Interview: All Time Low

Whilst in the UK for a short, two-day promotional trip, Alter The Press! managed to sit down with All Time Low for once last time before heading back into the studio to finish work on their new album.

The band spoke to ATP about playing this year's Bamboozle Roadshow, touring with Good Charlotte, the forthcoming new album and more.

Alter The Press: Welcome back. To what do we owe this pleasure?
Rian Dawson (drums): Our manager begging us.

Alex Gaskarth (vocals/guitar): A shit ton of hot British girls.

Rian: We hadn't been over to the UK for a while, so we thought it would be nice to pop over and say hello to everyone again, at the regular outlets.

Jack Barakat (guitar): We also enjoy the "chocolat" over here. It's much better then America.

Zack Merrick (bass): And our DVD just came out.

Alex: And 'Weightless' comes out here next week. Releases in Britain make no sense ever; it's true. We were at the BBC today, doing 'Weightless,' which has been re-launched. And because it's been re-launched, they're re-releasing the single. It's like, 'You're new single is out next week' and we're like, 'No, it's about a year old'.

ATP: How was the Bamboozle Roadshow?
Alex: Phenomenal. So many friends.

Rian: And so many idols.

Jack: So many people became idols of ours. We became idols to many of the bands on the tour!

Rian: Like Good Charlotte and Simple Plan.

Alex: They really look up to us now.

Rian: They came up to us and were like, 'You have no idea how nerve racking it is to be on tour with All Time Low!' Seriously, it was amazing to tour with bands like Third Eye Blind, Good Charlotte and Simple Plan.

ATP: The band is now banned from Six Flags parks, across the US, now? (Security used pepper spray on the crowd at a show.)
Rian: We were, but we won't be going, regardless.

Alex: I want nothing to do with that park.

Rian: It was a big overreaction, and the way they dealt with it afterwards, was childish.

Alex: They took, basically, what everyone had said about Six Flags, and blamed it on us.

Rian: All he said, was about security being fucked up, and nothing about the park.

Jack: Off the record, Zack was one who maced the kids!

Alex: On the record, fuck them.

ATP: How was it touring with Good Charlotte?
Alex: Great. I loved that band for a long time. Getting to know them as people, and seeing them as genuine dudes, was awesome.

Rian: You kind of go in thinking, because of the success and fame they had, they are going to be stand off-ish, but they ended up being the nicest people.

ATP: With you guys being at the highest point in your career, to date, did they pass on any advice? The dos and don'ts? Or did you ask for any advice?
Alex: Absolutely. Good Charlotte are one of the bands who have given us the most advice.

Jack: Every single day, we would get more advice from them.

Rian: They've been through it all; they've had their ups and downs, having a comeback. It's the real deal; they're speaking from experience.

ATP: What was the best bit of advice they passed on to you?
Rian: Not necessarily anything they said, but the fact that they're such real people; such honest, down to earth, guys.

Jack: One thing they said, was: don't forget who your fans are, and don't forget what your fans want to hear.

ATP: Album number four, what is the update?
Alex: We're about 60-63% finished with it. It's good, we've got a bunch of songs done; Matt Squire, John Field and Mike Green are working on the record. It's like a powerhouse in producers.

ATP: What's left to do?
Alex: Just a couple more songs to finish up; four songs left to record, for the rest of July. Everything is ready to go, we just need to put it on CD.

ATP: How would you compare it to 'Nothing Personal'?
Alex: A lot of growth; we learnt from the good and bad elements of the last record. We took that into the new project, kept in mind what we liked and didn't like. We have this box in which we can function. Within it, we can move around and explore different aspects, through our albums etc.; each time we do, the box gets bigger.

ATP: Last time we spoke about two new songs, 'Jennifer' and 'Where I Belong'. Will they still be on the record?
Alex: As of right now, no idea. One of them is not being recorded and the other, I don't know.

Rian: Recorded 14 times and still not sure about it.

Alex: That's making a record; it's a process. Songs get weeded out. This is the first time, in a record making process, where we have almost 20 songs. When we went into the studio, we narrowed it down to 20, and obviously, half of those won't make the record.

Jack: The other times, it was going into the studio with 6 songs, needing to have 12.

Alex: This time we were over prepared.

ATP: How many tracks will be on the album?
Alex: It's still up in the air. 10 or 12, I'd say.

ATP: Do you have an album title yet?
Alex: No.

Rian: If you have any ideas, let us know.

ATP: Self-titled.
Rian: That's the cop out. If we end up doing that, you know it's because we couldn't think of anything.

ATP: Any guest appearances?
Jack: We can't name any names.

Alex: It's early. The record isn't out till, probably, January; we don't want to spoil anything.

Jack: Yes, Tom Delonge is rapping on the album!

Rian: There is 1 or 2.

ATP: Is the record still slated for January 2011?
Alex: Hopefully.

Rian: We are looking for early January.

ATP: When can we expect the first single?
Alex: Hopefully sometime before that; some time in the fourth quarter.

ATP: Have you already had discussions with Interscope, about what is happening with the record?
Rian: No, because we haven't even finished the record. We have a timeline of when we'd like things to happen, but as far as single choices and what songs we'd like to release, we don't even know. We don't even know what songs are going on the record yet. We have ideas. Alex: It's all so loose, because we are so far off from having a packaged record done. There is going to be a new single in the fall, most probably, or at least a song, and it will be awesome.

ATP: You are back in the UK for Reading and Leeds Festival. Any other plans?
Alex: As of right now, I don't think so. We do Europe; then go back to the US, to gear up for the release of this record.

Jack: It seems like we're here at least 2-3 times a year.

Rian: We're going to release the record, hopefully, in January, and then maybe, a couple of months after that, come over here and do a full tour.

ATP: When will you be announcing your US run of shows?
Alex: Hopefully soon.

Rian: It's already kind of out there. We haven't officially announced anything yet.

Alex: It's planned for the fall. An official statement will be out shortly. It's a nationwide tour; it's 6 weeks long.

Rian: Then we're going to hibernate for the winter. It'll be nice to give the fans one last intimate setting.

ATP: Thank you guys. Anything else you would like to add?
Alex: Continue to tune in. We love you guys.

Rian: We're very excited for this new record.

All Time Low's forthcoming new album will be released in January 2010 via Interscope Records.

- Jon Ableson