DISCLAIMER : I do not own this interview . All rights for this interview go to www.alloy.com
Khalid and Louis filled us in on all the details of Second Chance . The band , All Time Low , would come by on Sunday to meet all of us , and by Monday will have hopefully made a decision . Kiara and John eventually arrived , with forms for all of us to sign saying we were allowed participate .
When they all left , it was late , so Cait sent us all upstairs to bed . I don't think an of us planned on going to sleep , though . Everyone wanted to research All Time Low before we met them .
I went straight to the top drawer on my locker , the one filled with random-junk-I-don't-want-to-throw-out-because-it-has-sentimental-value . After rooting around for five minutes , I gave up and simply duped the contents onto my bed .
I spotted it immediately . “I knew it” I whispered , and picked up the torn page . It was glossy , and high in colour , as it had been ripped out of a magazine . “All Time Low” I muttered , and made space on my bed for me to sit down .
Interviews can go one of three ways: they can be painfully dull and awkward; they can be interesting and engaging; or they can be freakin' hilarious! We had the pleasure of chatting up Alex Gaskarth, lead singer/guitarist of All Time Low, and the boy had us in stitches. Seriously, besides writing fun pop-punk songs, this kids a total charmer! Read on to see what we're talking about.
Hey, how are you?
I'm doing well. I'm in Dunkin Donuts right now. It's sweet.
What are you getting?
Always the sausage, egg, and cheese croissant thing. Delicious.
Isn't it too late for bacon, egg and whatever? It's lunchtime!
Yeah, I've been sleeping in. Enjoying the time off. I woke up at 12. It's pretty cool.
So what do you think of the controversy with the girl form Maryland who was suspended from school for carrying around the picture of you guys in your underpants?
Man, I think it's hilarious. It's a little ridiculous that she got suspended. The picture's a joke -- it's a really good-looking joke and an extremely sexy joke, but it's a joke. So I think the school may have over reacted there calling it pornography. But whatever -- different strokes for different folks. It's a bum out for schools to go that far these days, but what are you gonna do? I wanna give the girl a hug though. I feel bad!
Are you guys gonna reach out to her?
Yeah, hopefully. We're trying to think of some things we could do to make her days a little better.
What was that photo shoot like?
Oddly enough, it was probably the least awkward photo shoot we've ever done.
Really?
Yeah. I think it says something about the members of this band. I'm not sure what that is. But we usually hate lining up and taking serious photos like every other band does. We always feel out of place, and we always end up just kind of goofing off anyway, and the photographers usually really get mad with us. So to actually kind of be there naked and goofing around, it was a lot easier to get done, I think.
Are you guys all tighty-whitey guys to begin with?
No. We're all boxer-brief guys. But we took it one step further for the photo shoot. We wanted to make it a little more scandalous you know.
How does it feel be playing music for a career a year out of high school? Not only that, but being named one of Alternative Press' Bands You Need To Know!
It's rad. I pinch myself everyday -- I'm waiting to wake up. It's ridiculous. I'm thrilled they consider us one of those bands. It's a huge compliment, especially coming from the one of the biggest indie music magazines. I'm honored.
If you hadn't gotten signed, did you plan to go to college?
The rest of the band had, but I was set in my ways. I was like, "I'm gonna do this for a living." So I actually had no backup plan. I didn’t apply to any colleges. I was just like, "Nope, this is gonna work."
So when people were looking for colleges you were…
I was trying to write better songs.
I love the song "The Girl's A Straight-Up Hustler" from your EP Put Up Or Shut Up.
Thank you! Thank you very much.
So what can a girl do to get your attention?
Man, I like a girl that's not afraid to kind of go off on a whim and just be spontaneous and a little bit crazy, a little bit out there. A girl that can pull that off and still be cute is amazing. That's usually the first thing that catches my attention.
Do you guys get a lot of girls who try to get backstage?
Unfortunately, that's kind of a situation for any band. There will always be those girls that are wiling to do just about anything to get backstage or on the bus. But we've never been a band that kind of indulges in that. I think it's kind of sleazy, and I think people sell themselves short when they act that way. I prefer someone with class.
I heard that Zack was on the MTV dating show, Exposed. What made him decide to do that?
He was on the beach, and randomly there was a sign-up place. He was with Nick from the band, and they both jokingly were like, "Screw it -- let's go sign up." Oddly enough, they both got picked. So, they both taped episodes for the show, and they both looked like total idiots.
Hilarious! Would you go on a reality show?
Depending on what it was. I would probably go on I Love New York 2 for sure, given the chance. I think it's actually already filmed. I just saw a commercial for it today.
Maybe they'll make an exception for you though and add you in...
Yeah. It'd be nice if I can squeeze into the roster.
I saw the YouTube video of you breaking out into "Bootylicious" during your performance of "Running from Lions." What made you decide to throw that in there?
It was really random. The band didn’t even know I was gonna do it. We were just playing a show, and all of the sudden, I started singing that line, and the crowd went absolutely insane. And from that day on, I've always just done it.
What's been your all time high so far?
My all time high is probably finding out just how much hype is behind this record. It seems like there's so many people I didn’t even realize just hyped for this record, inside and outside of the industry. That's awesome, rad. I had no idea. Everything seems to be coming together right now, and it's a very exciting point in my life.
All Time Low's So Wrong, It's Right is in stores now!
It was an old interview , I could tell that much . I recognized some of the songs though , which surprised me . I kneeled down , and tugged out one of the boxes from under my bed . Packed full of Steven's C.D.'s , I put it on my bed and started taking everything out . Typically , the one I was looking for was right at the bottom .
So Wrong It's Right . I remember when Steven brought that home from the shop , excited because he had been searching for it for months . Steven had told me a lot about them , I remembered it all now .
“Alex Gaskarth , lead singer , and plays guitar . Jack Barakat , guitar . Zack Merrick , bass guitar . Rian Dawson , drums .Together : best band ever .”
The interview I had found was with Alex , the singer . Zack had been mentioned , but no one else . I read over it again . It made me laugh , knowing I was going to meet them in two days . Then , I stopped , thinking how much Steven would have loved to see them .
The next morning , I woke up with Cait knocking on my door . Sleepily , I got up and opened it for her , “Hazel” She said quietly , “Can you get dressed and come downstairs , please ?”
I grunted , and nodded , then shut the door .
I changed into jeans and a sweatshirt , then hurried downstairs . Cait was waiting for me .
“Hazel , I'd like you to meet Natasha and Sophia “ She said , gesturing to the two girls beside her .
“Tashie “ Corrected the oldest one . She looked about my age , fifteen . Curly brown hair brushed back into a ponytail , and green eyes glittering with fresh tears . She was a newbie , to the whole system . I realized why Cait had brought me down here ; we had that in common .
“And this is Fay “ Tashie said , putting her arm around the little girl beside her , who looked about five . She had wavy blonde hair falling around her shoulders , and baby blue eyes .
“Hey , I'm Hazel “I said holding out my hand . Tashie shook it , then glanced meaningfully at Fay , who sighed and shook my hand too .
“Hazel , could you show them around a little ?” Cait asked . “Tashie's room is fourth on the right , and Fay is seventh on the left .”
I nodded , and grabbed some of their bags . “This way “ I told them .
“Have you been here long ?” Tashie asked . I shook me head . “Nope . About a week , I'd say . It stinks , in case you were wondering .”
Tashie laughed . 'I wasn't joking' I thought briefly .
“Fay , this is your room “ I told her , nudging the door open with my shoulder . It was even smaller then mine , but that was only because of the age . The senior children get the bigger rooms .
“Tashie , yours is upstairs .”
I walked Tashie up to her room , which was one or two doors down from mine . “This is it “ I said , opening the door and putting her bags down on the floor . “It's tiny “ Tashie stated glumly . I laughed . “Yeah , I know . They all are here .”
“So , what do you do for fun ?” Tashie asked , sitting down on her bed .
“Not much” I replied , settling down beside her . “We have a games room downstairs , but it's only got a Play Station 3 with a load of racing games . Only the little kids play it . Most of us just hang around . If Cait is going into town , sometimes we can grab a lift and spend the afternoon there . Not often though .”
Tashie nodded , digesting this information .
“I don't want to be stuck here “ She told me quietly “ I want to go home .”
“So do the rest of us “ I replied , placing my hand on her shoulder . “That's all we want , to go home .”
We were silent for a moment . I wondered what had happened to Tashie , but I didn't ask .
“What was that poster saying downstairs ?” Tashie asked suddenly .
“Which one ?” I laughed to myself , Cait kept hundreds .
“Errmmm … Second … ?”
“Second Chance ?”
I found myself sighing . Second Chance was all I seemed to hear about now .
“It's a charity thing . There's a band , All Time Low , and they're going to come to this Home and two others , and each member is going to adopt a child .”
“That's so cool !” Tashie exclaimed . I nodded briefly .
“Yeah , they're coming over tomorrow . I'm not sure what time .”
We paused our conversation as we heard Cait calling for dinner .
I got up , and headed to the door .
“Aren't you coming ?” I asked , when Tashie made no notion of getting up .
“I'm not hungry “ she explained , shaking her head .
“See you later then “ I told her , and left the room .