PropertyOfZack had the chance to chat with Sam from Sharks not too long ago for a brief interview. Sam and I discussed how a full year of touring in the US has been for the band, their new album, recording with Brian McTernan, the future, and more. Read up!

For the record, could you state your name and role in Sharks?
I’m Sam, and I am the drummer in Sharks.
 
It’s been quite the year for you guys. You came off of Warped Tour and went right into the studio and now you’re back on tour again. Has it been a hectic year?
It’s been hectic for sure, but I think it’s a step that we’ve wanted to make for a while. We’ve been more than prepared to put the work in.
 
Right after Warped you went into the studio…
We had a couple weeks at home, which was actually pretty cool to get our heads together and to sleep off Warped for a couple of weeks. It was really exhausting. Then we went back and went into the studio. Brian’s studio is so nice though that it was like another holiday. It didn’t feel like we were working.
 
Did the band have all the songs done before even going home?
We had them written before we went on Warped. Some of the songs are the record vary in age. Some of them are from two years ago and some of them were written eight months ago. That’s a big time span, but it’s all been for this. We went into the studio with about sixteen songs and recorded fourteen. I’m not sure how many will go on the record.
POZ: Do you think the songs are cohesive regardless of being written two years apart?
Sam: Totally. We had a week of pre-production with Brian, and we were redoing the songs and made a few changes. We didn’t really do anything major to the songs. We felt really good about it without having to compromise what we wrote. I can see what you mean about that though. It sounds quite consistent, which I think is cool.

Is this a steady progression from the last release Sharks put out, musically?
I think it is definitely a progression. That kind of took a turn into a less rawkus vibe into a different sound. That’s what we’ve tried to follow on from.
 
Brian McTernan is a dream come true for many bands. How was it working with him?
It was honestly like one of the most fascinating experiences in my life working with that guy. He is so, so good at what he does. And he is so crazy, but just good. He knows exactly what he’s doing all the time and he is so on it. It was really amazing. He pushed us and I think we needed that.
 
Brian has been known to be super difficult with drummers. How was that?
I think that’s a reputation he has acquired. I learned all my parts, so he didn’t have too many problems with me. I only had two and a half days recording with him and it was pretty stress-free. I think I got off light. He told me stories about him and various drummers having a few altercations and shit.
 
Brian has also worked with so many bands like Hot Water Music. Is it cool to be a part of his roster of bands now?
He’s got a really good relationship with most of the bands he has worked with. It’s a relationship that I really want to keep with him. I hope we can do something more with him in the future. I think he treats the bands he works with really well.
 
Sharks did fourteen songs. Has there been more of a timeframe for the release?
We’re not sure. It’ll be in the spring time. I think it depends on what we have next year regarding touring. We don’t know for definite yet. It’ll be any time between February and April. That’s preliminary for now.
 
How has the relationship with Rise Records been?
It’s been great. They’ve signed some really awesome bands. We had dinner with Matthew from Rise the other day and they’re just awesome. They love the band and really want to work hard to make it work for us.
 
The AP Tour is a pretty big one. Have the crowds been receptive to you?
It’s been great so far. I was a bit skeptical on how we’d go down, but this has exceeded my expectations. It’s really interesting to see kid’s reactions. I don’t think they know what to make of it. It’s been really cool. The other bands on this tour are awesome as well. Title Fight are really special. Watching them has been really awesome. I’d probably drive around for six weeks to watch them. It’s been great so far.
 
The band has really done massive touring all year long. All three of your big tours though have been in different areas of this scene. Has it been cool touching on each of those?
It’s been great. The plan was to try out everything and to see what happens. It’s been great for us and we feel really lucky to have this exposure. We’re really honored to be given this opportunity and to just be given a chance to hit all of these markets. It’s really cool to get exposure to all of these groups.
 
This tour ends right before Thanksgiving. Will you be taking some time off until next year?
We go until the 26^th of November, and then we go home. We have a few shows in December and then in January I guess we will start again. We’ll maybe do some UK shows before we come back to America.
 
Are you hoping for another big year like this one in terms of similar touring?
I don’t actually know what our schedule will be. I don’t think anyone does. We’re anticipating another busy year whether it be at home, in the States, or Europe. I would love to go back to the States though.
 
Sharks parted ways with their bassist on Warped Tour. Will there be a formal replacement?
We definitely will get a formal replacement. I would imagine sometime in the New Year. We’ll be announcing that accordingly. We want to find the right person who can tick all the boxes and stuff. It’s been cool for this year. We’ve managed to fill it out. Next year it’ll hopefully be better. Playing with fill ins can be weird.
 
Do you know when we’ll hear a new song from the new record?
I would imagine in the early-New Year. Maybe the single will come out before then, but I doubt it. We should be getting mixes back now, so I’m super excited. Everything sounded so great in the studio. I want to hear it on speakers that aren’t like 2,000 bucks.