PGRNC: First off, how are you doing today man?
Jeremy (The Bled): I’m good, doing good.
PGRNC: So we know you guys are on tour right now, where'd you guys play last?
Jeremy: Monday night we played in Vineland, New Jersey. It was a really fun show. We stayed in Richmond, Virginia last night.
PGRNC: Last month The Bled signed to Rise Records. They're one of the fastest growing labels in the business. How do you feel about being a part of their family?
Jeremy: They actually contacted us when they found out we were divorced from Vagrant Records. They asked us on a date, and we really hit it off. We didn’t kiss on the first date. Things progressed and we moved to kissing, French kissing, and we let them feel us up.
PGRNC: So you didn’t put out?
Jeremy: No we put out, and they didn’t pull out either. We have a record coming out because of it. We're speeding up the 9 month cycle so it’ll be a little premature. We just hope it has all of its limbs intact.
Jeremy: They’re all from Shell Silberstein’s poems. Where The Sidewalk Ends. Shell=Love
PGRNC: The past year has been difficult for you guys as a band. Was there ever a time when you didn’t think The Bled would make it?
Jeremy: Towards the beginning. It cost us a lot of money to tour and we went into debt. We all had to go home and get shitty 9 to 5’s to help pay all of our expenses. We split it up between everyone evenly and worked on paying it off. Our bass player decided to go back to school, and our guitarist moved to Texas, and our drummer went on to play for another band. I started a side project with some of the other members of The Bled. I wasn’t happy with the way the side project was going so that ended pretty quick. We managed to replace the drummer, guitarist, and bassist. It was a real smooth transition because we knew the new guys previously and knew how they played. Once we taught everyone the parts, we got to writing new material. This band has always been five friends. That’s the way music is supposed to be. I don’t think I would have continued the band if I had to choose 3 strangers to replace them.
PGRNC: Were you worried about how your fans would take the new lineup change?
Jeremy: Well I always wrote 90% of the music. We wanted to have a demo before we started promoting the new lineup. We're a band that thrives off of change. The music scene is fickle but at the end of the day you have to fulfill your own happiness.
Jeremy: It feels awesome. We actually had a little warm up tour with The Used on the West Coast. It gave the new guys a feel for the band and how being on tour works.
PGRNC: You’ve only been on tour for a few weeks so far, but what’s the craziest experience that you guys had had on this tour?
Jeremy: Nothing too crazy really. Not to us at least. Nothing terrible has happened. We played a festival in Illinois where some kids from another band stole an amp head from We Came As Romans. WCAR found out who stole it and approached the other band. One of the members walked up as they were arguing and one of the big guys in WCAR asked him how old he was. He said "19" and without hesitation, the big guy just smashed him in the face. It’s good to see justice on the road.
PGRNC: We're just going to have an attack badger in our trailer to make sure people don’t steal.
Jeremy: How do you domesticate a badger?
PGRNC: We're not sure just yet. Ok. So what’s the most fun show you guys have played on tour so far?
Jeremy: Well it definitely not Omaha, Nebraska. It was just a bad show in general. The venue requires kids under 18 to get a waiver signed and have it legally notarized to get into the show. There were about 50 kids staring deadpan at us while we played our hearts out. I was sweating and they were just staring. So I sat down on stage and stared right back at them while I was playing. I used the old and jaded card on 'em. I don’t need kids wind milling and shit, but give me a nod or smile or something. Allentown, PA was pretty awesome and so was Fargo, ND. We didn’t expect that one, but it was a good show.
PGRNC: So you guys are releasing your 4th record on Rise near the beginning of next year. 4 albums is an amazing accomplishment for any band. What’s significant about this album to The Bled?
Jeremy: I’m just stoked to be writing for The Bled again. This album is a lot like our first album. I’m personally producing everything on this record. We're writing at home and recording in Tuscan. I’m really proud of all of the new songs. The new guys came in with a fans perspective and brought what they liked about The Bled into the album. We're all on the same page and it makes things so much easier.
PGRNC: Well man that’s all the questions we have for you today. Thanks for the interview; we had a lot of fun. We can’t wait for the show later.
Jeremy: Thanks for interviewing me guys. I had a good time.
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