“So what’s going on?”
“Well, I woke up this morning, and brushed my teeth.”
“Great.”
“Yeah, now I’m driving to Dallas.”
That would explain why the cell phone reception is so lousy. I’m trying to interview Adam Lazzara, lead singer of Taking Back Sunday, the emo/alt-rock band playing Cain’s Tuesday night. Lazzara, however, is known as the member of the group who tends toward manic-depressive—and I clearly caught him in a manic moment.
I ask him what fans can expect from the live show. “It’s awesome. It’s just a good time. Who doesn’t like a good time? There’s gonna be fire, dragons, and wizards, man. And Robo-Cop? Yeah, he’ll be there.”
Great.
I can’t blame him for wanting to have a little bit of fun. TBS is a band that—whether they like it or not—is riding a cultural wave. Their brand of hard-hitting emocore is simply what’s hot on the charts right now, and while that serves to pay the bills pretty well, it also means they have to answer the same inane questions from dozens of reporters. Like for instance, “How will your new album be different from your last few?”
Yeah, I make the mistake of asking him that particular question, as well. (What was I thinking?) “It’s all banjo,” he laughs, in reference to New Again, TBS’s fourth album, which is slated for a early 2009 release. (Actually, if you’re reading this, Adam, I would like to hear that.)
Then for a moment, he gets serious. “We’re trying out a lot of the new songs on the road,” he adds. “That’s definitely the best part—it’s like when you get someone a really sick Christmas present and can’t wait for them to open it. The new stuff is definitely a little different. We’re growing, we’re taking steps forward. Hopefully folks will be really into it. ‘Cause if not, I’ll be really sad.”
I laugh. For the twentieth time.
“Seriously though,” he says, “we’re trying some different things. We have this new song called ‘Winter Passing’—it’s like an eighth grade dance where the boys and girls are standing on opposite sides of the room, afraid to talk to each other. I think people will be surprised.”
Eighth-grade awkwardness in song form? Now that sounds like something worth checking out.
Taking Back Sunday will play Cain’s Ballroom Tuesday, December 8 with openers Envy on the Coast and My Solstice night at 7pm. Click here for tickets.
About the author:
A graduate of the University of Nebraska, Luke Harrington currently resides in Tulsa and works in the aerospace industry–but, at any given moment, would probably rather be reviewing movies and music. In his spare time, he’s off playing blues piano, pretending to be Assistant Editor for MovieZeal.com, or reviewing the many musical events in Northeastern Oklahoma for Tulsa Today.
Photos: Kevin Knight, theshutterclick.com