PropertyOfZack was lucky enough to do a great interview with Dave Strauchman of Every Avenue just a few days ago. Dave and I discussed the full reception to Picture Perfect, the demoing process for the band’s new record, their writing with Anberlin, and more. Read up and enjoy, it’s a good one!

For the record, could you state your name and role in Every Avenue?
I’m Dave and I sing in the band.
 
Just a few weeks ago, the band played a string of four holiday shows, one of which was a hometown show. How did they go?
It was really good. It was nice to be back home. It was the first time we played a headlining show in Detroit in a really long time. We got to pick all the bands and stuff and got to play with all our friend’s bands and stuff. It was a really good time. It was really cool to see over the years how our fan base has grown and to see all of the people who still come out to the shows. It was really cool.
 
You guys played a new song recently as well. How was the reception to that?
It’s been real good. I’m really surprised about it. Sometimes when you play a new song live, a lot of people just stand there and look at you and think, “What’s this?” Everyone has been reacting to it really well and I’m enjoying the response to it.
 
Besides the upcoming Soundwave Festival, were those the last shows that the band will be playing for a while until Warped to focus on the new record?
Yeah. We’re making a new record right now. We’re writing and recording and doing everything.
 
Like you just said, the band is currently in the process of making a follow-up to Picture Perfect. Over a year later, would you say the band has made the most it could out of the album and are you completely happy with the response and growth that’s come from the album?
Yeah, we’ve been really happy with the response to it. I think that album came out at a weird time, but it’s been really awesome. “Tell Me I’m A Wreck” has done really, really well. The radio playing it as well as the video for it have all come together really well. Everyone loves the song, so I’ve been really excited about it. And I’m excited to make a new record. I’m ready to play new songs and get going on everything again.
 
Do you see Picture Perfect as the record that laid the groundwork for the upcoming success of the band?
Yes, definitely. I think, like you just said, that Picture Perfect definitely laid the groundwork for everything and it did what it needed to do. I’m really excited for the new record and to see where it’s going to go.
 
Every Avenue is currently demoing for the next record. Is the writing process complete, or are things still getting worked on?
We still have a lot to do. The writing process isn’t complete. I always feel like the writing process isn’t complete until the last day at the studio. The last time we recorded our last record, there was a song I wrote on the last day that I was like, “We’ve got to record this.” That’s actually the “Mindset” song on the last record. I had to beg to record it. We’re still in the process. We have a lot more to do. We’re still figuring out who’s recording it and where we’re going to record it. We’re really excited about it.
 
How many tracks would you say are totally finished at this point?
I’d say there are maybe twenty at this point.
POZ: Wow, so you guys are going to head in there with a ton of options.
Dave: Yeah, we’re still writing a lot more.
 
How would you compare the progression from Picture Perfect?
It’s really hard to say so far. I feel like that’s a hard one to answer without having the album done and listening to it. I think lyrically, it’s a little different for us. We’ve done some stuff that we normally wouldn’t do. I’m really excited for it. I think it’s going to be stuff that we’ve wanted to try before, but we haven’t really been able to cross some lines before and we are now.
 
What are some of the bigger changes in terms of how you go about writing songs for the band now compared to when the band first started?
I feel like on Picture Perfect we might have targeted specific songs and been like, “We need to maybe possible write a song like this.” Sometimes you have that in the studio and you’re like, “Let’s try to get this tempo for the song.” Since we’ve been writing for this new record, I haven’t thought about anything like that. We’ve just been writing whatever we want to write. We haven’t thought about specifics, we’re just trying to write good songs. I can’t really explain it, but maybe caring less about the songwriting over the years is how we’ve progressed. Now we just do it and enjoy it rather than listening to people saying that a song might be a hit. I’m going to write it if I think it’s a good song, regardless.
 
Jimmie tweeted that he was in Nashville writing with Stephen Christian of Anberlin, which certainly was a pleasant surprise to a good many fans. How did that come about?
We just got asked one day like, “Hey, you want to write with this guy?” and I was like, “Yeah, we’d love to.” It was awesome. He was just one of the coolest guys ever. Way too nice and it was just fun to hangout with someone from a band that you grew up listening to and still listen to. It was cool. It was really neat.
POZ: How many tracks did you do with him/
Dave: We did two with him.
 
Anberlin’s music is certainly different than Every Avenue’s, so will those songs have an Anberlin influence?
I actually think, not at all. You’d never ever tell.
 
Will those songs most likely make the final cut?
Yeah, definitely. It’s funny that you say that, because I completely forgot about them.
 
Are you guys writing with anybody else for the record?
As of right now, I’m not too sure. I think it’s just all us. We try to do some co-writes for the record and stuff like that, but I love just being able to write by ourselves and playing as a band. We write as a band and do all that stuff. It’s hard to find time to do that a lot of the time though when you’re touring all of the time. We got some time at home finally and now we’re getting together and are doing as much as we can.
 
Soundwave doesn’t start till the end of February, so you have some time to finish things up. When would you like to hit the studio by?
We’re hoping right after Soundwave to get into the studio and get this thing recorded and quite possibly release it around Warped Tour.
 
Picture Perfect was released in November, which is an odd month for a band with your sound. Is a summer/fall release preferred?
I think we’re just hoping to put it out then because of the tour we’ll be on. Hopefully we can get it out there and get that push on it. I think it’s a better time to put out an album regardless, no matter what type of band you are. I think it’s a good time to put out a record.
 
Are there any producers in mind, or are you guys just weighing your options?
Yeah, we’re just looking at the options. We don’t have anything right now. We don’t really have anyone in mind, to be honest with you [Laughs]. We’ll see how it goes. I’m really excited either way.
 
Soundwave is coming up, like we’ve discussed. How stoked are you guys to get over there and start 2011 out that way in terms of touring?
I can’t wait, man. I’ve never been to Australia; none of us have ever been. It’s going to be quite the experience. I’m most excited for all the bands that are playing and stuff. I’m really excited. I want to see all the bands that are playing. Sometimes at shows like that, there aren’t always those bands, but this time I want to see all of them.
 
The band has of course been announced for Warped Tour as well. How long had that been in the works for?
I think we got confirmed for that at the end of last year. This is our first time doing the whole entire Warped Tour. We’d only done like half of the tour each time we’d done it.
POZ: Do you see Warped as the big push of the year for the band?
Dave: Yeah, that’s the goal. Something could come up and we could end up doing a tour before hand. That’d be good. It depends on the recording process, but you never know.
 
What’s the plan for after Warped?
Just to keep touring as much as we can in general. I would love to get overseas again after that. That’d be awesome.
 
Thanks so much for your time, is there anything else you’d like to add or that we should be on the lookout for?
If you don’t already have Picture Perfect, go get it. We look forward to putting out our new record, and we hope you do too.