test

Cruiserweight
In Big Bold Letters
By Bryan Ohio

They say your trials define who you become as a person. It’s a safe bet that if things are going well, they have a chance of continuing if you keep at it. The pop-punk foursome of Cruiserweight knows the fight all too well.

The new record, “Big Bold Letters” comes out this summer on Doghouse Records with a tour to follow. I stumbled into Emo’s before the show with a birthday hat and a tape recorder to see how the recording of the new record went. I caught up with Urny Maxwell and Dave Hawkins before the show

One thing’s for certain; Cruiserweight is about to drop the bomb ass summer anthems on the kids out there. Get your convertible ready!

Amp: It’s my birthday and I believe in not working on my birthday, so I don’t have any prepared questions for you guys. I do know you have a new record coming out on Doghouse Records. Can you tell me a bit about it?

Urny: We have a new record called ‘Big Bold Letters’ which is going to be out on Doghouse Records again with an early summer release. I think we all believe it’s the best record we’ve ever done. The songwriting process was much more natural than anything we’ve ever tackled. All of the songs are really well written for a bunch of dumb fuckers.

Amp: How did the process of recording this record differ from the ‘Sweet Weaponry’ sessions?

Dave: It was a little bit fancier actually.

IUrny: That’s true. I liked the difference in that we spent almost an entire year writing and actually demoing each song. We’d never gone into a demoing process leading into a record before. This was different because it gave us a lot more time to flesh out every song way ahead of time so we didn’t have to work really hard in the studio to try to get it together. We kind of had it all together already so when we actually got to the studio we were able to utilize that time more towards getting great sounds and good performances instead of trying to get the songs together still.

AMP: What do you expect with your second full length on Doghouse?

Urny: We don’t expect shit. We hope and almost anticipate that we’ll get the push that we deserve. We actually do deserve a a little bit on this one. We’ve worked so hard for so long, and this is by far our best work. Doghouse has already put a lot of money into it, so they would be fucking idiots if they don’t push it as hard as they can. You can quote me on that.

AMP: I will.

Dave: I think they will.
Urny: I’d like to think they’re not fucking idiots but I’m tested on that one every now and then.

AMP: What are some the other bands on Doghouse that you guys support?

Dave: We really like Jet Lag Gemini. Of course Say Anything and Meg and Dia.
Urny: I think the Weatherbox record is really good.

AMP: I’ve been listening to you guys for years. It sucks that you guys have had such a hard time getting noticed. When you signed to Doghouse I figured, Ok this is it. They’re going to be huge. What are your thoughts on how Doghouse has approached the push of Cruiserweight?

Urny: They always talk like they’re really into us and want to support us but we’ve yet to see any ends from that. We still feel like everything we’ve done we’re doing on our own pretty much. Maybe that’s how it’s supposed to be. Maybe we and every other band in the world have expectations that we shouldn’t.

AMP:You self released your previous EP, This Will Undoubtedly Come Out Wrong and sold what like 8,000 copies with no label support?

Urny: On that EP we sold just shy of 10,000 copies.

AMP: Wow. What do you see as the difference between DIY releases and bigger label representation?

Urny: There are so many factors. By the time ‘Sweet Weaponry’ came out the shift to digital was already well under way. People aren’t buying records anymore, now it’s way worse.

Dave: When our EP came out it was cool to go to shows and see bands that were in a similar genre as such. Genres are bullshit, whatever. Like the Alkaline Trio shows were amazing. The Promise Ring and The Midtown shows were fucking huge. When ‘Sweet Weaponry’ came out, at least in Austin, that stuff was starting to go away. That’s pretty much still what we do.
Urny: We’re still associated really strongly with that type of stuff. We aren’t growing out of it, we’re definitely still associated with the pop-punk business.
Dave: That’s another factor, plus we toured a lot more when that EP was out.

AMP: Do you think that the modern record label has a place in todays music industry?
Urny: I think they do. They’re in the process of kind of revamping their role, they’re gonna have to. It’s going to get different for sure. I think the majors are going to have a harder time of it. They’re going to have to completely change their role. Everything’s going to be completely digital before too long. This next generation isn’t going to buy CD’s. I think everyone just needs to accept that and find a way to roll with it.

AMP: You guys have been together for nine years now. Any regrets?

Urny: Sure. We didn’t always make the right decisions on everything. There’s a few where we’ve made the wrong ones, but what do you do? You’re going to learn something from it.

AMP: How did Pensacola Florida affect Cruiserweight?

Dave: I had a conversation literally twenty minutes ago with Driver F about them touring Florida and headed to the South East. I told them you’ve got to play Pensacola. I’ve been saying for as long as we’ve been going there that it’s our best city outside of Austin. It’s fucking amazing. Really, all of Florida is great to us. Gainesville, Orlando and Tallahassee have really great shows too.
Urny: If we didn’t have Pensacola Florida under our belt we wouldn’t have been able to tour as much as we did for a long time. It’s not just good for your spirits but financially as well. Touring is expensive as heck. If we weren’t able to drive that far away from home and still get dough to be able to cover the next leg of tour, I don’t know how we could’ve done it. We certainly don’t make money on tour. We just hope to break even.

AMP: Urny, I heard a story about you going on your first trip to a bottle club. Can you tell me the story about what happened there?

Urny: I went with my friends Colten, Regina and Chris to an after hours bottle club in Pensacola. We didn’t bring any beer, and when I’m drunk I don’t really stop unless I’m ready to go to bed. We were at this club so what the hell else am I going to do? Everyone brings their beer to the bar and lets the bartender put it behind the counter. You tell them what name your drinks are under and they go get it for you. I listened until I found a name. Then I went up to the bar and said I’ll take a Miller Lite out of Carl’s box please. I did that for at least an hour or two. Carl from Pensacola, thank you very much, please don’t try to kick my butt later.

AMP: Who is the worst karaoke singer?

Urny: Chris Wilkes, man! Only when he’s completely shit-housed though. Actually wait, Bryan Spearry did an absolutely awful ‘Should I Stay Or Should I Go’ if I remember right. That was pretty terrible.
Dave: When Chris did that Alabama song, that 18 wheeler rolling song I was actually pretty impressed.
Urny: Oh, that’s right.

AMP: What’s the best drunk story ever?
Urny: My favorite, of all of them, is when Chris got so drunk that he hid in the car. He was hiding in the car, so Colten started fucking with him. He ended up hiding underneath his car instead and fell asleep. It rained or some crap too. It’s ridiculous. It’s always a good time with that guy.
Dave: He’s done everything for that town. We wouldn’t be where we are without his help . It is a spectacle to behold though. I fucking love that fella. When we’ve ended up staying at his moms house, she always leaves big bowls of candy out in the open. I get these emails a few days later wondering if I’m pooping straight hershey kisses or candy corn.