My name is Derek and I sing in the band.

2. Anywhere But Here has been out for a little over three months, are you guys happy with the reception it’s gotten so far?

Yeah, it’s been really cool. Obviously it was kind of an exciting and nervous thing for us, putting out the second CD is always a scary thing. But we didn’t know what to except and it’s been really, really cool. It’s still moving along great and the reactions been great. We’re starting to play more new songs at shows and reactions been great for that. So we’re all pretty stoked on it.

3. How did the recording process for that go? Do you enjoy being in the studio?

I do. There are times when it gets to be maybe frustrating and just a little like, you know. We spent two months in the studio and everyday of going there and doing it gets to be a little frustrating, but that’s just a small part of it. Overall it’s a great time, it’s amazing to be working with all the guys in the band. And then all the guys in the studio were really talented, really awesome, and easy to work with guys who made it really fun and it was a good time for sure.

4. Did the material come easy to you guys or did you struggle at all creating the music?

No you know, we had a lot of time to write between the last CD and this one. It had been a few years, so whenever it came time to sit down and start writing the songs we had a lot of stuff that we had written over the years and a lot of starting points for songs. So I feel like it’s the same as it’s always been, we got together and tried to write the best songs that we could.

5. Jason obviously hasn’t been a member of the band for a while, but the new album has been the first time fans have gotten a taste for Mayday’s new sound on a recorded record. Do you think most people are responding positively to that?

Yeah, you know obviously there are people that love Jason. And you know Jason is an amazing, very talented guy, a very talented singer and songwriter but for a lot of reasons it just didn’t work out with each other and the band. And to some people it’s not the same without him and that’s understandable, but we knew there was no way we were going to make everybody happy with the CD, so our goal was just to write the best songs that we could and whoever likes it likes it.

6. How did the Fall Ball Tour go for the band?

That was awesome. That was our first time meeting The Academy Is… for years now. So, it was really kind of an honor, just not be playing with them but to be co-headlining with them, so it was an honor. They’re great guys and we had really good shows. And not just them, I guess the rest of the band on tour we hadn’t met either and they were all just awesome people. We had a blast.

7. Shortly after the Fall Ball you took The Dangerous Summer out on tour. How was that?

That was awesome as well. I just recently in the past maybe four or five months was introduced to The Dangerous Summer by our merch guy who loves them a lot and I just got hooked as soon as I heard them. So, I’ve been a really big fan of theirs since I heard them. When we heard that we were doing this headlining tour and we could bring out some bands to support, I  was like, “oh man we have to bring out The Dangerous Summer because I’d love to hear them every night.” So yeah, they were really awesome guys. A lot of fun. Really big party guys, they like to party pretty hard, but it was good times. But it was a short tour and I kind of hated that because it was kind of like after a few weeks when you first just start to really get into the groove of it and get to know everyone and get comfortable, but before you know it, it’s over.

8. Mayday has been off tour for a month or two now. What are your favorite things to do back at home?

I mean, I don’t do a whole lot when I’m at home. I usually just hang with my family and friends and kind of just relax and take it easy.  That’s about it, sometimes it gets really boring and I just long to be on the road again. We’ve been home since Christmas, so it’s been a few weeks and we’re all pumped to go out again.

9. You guys leave for the Take Action tour with We The Kings in a couple of weeks, is it going to be nice to spend some time with them and are you excited for that?

I’m so excited. It’s a great tour for a great cause and then all the bands. We toured with We The Kings a few years back and those guys are great guys and a lot of fun so it’s gonna be cool to hang out with them. There For Tomorrow was actually on the tour we just got off of with The Dangerous Summer. So we got to know those guys pretty well and we’re excited to hang out with them again as well and to meet all the new bands. And obviously just touring in general, we all just love it. I’m definitely ready to leave.

10. And for people who don’t know the cause behind the Take Action, could you explain that a little?

Yeah, to my knowledge it’s about teen suicide prevention and awareness and things like that. And a lot of money from the tour is contributed to charities. It’s cool, it’s a good cause and something that a lot of demographic of the age group that comes to our shows can relate with and understand and either are going through things like that or know people who have gone through things like that. So it’s cool to try to help with that.

11. Can we expect to hear anything special on the tour? More music from Anywhere But Here, cover songs, anything special?

Yeah, we actually did a cover song for a compilation that’s coming out. Fearless is doing a compilation called Punk Goes Classic Rock and we did a song for that and I’m really, really excited about it and can’t wait for everyone to hear it. Other than that we’ve done a lot of like b-sides and stuff and some acoustic versions of songs. There’s a lot of material we have that we haven’t released yet. We’re not sure what we’ll do with it yet but maybe at some point we’ll put it up online or do an EP kind of thing. It’s too early to say now, but there’s a lot of stuff for everyone to hear.

12. Mayday Parade was announced as one of the headliners for Warped this summer. Are you going back on it to support the record or has it just become a fun tradition for the band to be a part of it?

You know, Warped Tour is a thing that I hope if the opportunity is there that we’ll take it. I went to Warped Tour as a kid and we’ve been a part of it for several years now with Mayday Parade. It’s always just so much fun, especially now. The first few years we did it in a van, which is pretty rough. And now that we’re able to do it in a bus is just so much fun. And with all the other bands on the tour it’s like a big summer camp of these cool people and bands you get to hang out with every night. So, it’s definitely just the experience. And also, it’s a great tour and the kids we get to play for, it’s a great opportunity.

It must be pretty cool to have been going to it as a kid and now playing it every summer.

Oh for sure. The first year that we played the whole thing, I just couldn’t believe it. Since I was like 15 I’ve gone and looked up to these bands and just thought how amazing it would be to be there. So it’s really awesome.

13. Will be seeing anymore music in 2010 from you guys or just touring, touring, and touring?

Defintely a lot of just touring. I know we’re going to do a music video and than that it’s going to just be hitting the road and maybe possible doing some overseas stuff, we’ll see how that goes past this summer. But for the most part we want to stay busy and just spend the whole hear on the road and then at the end of the year maybe start thinking about the next record or something. Who knows, it’s kind of too early to think about right now.

14. Where are some of your favorite places to play shows?

There’s a handful. Chicago is always great, I love the city and the people there are awesome and the fans are great. I love the west coast, California and Portland and Seattle. There are some great cities all around. I love the east coast obviously. Florida’s always a lot of fun. Absolutely love New York City, I’m kind of torn but it’s possibly my favorite city and I love playing and being there.

15. You guys started years ago and started in a van obviously. Now you’re in a tour bus like you said. What’s it really like?

I’d like to think that from the beginning we’ve definitely gone further than I ever kind of expected or dreamed that we would. That fact that we’re able to tour and be in a bus and play shows in front of hundreds or thousands of kids every night is just a dream come true, it’s awesome. And I don’t know if we ever expected to make it in the point where we’re in a bus but it’s for sure, like night and day compared to the van. We’ve still done some van tours. A few months back we did a short tour, two and a half weeks, and did it in a van. It’s kind of cool to go back to your roots and appreciate being in the bus. You realize why you work so hard for this.

16. Thank you so much for your time, good luck on the upcoming shows. Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Thank you for the interview and thanks to anyone for supports us.