Interview

I got to sit down with Spencer Abbott from Daphne Loves Derby to talk about what was in store for the year of 2007. I met him backstage at the Chain Reaction, where we talked about the new album, David the new band member, and more.

EmotionalPunk.com: What was it like to work with Matt Squire on your upcoming album?
Spencer Abbott: Matt Squire was really awesome. It was one of those things that in a day or two we had each other figured out: sense of humor wise, music wise. We really clicked, not so much that we weren’t challenging each other or thinking of different things, just in a really healthy way. And having that loose friendly relationship, allows you to get along, takes away the stress and concentrate on making a really good record rather than being annoyed by how someone chews their gum or something stupid like that, stupid things that can frustrate someone.
EP: How do you think this upcoming album is different than your previous record?
SA: Having Matt Squire, touring so much, listening to so much music, really studying song writing, and it added a lot more layering to our album. Different instruments, different sounds for the guitars, there’s just a whole lot more going on. I feel like it’s one of those CDs that you listen to, but when you listen to it again you’re like, “Oh there’s more going on than I realized.” We spent a whole lot more time writing songs, we wrote a whole lot more songs, and it allowed us to really concentrate on making a good CD.
EP: On the new track, “That’s Our Hero Shot,” I noticed there was some brass, and is that something we will be seeing more on the upcoming album?
SA: We really enjoyed being able to add different instruments; on the new CD we have trumpets on that track, the marching band stuff, we also have French horn on a few tracks, cello, banjo, accordion, harmonica, and we loved it. I definitely can’t see that becoming anything less, if not more.
EP: Is there any specific influence that attributed to this?
SA: We all really like stuff like Norah Jones, or The Format, The Cardigans, and they’re the people that might not do what’s expected in pop music when it comes to instrumentation.
EP: Who has been your favorite band to tour with so far?
SA: Musically, it would have to be Copeland. It’s all one of our favorite bands musically, so to be able to listen to them play every night it’s amazing, it’s really fun.
EP: Is there anybody you’d like to tour with in the future?
SA: Mute Math would be a really cool band to go out with right now, I like them a whole lot right now. And bands like Dashboard Confessional would be always be amazing, which are dreams that are way out there, but you never know.
EP: What would you say is the biggest change now that David is in the band? How does that influence you guys?
SA: I think taking someone out and putting someone in, no matter how good terms the leaving member was, there is adjusting to be done. David’s fit in really well, so it’s been a really natural transition. Especially since we knew Jason would be leaving, it wasn’t something snuck up on, we all knew it was going to happen, it was just a matter of time until it was right for him. We were all prepared for it, and we were ready to bring someone in openly, and once we found him we’re like “Thank you,” so relieved that we found someone that we got along with so well, that was so musically capable.
EP: So how have the fans been responding to this new addition?
SA: From what I seen it’s been mostly positive. Some people definitely miss Jason, and that’s understandable. But David’s a really nice guy and everybody that talks to him, he’s super kind and takes time to talk to anybody that tries.
EP: We all know you guys got popular from the internet. So with the rise of PureVolume and Myspace, do you have any advice on how to get noticed or how to promote yourself on the internet?
SA: I think it’s just really important to write music and keep writing. Even for me, I have a big struggle of I’ll write something not that great, and that can stop me from writing completely. You’re never going to get to that place you want to be until you write those songs that you think are crappy, even if they’re not crappy you might perceive them as that. Just keep writing and show them to people. If you’re not signing anything, don’t be afraid to put them up for download. Let kids spread the word, people is the most valuable tool. We are super blessed to have such a dedicated fan base that all seems like they take so much pleasure in showing people.
EP: For the upcoming year, what do you have in store?
SA: First and foremost the album. We’re also shooting one video for it, for “That’s My Hero Shot” and a little bit after this, hopefully shooting another video. And tons and tons of touring, I don’t know if we’re really going to stop until the late spring. We’ll definitely be playing everywhere as much as we can.
EP: What do you think the next single will be?
SA: The second track, which is the first real track of the CD, probably most likely to be our first single at this point.
EP: Is there anything else you’d like to say to your fans?
SA: “Thank you!”