Four Year Strong's Joe Weiss and Jake Massucco were quite understandably knocking back the Red Bull when I caught up with them recently. Having just touched down in the UK that morning, the guys were here to play then jump into the van to head straight back to the airport. That's pretty hardcore- but there was talk of trying to catch a nap under a table. It's a high energy business being part of one of pop punk's most adored bands, but it sounds like it's as much fun as it is hard work. Despite the insane exhaustion brought on by their sleep-deprived globe trotting, the boys managed a quick chat with me before hitting the Pro Plus.
R13: Welcome back to the UK guys, is there anything you've missed since your last trip here?
Joe Weiss: We love Nandos! Wagamama too.
R13: But you're probably not going to get a chance to sample their delights this time...?
JW: We drove straight from the airport to here, then we're going straight to the hotel tonight... but hopefully we'll find one of them on the way!
R13: You've become quite accustomed to the manic UK festival season over the years, but it's something that's still yet to really catch to on to that extent over in the States. Do you think it'll be something that will develop?
JW: I hope it'll develop more at home. I feel everyone over here can lighten up a bit and listen to more one kind of music and not be like, 'I will only listen to this really tiny fraction of this really tiny weird genre'. It's ridiculous. I listen to 'music'.
Jake Massucco: I don't care what retarded name you give it- if sucks then its shitty music, if it's good music it's good music!
R13: With your sound being as 'big' as it is, does it become difficult to sometimes go out on stage and give it all you've got on an off day?
JM: Well it'll probably be a little tough today but I think when you get out there the adrenaline gets pumping. It's like you've been asleep all day and it just gets you going!
R13: You've become so established as one of the biggest names in pop punk, do you think you would ever consider doing something drastically different?
JW: I wouldn't say drastically different, but the new record we've been working on doesn't sound like the other two records.
R13: I've heard the phrase 'expect the unexpected'...
JM: I think it's way better than the older shit! This is my favourite thing we've done yet. Whether anyone else feels the same... I know everyone likes our band for reasons I didn't. We've changed that but we still like it this way.
R13: You boys like a party so you might be able to help me out on this. What's with the blue and red plastic cups that seem to feature in every American party on film? It's a point of novelty over here to the point where I've seen people pose with them in supermarkets in holiday snaps on Facebook.
JW: (Laughs) Oh, Solo cups! I don't know really, I think its a college kid thing! I personally drink out of a nice glass or something.
JM: It's just when you get a keg or something. High school party, someone goes and buys a keg, then you have a load of Solo cups and you charge five bucks for a cup to make money back on the beer!
R13: What did you want to say to haters of the whole Blink cancellation thing over here? There seemed to be quite an uproar...
JM: First of all, fuck off! It's not our fault! We were glad to do it- don't get mad, we're just as mad as you are!
JW: I dunno, shit happens. I know Blink is notorious for doing that so that's a bummer. I don't know what their exact excuse was. If we get to do it later on next year, great. If not, oh well.
JM: We've been done a favour anyway because we have to work on our record more and it's gave us a chance to get it out in the time frame more, so that was kind of a plus.
R13: I think for some people it just felt like Christmas had been cancelled.
JM: I felt that way too because it felt we had only just been told we were doing it then it was 'Aw... no, really? Aw, man.'
R13: So how's the new record doing... can we get excited for it's imminent release yet?
JW: It's done. It's got to get mixed and mastered, but we are done! It'll be out by the fall. October?
JM: Sometime between September and the end of the year.
R13: In time for Christmas, in case Santa's listening...
JM: Oh, he's always listening. He knows if we've been naughty or nice.