Hey Monday Interview

This interview with Cassadee of Hey Monday took place on September 24th, 2008 in front of the Downtown Brew in San Luis Obispo, CA. Hey Monday were on the Why So Serious? tour with The Cab, A Rocket to the Moon, and This Providence. Since then, they've grown quite a bit - read on to find out more about this talented group!

BD: Bandictionary
HM: Cassadee Pope of Hey Monday

BD: Tell us about yourselves. How did you get started?
HM: We are Hey Monday from West Palm Beach, FL. We all grew up in the local scene and kind of knew each other from the different local bands that we were all in. I went to high school with Alex and knew Elliot for a few years from a local band. I knew Mike since eighth grade, where they met at a school function. Jersey came in a little later, but he is just as much a part of the band as the rest of us. We came together when everyone else decided to go off and do their own thing with college and everything. We knew that this is what we wanted to do and we had a lot of opportunity to make this possible.

BD: It's usually pretty surprising when other people hear about a female-fronted band. Since you guys obviously support women in rock, what do you guys think about that?
HM: Well, there aren't really any downsides. People always say that there's a downside of being compared to other girl-fronted bands, but, I mean, it doesn't bother us! Especially when we're being compared to really good bands. We get compared to Paramore all the time, Avril Lavigne, and we're just like, "thanks!" I'm just like everyone else, though! I'm not a dude, but I do fit in with them, so it's not too weird or different.

BD: How was the experience of recording your album, Hold On Tight?
HM: Recording that was amazing! We got to do it with two of the most amazing producers, Sam Hollander and Dave Katz, and they taught us a lot about the writing process and the recording process. We basically lived in New York for a month and a half in this little studio and recorded the entire time. We didn't rush it, but we wanted to get it done because sometimes when you sit on music for too long, you start to change your mind about stuff, so we wanted to knock it out. But anyway, we're really proud of it!

BD: What's the best part about touring?
HM: The bands! We're all kind of starstruck because we're all fans of the bands we've been touring with so far. It's amazing to be able to be here with all of them and hang out with all of them, since they're our idols. But the best part of this career, for all of us, is playing live. Recording and everything else is so much fun, but what means most to us is performing and meeting all the fans.

BD: What's the worst part?
HM: Things like flat tires and other stuff that comes out of nowhere that sets us back. That's probably the only downside! Touring is pretty sweet; we can't complain much.

BD: What has been your favorite city to play in so far?
HM: We're all very taken back by the scenery of Colorado Springs because we've never really been around mountains that much since we're from Florida, which is pretty flat. Also, the weather is beautiful and we don't have weather like that in Florida. We do love California, though! I think we've all said that we want to move here eventually.

BD: How would you describe your fanbase?
HM: Right now, it's very diverse. We're definitely getting a younger crowd right now, but we think it's just because we haven't really gone out there that much. Hopefully when the CD releases, we can expand that a little. We've let our family and friends listen to it and the people who like it average between eight years old and like fifty, so we're hoping the fanbase is big. So far, it's been perfect. We can't complain about our fans; they've been amazing, but we think the CD will reach out to all kinds of different ages.

BD: If two bands could mate and your band would be the offspring, what bands would they be?
HM: I would definitely go with Blink-182 and We The Kings, and then there's like the illegitimate step-mom, which is Cyndi Lauper. Then you have Hey Monday.

BD: If you could see any band, alive or dead, in concert, who would it be?
HM: I would have to say Blink-182. I haven't seen them in my life and they're my favorite band. Hopefully there's a reunion!

BD: Who are your favorite people that you've met or hung out with?
HM: Pete Wentz. We've all been Fall Out Boy fans for a long time and meeting him was incredible, especially because of how down-to-earth and nice he is. Especially a guy of his caliber, who's always on TV and People magazine! It was normal to see him on all that stuff, but now it's so weird because we know him. He's just an awesome guy; very smart and good at what he does, so I definitely look up to him.

BD: What are some bands that you think everybody should listen to?
HM: We have friends from Tallahassee, Florida, and they're a band called Go Radio. We've played shows with them and they're really cool guys and they make really, really good music and everybody needs to listen to them!

BD: What advice do you have for aspiring musicians?
HM: Basically, don't let anybody tell you anything different. If you like something, go for it. Don't do something you're not happy with. Don't let anybody talk down to you. Always remember that it's about fun. If it becomes just a job and you don't think it's fun, then you shouldn't be doing it. It should be all about fun and never giving up.

BD: What goes through your head when you're on stage?
HM: Fun! Especially when we're seeing people singing the words. It's totally new to us, people actually knowing the words to our songs. When kids get into it, it's the best thing ever and even when they don't, playing our music on stage and letting people hear us every night is the most overwhelming feeling that we get. It's so much fun. There might be an occasional spacing out during a set, but playing a set is so second nature to us that something like that just goes over our heads. But we remember if we see someone in the crowd doing something funny like picking their nose or trying to pick up a girl and it not working or something like that.

BD: Are there any rituals you guys have to do before a show?
HM: I think we'd have to censor it! But yes, we harmonize before the show and we say... something that is an inside joke and is a little inappropriate. But the initials are J.O.A.H. That's all I'm going to say.

BD: If you had the opportunity to change one thing about the world, what would it be?
HM: More love, more peace, and more frisbees.

BD: Are there any thoughts that keep you up at night?
HM: Sometimes it's songs, or sometimes it's being scared of the dark. And sometimes it's thinking about the next day, thinking about what you're going to do, like playing frisbee!

BD: Anything else you'd like to add?
HM: We have a new music video up on our MySpace right now, go check it out. The CD comes out on October 7th, it's called Hold On Tight. We're going on tour next month with We The Kings, The Academy Is..., and Carolina Liar. It's called Bill & Trav's Bogus Journey Tour. And that's it! ★

To learn more about Hey Monday, go to heymondaymusic.com.

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