Alex Gaskarth - All Time Low (15/08/2013)
Do you know what? Alex Gaskarth might just have the best, goddamn job in the world.
At just 25 years of age, he tours the globe with his best friends and bandmates, sharing the stage night after night before thousands of screaming fans as the vocalist and lead guitarist of acclaimed pop-punk act, All Time Low. "We get to travel all over the world and play our music to complete strangers who show us a whole lot of love and support wherever we go," Gaskarth says, "It's an incredible feeling."
Respected by their fans, critics, and industry peers for reviving the glory days of pop-punk, All Time Low consistently sell out their tours, with their live shows being described as an up close and personal pop-punk party, or as Gaskarth calls it, "Kick-ass booty shakin' tunes".
So after appearances at Soundwave Festival 2013, and sell out sidewaves in Sydney and Brisbane, Australian fans demanded, and Soundwave Touring listened, securing a return trip for the pop-punk foursome. "Our show is really energetic and interactive", says Gaskarth. "We go out there to have a great time, and I think that really comes across when you get the audience involved. It's one thing to go and watch a band play their songs, it's an entirely different experience when you feel like you're an extension of the show".
It's these shows, and these experiences, that in return help pump the energy and inspiration into All Time Low's music. "I'm inspired by the music around me, and I'm inspired by everyday life. I write from experience, so just living my life and taking it all in is the best inspirational fuel."
With their fifth LP Don't Panic, All Time Low have looked to the past to recapture the energy of their earlier material, while adhering to a professional attitude under the watchful eyes and ears of producer Mark Green, whose credits include New Found Glory, Paramore, and Pierce The Veil.
The result? They've released their most revered, and critically acclaimed work yet.
"I think Don't Panic ended up being our most fully realised album, and I think it's because we placed such an emphasis on honing in on the best bits of our older discography", he reveals."We wanted to take whatever aspects of our older music we felt had won fans over in the past, and stitch that all together on the new record," he says. "We had a lot to say on Don't Panic. The content of the record really felt like it wrote itself, and our approach beyond that was to focus on the best elements of our previous releases".
The band also extended invitations to several guests to be a part of a collaborative recording process. Among those are Cassadee Pope, Jason Vena (of Acceptance), Anthony Raneri (of Bayside), and Patrick Stump, vocalist of the recently reunited Fall Out Boy. "We had never really done a whole lot of collaborations in the way that we did on Don't Panic", explains Alex. "We really wanted to get (our) friends involved, and include people that we knew would bring something special and unique to the table".
Post-release, the praise has been overwhelming, and Gaskarth believes that the decision to collaborate was more than positive for both the band, and for Don't Panic as a whole. "All four of them lend something awesome to the songs they're a part of, and I think it made the record that much stronger because of them".
With their return tour close to sold out, Gaskarth reflected back on his time in Australia, and shared a few personal memories, and crazy stories from his experience during Soundwave 2013. "I think a personal high-light was getting to spend so much time on the road with the Blink guys," he reveals. "It's always a blast getting to see them play, being that we sort of became who we are today because of their music, so being on the same tour day after day definitely made the trip that much more memorable. (And) We fed creepy possums in a park in Brisbane, and one of them bit our drum tech, Grieco. He is now a Werepossum."
As a parting note, with so many young musicians looking up to All Time Low for inspiration, Gaskarth's final message for the next generation of bands still rehearsing in their garages is a positive one."Go for it with absolutely everything you've got, and stay committed to whatever it is you want to achieve," he says. "It takes time, and hard work. Make friends, and take care of those around you, and it'll come back around in a positive way".
Now ten years on from their high school days, their dedication is evident in their five studio albums and milestone decade as a band. With no end in sight, and the wave of success rising, All Time Low are clearly at an All Time High.
Luke Sutton
@lukesutton
At just 25 years of age, he tours the globe with his best friends and bandmates, sharing the stage night after night before thousands of screaming fans as the vocalist and lead guitarist of acclaimed pop-punk act, All Time Low. "We get to travel all over the world and play our music to complete strangers who show us a whole lot of love and support wherever we go," Gaskarth says, "It's an incredible feeling."
Respected by their fans, critics, and industry peers for reviving the glory days of pop-punk, All Time Low consistently sell out their tours, with their live shows being described as an up close and personal pop-punk party, or as Gaskarth calls it, "Kick-ass booty shakin' tunes".
So after appearances at Soundwave Festival 2013, and sell out sidewaves in Sydney and Brisbane, Australian fans demanded, and Soundwave Touring listened, securing a return trip for the pop-punk foursome. "Our show is really energetic and interactive", says Gaskarth. "We go out there to have a great time, and I think that really comes across when you get the audience involved. It's one thing to go and watch a band play their songs, it's an entirely different experience when you feel like you're an extension of the show".
It's these shows, and these experiences, that in return help pump the energy and inspiration into All Time Low's music. "I'm inspired by the music around me, and I'm inspired by everyday life. I write from experience, so just living my life and taking it all in is the best inspirational fuel."
With their fifth LP Don't Panic, All Time Low have looked to the past to recapture the energy of their earlier material, while adhering to a professional attitude under the watchful eyes and ears of producer Mark Green, whose credits include New Found Glory, Paramore, and Pierce The Veil.
The result? They've released their most revered, and critically acclaimed work yet.
"I think Don't Panic ended up being our most fully realised album, and I think it's because we placed such an emphasis on honing in on the best bits of our older discography", he reveals."We wanted to take whatever aspects of our older music we felt had won fans over in the past, and stitch that all together on the new record," he says. "We had a lot to say on Don't Panic. The content of the record really felt like it wrote itself, and our approach beyond that was to focus on the best elements of our previous releases".
The band also extended invitations to several guests to be a part of a collaborative recording process. Among those are Cassadee Pope, Jason Vena (of Acceptance), Anthony Raneri (of Bayside), and Patrick Stump, vocalist of the recently reunited Fall Out Boy. "We had never really done a whole lot of collaborations in the way that we did on Don't Panic", explains Alex. "We really wanted to get (our) friends involved, and include people that we knew would bring something special and unique to the table".
Post-release, the praise has been overwhelming, and Gaskarth believes that the decision to collaborate was more than positive for both the band, and for Don't Panic as a whole. "All four of them lend something awesome to the songs they're a part of, and I think it made the record that much stronger because of them".
With their return tour close to sold out, Gaskarth reflected back on his time in Australia, and shared a few personal memories, and crazy stories from his experience during Soundwave 2013. "I think a personal high-light was getting to spend so much time on the road with the Blink guys," he reveals. "It's always a blast getting to see them play, being that we sort of became who we are today because of their music, so being on the same tour day after day definitely made the trip that much more memorable. (And) We fed creepy possums in a park in Brisbane, and one of them bit our drum tech, Grieco. He is now a Werepossum."
As a parting note, with so many young musicians looking up to All Time Low for inspiration, Gaskarth's final message for the next generation of bands still rehearsing in their garages is a positive one."Go for it with absolutely everything you've got, and stay committed to whatever it is you want to achieve," he says. "It takes time, and hard work. Make friends, and take care of those around you, and it'll come back around in a positive way".
Now ten years on from their high school days, their dedication is evident in their five studio albums and milestone decade as a band. With no end in sight, and the wave of success rising, All Time Low are clearly at an All Time High.
Luke Sutton
@lukesutton