Simple Plan Interview
How were you approached about going on the tour?
Chuck: Mark and Tom from Blink asked us to come out. Just go out and play a show every day to a bunch of rad kids that like the same kind of music we do. We walk around in the crowd every day before our show and talk to people. We just talk to everyone. It's so natural for us to say yes. It's the coolest tour of the summer.
How did you first meet up with Blink 182?
Chuck: We have been playing music for a long time. We played a bunch of shows with them back when they were called Blink. We played with them and toured when Cheshire Cat came out. We kept in touch. Mark sang on the record. They take care of us. It just shows you how humble they are and how much they care about small bands. They don't have to help us out. They don't have to have a second stage every night. But they still do.
How do you try to connect with fans?
Chuck: First off, we look at them and play as hard as we can. Before the show, I'm in the line outside talking to people. Then right after our set we will just jump into the crowd and talk to people. I would rather be hanging out and meeting people and making friends than sit on the bus and watch tv. Something that we do a lot is answer e-mails. We get a lot of e-mails. People can go to the website (www.simpleplan.com) and e-mail us there. We try to read them all every day, but for sure they get answered. It's about getting to know who likes our music. They know us, we should know them.
How was the Sugar Ray tour?
Chuck: It was dope. We had a good time. It wasn't exactly our crowd. At first we were a little scared but it turned out really well. It was rad to play to different people, to show this kind of music to people that normally wouldn't hear it. The more we played -east coast cities especially- the more people were following us around, driving and flying to shows. That was incredible. You could feel something was going on. It was like tonight. People came in from Chicago (previous night's stop).
How did you sign to Atlantic Records?
Chuck: Basically it was this, back in our old band, we would get e-mails from kids around the world saying they had no way to get our music. With Atlantic, they can. We took a long time to look for a label that would respect what we were and how we wanted to make music. Lava, which is a small part of Atlantic is who we chose. They really care about us. They signed us because they liked us. They didn't want to change us into something we're not. It felt right. We know we will have records in stores and at the shows.
What do you like to do on off time?
Chuck: I don't really like off time. We don't have a lot of days off, but we have a lot of free time. I like to work on off days. I don't like to just do nothing. I love going online and checking out DVD's. I love movies.
What do you like the most about Montreal?
Chuck: I like how it has been around for a long time. Warped tour always sells out. It's just so rad that there are that many kids supporting the scene. We played our first show with Unwritten Law and so many people came out. It's so good to know that the people in your own city support you.
How did you all meet?
Chuck: We all went to the same high school and were best friends. We just played in bands together. We were always part of the scene. It was just a natural progression.
What was the first concert you went to?
Chuck: Pearl Jam. It was a good show, I went with my dad. My first punk show was probably NOFX and 10 Foot Pole. That's when I found out what kind of music I wanted to play. When I saw those bands, I knew that was what I wanted to do.
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