PropertyOfZack had the chance to chat with Pat Kirch from The Maine just last week for a great interview. Pat and I discussed how dealing with a major label has been for the band, the amount of songs they have on their new album, the differences between the new record and Black & White, and much more. Read up and enjoy!

For the record, could you state your name and role in The Maine?
I am Pat Kirch, and I play drums in The Maine.
 
The band went out this summer with Augustana. How were those shows?
They were awesome. It was an awesome experience for us because that was a band that we all had enjoyed for a while. It was an awesome experience for us to be on the road with a band that has been on the road themselves for five years or so. It was just a cool experience overall.
 
The tour went on during the one year anniversary of Black & White. The record definitely took a little bit of a different direction from prior efforts, but do you think this past year really took The Maine to the next level in terms of touring and fan turnout?
I think it was a huge step forward for us. I think that we made a record that we’re extremely proud of. It was just cool for us, as a band, because our sound changed and our fans came along for the ride.
 
How was it working with a major label for the first time?
I would say it has its ups and downs. I’m for sure not going to say that it’s exactly perfect, but I’m also not going to say that it’s the worst thing ever. The week our record came out there were huge changes at the company and by the end of the record cycle it’s a completely different team from when we signed. That’s kind of been frustrating, but at this point we’re focused on our fans and we just want to make the best record possible. We just don’t need any of their outside input. We’re going to continue to do what we know how to do and if they like it that’s great, and if not, that’s fine too.
 
For Black & White it’s been said that there were a lot of “cooks in the kitchen.” How was it sort of getting back to basics in the writing process for your new record?
We started working on songs and we started recording way before it was time for us to actually work on a record, as far as what the label thought. They didn’t even know that we were working on the record. We did that on purpose because we didn’t want any outside input. We started working on the songs and things were coming extremely quickly, and this was before the Augustana tour. It just all felt good and we all thought that we should record it ourselves. We had a phone call with a friend who was an engineer and we honestly didn’t know how good he was or any of that. We were going to record, and if it turned into an awesome set of demos that would’ve been great, but it turned into the record. There was literally no pressure. We got in there and did eight or nine songs and were completely happy with them. After the Augustana tour, we went and recorded a bunch more stuff the same way. We ended up with a bunch of songs and right now we’re working on the finishing touches. We’ll pick out the songs that make a complete record.

Do you think the honesty in the new songs is going to come across more clearly since this album has been all you?
I think it’s a really personal record for us. I think the actual songs themselves weren’t written with any sort of intention. We just wanted to write songs for fun. With the recording process too we just did anything we wanted and we took thing sin so many different directions. It’s going to be interesting when we decide on the final track listing for the record.
 
Were you unhappy with how some things turned out on Black & White because the band didn’t have total control?
I kind of don’t like to do that. The record was made and it’s done and it’s out there. I feel like the reason that I love that album so much is because that record is the reason why we’re able to make this record. I think it was a huge stepping-stone for us and it made us understand how we do and don’t like to record. That’s going to shape how we make records for the rest of our career.
 
How would you just compare the actual music to Black & White in terms of how you guys have progressed?
We have so many songs and we’re not sure what we’re going to pick yet. To be honest, it’s all over the place. We have enough songs to make any type of record that we want to. I feel like a lot of bands that make their third record go back to what they did on the first record, and that’s not what we did. It’s a step forward.
POZ: Do you think it’ll be less of a shock for fans than Black & White was?
Pat: I don’t know. It’s kind of hard to get a perspective on it. For me, I’ve been involved with it the whole time and the songs were written and recorded over a long period of time. To me it doesn’t feel like a shock. Some people say it feels like a bigger step than we took between the first and second record, but some people feel like it’s what they expected. We’ve been playing a bunch of songs on the road too, so our fans have an idea of the direction to an extent.
 
The album was co-produced with Colby Wedgeworth. Was it a nice environment in there with him because he didn’t have all the experience in the world?
The coolest part about it is that we didn’t go in there with any expectations. We thought that we could record it ourselves, but needed someone who was faster with working on all of the gear. We sat down with him and we started recording and he had a bunch of awesome ideas, but he also understood that it was our record and he had input at the right times. He let us do our thing.
 
When are you hoping to put the last touches on the album?
Hopefully we’ll get it all done within the next week or two. We just got some extra vocal parts to do here and there. Then we’ll put the touches on all of the mixes.
 
How many tracks were actually recorded for this?
They were recorded in so many different parts. We have at least 25 or more songs. There’s a whole bunch of stuff. We’re super excited.
 
The Maine will be heading out on tour with Taking Back Sunday and Bad Rabbits in the fall. How stoked are you for that run?
It’s going to be great. They’re amazing bands, so I think like the Augustana tour, it’s going to be an awesome environment. We’ll be on the road with bands that we respect and that can actually play.
 
Do you have any nerves for that tour considering the fan bases are so different?
It’s for sure going to be a completely different audience for us. That just adds the exact amount of pressure that we need. Being on the road with a band like that is a big challenge, which for us is huge because we don’t ever want to be still. We always want to take things to the next level. I think it’s going to help that for sure.
 
Should we expect more new songs to be in the live set?
We’ll probably play one or two songs in the beginning of the tour from what’s going to be on the album.
 
When are you guys actually hoping to get the album out?
We’re hoping for the fall some time. That’s the goal. There’s a whole bunch of bullshit that has to go into it though that’s a bit out of our hand.
POZ: Has it been tough because you’re on a major?
Pat: That’s something that we’ve begun understand, that there are going to be some challenges. We’re just going to find as many ways as we can to work around it. If the record is out or not we’re going to be out there on the road.
 
Will we be seeing a new song or two formally released online in the next month or two?
I would really hope so. That’s kind of all along the same shit that I was just talking about though. That’s the ultimate goal though: To have a song or two out by the end of the year.
 
The Maine obviously can’t release all of those songs on one record, but do you see the possibility of doing some cool extra things like you did with Black & White?
Like I said before, we don’t want to ever stay still. We’d do it in a different way for sure because we don’t want to repeat ourselves. I think we want to find a way to get as many songs out there as possible. I think the original version of the record is going to have a whole bunch of songs on there.
 
You guys will be heading over to the UK in January and February with All Time Low. Should we see any dates announced before that tour though for the US?
If the record comes out, I think for sure. We aren’t going to the west coast at all on this next tour, so we’ll probably be doing some stuff over there. We’ll be touring constantly once the record comes out.
 
The band released a film for Black & White. Are there plans to do more things like that?
We don’t have any exact plans as of now. We’re just focusing on the next record for now. We want to get that finished. If we feel inspired to do something then we’ll do it. We just don’t want to force things. Everything feels right when we do it. If it comes together and it happens then it’ll be cool.
 
If the album doesn’t come out this fall, do you think it’ll have to be pushed till next year?
I’m pretty confident that we’re going to get the record out in the fall.