Interview: This Love

Earlier this year, pop-rock group Callahan announced a change in name and a new line-up. Bassist Jake Sims and drummer Wes Comer are the remaining members of the latter, with Jake Rinehart (pianist), Jake Bonham (guitarist) and Joe McFaddin (vocals) coming into the band which now goes under the name, This Love.

Since the changes, the band release a new EP entitled 'The Beginning' and sees the band settle into a more rock sound, rather then a pop-punk sound from their previous identity.

The group spoke to ATP! about the transformation, their new EP, influences and more.

Alter The Press: Is there a story behind the name of the band?
This Love: There is a long story , but ill make it short, there is nothing bigger than love. We are all about giving and showing love and its great for us because we get to express it through the universal language of music. Therefor the name is a simple identity of who we are and what we want to bring to the world. And that is Love.

ATP: For readers who don't know, why the change from Callahan to This Love?
TL: Well, I'll make this long story short also. We went through a number of member changes, which caused a sort of style change, which caused us to make the decision to change our name from Callahan to This Love, a fresh start of sorts. This allows us to start molding a new identity and grow in a different direction as a band. I think it also opens up the door to new opportunity for us to reach different plateaus in the music industry. We wanted to make decisions in light of that.

ATP: How has fans reacted to the change? Were you worried that it may confuse/alienate them?
TL: Our fans reacted quite well to the change. Even better than we expected. I mean of course, there were some people that may have been disappointed, but we are currently on the upswing and people are getting use to it, or they're getting over it. We were not worried about the change too much, but at the same time we have feelings and we understood that there might be some confusion following the change. But ultimately, the changes were something that had to happen, and we knew the true fans would understand. We just want people to understand that we are a totally different band now and even though we have former members of Callahan, we are not the same Pop-Punk band. We are now This Love and we are going to play Rock and Roll. We appreciate any fan that is now or will soon be on board.

ATP: Do you feel that there has been a change in sound from the songs you wrote in Callahan?
TL: Yes, we went from pop-punk to pop-rock. We are going for a bigger sound than we use to have. In doing that, we are all growing as musicians and performers. We are pushing each other to new levels, in doing that, we are finding who we are as a band and as individuals every time we get together.

ATP: Who do This Love consider their influences to be? Have these changed since Callahan?
TL: Our influences as This Love, are bands like U2, Kings Of Leon, Led Zepplin. Pretty much any timeless band that we have all grown up on. We want to be a timeless band respectively, that is our long term goal. We will do everything we can to get to where bands like that are today. Yes these influences have changed since Callahan. I will again say that Callahan was a Pop-Punk band that had major Pop-Punk influences, but we are now a different band with Rock and Roll influences. We are on the path to play Rock and Roll music.

ATP: Do you feel that Jake Rinehart, Jake Bonham and Joe McFaddin have settled into the band and how did you come across them?
TL: Jake Bonham was once with Callahan before he left, so he was an automatic. Joe and Jake were the newcomers of the group but yet you would never know that. We have created a family, a brotherhood if you will, right away. Jake Rinehart was a package deal with Jake Bonham. They were in a few bands together before the creation of This Love..

ATP: You've just released 'The Beginning EP', will you be touring extensively to promote the EP?
TL: We have a lot of touring plans for the upcoming fall. We will be promoting our EP on these dates whatever they may be. We will be figuring things out for sure very soon. But we are playing different events and shows that we think will benefit our band until our tours are finished being planned. So keep on the look out and come see us.

ATP: What can people expect from 'The Beginning'? What songs especially would you recommend?
TL: People can expect an honest, heart felt sound from our EP "The Beginning". It was an attempt to bring an identity to our band This Love. But as it is titled respectively, "The Beginning" , thats exactly what it is for us as a band; The Beginning. As we are very young with our sound and our identity, we will continue to grow and find ourselves as a band. On the album, I strongly recommend every single track from front to back.
ATP: Are there any plans to release anymore music videos from 'The Beginning'?
TL: We can tell you that we will most definitely be teaming back up with Thunderdowncountry. Those guys are the best! They are treating a movie for Dear Carolina. I think we could get something rolling as soon as August or September. Its one of the most exciting experiences, shooting a music video, and we cant wait to get back on the screen.

ATP: When can we expect a full length CD? Have you written anymore songs since the release of the EP?
TL: Hmmmm, this is a huge topic among the band. We have a lot of material ready to go right now, but its big, its exactly what we want and we are so excited to show the world. Like I stated earlier, we are coming into who we are musically everyday, we feel this new stuff is more rock and roll. I hate to give examples or comparisons, but, a sound sort of like Kings of Leon or U2, but still with our pop sensibility. Get ready, Thank you.

'The Beginning' EP by This Love is avaliable now.

This Love on Purevolume, MySpace, Twitter and Facebook.

Words by George Gadd
Edited by Sean Reid