Ryan: We just got a new EP that we're putting out. It came out the 28th and it's got five songs on it. Brand new tracks. We've been dying to put something out for four years now so it's good to have something to sell. Gives us a reason to come out and tour. Something to support. We're all real excited and it's all stuff that we've done since we met Drew.

Drew: I'm Drew.

Hi Drew.

Drew: Hello, how are you?

So Drew is new.

Ryan: Drew is new.

Who did Drew replace?

Ryan: Doug.

What happened to Doug?

Ryan: He left the band, got hit by a train, and then swallowed by a gorilla bear. No, he gave up the band and he moved to L.A. to pursue other creative interests and now he's playing in a band called Unknown Boy.

Unknown Boy which I guess is an unknown band right now but will hopefully get known soon.

Brandon: Yeah, they're good. I like them.

Who is the person who got married?

Ryan: That would be this guy.

Did you enjoy your trip to Tahiti?

Brandon: Yeah, it was nice and warm. Very isolated.

Isolation is a good thing. That and plenty of alcohol.

Ryan: I was there too. I made sure they didn't do anything sexually.

Andrew: He was their chaperone.

The last time you boys were out, you were touring on your own budget. Are you pretty much doing that again?

Ryan: Yeah, the same thing.

That must be nice with gasoline being three dollars a gallon.

Brandon: You know you have to cut corners when you usually have a sound guy and a tour manager that comes out with us and has to stay home this run to see if we can make anything happen.

So you don't have to pay them.

Ryan: Yeah, we've had lots of people be generous to house us. They've helped us a lot. We've got good fans.

That's a good thing. This is your Bridges For Burning tour and that's the name of the EP as well. Why that particular name?

Ryan: I guess a lot of the songs have a common theme of just separation and the emotions after separation whether it be friendship, relationship, or loss of life. The aftermath. But that was taken.

How do the songs on the EP differ from the songs on Soma Holiday?

Ryan: We made a progression. We definitely progressed. We're a four piece now too so there is more space within our music. All of the parts are vital. Writing songs just four years ago you learn a lot in four years.

Andrew: I think there's more basic rock direction going on with the new stuff than there was with the older stuff. Very to the point and demonstrates everyone's ability to rock.

And we want to rock and roll.

Brandon: That is the goal.

Did everyone pretty much contribute on the songwriting?

Ryan: Yeah, that's another big difference. We've always been pretty open minded about everybody helping. It's been quite a different experience with everybody writing and being involved in every part. Every instrument, lyrics, melodies, parts. Everything.

So Drew got to join in on the fun.

Drew: The insanity.

Tell me about your "Trigger" video.

Ryan: A friend of ours helped us make that. We basically shot it using a camera that he got and he had done a couple of videos. One for a friend of his band and one for his band. They both turned out really good so we thought we'd give it a try. It was pretty inexpensive. The price was free. We just sat up in his basement, had beers, put lights in different spots, and shot us playing the song probably about eight or nine times. Then we would play it and he would focus on each individual member and then he'd just edit it all together.

I interviewed a band one time and they were talking about how it's so expensive to do videos. I told them if they had a lot of imagination and a low budget you can come up with some shit. Be a little creative.

Brandon: All the coolest videos usually look pretty low vibe. Plus the Internet is the only place you're really going to see videos anymore. There's not a whole lot on MTV anymore. That's transferring over to reality shows about reality shows. They have these shows that are totally devoted to these reality shows.

I don't understand the interest in reality shows.

Brandon: They aren't reality. People act in reality shows. People that are living in these reality shows are acting like they've observed in reality shows. They're showcasing behavior that they learned from watching the shows that they're on.

I read somewhere that Melissa Etheridge covered a song of yours.

Drew: What was that song?

How did that happen?

Ryan: She was on the same label that we were on. Island Records. The label thought that she needed a better first single before they would agree to release her record. That was one of the singles that they chose to show her. She wrestled with it for a while she said but she really liked the song and she chose it. We were really flattered that she chose it but initially we didn't even know. The radio program director called me from New York and said that they were going for ads on "Breathe" with her doing it. We were like what? We called Island and they were "you didn't know?"

Uh no, because you didn't tell anyone?

Brandon: They owned the songs so they could do what they wanted to.

Ryan: We're just flattered to have someone of her stature do it. The royalties are all in our favor.

They should be because you wrote the fucking song.

Brandon: It basically helps us go on tour so it's basically a good thing because it gave our song a second chance that we wouldn't have really had.

Ryan: It gave us some clout as songwriters too.

Brandon: Yeah, to have someone like that play your song.

Andrew: It's kind of bittersweet but more sweet than bitter. The bitter was more like the beginning. Hey, we didn't know that song was being played by a multi platinum artist. It's kind of crazy.

"She's got more money than we do. Ante up." You have songs on soundtracks too.

Ryan: We have one on Spider-Man. The Fast And The Furious.

Brandon: We're on an NHL hockey game. We're on Smallville. And I think they're running a version of "Breathe" on Medium. It was also the theme song for the commercials for the L Word. Our San Francisco audience heard it a lot.

Ryan: It was the lead song for a TV show that lasted for about six episodes called Black Sash which was the WB's version of a comedy teen drama and it was based around kung fu. It really was based around kung fu. It was good.

Have you guys found a label yet?

Brandon: Still looking. We just got out with this EP so hopefully that will help us along the process of meeting new people and seeing if our philosophy meets up with anybody else. Basically we just want somebody to help us go out and tour. As much as radio support can help bring people to shows, it doesn't really equal record sales. You just have to go out and you have to make one happen if you can in this market because the business has changed quite a bit. Everybody's adjusting and everybody's trying to figure out what's going to work. Just keep consistent with what we're doing and I think the feather should land in the right place. That's my analogy.

How long have you guys been out on the road this leg?

Brandon: Three shows so far.

Ryan: We've started the third show, yeah. We'll be out for about a month and a half. We're just going out for a week at a time, staying home for a couple of days, and going back out. It will be a little bit more relaxed in the pace I think this way as opposed to taking it all in one chunk with two days a month off and the rest of them are drive days or show days. That wears you down real fast. You do five or six shows a week and then the days that you have off, you're using to drive. It doesn't sound like life stinks. Brandon and I were talking earlier today that you get this weird fatigue whenever you get to the venue after you load in. You have to sit around for four or five hours which isn't a bad thing. Our bodies aren't used to it so when you're out on the road and you're sitting in a van for four or five hours, then it's a totally different biological clock I guess.

Andrew: Yeah, it does mess with that. You're up at all hours of the night and the morning. You see the sun rise and the sun set usually and that's cool.

Ryan: You normally have consistent plans. But it's fun. It's worth it for sure.

Well just remember daylight savings time ends tomorrow and you will be springing forward. Your show tomorrow will be earlier than you think if you're doing one. Has anything crazy been happening to you guys while you've been out?

Ryan: There was that time with the wildebeest.

Brandon: Yeah, that was crazy but that's not really that exciting.

You guys haven't been fucking animals have you?

Ryan: No, we gave up on the bestiality.

Andrew: Well that all depends on what your definition of animal is.

Ryan: Yeah, what’s your definition of an animal?

Brandon: There was that fight with that team of penguins when we refused to wear the tuxedos.

Ryan: They’re all about conformity man.

Brandon: I want to fight that Pegasus up there on that thing.

Ryan: Dude, he’s got serious kicking legs.

He will kick your ass. I’ve seen it happen so many times.

Brandon: Nah, he won’t. You can get him by the wings and you’ve got a chance.

Drew: I wonder what would happen if a unicorn and a Pegasus got in a fight.

The unicorn would gore the Pegasus.

Brandon: While the Pegasus was trying to fly down on the unicorn, the unicorn would ram it.

Any other thoughts or comments?