Never one to wax ungrateful, Travis Clark, the guitarist and vocalist for We the Kings, is proof that hard work and determination can accomplish anything. Presently, he is living out his dream of touring alongside many of his favorite bands as a kid. In an interview at Warped Tour Pomona, he talks about realizing that dream and giving back to a new generation of fans.
How are you enjoying Warped Tour?
Warped Tour is amazing. It’s like a summer camp for all of these bands. I just got sun burnt, actually. We have all the time to go see the bands we like and hang out at the BBQ late at night, then drive to the next city and do it all over again. I love it; it’s like home here.
What bands do you have an eye for this year?
I grew up listening to The Used, Taking Back Sunday, Yellowcard, New Found Glory… and they’re all on our stage, so I literally get to stand right next to them and watch them do their art! I never would have dreamed of doing that as a kid. If someone told me I would one day be playing alongside these people, I would never have expected that.
How do you guys bide your time on the bus?
A lot of video games. We are all big nerds. We play everything Xbox has to offer, everything Playstation has to offer, and because I’m a red head I try to stay inside as much as possible. Otherwise, we are out meeting fans and the people who made us who we are.
What kinds of games do you guys have on the bus?
A lot of FIFA. FIFA has been the current kick–get it, kick–and NHL, because of the Euro cup and the Stanley cup going on right now. We are either watching or playing FIFA. After that, it’s either baseball or basketball. We stay with the current times, I guess.
How do you contend with the climate of Warped Tour?
A lot of sun screen.
What new projects are you guys working on lately?
We have a new song we are doing on this tour. The first time we played it was two or three days ago. We have a new record we are going to record once we finish Warped Tour. That will be our fourth record. After that we will be touring again to support this new record.
How did the other Warped Tour fans react to this new song?
It was amazing. When you play a new song you have no idea what to expect. I expect them to just stand there and not know what to do.
Did they just stand there with arms folded judgmentally?
They are hearing it for the first time. They’re supposed to judge it and decide whether they like it or not. People instinctively resort to jumping up and down and running around in circles and going crazy if they don’t know what to do.
Sounds like a church.
Hah! It actually worked out pretty well.
When does this new album come out?
Not sure. It’s all written and pieced together, but there is still a lot of work behind the making of the record before we can even make the record.
Do you have a studio in mind where you want to record it?
Probably in California. It’s a cool vibe out here versus New York, so I think we’ll record it out here.
Who in the band is from New York?
We’re all from Florida, but I feel like California represents our vibe a little better.
What’s the greatest thing that a fan has said to you?
We’ve gotten a couple of comments from kids who said that we helped saved their life. That they love music so much and a certain song that we wrote helped get them through a difficult time in their life. I never thought our music would do that, but it’s nice to hear that.
That’s definitely affirming. Anything else you want to add?
Yeah, thanks to all the fans and we’ll see you on tour.
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