These days few albums stand the test of time, particularity those pigeonholed as mainstream punk/hardcore. Then along comes PAGE AVENUE: 10 Years and Counting, the “re-imagining” of SOTY’s 2003 breakthrough release, and suddenly anything is possible. The amalgamation of acoustic guitars, pianos, clever drums, creative arrangements and programming brings new life to these already first-rate tracks and showcases the musicianship of the five-piece beautifully.
Since embarking on the PAGE AVENUE WORLD TOUR late last year they’ve played countless shows across the globe, and finally it’s our turn. I sat down with Philip Sneed, the band’s passionate rhythm guitarist, and together we took a trip down memory lane.
“Getting together just listening to all those songs again was incredible. Suddenly I was that twenty-year-old kid living out in California with my friends recording with John Feldmann [Goldfinger frontman and superlative producer] in his tiny little bedroom. John and I were talking a couple of days ago about how fun it was. We were so poor and worked so hard. We hadn’t had any success but we didn’t really know what failure was. We didn’t have any expectations and were just so happy to be doing what we were doing.
“Playing these shows, we’ve been able to experience memories at the same time as the crowd does; seeing people’s faces light up is the best feeling. We’ve been trying to make the Oz trip happen for a year and a half now. Australia is not only one of our favourite places to go, you have probably the most loyal fan base in the entire world. You’ve really stuck by us, and in this day and age, especially in the US, that’s almost unheard of. We’re very fortunate and the ‘Page Avenue’ anniversary tour is going to be our best yet.”
SOTY are no amateurs when it comes to hitting the road – each of the guys play in other bands and have interesting side projects. “Man, we’re busy, busy, busy!” Philip laughed. “Let me give you the run-down. Dan, our singer, is knee-deep in making a record for his punk band. Ryan, our other guitar player, and Adam, our bass player, are making a documentary film called ‘Who Killed (Or Saved!) the Music Industry?’. It’s pretty exciting. From the stuff that I’ve already seen it’s going to make waves and definitely be an intriguing topic for music fans all over the place. They’ll be wrapping it up soon hopefully.
“Ryan and I also have another band, Greek Fire, and we’re wrapping up a two-part concept record at the moment that we’ll be releasing this year. Plus, I work on a morning radio show here in the US and I also am touring with Goldfinger next month! So by the time I get to you guys we’ll have done a bunch of touring and we’ll be well rehearsed.
“The audiences are always so energetic and happy to see us. No band is able to ignore that and as cliché as it sounds when we feel the love, we want to give it back. The better the crowd is, the better the band is; and Australia never let us down, so hopefully we never let you down. It’s going to be fun and we’ll make it worth it!”
Our chat ended with Philip hinting there will be an entirely new SOTY album in the near future. “Yes, we’ve been talking leisurely about it. There’s been music passed back and forth, but we don’t want to release something just for the sake of it. We want to make the record of our lives; we don’t want our best days to be behind us.
Release: PAGE AVENUE: 10 Years and Counting is out now
When&Where: 170 Russell, Melbourne – June 29
Written by Natalie Rogers