Recently I sent some questions over to Chris from Mansions and he kindly answered all of them with great care. So everybody give a big thanks to Chris and check out the whole interview for some great upcoming info on the band!

For the record, could you state your name and rolE in Mansions?
My name is Christopher Browder.  I write the songs and play most of the instruments on our recordings.  Live, I play guitar and sing.
 
Nearly a year ago you released New Best Friends; did you expect to receive such positive feedback?
When I write songs, I always kinda assume that no one will ever hear them.  I pretty much have to convince myself of that while I’m working on stuff, or otherwise I get paralyzed with fear and totally stuck.  So the idea of anyone hearing any of the songs is very cool, and the fact that some people liked them is even cooler.  I try not to read any reviews or anything, since I’m not very good at keeping that stuff out of my head (whether good or bad), but the ones I did see seemed to either love it or hate it, which I am totally cool with.  Id rather piss some people off than have them totally forget they ever heard the music.  I’m glad people generally responded well, now I just want more people to actually hear it haha.
 
When you sat down to record the album did you have any concept for it in mind?
The songs were all written over such a long time period (like 2 or 3 years) that I wouldn’t say there was a specific concept, although there are definitely some themes that come up in a lot of the songs.  There was an overall goal, and that was to be as honest and unfiltered as possible.  There are some parts of songs that might be hypocritical, or overdramatic, or just stupid, but I wanted to be honest about how certain emotions actually feel.  Like when I’m mad at someone, I’m not especially logical or clever.  My anger is usually irrational, one-sided, and kind of silly, even if I’m not aware of it in the moment.  I wanted to get that sort of stuff across.
 
“Fuck you and your God damn scene, it never meant that much to me” is the opening line to “The Worst Part.” Do you mind sharing the story behind the lyric and the meaning to the song in general?
The worst part was the first time I had ever cursed in a song.  I had always censored myself in certain ways, and it was a big deal to me to finally just let it out.  I figured if it’s the first time, might as well put it right up front where there isn’t any hiding. The song itself is about not fitting in, accepting that, and giving up on trying to fit in.  I was in a kinda weird place in my life where I felt like I didn’t really fit in anywhere.  I was in college at a pretty preppy school, where I was seen as like “indie guy.”  But then I would go home to Louisville and go to shows, and there I would be the preppy kid.  It was like I was never cool enough, in the right way, for either group.  So I just gave up on it, and decided I am who I am and to be myself.  Sometimes I wish I hadn’t used the word “scene,” cause people think it’s some big comment on the music scene today or whatever, but it was really meant more like a “social scene.”  Although I guess it also has to do with not fitting in the Louisville music scene, so it’s not totally far off.
 
2009 must have been an incredible year for you, touring with artists and bands like Kevin Devine, John Nolan/Straylight Run, and The Get Up Kids. Can you tell us how some of the tours went and what they meant to you?
Every year has its ups and downs, but 2009 for sure had enough highs to counter out the lows.  All those tours went really really well and were definitely the main highlights of the year.  We did a month with John Nolan back in July and it was some of the most fun I’ve had on a tour.  The shows were all pretty intimate, which meant that the people there were there to watch the show (sometimes at big shows you have lots of blabbers or people there just to hang out), which always makes for a good vibe.  Also, we played as Nolan’s backing band for a few songs, and we always stayed together at whatever random place we had to crash that night, so that meant we got to spend a lot of time with john and his wife Camille.  On some tours you barely see or hang out with the other bands, so it was great to actually get to know them and have some good times outside of the shows.  The Get Up Kids/Kevin Devine tour was a dream come true, I still have a hard time believing it actually happened.  It took me a few days to get over how nervous and out of my league I felt, but then I settled in and had a blast.  I hadn’t seen the get up kids play since high school, so watching them every night was incredible and inspiring.  And of course Kevin and his band are ridiculously good and so down to earth that it makes me feel like a dick.  The whole thing was really surreal, it’s hard to describe.  Talking to some of your heroes and having it be totally normal and not a fanboy thing, where you have mutual friends and common experiences and they are asking about stuff that is going on with you- that is seriously bizarre.
 
How did most of these tours come together? Getting a spot on The Get Up Kids reunion tour must have been a big deal for you.
The John Nolan/Straylight stuff came together through mike Saone, who produced our album.  He has worked a lot with Straylight and is good friends with Nolan, so I had asked Sapone to put in a good word for us so we might be able to get a Straylight tour.  I was really surprised when Sapone told me john had said to just email him about it, and gave me his contact info.  So I hit up Nolan and he told me he was starting to do some solo stuff, and asked if we would want to do some shows with him, and it was so cool cause we had never met but it was like we were already friends looking to help each other out.  I owe Sapone big-time for that.
Getting The Get Up Kids tour was a HUGE deal for us.  Back when we first heard they were reuniting, I remember me and Sal (our drummer) started freaking out about how cool that would be if we were somehow able to pull that off, but told ourselves that we shouldn’t even think about it because itd just be a bummer when we didn’t get it haha.  Our booking agent submitted us for the tour, and we kept our fingers crossed.  A couple days before we officially found out we had it, I started hearing rumors from different people that we might be getting the offer, and I was flipping my shit.  I couldn’t believe it.  And then we got the offer and I freaked out all over again.  We didn’t know for a long time how/why we had gotten it, but when we were on the tour I asked Jim Suptic about it, and he said that they had listened to the bands that had submitted for the tour, and they liked us.  Simple as that.  I know we had some mutual friends putting in good words for us too, which I’m sure had a strong effect, but it was really cool hearing that they had picked us just cause they liked the music.  Pretty mind-blowing.
 
What’s your favorite part about being out on the road?
Haha the road is tough, man.  I can’t say there is a lot I like about it, besides the 30min a night when we get to play music, which rules.  But there is something good about the rhythm of repetition and constant movement that feels good, and there can definitely be a sort of “outlaw” attitude that is kind of fun.  Like when I walk into a target at 10am to brush my teeth after driving all night, I always find myself looking at the other customers like “man fuck you, you don’t know where I’ve been” haha.  But it is real cool to see other cities and places, and being able to get that feedback from people who like the music is awesome and necessary.  Oh and I like getting to listen to tons of music while driving.  I listen to so much more on tour than I do at home.
 
As we’re in the beginning stages of 2010 can we expect many more tours throughout the year?
Yes definitely, we will try to be on tour as much as possible.  We’re about to do 3 weeks with John Nolan, which is gonna be awesome.  We’re gonna travel together and play in each other’s band, so I expect a really fun time.  After that, we are gonna do a tour in March with some old friends, and then hopefully tons more.
9Will you begin recording the follow-up album to New Best Friends at some point in the year?
I hope so.  I think it’d have to happen before the end of the year, but I’m hoping we can get it rolling well before that.  I’ve got a bunch of songs almost ready, and I’m dying to put out another full-length.  New Best Friends was recorded 2 years ago, so it’s been a while.
 
It’s no secret that you recorded most to all of New Best Friends by yourself. Will you be recording the next album by yourself once again or will your band mates have a part in the process this time?
I’m not very good at drums, so there will for sure be someone else playing drums again (Anthony Brock from Emanuel played on NBF), and I would think that would probably be Sal, but its kinda too early to even think about.  Even though Sapone didn’t play an instrument on NBF, I feel like his production and recording techniques played such a big part that it is as if he was a band member.  Its always good to have another perspective like that, so I’m sure it wont just be me alone twiddling knobs in my apartment.
 
Besides your flourishing career, what are you most looking forward to in the New Year?
haha I don’t know if I’d call it flourishing, but thanks.  Besides mansions stuff, I’m looking forward to spending as much time with my girl as possible.  Also, I’d like to start recording and mixing a lot more bands (I recently produced an album for my good friend/bassist’s band State Champion, as well as half of backseat goodbye’s new EP).  I’ve got a few friends getting married over the summer, so that will be fun, should get to see a bunch of people I haven’t seen in a while.
 
Thank you so much for your time, do you have anything else to add?
January 12 we are releasing a collection of our favorite b-sides from the past year called “Best of the Bees.”  It is gonna be exclusively at mansions.bandcamp.com, and will be available for however much you want to pay.  Free to $100, however much you feel like supporting us.  Later it will be on iTunes and all that.  Come see us on tour with John Nolan:
1/22 Englewood, CO - Moe’s BBQ
1/23 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
1/25 Seattle, WA - Vera Project
1/26 Portland, OR - Backspace
1/28 Upland, CA - The Wire
1/29 Anaheim, CA - Chain Reaction
1/30 Los Angeles, CA - Bootleg Theater
1/31 San Diego, CA - TBA
2/2 Scottsdale, AZ - Chyro Arts
2/4 Austin, TX - Emo’s
2/5 Waco, TX - Art Ambush
2/6 San Antonio, TX - Rock Bottom Bar
2/7 Dallas, TX - The Prophet Bar