Jackie Lee King for antiMusic: What is the hardest part of touring in a band?

Rek Ryan Mohr: A lot of people don't realize that when you're on a bus touring or in a van and you're on the road as much as we are-- you don't get much time at home. It's a very unstable kind of life in all aspects. It's really hard to maintain relationships. It really can wear you down and we see how many bands are out there and just how many bands are trying to do the same thing. It's a competitive market. It's really tough. I could see if you're not truly, truly driven it would be easy to get discouraged.

antiMusic: Where do you find your strength when you're out on the road? You've got a flat tire and you're about 50 miles from the venue and it's like...

Rek: Aw man, I don't know.

Paul Spatola: That happens quite too often. Whenever we go on the road something is bound to go wrong and that's pretty much what happens all the time.

antiMusic: Well, who's the motivator in the band? Who's like 'tough it up?'

Rek: The drummer. [Editors Note: Louie Sciancalepore]

Paul: Yeah, the drummer.

Rek: He's a maniac. He's like Tony Robbins but more annoying.

Paul: He's more opinionated and over-dramatic. That's the thing. He's like a cartoon character coming to life.

Rek: Tazmanian Devil.

antiMusic: (To RM) I read somewhere in an interview that there was one moment when you booked the ticket, went to LA and auditioned for the band. What was that moment that's just sort of like that moment of clarity? What snapped in your head?

Rek: You know I was stepping out of my other band that I had been with for four years and we were doing pretty well, but I wasn't having a good time anymore. If it's not fun, what's the point? So, I decided-- they were having open auditions for a bass player. I knew the guy so I just booked a one-way ticket and I said, you know what if I don't get this I'll worry about it when I cross that bridge, but it's like it was basically sink or swim. It was like, I get it or I'm SOL.

JLK: (To Paul) What was your first impression of him when he walked in the room and how did the audition go?

Paul: Well, I knew him because his band toured with us before, and our bass player left at the end of the tour. He was leaving his band and it kind of worked out. We did have other auditions set up in Los Angeles when we went back, but he came out anyway. We figured it would be a perfect fit. We already knew him and got along. That was the thing, it was like we were going on tour in a week so we needed someone we knew and we could like get along with because some other guy could have been the most amazing bass player and then a week later on the road you find out he's like a heroin addict. He's going to OD in the bunk. That wouldn't be cool. So I knew this guy that could at least step up to the plate because I've seen him do it before. It just worked out.

Paul: What is constant in your music?

Rek: Our music is honest. This last record we released it on our own label, so, we were calling the shots. We didn't have a record label to answer to, so we just wanted to write. We didn't give a damn about radio or anything like that when we were writing the album. We just wanted to write songs that we all liked and we all had a good time playing. So the album is a very honest representation of where the band is at as four guys together just having a good time playing rock n roll.

Paul: Yeah, lyrically and musically we're just going to pay tribute. We're not going to be like "less drum kick!"

Rek: What's wrong with drum kick?

Paul: There's nothing wrong with it but it's not really what we were about. It's just like a party kind of thing.

antiMusic: What advice would you give yourself now to yourself back then when you first started out?

Rek: I would probably tell myself to take it in and no matter-- you're always hungry for more and you always want to play bigger crowds, bigger stadiums but quite honestly you have to enjoy even shows when you're pushed hard and there's ten people. Just enjoy every single moment because you're doing what you love to do. That's all that counts. It doesn't matter how many people like it or dislike it. That just affects your paycheck. Really it's all about doing what you love.

Paul: Basically the same thing, it's like-- you know I got into this because I did it because I wasn't like expecting like oh I'm going to make a ton of money and get chicks all day and stuff. It's like I got into it and I got into it because of the music. I didn't actually think it was going to be as hard as it was. I really thought it was going to be a lot easier than that.

antiMusic: It's a job!

Paul: It really is, and I would do it again if I had to start over again because I really love to play music and that's what I want to do.

antiMusic: Anything else you want to say to your fans?

Paul: I just want to thank all the fans for supporting us and letting us be able to go ahead and make a record on our own and doing our own thing and coming to the shows and helping us have a career doing what we want to do.