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Editor in ChiefJF Agron

Editor at LargeShawn Miller

PhotographersRebekah StearnsKassia MeadorAmanda Lopez

Contributing PhotographersShawn MillerJF Agron

Staff WritersDavid BroachJoe Brook

Advertising DirectorJF Agron

Marketing DirectorShawn Miller

ShippingKenneth SSMF JRMikal Howard

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We recently had the great pleasure of sitting down for coffee with the lovely Kassia Meador, who was in town promoting her most recent f ilm, Dear and Yonder. She’s magical on the water, beautiful in print and absolutely captivating in person. Kassia weighed in on everything from the correct pronunciation of her name, to surf travel and quiver shuffling, to who she’s currently crushing on. Despite the oppressively steamy summer day, Kassia was every bit the elegant gal we all dream about. Drop in and check her out. So what’s the deal with your name? If you ask ten people, each will come up with a different way of saying it.My parents were in Greece while they were pregnant with me, and they liked Greece so much that they gave me a Greek name. So my first name is Kassia (pronounced Cassy-ah).

My last name is Meador like “met-her”, but with a “d”. People call me Kassi (pronounced Cassy) for short, but Kassia is my full name. A lot of people think it’s short for Cassandra or something, but Kassia is the long version and Kassi is the abridged version. You’re obviously keeping really busy with all of your activities – surfing, photography, art, production company, videos, announcing and hosting events. How do you juggle all these things?I’ve stopped making videos because I realized I’d rather be in them than make them, because that means that I get to surf more, which is way more fun. Taking photos is something I do on the side and I’m doing it while I’m traveling. I try to stay home for a month or two during the year at a few different times, so I can work on my photography. But obviously, I need

to go shoot, so travel is great for that. With the hosting stuff, I kind of just do it when I’m home. I’m probably going to be at the event and hanging with my friends and talking smack anyway, so I might as well do it for Fuel TV. So it all kind of works out. I love working with the people at Fuel. They’ve been so rad and so accommodating. We have a lot of fun, so it’s really a good time. What’s an average day in your life like? Are you working hard, having fun, or both?I’m definitely having fun. When the waves are good, I’m waking up super early. When it’s like an average day when I’m home, I like to take that time to sleep in. Usually, when we’re on the road, I don’t get a chance to sleep in ever. I always get up pretty early anyway and usually never sleep past 7:00 or 8:00. When we’re on the road for a surf trip and need to get

somewhere for a shoot, we’ll get up as early as 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning. I just go with the flow. When I’m home, I usually surf in the morning, come home and do some art stuff or photo stuff, maybe go for a bike ride and then surf again if it’s good. Then I’ll maybe barbeque with friends. I just try to keep it mellow. It seems like I spend a lot of time just driving on the freeway when I’m at home. Whatever I’m doing, I always fit in surfing every day, especially if it ’s good. What’s next on your already busy schedule?Right now, I’m working on some wetsuits with Roxy. That’s been fun. I’m doing a bike with DiFisso an Italian fixed-gear bike company that ’s doing bikes with my buddies from Captain Fin. They want to do a girl’s version, so I helped them design that. I’m doing a couple of fins with Captain Fin, a two plus one center fin and a collaboration with Keep A Breast, Kassi and Captain Fin collaboration that will help raise money for breast cancer, and another fin that is going to be just my fin, like a big long single f in. What is Dear and Yonder about?It ’s about the ocean and bringing women together through the ocean. It’s got a history section where it talks about where women’s surfing began and where it’s come to. It has longboarding, shortboarding, riding fishes, women’s body surfing, Liz Clark sailing around the world, and women’s skateboarding. It ’s a celebration of all that, taking you from the past of what it was to the present and what’s happening now. It’s a really great film. It gives you background, and really makes you want to go surfing or skateboarding. It’s all female and it ’s amazing. What does the title mean?Dear and Yonder, means like close and far. Where we all come from and where surfing takes us all. You can surf in your backyard or f ind yourself sur f ing in the middle of Indonesia. Well, where did filming Dear and Yonder take you?I got to surf in Zihautenejo, Mexico and the Mentawais. The movie was filmed all over, but those are the places I went to shoot . Where are you favorite places in the world to visit and to surf?My favorite places to visit are France, New York and Japan. Surfing-wise, I love Indonesia, Mexico and New Zealand. New Zealand is so fun for waves… not

Dear and Yonder, means like close and far. Where we all come from and where surfing takes us all.

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many people and jus t tons of lef t-hand pointbreaks. I definitely have always wanted to go to Greece. It would be really cool to go to Thailand and check it out. And, I really want to go to Senegal to sur f . Where is your next trip taking you?I ’m going to go home and figure it out. I’m planning a road trip down to Cabo. I’ll surf Cabo and then hit Scorpion Bay on the way back. After that, I’m debating whether to go down to Peru or back to France. One of those two p l a c e s a f t e r t h a t . Do you have a regular crew you travel with and surf with?I travel with my friend Jen Smith a lot. She’s another Roxy team rider. I kind of go with whoever. I change it up. If I’m going to a place where I have friends who live there, I’ll usually just hook up with them. I kind of just see who wants to go for an adventure. I sur f with boys a lot at home. My friends Nick, Seth, T im my a n d C h a n c e . W h e n I ’m h o m e in Oceanside, those are my boys. Everyone’s out of work r ight now, so they ’re sur f ing all the time. None of them are pro sur fers. They’re all great shortboarders, but none of them do it professionally. Sometimes I surf with Jen, when she drives from Pacific Beach, but we live at the opposite ends of San Diego. Do you ever ride shortboards?I shortboard a bit. Not normal shortboards, but I’ll ride an alaia a lot, or a fish. In California, we get a lot of good waves for riding a fish, so I ride a fish a lot. I try to ride everything. I’ll ride everything from a high-performance longboard, to a big single fin, to an alaia. I won’t ride a boogeyboard; I refuse to. However, I do bodysurf a lot. My friend Danny Hess has been making these cool hand guns, so I’ve been using that. I’ll ride my 5’8” Merrick or a Rich Pavel wooden keel fin classic fish. I ride everything. Everything gives you a different feeling and certain boards work on certain waves. It’s good to change it up, because you get so bored and stagnant. When I feel stagnant riding something or when I feel like I’m not learning anything, I’ll just jump on something totally opposite and then I’ll go back to what I was riding and feel like I’m riding it much better. Especially with the alaia. If you only surf an alaia for like a week and then go to any other board, you’ll surf it so much better. Switch it up. I can’t emphasize it enough. People just get such tunnel vision. Ride it all. Sometimes I switch three times in a day.

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Do you prefer cold water or warm water?I like wearing a wetsuit, but I don’t like when the water is super cold. I like when it’s cold enough to wear a wetsuit. My favorite wetsuit is probably a long-armed spring. That’s the most comfortable and means the water is warm and you don’t have to deal with wearing a bathing suit and having the suit torn off. We were just in Indo surfing and it was pretty solid. One of my friends Sophia got her bottoms blown off her completely, twice in one day. It was a tie side. Tie sides are not a good idea. It was pretty funny. We thought she broke her arm because she had her arm all weird but she was just trying to cover herself up because she had no bot toms. Speaking of bikinis getting blown off, do you get hit on in the water?I ’ve def initely been hit on in the water before. Sometimes it’s great, but other times it ’s not so great. It depends on who it is and my situation. Even just being out in the water, whether or not people recognize you, usually surfers or people who are active are all pretty good looking. People go to the gym to pick people up, so why not in the water, when everyone out there is in pretty good shape. It ’s a weird reference, but they’re both places where people are active and care about themselves. Usually I don’t mind. You get some random creeps though. That’s why I usually surf with a group of guys. Any significant other?No. I’m single and ready to mingle right now. I t ’s summer.

Do you date surfers or non-surfers?Either one. I get into dif ferent people for different things. I like people who are creative or passionate about something. That ’s attractive to me. So if someone is a musician or an artist or a surfer or is even into just riding a bike; as long as they’re into something that they have a passion for, that’s attractive. It’s cool if they surf or not; whatever; surfing is my thing and it’s always going to be my thing that I love to do. If we go surfing together, cool, and if not, whatever. If you have your thing and I have mine, then that’s chill too. It’s just cool to be with people that have something that they do that you’re like, wow, that’s really cool. I have a couple of crushes on some band boys right now. I’m into band boys this summer. I have a big time crush on Alex Knost . Does he know?I don’t think he does know, but he will now after this. I totally have a crush on him, but I don’t think he knows. We know each other, but we’ve known each other for like eight years and I don’t think he realizes that I think he’s pretty neat. Maybe one day he will. It’s like the friend thing. I ’m a couple of years older than him.So you’re like the slightly older unattainable hot friend that he doesn’t even try for?He total ly should t r y. I think he has a girlfriend right now, so I’m staying just the friend part… until he’s single again. Then I ’ l l make my move.

Usually I don’t mind. You get some random creeps though. That’s why I usually surf with a group of guys.

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the battle or are you more tech than you care to admit in your video parts?I skated a lot of flat ground before the game. I'm happy I could surprise people. I wanted to make sure that Cole had to work for it. Why did your name your son “Rune”?It’s a good name. Different but not too weird for Americans to handle.Did or do Rune use a pacifier (dummy, soother or whatever)?No he never did. it just seemed like it would be another thing to have to wean him off of. they don’t look good, especially with five year olds. baby fashion is very important. Do you have any other parenting tricks? Give your kid a chance to fall on their face. failure is a part of life and the sooner you learn that lesson the better.

If you could experience the eighties through one of the skate pros back then. Who should it be?Lance Mountain. its seems like he got to experience all of the good stuff without going to jail. throughout it all he kept a level head and by doing so is still able to be a pro 30 years later.

Hi Dennis, how are you doing?Excellent. Thanks for asking. Who forced you to do this interview?Nobody. Myself if anybody. Who forced you? If you are not forced then I’m happy, not forced, to answer your questions.

What do you know about Denmark?It´s small. They don’t like Germans. Harsh weather and a lot of peace. Are you going to retire on Selfish Skateboards?I don’t think my pee pee is big enough to make it on that team.

You surprised quite a few with your flat ground performance against Chris Cole at Battle of the Berrics 2. Did you practice before

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What´s the ABC on becoming a successful pro?A. Skateboard.B. Don’t be a total jerk.C. Keep skateboarding.

Are you a successful pro? Sometimes. Why?I don’t know why. Are you aware of your brand as that guy with the speed and nice lines?People have the need to categorize everything, and that’s the category people think i fit into. I'd like to think that I can do more than just go fast. Have you considered doing the Mega Jump?Yes, the mini mega. Do you plan for your video lines and try them a hundred times or are they as spontaneous as they seem? When something is filmed it hardly ever is spontaneous. I try them a hundred times, sometimes more sometimes less. What´s your favorite trick to do?Ollie.

What would your dream session be like?One where I’m healthy and where my family is somehow included. also I want foam pits to magically appear whenever I am about to slam. Can you tell the story about the time Jake Phelps nearly killed you?He invited me to drive across Australia with him and his friend Monk. It seemed like a great idea and like a good adventure, and it was. Reckless driving and shoulder less roads are bound for disaster. We went off the road and flipped till we came to a stop 200m later. Thanks to seatbelts we were able to get drunk as soon as the police drove us to the "bottle shop". Since then I look at everyday as a bonus not a given. In what line of work would you be, if you weren't a professional skater?Professional chess.

There is no free lunch. That’s what I wanted to call the Real video.

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Sickest trick ever landed?Making babies. Will you die a bitter man if you don’t win Thrasher SOTY?Not at all.

Any final words?There is no free lunch. That’s what I wanted to call the Real video."Nothing's free: the free real video"

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Between the fashionistas, prima-donnas and straight up bizarre, Pete Ramondetta drops in to the category of a skater’s skater. He doesn’t sell himself on flair or or someone else’s coat-tails – Pete skates, and he skates hard!

This was the second time I got to meet Pete in the flesh (the first being for a Real demo, this time being courtesy of Circa), and he never ceases to amaze me with his calm demeanor yet steely determination. Needless to say Pete holds down his business: He’s about to score a major role in the first ever Circa video, ‘It’s Time’, he’s also working on the next Real video, he’s touring and he managed to pocket some Crossfire dollars at the X-mas Jam thanks to a barrage of tricks down the round rail.

Whilst the kids went for broke on the Gap of Death, Pete and I caught up on things for Crossfire…

So, Pete how are you doing? How long have you been on these cold shores and what have you been up to?

O h , I ’ v e b e e n h e r e s i n c e W e d n e s d a y, skating everyday.

Every time I see him he’s got a whole new batch of tricks to unleash

No tourism then?

Nah… We’ve just been street skating everyday. So far, we’ve been to Bristol, Wales and now London for the Crossfire Jam.

Did you get a chance to see any of the new street plazas we’ve had built over here recently?

We went to that one bus station place..? Milton Keynes.

With all the new parks popping up, do you think the next generation is going to be fucking hard to catch up with?

I think so. All the new kids coming up now have such high standards, and they just keep getting higher. They start out way stronger than we used to. It’s definitely because of the parks and videos. They see one another in the videos and think what’s being done is everyday shit, you know?

You’re originally from a small town named Wichita in Kansas. What was it like growing there skatewise?

There are some alright spots in the surrounding cities like Oklahoma and Texas, Kansas City has a lot of stuff.

Ernie (Torres), you team mate at Real, is from Kansas City, right?

Yeah, Ernie lives out there right now.

Did you know one another prior to getting on Real, or was it one of those strange twists of fate?

No, actually I kinda grew up skating with him. I’ve known him for like 10 years probably. He’s amazing! Every time I see him he’s got a whole new batch of tricks to unleash.

In fact, the first time we met was at another Crossfire jam a couple of years back. There was yourself, Dennis (Busenitz) Mic-e (Reyes), Darell (Stanton) and this unknown ripper, Ernie…

Yeah, that’s right. That was one of Ernie’s first trips with Real and he was just psyched- It was the first time he left the country.

At the moment, the hottest thing to do is King of the Road, or something very similar. What was your experience like?

It ’s kinda like the new craze every year with each team trying to go for it. It’s actually like a lot of work because you pull all night drives to get to various destinations, and you have all

these tricks that you have to do- not really that you want to! It’s fun at first, but towards the end you start to get really tired and you just want to get home!

You’re over here with Colt Cannon at the moment and you have both taken part in KOTR, if you joined forces as the Circa team, what do you think your chances are of taking it?

I don’t know how serious Jaime is with the Zero squad, but I don’t think anyone wants to step up to those guys! (Laughs) He doesn’t even let those guys sleep at hotels during KOTR; they are just always in the van looking for something to skate, so… I don’t think anyone else would take the trip that seriously.

Well Chris Cole just won Skater of the year didn’t he? What would you rather win: SOTY or KOTR?

I’d rather want to win SOTY, but KOTR is cool too, but it’s basically just a kind of contest. I think the fun comes from just taking part and having the experience of being on the road, rather than just winning it.

Did you find yourself doing tricks that you never thought you could do before?

Yeah, yeah! There were these lists of weird flatground tricks you had to try, so you’d just be sitting there at a gas station having a go to try and tick them off the list. But there were a few flatground tricks that I had never landed before, so I was pretty psyched!

At the moment you’re filming for the new Circa video- What’s it like filming with Lee (Dupont) because he had worked with some tough teams in the past?

It ’s not like he pushes you, but more like positive motivation. Lee’s definitely pretty professional about it, so if you’re going out with him you have to be quite serious and really try and get something done.

I know he has his ‘Ask Uncle Lee’ column in the Skateboard Mag, has he ever helped solve any of your problems?

(Laughs) Whenever you’re on a trip with him, he keeps things under control. You never have to worry if you get in a bar fight! The dude’s gnarly- He’ll take anyone out! But, he’s really cool, a nice fun guy to hang out with.

*Some kid practically paralyses himself in front of us whilst attempting to bridge a huge kicker gap- The crowd winces in unison…*

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What do you think of this: Kids killing themselves? Was it this hard for you as an amateur, or is it still just as hard now you’re pro?

There is still some pressure because people look at you and think, ‘Well, he’s a pro, so…’ It’s kind of a standard you have to meet when people are watching you skate. Of course some people have bad days, and some people have their good days, but there will always be that pressure that people are watching you. If you are having a bad day, they don’t know and they’ll just think, ‘Oh yeah, that Ramondetta guy he sucks!’ But the amateurs need to get the attention and prove themselves. I’ve already proved myself, so I tone it down a little bit, but I’ll still push myself! It’s kind of like you’re putting in the work- you’re out there doing it- but working like that is made a little easier when you turn pro.

*A k id lands his leap of fa i th and the crowd erupts!*

The kids are crazy, like killing themselves right now…

Yeah, but they are loving every minute of it!

Yeah, but they are loving every minute of it!

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A lot has happened in the three years since Pierce The Veil released their debut A Flair For

The Dramatic in 2007. The band have toured the world including Warped Tour in 2008 and Taste Of Chaos in 2009; converted countless fans to their unique brand of progressive post-hardcore; and most notably, grown as both people and musicians from these cumulative experiences. All of this figures into the group’s long-awaited sophomore release Selfish Machines, an album that sees the band—frontman Vic Fuentes, drummer Mike Fuentes, guitarist Tony Perry and bassist Jaime Preciado—coming together to craft an inventive album that is certain to challenge people’s perception of the band.

Recorded with Mike Green (Paramore, Set Your Goals) in Los Angeles, the album ended up being more involved than initially planned—but that ended up being a blessing in disguise. “It was actually a pretty intense process,” Vic explains, adding that the band didn’t finish the album in the time allot ted which forced him to stay in LA for an extra two months working on vocals and bouncing between recording studios working on new ideas. “It was definitely necessary to take the extra time with this recording,” he continues. “We’re not settling on anything with this record because from the artwork to the songs and final mixes, everything has to be perfect.”

From the soaring pop sensibility of songs like “Bulletproof Love” to the upbeat aggression of “Caraphernelia”, the album shows how versatile Pierce The Veil have become, whether they’re screaming their hearts out or gently bearing their souls. There are also plenty of sonic surprises on Selfish Machines, most notably the emotive, piano-driven ballad “Stay Away From My Friends” which displays the band’s more sensitive side. “That song was my first crack at writing on piano,” Vic explains. “I’ve got a piano in my house now so I’d been messing around on it and ended up writing some riffs, which I think definitely gave the album a different feel,” he continues, adding that he hopes to eventually implement keyboards into the band’s live performances.

Although Pierce The Veil have toured incessantly for the past three years, they made some time

late last year to write these tracks and instantly threw themselves into the songwriting process. “It’s pretty hard for us to write on the road because we’re touring in an RV most of the time with tight quarters, which doesn’t bode well for creativity,” Vic acknowledges with a laugh. “We have a studio at home that I like to hang out in, so I basically just shut myself out from the world for three or four months and spent all day and night writing,” he continues. “Every song is super personal; they’re all very real about our lives and I think once people read them they can probably see a little bit about what’s going on with us.”

“We are all in one way or another selfish machines,” Vic explains when asked about the album’s title. “In no way is this a negative thing, it’s human nature. We all have natural tendencies to want, love, and take. When it comes down to it, humans have animal like qualities that we keep inside and even try to deny—but no matter how morally good someone may think they are or try to be,

we are still humans,” he continues. “One example of this is how we are all constantly searching for someone to love, or even more desperately, someone to love you. It is human nature broken down to its bare bones, no bullshit, just rock bottom honest feelings and desire. No trying to be nice, shy, or respectable, it’s about the ‘evil’ thing inside of us that is really not evil at all, it’s just there and always will be inside of us all.”

Having played with bands in nearly every subgenre, Pierce The Veil have always prided themselves on not confining their band to one particular scene or genre—and the harmony-rich songs like “I Don’t Care If You’re Contagious” are guaranteed to expose them to entirely new crowds of followers with Selfish Machines. “Every band that I’ve ever loved and admired has constantly grown and each record is a little different in their own way and I think that’s how it should be because it keeps you setting new goals and trying to change for the better,” Vic explains. “This record is definitely going to take us new places and after this we’ll keep writing and try to make the next one even better,” he summarizes. “We’re always looking ahead.”

“This record is definitely going to take usnew places”

Recorded with up-and-coming producer Joey Sturgis (The Devil Wears Prada, Emarosa, Attack Attack) at his Foundation Recording Studio, the 10-song follow-up to their breakout EP, Dreams, finds the band expanding their blend of pop-infused metal.

Although recorded with the same producer, there is still an intentional difference between the two albums. We Came As Romans didn’t let the fact that they are only a six-piece hold them back from achieving a more symphonic sound on To Plant A Seed. “I played the trombone from Elementary school until I graduated high school and I always took the sound of a symphonic band or an orchestra with me,” explains Moore of their decision to add orchestral elements to the album such as the violins, brass, and piano interlaced throughout the album’s dynamic layers.

Not unlike the EP, the lyrics on To Plant A Seed reflect We Came As Romans’ goal of spreading a positive message through their music. The band hopes, “when people hear the album, they might not change the way they think or the way they act right now, but hopefully we’ve planted that ‘seed’, that thought of love, and it can grow.”

The theme of the album is carried through to the artwork. Painted by acclaimed artist Paul Romano (Mastodon, Chiodos), the album cover depicts a “very innocent looking boy in which the ‘seed’ has been planted in his mind and it grows to his heart, out of his palms and becomes branches,” describes Moore.

When asked if they are a Christian band, lead guitarist, Joshua Moore replied, “We have Christian

dudes in our band and we have non-Christian dudesin our band, and as a whole, we’re not a Christian band. We definitely get it, but we also get it a lot because our music, as a whole, has a positive message to it, and there aren’t a whole lot of bands with a positive message who aren’t Christian bands. Typically, it’s just Christian bands who promote a positive message. Just because we have a message, and it’s not about killing each other, we get the Christian band tag.”

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2008’s game-changing Suicide Season, an album as subtle as an unexploded warhead sticking out of an inflatable kiddie pool. The overwhelmingly positive response to the disc was massive enough that the reverberations were felt at the Los Angeles offices of Epitaph Records, who issued the disc stateside. The following year, the band co-headlined Taste Of Chaos with labelmates Thursday, hammering away at the psyches of audiences. (On a historical note, BMTH were the first British band to grace the cover of AP since Radiohead in 2001, appearing on our TOC issue, AP 248, in March 2009.) Near the end of that tour, guitarist Ward was asked to leave the band; his replacement, Jona Weinhofen—formerly of the Australian outfit I Killed The Prom Queen and fresh from a stint with L.A. metalcore vets Bleeding Through—was enlisted for his musical skills and boundless onstage energy. With an

In the history of rock ’n’ roll, Great Britain has never failed to bring the heavy. So it

should come as no surprise that Sheffield-based Bring Me The Horizon are heir-apparent in the next generation of 21st century metal. Formed in 2004, front-man Oli Sykes, guitarists Lee Malia and Curtis Ward, bassist Matt Kean and drummer Matt Nicholls licensed their debut EP, This Is What The Edge Of Your Seat Was Made Forand attendant full-length, Count Your Blessings to influential metal label Earache for domestic release in 2007. Those first recordings were thrash-happy exercises short on finesse, and the quintet had to deal with persnickety critics and detractors who claimed they were more obsessed with scene accoutrements (tat sleeves, haircuts and attracting girls) than making any kind of musical declarations. While BMTH never took these criticisms to heart, they did come back with

influx of new blood and a shared taste of new electronic music (which sparked the creation of Cut Up!, a full-length remix disc), BMTH set off to Sweden to again work with acclaimed producer Fredrik Nordström (At The Gates, In Flames) on the follow-up to Suicide Season. In October of 2010, There Is A Hell Believe Me I’ve Seen It, There Is A Heaven Let’s Keep It A Secret, was issued by Epitaph, featuring sparkling electronic flourishes (some created by former From First To Last singer Sonny Moore) and guest vocalists both likely (Josh Scogin of the Chariot, fellow Briton Josh Franceschi of You Me At Six) and left field (Canadian electro-pop maven Lights). Having conquered crowds from Warped to Taste Of Chaos, BMTH signed on to co-headline AP’s 2010 Tour Fall, alongside August Burns Red. In 2009, drummer Nicholls summed up the Bring Me The Horizon experienwwce succinctly to AP. “We just like it when kids at shows know the words. It would be cool if the 5 million people that listened to us on MySpace buy the CD, but we won’t lose sleep as long as they are listening. As long as they come out and sing along, we are stoked on it.” That attitude totally beats fretting over your SoundScan numbers, doesn’t it?

Photo by Rebekah StearnsThe Gamechangers Tour

Warehouse Live (Ballroom)Houston, Tx. 4.13.11

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Maybe A Day To Remember’s latest, What Separates Me From You, will be the album

when all the haters finally quit hating. For now, though, it’s really good that they haven’t: ADTR work best angry.

There’s a spot about midway through “Sticks & Bricks,” the pummeling opening track, when singer Jeremy McKinnon professes, “My heart is filled with hate.” (Right around when you’d expect him to grunt, “Disrespect your surroundings.”) The vitriolic delivery seems sincere, but even if you don’t buy into all of the personal emotional factors underpinning Separates (smack-talking the smack-talkers, a recent, devastating breakup, assorted perils of touring), the album simply kills. If McKinnon wants to blame it all on other bands who won’t bro-down with him, or girlfriends who’ve bailed, just thank the guy, and go back to breaking furniture.

Now four full-lengths into ADTR’s career, what’s most impressive about Separates is the evolution it marks. One of the key players in the burgeoning popcore scene, the Ocala, Florida-based five-piece—who also include guitarists

“Everything is bigger, whether it’s the hooks or the breakdowns”

Neil Westfall and Kevin Skaff, bassist Josh Woodard and drummer Alex Shelnutt—push their love of extremes to new heights on Separates, getting full-on medieval for the heavy parts, contrasted with the most melodic work they’ve done. Everything is bigger, whether it’s the hooks or the breakdowns, and instead of clouding the band’s appeal, it’s only intensified it. Both pit fiends and pop-punks can find something on Separates to get their hearts racing, if noteverything.

There may not be one single standalone cut on Separates that shines to the degree of Homesick’s “The Downfall Of Us All,” but the new album is arguably the more evenly stacked of the two; it’s practically filler-free. After setting the breakneck pace from the get-go, Separates hits a high-water mark three tracks in with “It’s Complicated,” a hyper-fusion of New Found Glory and Four Year Strong, with a syncopated verse

Photos by Rebekah StearnsA Day To Remember

The Gamechangers TourWarehouse Live (Ballroom)

Houston, Tx. 4.13.11

recalling the Used’s “Taste Of Ink”; next up is the even more impressive “This Is The House That Doubt Built,” arguably the best track. The song, reminiscent of My Chemical Romance’s brilliant “Helena,” shifts seamlessly between dark, brooding opening chords and gigantic choruses, with a real melodic bridge—not just a brutal breakdown. ADTR have grown further as songwriters and Separates is their auditory canvas; with the help of the production “dream team” of NFG guitarist Chad Gilbert, longtime collaborator Andrew Wade and ex-guitarist Tom Denney, the band use every second of the album’s 10 tracks to proclaim that popcore’s heavyweight belt currently resides in Ocala.

McKinnon & Co. maintain the record’s locomotive-like momentum to its end—the album’s last four songs rival any that precede them. “All Signs Point To Lauderdale” plays like a triumphant sequel to Homesick’s “NJ Legion Iced Tea,” complete with huge gang vocals; “You Be Tails, I’ll Be Sonic,” is the band’s best fusion of pop and heavy within the space of a single song yet, and closers “Out Of Time” and “If I

Leave” bravely steer into almost pure pop-punk territory, yet win by knockout. The former of the two actually finds drummer Shelnutt laying down a bona fide backbeat in addition to the requisite double-bass rolls, while the latter song is the closest the band have ever come to mirroring fellow South Floridians NFG, one of their key inspirations.

Perhaps there will always be haters, and the hated, for McKinnon to shout at—the more a band succeed, the more rancor is usually aimed their way—but there’s never been an A Day To Remember album with as much potential widespread appeal as What Separates Me From You. Whether it’s crafting a pop-punk anthem or delivering a sonic beatdown, ADTR do it better than most everyone, and for the rest of us, that’s where the separation lies. After all playing in different groups in the Ocala

music scene, singer Jeremy McKinnon, guitarists Neil Westfall and Tom Denney, bassist Joshua Woodard, and drummer Bobby Scruggs came together in 2003. Soon after, the band embarked on a “DIY” tour, playing well over 200 shows, making a name for themselves. They were signed to Indianola Records, from which they recorded their debut full-length debut album, titled And Their Name Was Treason in May 2005. The album sold 8,690 copies but the band felt that bigger and better things were to come. “A friend of mine said he had the AIM screenname of someone at Victory Records,” Woodard said. “I didn’t believe him, but I still started communicating with the guy. We IM’ed back and forth for about six months, and it happened that we were playing with the band On the Last Day in a town outside of Chicago—and this guy was going to be there filming it. It

was our first time we ever played in Illinois, yet the 50-60 kids there were singing along to our tunes like they’d been fans all their lives.”

A Day to Remember have been described by critics as metalcore,[14] pop punk,[15] post-hardcore,[16] and emo.[17] A Day to Remember’s song structures typically follow a metalcore verses and blends into a more pop-punk style chorus. Fans and critics alike have described this blend as “pop-mosh,” and “popcore”.[18] When asked in an interview with AbsolutePunk about their sound, Jeremy McKinnon stated: “It’s weird. See it’s funny because we have been doing this for so long. When we started, this shit was not cool. EVERYONE told us mixing the two genres wouldn’t work. Hell, a lot of people still feel that way. We’ve just always played what we wanted to hear, and to be honest people weren’t doing it back then. We loved pop punk, we loved hardcore bands, and we couldn’t decide what to be. So we said fuck it. Let’s do them both.”

“there wasabsolutely no chance of security holding back

the raging swarm”

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Photos by Rebekah StearnsA Day To Remember

The Gamechangers TourWarehouse Live (Ballroom)

Houston, Tx. 4.13.11

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photo credit: Amanda Lopez | swag credit: Dunnie

C Plus is a 23 year old emcee/songwriter hailing from the Natomas section of Sacramento, CA. Building his rep. on stage and in the booth over the last 4 years, his ties to local factions such

as Neighborhood Watch, Turf Hop Alliance, and The All Star Cast have made him somewhat of a staple in the city’s ever-growing Hip Hop scene. His music is the line where street savvy wordplay and conscious lyricism meet and blend smoothly over thick snares and dusty soul samples. Not one to be boxed in, he is just as comfortable on a mellow tempo loop as he is on a high energy club record, showing true versatility. In his free time P skateboards, attempts to detox from his retail addiction, and blogs for 12ft Dwende.

ALL C.I.T.Y.creative. intelligent. troubled. youth.

OUT NOW

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T H ERUNUP

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THE COMPANYOli, who started the alternative street wear brand in 2005 with just several t-shirt designs, said, “I never imagined when I created those first few tee shirts that I would one day be opening a shop in London. I’ve been in Sweden for 6 weeks recording

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our 3rd album and fly back in London on the morning of the opening. How the shop looks in the flesh is going to be as much a surprise to me as it is to everyone turning up on the day – but it’s really exciting and I’m really looking forward to it.”

iheartdropdead.com

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THE COMPANYFounded in 2010, Knocksteady is a collective of individuals who live day to day pursuing their passions. Our aim is to push new music and media to the masses via select musicians and artists to create a unique lifestyle brand that promotes positivity and originality without losing sight of the greater social power. The Knocksteady team consists of a diverse group of friends and family coming from various backgrounds which allows us to attract an audience from around the globe.