Interview: Stay

New England pop-rock four-piece, Stay are slowly starting to make a name for themselves, with shows alongside All Time Low, The Cab, Just Surrender, Hit The Lights, and even Hanson and their recent videos have been featured on Purevolume.

In addition this summer they've been on tour with Down With Webster and Let's Get It, as well as being part of You, Me & Everyone We Know's 'Avatour'.

ATP! caught up with vocalist Anthony Rainville to discuss the bands influences, origins, recent tours and more.

ATP: Tell us how the band came together?
Stay: Stay came together when I quit the band I was previously in, and started writing music with my friend AJ. We tried out about a dozen people before we finally met Steve and Anthony A, who had also previously played together. Once we tried out those dudes, it just clicked and that was basically the start the of our band.

ATP: Who would you cite as your main influences?
Stay: My main influences are bands like Brand New, The Goo Goo Dolls, and Third Eye Blind but I could go on for awhile.. There are so many bands that I love and that have helped shape the person and songwriter I am today.

ATP: Where did the name 'Stay' come from? Is there a particular meaning behind it?
Stay: The name 'Stay' came from a 'Temptations' Greatest Hits record my mom bought me. I really liked the idea of a name that was simple and straightforward, like 'Stars' or 'Gratitude'. It also has a command aspect to it that I like, because it can be directed towards something you want to stick around, and everyone feels like that at some point.

ATP: How did the video for 'Maddie kthx' come together?
Stay: I think our management at the time approached us about doing a music a video and we were just like, "Sure!". They knew a dude named Shane Nelson; who had worked with Motion City Soundtrack, so we went out to Minneapolis and shot it in about 24 hours with him. It was really crazy because we shot from like 10 pm to 2 am, slept till 5 am, then got up and shot until 2 am the next day. Shane was the man though and it was really cool to do but I think we're gonna do the next one a little bit closer to home.

ATP: Before the recent Summer Sampler, you released 'Games with Girls'. Are there any plans to release a full length? Will any familiar songs be on it?
Stay: There are definitely plans to release a full-length in the future, but I think right now we're focusing on taking smaller chunks of time in between tours to write and record new music. In doing this we're able to tour and release new songs almost simultaneously, as opposed to taking a larger amount of time off. I know when we do sit down to write and record a full-length, we all wanna make sure we do it right. As far as songs go, I can't say for sure yet whether or not there will be any familiar ones on it, but it's definitely a possibility.

ATP: You've just came off tour with Down With Webster and Let's Get It. How did the shows go?
Stay: Awesome! The shows were definitely some of the best we've played on a tour, and the bands were all awesome dudes and super rad to watch live. I definitely had a blast and I couldn't have been more stoked on how responsive, and receptive the kids were.

ATP: You were also recently on You, Me & Everyone We Know's 'Avatour', was it a friendly environment?
Stay: So friendly! We were out with Breathe Electric as well, and we got along great with everyone in that band too. They were seriously all awesome dudes and both incredible bands. I was also a huge You, Me & Everyone We Know fan going into the tour, so getting to not only meet and become friends with those dudes but to watch them perform every night, was just unbelievable for me.

ATP: How would you describe a typical Stay show?
Stay: A typical Stay show has lots and lots of energy and features us playing real instruments, which seems to be a rarity these days. Basically our job is to make sure you're having, as much fun as we are and I think we've been pretty successful so far.

ATP: Any plans to collaborate or tour with those bands again?
Stay: Hopefully! I know we have a show coming up August 21st in Poughkeepsie, NY with You, Me, and Everyone We Know and then August 22nd in Allentown, PA with We Are The In Crowd. It'll be awesome to see everyone again and as far as tours go I think we're talking about doing some more stuff together but it's still all up in the air so I can't really say yet.

ATP: With so many pop-rock bands around at the moment. Is it difficult to stand out from a genre with so many similar band?
Stay: I mean, I definitely think there's an over saturation of kind of mediocre and generic bands in our genre, so it can be tough. If only because it's more difficult for kids to sort through so many bands. But I think our band is definitely going to be one of those bands that is able to rise up, get a lot of people's attention, and stand the test of time. We might not be there exactly yet but I feel like we're getting closer and closer every day.

ATP: More recently you've posted 2 new songs, 'Confection' and Power Lines'. How did these songs come together and do they show the direction the band are going in?
Stay: These songs came together over the past few months, and we really kind of pushed ourselves pretty hard to get them out at a time, when we were still talking about a direction and trying to decide which songs we were going to record. As far as direction, I think they're definitely pretty indicative of the direction we're going with our band, but I don't think it's a huge departure for us nor do I feel like we're confined too much by these songs. We're just going to keep being ourselves and trying to write the best songs possible. Hopefully people can connect with them and enjoy them as much as we do.

ATP: What's next for Stay?
Stay: We're gonna be doing a lot of touring in the fall to finish off the year, as well as releasing more brand new songs. We're also talking about doing a music video really soon for one of our new songs. So keep on the look out for that! 2010 has been an amazing ride for all of us so far, and the best part is knowing that we're just getting started. Thanks again to everyone for continuing to support us by coming to our shows and buying our records.

Stay on MySpace, Facebook and Purevolume.

Words: George Gadd
Edited by Sean Reid