome. There’s an acoustic version of the song, “Tell Me Where You Are,” off our latest album. I thought that was really cool. We did a lot of really neat stuff just for fun, you know? Then, we kind of brought back and old track for an acoustic song too that I think kids will be into. For the cover songs, we took bands that influenced us growing up - a band called Elliott and another band called Further Seems Forever. When we got to California, we recorded two songs with two different producers. One was Mark Trambino. The other was John Sullivan.

Q: Are you playing any of these songs right now?
Hit the Lights: We're saving them for Warped Tour.

Q: The band is originally from Ohio, so the first time you ever hit the road – was there any culture shock?
Hit the Lights: Yes, in Toledo. It was awesome. (laughs)
Q: I ask because I'm originally from West Virginia and have been there with that feeling.
Hit the Lights: Yeah, yeah. Definitely New York City, it was crazy. I think California was a big one too.
Q: Do you still experience that feeling when you go anywhere new?
Hit the Lights: I don't know. I'd say maybe. We're going to Japan so I am sure we will have culture shock there. I think for the rest of the U.S., we are pretty much over it. We're just kind of hanging. I'm excited, though. I think Japan will be awesome that's definitely going to be some culture shock for us.

Q: What was one misconception that you had about the music industry?
Hit the Lights: Everyone is there to help you. Going in to it - it's part of the business to hear that. Then, you start experiencing things and going, "Oh wow." It's business and it can get pretty ugly. We haven't had that much of a problem with it cause I think we surround ourselves with good people. But, we do know of other friends who have that stuff happen all the time. And, people want your money. People are in it for themselves. That's the biggest misconception - that people are there to make you a bigger band.

Q: You guys have performed at Warped Tour in the past so what can we expect that will be different this year?
Hit the Lights: Well, we have a new singer! (laughs) I think more kids know about us. When kids are more into us, we respond to it. This tour is going to be awesome.
Q: Is there any band in particular that you're looking forward to seeing?
Hit the Lights: NOFX, I plan on checking them out a lot. The boys of Sing It Loud are going along on Warped Tour. We're sharing a bus with a band called Inner Party System so I want to see them.

Q: What pumps you up before a concert?
Hit the Lights: We usually listen to music. We jam. We turn up the speakers as high as they go. We scream. Mostly, we scream. And, we stretch by jumping around. And, we kick each other too! (laughs)
Q: Nice! That's a good way to get the energy flowing.

Q: What's the craziest thing that you've seen happen in the audience?
Hit the Lights: There was a fight that happened one time. We were playing in Florida and they just started decking each other in front of me. And, we had to split em up. They were just hitting each other in the face over and over. Didn't expect that.