Jordan Pundik - New Found Glory (07/10/2014)
New Found Glory are the greatest Pop Punk band in the world.
Their ravenously devoted fan base, unwaveringly anthemic studio releases, and seventeen years of consistently rollicking, sweaty, and venue-shattering live shows across the world confirm this to an almost inarguable degree. Wearied from a particularly long day, front man Jordan Pundik graciously staved sleep to chat to The 59th Sound about all things new; from the impending release of seventh studio LP Resurrection (their first as a four piece) and it’s subsequent global tour, to how one casts a teenager that looks like you in a film clip that a bunch of people love to hate on the internet.
“There was several (guys) we could pick from and they did auditions or whatever, and we got the videos emailed to us. Man, that one kid… the kid that plays me in the video had this crazy, shaggy, bushy hair. I was like “Dude, if he cuts his hair he can totally play the part!” I think he was okay with it! From what I heard he was totally cool with it. (He’s) some kind of up-and-coming BMX-sponsored dude, so he’s on his iPhone showing me him doing crazy, ramp-to-ramp stuff like Danny Way. Crazy jumps and stuff. The whole side of his body was just all scraped up!”
“(The clip) was almost making fun of ourselves in a way. And it was honestly just, we didn’t want to be in a music video (laughs). So we had this idea, just ‘Hey! Wouldn’t it be funny to show this young version of us, playing us?’ Awkward young kids that signed a record deal and became one of the biggest bands, or… y’know, became a huge band. And that was pretty much it, just making fun of ourselves. Just young, obviously, just young kids with no tattoos that didn’t know anything about anything, then we find a record deal, go on tour, and things turn out how they are. I love reading the comments on YouTube, and stuff. It’s amazing, like, (puts on dim-witted voice) ‘I can’t believe these guys sold out! They’ve got to stop making fun of 5 Seconds of Summer!’ I can understand that, it’s maybe having a bit of fun with that, but it wasn’t towards anybody or anything.”
Since the disreputable departure of former guitarist and primary song writer Steve Klein at the end of 2013, NFG have shrugged off break up speculation and are set to release their first album as a quartet since the band’s inception. Their supporting tour of the album includes a stint on Australia’s Soundwave tour in 2015. In contrast to the band’s previous few efforts, 7th studio LP Resurrection’s presentation is as literally black-and-white as all of Jordan’s tattoo works that the vocalist undertakes while away from the mic.
“We wanted to make these iconic sort of symbols for each song, so that’s kind of the (cover art) theme of the record. (The tattooing) is good! I’m still trying to get my bearings, because it’s hard to progress when I’m in and out so much. I wish I had the time to be in a shop every day, and bust out three or four tattoos a day, but it’s just not reality for me. I can maybe do one or two, two days a week. I really just love black line work, and how I draw. I’ve always been an artist and drawn album covers for bands and merch designs. It’s always been black line work, which I wanted to translate to my tattooing.”
“It’s such a different medium, ‘cause you’re using skin. There’s all these little tiny factors; how to hold the machine right, how to run the machine, what needles to use, all that stuff. (Hurting people) was a major hurdle for me, but now, especially when I do one that looks good, it feels good as an accomplishment. I’ll feel myself progressing, then I’ll leave for two months and take a step back or two. It is what it is. I’ve brought my stuff, like a travel kit sort-of-thingie with me when I tour in the states, but I haven’t done anything outside of here because I’m scared of the liability (laughs). It’s just figuring all that stuff out, really. I’d have to bring a shit ton of stuff with me!”
With touring in mind, it’s no secret NFG are relentless globe trotters. They visit countries with such regularity, it’s a fair assumption fans would happily vie for dual citizenship for the guys if it was at all possible. Away from the road, NFG has broken new grounds of sorts by being listed with a full producing credit in the liners of Resurrection next to Punk Rock production regular Paul Miner.
“I used to kind of see this girl, and she was from Melbourne (the place from which The 59th Sound conducted their half of this particular cross-planet phone interview), and I’d stay after tours here and there, so I felt like I kind of lived there!”
“The production we credited ourselves for was the fact that we wrote every single song without outside opinion. Like when we would use (long time collaborator) Neal Avron on past records he was almost like another member of the band, because he was the producer, the guy using ProTools, and helping us. Like when an idea came about we couldn’t agree upon come about, he was almost like the devils advocate in a way. With this record, it was just the four of us in there, and we had all the songs pretty much done before we went to the studio. We actually had Neal Avron come to one of our preproduction days in our rehearsal space, we were ‘Hey, man! It’d be really awesome if you came down and listened to songs and stuff!’ He literally had one comment on one lyric of one song, which to me was a really good feeling coming from a producer like him, because he’s done massive records and been around for a long time. He was just really stoked on the songs, it was kind of like a confidence booster, really.”
It’s worth querying whether such confidence boosters were necessary since the band’s dynamic had so drastically changed in the last twelve months. Pundik openly elaborates.
“I can’t speak for everybody in the band, but for me I was definitely glad to have him come in that day. Because it made me feel really good about what we were working so hard on. Having (Avron) give approval was a really good feeling , especially for me. In past records I would write things here-and-there, but I did kind of take a back seat when it came to writing music, and that sort of thing. It wasn’t intentionally, but it just kind of became that, y’know? Everyone kind of had their role. Where now, we’re committing to the four of us, so those roles became bigger. Each of us had more responsibility.”
“For me, definitely I was a bit nervous, but at the same time I had my three brothers, and we’ve been in the band together seventeen years. Just because we got a little bit knocked down doesn’t mean we don’t know how to write our songs. Things were just a little bit switched up. With that being said, yes, I was a little bit nervous going in to writing the record, but at the same time I was also excited, almost like someone had lit a fire under my ass. With everything happening, it was a very self-expressive and cathartic record for us.”
With a new outlook and a larger part being played by the four remaining members, one could safely assume NFG would do a bit of NFG homework to reacquaint themselves with their own sound on a deeper level. Contrary to this, Jordan is dismissive when the question of whether or not he listened to his own band’s past releases for inspiration.
“No, and I try not to, to get stuck in a way where it’s like ‘Oh man, the last record has this song in this tuning or this style, so we have to – because people love that song – do another song like that’. I don’t want to have those thoughts in my mind.”
A lofty billing on the Soundwave line up is commonplace for NFG, much to almost no punter’s chagrin. As the clock runs out on our interview, Pundik muses on why he thinks his band have had such an epically unstrained rapport with their audience for so many years.
“I think a big thing is that I fell people can often see through the bullshit of when bands say (in that same dim witted drawl) ‘Thanks to our fans, man!’, or whatever. Then not turning those words in to action. I think we turn those words in to action, because we’re always out there doing cool things for our fans. Whether it’s limited things, or meet-and-greets, or just hanging out after the show, and hanging out by the fence for two hours signing shit and taking photos. People are really appreciative of that. I think when people listen to our records and know that we were kids, and we’re still kids at heart.”
Resurrection is out October 10th through Hopeless Records.
SOUNDWAVE 2015
SATURDAY 21 & SUNDAY 22 FEBRUARY - ADELAIDE
SATURDAY 21 & SUNDAY 22 FEBRUARY - MELBOURNE
SATURDAY 28 FEBRUARY & SUNDAY 1 MARCH - SYDNEY
SATURDAY 28 FEBRUARY & SUNDAY 1 MARCH – BRISBANE
Todd Gingell
Their ravenously devoted fan base, unwaveringly anthemic studio releases, and seventeen years of consistently rollicking, sweaty, and venue-shattering live shows across the world confirm this to an almost inarguable degree. Wearied from a particularly long day, front man Jordan Pundik graciously staved sleep to chat to The 59th Sound about all things new; from the impending release of seventh studio LP Resurrection (their first as a four piece) and it’s subsequent global tour, to how one casts a teenager that looks like you in a film clip that a bunch of people love to hate on the internet.
“There was several (guys) we could pick from and they did auditions or whatever, and we got the videos emailed to us. Man, that one kid… the kid that plays me in the video had this crazy, shaggy, bushy hair. I was like “Dude, if he cuts his hair he can totally play the part!” I think he was okay with it! From what I heard he was totally cool with it. (He’s) some kind of up-and-coming BMX-sponsored dude, so he’s on his iPhone showing me him doing crazy, ramp-to-ramp stuff like Danny Way. Crazy jumps and stuff. The whole side of his body was just all scraped up!”
“(The clip) was almost making fun of ourselves in a way. And it was honestly just, we didn’t want to be in a music video (laughs). So we had this idea, just ‘Hey! Wouldn’t it be funny to show this young version of us, playing us?’ Awkward young kids that signed a record deal and became one of the biggest bands, or… y’know, became a huge band. And that was pretty much it, just making fun of ourselves. Just young, obviously, just young kids with no tattoos that didn’t know anything about anything, then we find a record deal, go on tour, and things turn out how they are. I love reading the comments on YouTube, and stuff. It’s amazing, like, (puts on dim-witted voice) ‘I can’t believe these guys sold out! They’ve got to stop making fun of 5 Seconds of Summer!’ I can understand that, it’s maybe having a bit of fun with that, but it wasn’t towards anybody or anything.”
Since the disreputable departure of former guitarist and primary song writer Steve Klein at the end of 2013, NFG have shrugged off break up speculation and are set to release their first album as a quartet since the band’s inception. Their supporting tour of the album includes a stint on Australia’s Soundwave tour in 2015. In contrast to the band’s previous few efforts, 7th studio LP Resurrection’s presentation is as literally black-and-white as all of Jordan’s tattoo works that the vocalist undertakes while away from the mic.
“We wanted to make these iconic sort of symbols for each song, so that’s kind of the (cover art) theme of the record. (The tattooing) is good! I’m still trying to get my bearings, because it’s hard to progress when I’m in and out so much. I wish I had the time to be in a shop every day, and bust out three or four tattoos a day, but it’s just not reality for me. I can maybe do one or two, two days a week. I really just love black line work, and how I draw. I’ve always been an artist and drawn album covers for bands and merch designs. It’s always been black line work, which I wanted to translate to my tattooing.”
“It’s such a different medium, ‘cause you’re using skin. There’s all these little tiny factors; how to hold the machine right, how to run the machine, what needles to use, all that stuff. (Hurting people) was a major hurdle for me, but now, especially when I do one that looks good, it feels good as an accomplishment. I’ll feel myself progressing, then I’ll leave for two months and take a step back or two. It is what it is. I’ve brought my stuff, like a travel kit sort-of-thingie with me when I tour in the states, but I haven’t done anything outside of here because I’m scared of the liability (laughs). It’s just figuring all that stuff out, really. I’d have to bring a shit ton of stuff with me!”
With touring in mind, it’s no secret NFG are relentless globe trotters. They visit countries with such regularity, it’s a fair assumption fans would happily vie for dual citizenship for the guys if it was at all possible. Away from the road, NFG has broken new grounds of sorts by being listed with a full producing credit in the liners of Resurrection next to Punk Rock production regular Paul Miner.
“I used to kind of see this girl, and she was from Melbourne (the place from which The 59th Sound conducted their half of this particular cross-planet phone interview), and I’d stay after tours here and there, so I felt like I kind of lived there!”
“The production we credited ourselves for was the fact that we wrote every single song without outside opinion. Like when we would use (long time collaborator) Neal Avron on past records he was almost like another member of the band, because he was the producer, the guy using ProTools, and helping us. Like when an idea came about we couldn’t agree upon come about, he was almost like the devils advocate in a way. With this record, it was just the four of us in there, and we had all the songs pretty much done before we went to the studio. We actually had Neal Avron come to one of our preproduction days in our rehearsal space, we were ‘Hey, man! It’d be really awesome if you came down and listened to songs and stuff!’ He literally had one comment on one lyric of one song, which to me was a really good feeling coming from a producer like him, because he’s done massive records and been around for a long time. He was just really stoked on the songs, it was kind of like a confidence booster, really.”
It’s worth querying whether such confidence boosters were necessary since the band’s dynamic had so drastically changed in the last twelve months. Pundik openly elaborates.
“I can’t speak for everybody in the band, but for me I was definitely glad to have him come in that day. Because it made me feel really good about what we were working so hard on. Having (Avron) give approval was a really good feeling , especially for me. In past records I would write things here-and-there, but I did kind of take a back seat when it came to writing music, and that sort of thing. It wasn’t intentionally, but it just kind of became that, y’know? Everyone kind of had their role. Where now, we’re committing to the four of us, so those roles became bigger. Each of us had more responsibility.”
“For me, definitely I was a bit nervous, but at the same time I had my three brothers, and we’ve been in the band together seventeen years. Just because we got a little bit knocked down doesn’t mean we don’t know how to write our songs. Things were just a little bit switched up. With that being said, yes, I was a little bit nervous going in to writing the record, but at the same time I was also excited, almost like someone had lit a fire under my ass. With everything happening, it was a very self-expressive and cathartic record for us.”
With a new outlook and a larger part being played by the four remaining members, one could safely assume NFG would do a bit of NFG homework to reacquaint themselves with their own sound on a deeper level. Contrary to this, Jordan is dismissive when the question of whether or not he listened to his own band’s past releases for inspiration.
“No, and I try not to, to get stuck in a way where it’s like ‘Oh man, the last record has this song in this tuning or this style, so we have to – because people love that song – do another song like that’. I don’t want to have those thoughts in my mind.”
A lofty billing on the Soundwave line up is commonplace for NFG, much to almost no punter’s chagrin. As the clock runs out on our interview, Pundik muses on why he thinks his band have had such an epically unstrained rapport with their audience for so many years.
“I think a big thing is that I fell people can often see through the bullshit of when bands say (in that same dim witted drawl) ‘Thanks to our fans, man!’, or whatever. Then not turning those words in to action. I think we turn those words in to action, because we’re always out there doing cool things for our fans. Whether it’s limited things, or meet-and-greets, or just hanging out after the show, and hanging out by the fence for two hours signing shit and taking photos. People are really appreciative of that. I think when people listen to our records and know that we were kids, and we’re still kids at heart.”
Resurrection is out October 10th through Hopeless Records.
SOUNDWAVE 2015
SATURDAY 21 & SUNDAY 22 FEBRUARY - ADELAIDE
SATURDAY 21 & SUNDAY 22 FEBRUARY - MELBOURNE
SATURDAY 28 FEBRUARY & SUNDAY 1 MARCH - SYDNEY
SATURDAY 28 FEBRUARY & SUNDAY 1 MARCH – BRISBANE
Todd Gingell