We had the opportunity to interview Taking Back Sunday!
"If you can't believe that Taking Back Sunday have been around for 20 years, you're not alone, because they can't either. Although the pride of Long Island have had a handful of member changes over the years, the current lineup of the band – vocalist Adam Lazzara, guitarist John Nolan, drummer Mark O'Connell and bassist Shaun Cooper – have all been there since the beginning. From the band's landmark 2002 debut Tell All Your Friends to their most recent full-length, 2016's Tidal Wave, Taking Back Sunday have evolved from a key player in the early 2000s emo scene to a genre-defying rock band who have three gold albums without ever ceasing to push the limitations of their sound. This fact is evidenced on Twenty, a 21-song collection set for release on January 11, 2019 via Craft Recordings that spans all seven of their full-lengths and solidifies them as an act with a catalog that will undoubtedly outlive them. By now you know the basic history of the band, so we thought it'd be apt to look back at the fact that almost none of it happened...
“When I joined Taking Back Sunday in 1999, it was the first real band that I had ever been a part of, but it never crossed my mind that I would be doing this twenty years later. When I came in to audition it was just [original vocalist] Antonio [Longo] and [founding TBS guitarist and former Movielife member] Eddie Reyes. Eddie had started enough bands that he was like, 'I know how to do this, I can just call one guy.' But it was a crazy thing. When it started out, there was a lot more likelihood that it would fizzle out in a few months than it would last a few years. I tried out, and basically after we jammed for a couple of hours Eddie was like, 'All right, you're in. You have to get some different equipment though... and I'll sell it to you.' I think he sold me a head and cabinet for $200 [that] had to be worth at least $600.”
-John Nolan
“Mark and I have played in bands together as long as we’ve known each other, which is over 30 years. When he joined Taking Back Sunday, I begged him to get me a bass audition. At first Mark told me that since I was so unreliable in our previous bands that he couldn’t vouch for me, so I got serious, enrolled in night classes at a local college and tried to get my act together. About a month later, Mark noticed a change but sadly some kid from North Carolina was ditching everything he knew to move to New York to play bass in the band. Adam was a good bass player but he had a manic, magnetic energy on stage that everyone in the crowd was captivated by. Suddenly Antonio was out and Eddie made Adam put down the bass and grab a microphone. Mark got me a tryout for the band December 26, 2000. I played along to the demo day and night, made myself fall in love with those songs and played my first show at our friend's house a few days later on New Year’s Eve.”
-Shaun Cooper
Twenty is a celebration not only of those career-defining moments but of the landmark albums that chronicle the band's story: 2002's Tell All Your Friends, 2004's Where You Want To Be, 2006's Louder Now, 2009's New Again, 2011's Taking Back Sunday, 2014's Happiness Is and 2016's Tidal Wave, all of which are represented on this collection. Whether your introduction to the band was singing along to “A Decade Under The Influence” in a sweaty club or hearing “MakeDamnSure” or “Sink Into Me” on the radio, Twenty is a look back at some of the highlights from this unlikely group of musical misfits. Additionally, fans will be able to hear two newly recorded songs, “All Ready To Go” and “A Song For Dan,” which hint at the direction that Taking Back Sunday are heading in the coming years. Musical legacy aside, ultimately what's most impressive is the fact that after two decades and countless successes, Taking Back Sunday have managed to preserve that initial spark that excited them as teenagers.
That fact alone is one worth celebrating, so turn it up and listen loud."
For more info, visit TakingBackSunday.com
We want to hear from you! Please email YT@BringinitBackwards.com
