We talk to Jordan Pundik, frontman for the legends of Pop Punk, New Found Glory about their 20th anniversary, their new album, “Makes Me Sick” and the upcoming Australian shows of their “20 Years of Pop Punk Tour” . To find out about tales of the guys throwing up blueberry pie on each other, playing authentic, sweaty, no barrier, punk rock shows and much more, read on.
Pioneers and legends of Pop Punk, New Found Glory have reached an incredible milestone this year, reaching their 20th year together as a band. To celebrate the two decade long anniversary, the boys are currently on their “20 Years of Pop Punk Tour” and are due to bring it down under in August, now only one month away! Here they will play some of their older classic albums (prior to 2010 releases) giving fans a chance to give in to nostalgia and sing along in some more intimate style venues. They have also just recently released their brand new album , “Makes Me Sick” (which takes them to an impressive nine studio albums) While it still feels like classic NFG with it’s infectious melodies, catchy guitar hooks, sing along anthems and plenty of rock, there is an element of difference and progression with new sounds and lyrical themes / content, all seamlessly melding together into a refreshing yet pleasantly familiar NFG sound.
Here’s our chat with Jordan about all things that are new (and some old) for New Found Glory right now.
SCENEzine: Hi Jordan, its Sarah from Scenezine Australia. How are you?
JP: Good, how are you?
SZ: I’m good thank you. Thanks for taking the time to talk to us today.
So congratulations on the new album, “Makes Me Sick” your ninth studio album and another great record. How do you feel about this record as a whole?
JP: Thank you. I’m really proud of the record, which you know is kind of like the cliche thing to say but I really am. We worked hard for it and we wrote a long time and worked on it a long time and away from our families for a long time. So I’m really proud of the way it came out. What’s been awesome is that people have been really liking it, which is great, you know, which is the only thing I could ask for.
SZ: Yeah I love this one, super catchy, it’s definitely been stuck on rotation in my car’s cd stacker since I got it (laughs)
JP: (laughs) oh thank you.
SZ: What was it like working with Aaron Sprinkle who produced the album?
JP: Oh he’s so great, I love him. I love him as a person and his family is great and he’s just really good with coming up with really rad melodies and he’s the kinda guy where you just say “I really like this keyboard sound from this 80’s song” and he’s like “Oh that’s like oh that’s ‘ss 38 31 45….’ like he just knows and he’ll play a little thing on the keyboard and we’ll be like yes, that’s exactly what I was thinking and he kinda knows what you’re thinking and it’s really cool to just work on songs with him. He’s done so much stuff you know, he grew up in Seattle and was in a couple cool bands that I used to listen to when I was a kid. You know he’s done bands like Starflyer (59) and Anberlin and just cool bands and he was in a couple cool bands too, I just, I have a lot of great things to say about Aaron, I love him and I hope that one day we can do stuff with him again.
SZ: Yeah, well it definitely led to a positive result. I’ve like the stuff he’s done before like, Acceptance, that’s a really good record too.
JP: Yeah! The new one is really great too, the one he just did.
SZ: Yeah, Colliding By Design, I love that album and great seeing it live too, to see all the songs come to life, it’s always a different experience from listening to the recordings to then actually getting to see the tracks translated into a live performance, so looking forward to seeing some of the new NFG tracks live too.
JP: Yeah for sure
SZ: Is there a particular track from “Makes Me Sick” that is a band favourite, or that resonates with you personally the most?
JP: Yeah, the song, which I think is the most different for the record, is that “Sound of Two Voices” song.
SZ: Oh yeah I love that song.
JP: Thank you, I really love how that one came out and the whole theme of the song, it’s just you know, kind of taking a hold of your demons and basically what the song’s about you know “…I don’t know what I want, coz what I want, it might just kill me..” That whole thing really rings true in things that have happened in my life and other people in the band’s life and so I love the way that one came out, and not only lyrically but also it’s just like cool sort of juxtaposition of the song is like super upbeat and poppy but the lyrics are a little bit..sort of not.
SZ: Yeah, I like that contrast in that song (and in a lot of your others too) Also the little island vibe you’ve got going on in that song (laughs)
JP: (laughs) thanks
SZ: Is there a song that has been more of a crowd favourite now that you’ve been playing some of those songs live?
JP: Yeah, so we’ve only played the two singles so far, so we’ve played “Happy Being Miserable” and then we played “Party On Apocalypse” on this 20 Year tour in the States, and both of them like were awesome, I mean those shows, I think we could’ve just farted in the microphone and the crowd would’ve been awesome for those shows (laughs)..
SZ: (laughs) yeah ok.
JP: Just the whole overall vibe of the whole night on those shows because its the old records and what it brought back for people in their memories, just the energy in the air was awesome so when we played those new songs it totally helped that (how the new songs were received by the crowd)
SZ: Yeah for sure, a bit of nostalgia in the air. Speaking of the song “Happy Being Miserable” just how much fun was making that music video?
JP: (laughs) well ah music videos are never really fun per se but all the effects that we were able to do like with all the blueberry pie filling and all that stuff and how we had all the behind the scenes stuff was really fun to like see how they made it all and that kind of stuff. And then just like getting filthy was, actually, that was pretty fun (laughs) I guess when I’m in the moment it’s kind of like “oh man why I am doing this at six in the morning!?” Like puking on my friends (laughs) but then looking back, it was kind of fun.
(laughs) yeah, that’s good. Another big Congratulations is in order for your 20 years together as a band, such an incredible achievement.
JP: Thank you.
SZ: Did you guys get each other gifts to mark the occasion / celebrate the birthday?
JP: (laughs) um the gift was making it through 9 weeks of that tour, and like getting some time at home, coz we’ve got a lot coming up.
SZ: Yeah fair enough. Do you think there’s a certain key to such longevity as a band together?
JP: Yeah I mean I kinda have this kind of motto when it comes to that sort of stuff, it’s like just to be appreciative and remember where we came from and kind of like just not take anything for granted. I think all of us in the band have that in the back of our minds all the time you know? To be in a band this long, it’s crazy. I never thought I would be still doing this, and I don’t think I would if you know, people stop coming to the shows and stop buying the records and stuff then I’d be like ok maybe I should think about doing something else right now (laughs) because you know, what’s the point of like, being away from my family and all that stuff if no one cares and luckily that’s not the case, so I’m really appreciative of that.
SZ: Yeah, I think it’s also not just luck, it’s that you guys keep producing killer records you know like one after another…
JP: …thank you
SZ: …and it just doesn’t look like there’s any chance of slowing down so I think if you’re keeping up that momentum, then that’s got a hell of a lot to do with it so…
JP: Yes, thanks very much, here’s hoping (laughs)
SZ: No for sure.
After emerging as one of the pioneers of the Pop Punk genre in the 1990s, are you proud to have influenced so many up and coming bands?
JP: Yeah I mean it’s definitely like flattering you know coz I never set out to do that, we were just playing, like what was influencing us and what we loved growing up you know? And at the time when we started our band there was no band that were doing that sort of thing and we just kind of, just did what we did, and to be in a band this long and to see the other bands that have come up and come out in the last few years and taking their band names from our songs and things like that, it’s really flattering and it’s really surreal.
I never think about it really until someone brings it up and then I’m like holy shit that’s weird, that’s crazy and it’s funny because there’s some guys in some of these bands that are older than me! (laughs) you know, so we started the band when Chad was only 14 (laughs)
SZ: (laughs) Wow, yeah that’s so young.
JP: (laughs) It’s crazy.
SZ: It’s like coming full circle.
JP: Yeah and luckily you know we had cool parents like at 16 years old being like “ok well sure, go in a van and drive yourself across the country, yeah why not?” (laughs)
SZ: …(laughs) yeah what’s the worst that could happen?
JP: (laughs) yeah exactly. But it worked out.
SZ: One of your first big hit songs was “Hit or Miss” from your debut album, “Nothing Gold Can Stay.” How did that song come about? Did you know it was going to be such a big song at the time?
JP: No, not at all. Our drummer Cyrus wrote the riff for that song one day in Chad’s bedroom and Chad was like “Oh that’s a cool riff, let’s write a song around it.” And then that’s how that song came about and we got singed to Drive- Thru (Records) and did that video with Corey Feldman. But it didn’t really hit hard in the bigger sense until we were like in a major label and we re-recorded it and it sounded good, that kind of thing. But it was always the biggest song during our shows like before anything.
SZ: Will there be a “From Your Screen To Your Stereo” part 3?
JP: Oooh (laughs) um, we always joke around about it because we’ll hear a song on the radio if we’re like in the bus or something or if we hear a song and we’re all like singing the song. I remember Bananarama, Cruel Summer came on, was it Bananarama? I can’t remember. You know that song? (Sings) “It’s a cruel, cruel Summer..” you know that song?
SZ: Yeah I know it.
JP: Yeah so that song came on and we were all singing it and it’d be like oh it’d be so fun to like cover this song and Ian’s always the party pooper, he’s like “Dude I don’t know if that’s in a fucking movie or not, so I don’t know if we can record it dude” (laughs) and I was like “whatever man we’re just talkin’.”
But we ended up taking that influence of that song and putting it towards the new record, even though we didn’t cover that song we still like wanted to have sounds from that era on the new record. But yeah, we always talk about it but I don’t know, we’ve got so many cover songs already (laughs)
SZ: (laughs) yeah but they work.
JP: (laughs) yeah.
SZ: Maybe you can sneak that one into a cheeky set list during a show.
JP: I know, it’d be fun.
SZ: Speaking of performances, so New Found Glory are known for your energetic and entertaining performances and stage presence. Do you have any pre show rituals or methods to spark that energy?
JP: Um for me, not particularly. My favourite thing is to…here’s my thing, if I think about the show too much I end up having a bad show, for me, like I’m an anxious person to begin with and I’m just like anxiety all the time. So I try to do things to occupy my mind so I don’t think about the show too much because I don’t wanna have a bad show, you know I want people to enjoy the show and I want to sing good and all that stuff, all the ‘singer head’ stuff so I really try to just not do….like I really should warm up but I don’t (laughs) because again like, if I start warming up then I’ll start thinking about the show and I gotta back from whatever I’m doing to go warm up. So I try to just keep myself busy up until the time I have to go on stage.
SZ: Yeah fair enough, well it’s whatever works for you I guess and if that’s worked for 20 years then I’d say stick to it, sounds like it’s a good thing.
JP: Yeah and I like to have a couple beers or a couple drinks before I play and I like to hang out with the other bands that are on tour in their dressing room or you know and just goof around or like go get coffee with Chad or you know, do something where it’s just up until the time I get on stage coz if I like think about it all day then I make myself nervous.
SZ: Yeah sounds like a good method. So you’re bringing your 20 Years of Pop Punk” tour to Australia this August.
Here in Melbourne we are lucky enough to be getting 3 shows…
JP: Yeah!
SZ: (laughs)…so the most out of any city…is this your not so secret way of letting us know that maybe we’re the favourite city? (laughs)
JP: (laughs) um I mean I personally love Melbourne, like a lot, I used to spend a lot of time there, even off tour I would stay back from…you know we’d do a tour in Australia and I would stay in Melbourne for an extra couple weeks. So I really love Melbourne a lot.
But as far as the show stuff that’s just, like they tell me where I’m playing and I just go. (laughs) I have no say in anything, ever.
SZ: Are you looking forward to playing in a more intimate style show at a bit of a smaller venue, like in Melbourne it’s at The Corner Hotel in Richmond, which is a little bit smaller than venues you’re probably used to, I think all 3 shows are sold out now actually…
JP: Yeah! I can tell you…like I’ve been home since May 18th and the 20 year tour here was 9 weeks long and it was just crazy and a lot of the shows were kind of multiple nights in anywhere from 800-1600 cap rooms and some of them were like really punk rock, like no barrier like places we would’ve played in the early 2000s or late 90s so it was just like sweaty and like people on stage and falling off stage you know, stage diving and of course it sounded shitty for us on stage coz places like that don’t have powerful sound systems you know? But show wise it was just out of control and so I’m hoping that’s what we get when we come back to Australia, and it’s the same sort of idea. So hopefully it’s crazy.
SZ: Well there is a barrier at The Corner Hotel but maybe we can talk to them about removing that (laughs)
JP: Oh yeah no the shows with barriers were great too, it’s just for me I love it when…like sometimes the guys in my band get a little nervous about their equipment like their guitar amps and drums and stuff, but for me I get to be up front with a shitty microphone you know (laughs)
SZ: (laughs) yeah. Well we can’t wait to see you here in August! We’re really looking forward to it. Thank you so much for taking the time to chat to us today.
JP: Yeah no worries.
SZ: Ok we’ll see you soon.
JP: Yeah I’m excited, thank you.
Interview by Sarah Thomson for Scenezine Australia.
