Interview: Bayside

De heren van de uit Queens afkomstige punk rock band Bayside stonden twee weken geleden in het voorprogramma van The Gaslight Anthem in de Heineken Music Hall. Hoewel de band alweer bijna vijftien jaar bestaat, ligt de focus pas sinds vorig jaar op het veroveren van werelddelen buiten Amerika. Wij spraken voor de show met bassist Nick Ghanbarian.

First of all: how is the tour going so far?

The tour has been going really well. We haven’t gotten over to mainland Europe as often as we would like in the past ten years, so we really made an effort to come over here again. We were here in the spring too, so it’s actually our second time here this year. Right after the spring tour ended we got offered to come back with The Gaslight Anthem, so we did. We’re just really happy to be back.

So what’s it like touring with The Gaslight Anthem?

They’re really great guys. We met them in Australia about three and a half years ago and ever since then we tried to do stuff together. We only played a handful of shows together up until this tour. Our albums always came out in different years, so it was hard to meet up and do a tour. This has actually been the first time it was possible to go out on tour together with both having new albums out.

What’s your favorite thing about touring?

I would say the traveling. I have seen enough of America and now I just want to see other countries. I like feeling that slight bit of discomfort with something I’m not familiar with, like seeing different places and cultures. It’s not a vacation when we’re on tour though. We’re working really hard and sometimes we just don’t have time to explore a city. We only got an hour in Amsterdam today and I wish we had more time, but it’s still an hour. I’m thankful for that.

How would you describe your band to people who have never heard from Bayside?

It’s like melodic alternative punk rock. But when people ask, I usually just say something that they would definitely know. Like we sound like Green Day, for instance. We don’t really sound like them, but we do make the same kind of music. I would also say that we’re unique. We have some stuff that sounds like melodic punk, but we also have some stuff that can be put on a heavy metal album. We’re aggressive at times, but we’re also delicate.

And what does a typical Bayside show looks like?

It’s hard to describe a typical one. Over the years we played thousands of shows and they’re each very different, but I would say our headline shows are always very energetic. We also really enjoy interaction with the crowd. We’re very lucky that our shows are interactive and our fans really passionate. When we’re over here it’s different, because people are still getting to know us. We’re playing what we feel are our best songs and are trying to win over as many people as possible.

In February you released an album called Cult. What’s the story behind this album?

Cult is our sixth album. We’re getting a little bit older and our personal lives are settling down, but the band is still growing. In America rock music is just not as popular as it used to be, so for us it’s great to see we’re still growing. I think a lot of the lyrical content on this album has less to do with relationships and more with where we are right now in our lives. It has to do with growing up and living with what we have created in the past fifteen years. It’s a good feeling to know we have been a band for so long. We’re not slipping.