Boys Like GirlsBy Kelly GilbertPublished: April 2, 2006
Date: April 2nd, 2006Band Members: Martin
Hi and could we start with you name and what you do in Boys like Girls?Martin: My name is Martin and I do rhythm guitar and vocals.Where did you come up with the name Boys like Girls?Martin: Um, honestly, we had like 90 different names up for it and we put them all in a list, and actually, it was like a combination of 3 of the names. It just came together and it’s the international chase between guys and girls and it’s just the guys that always chase the girls and you know… So we thought it was appropriate and fun at the same time so we decided to keep it.When and how did Boys like Girls form?Martin: Well I went on tour awhile back with John and we formed a couple of bands in the Boston area, Johns the drummer, and Brian was in one of them, we’ve all been jamming for a couple of years. So I called up John one day and I said “yo, I have an idea for a band, can you bring in Brian and lets play, I have a buncha songs and he had just done a demo for a friend with Paul. He brought in Paul cuz he thought he’d be perfect and we just clicked and started practicing that day, and that was like 6 months ago.What do you think of your current success without even having released a cd?Martin: I think its amazing, I think the internet has done so much for underground music like us. Its like given bands who wouldn’t get an opportunity to get heard, a huge opportunity to get heard and be able to have people from all over the county see them and sing along with them without even having a record out. It’s been a huge help to tighten our songs before we go into the studio next week with Matt. We go in with Matt Squire and its amazing to have people who already know us before the record comes out and before we even went on tour through the internet. Its crazy how fast the word spreads from sites like purevolume, and absolute punk and myspace and stuff, we’re really thankful that people have been checking us out.And like you said you’re going into the studio in the next week or so?Martin: Yup, we’re going into the studio in like 6 days or so with Matt Squire who did Panic! At the disco and Thrice and Northstar and Hit the lights. We’re really stoked about it, we think its gonna be a great record.
Is it going to be a full length?Martin: Yeah a full length, probably like 12 songs… We don’t really know yet we have 23 songs and we have to cut it down this next week when we go back into the practice space. We’re gonna cut it down to, um, more around 15 and then have Matt cut it down to like 12 and then we do pre-pro with Matt for a couple weeks and then we start the tracking.What was it like signing with Red Distribution?Martin: It was amazing. It gave us the opportunity to do this record and get this record out there and like, you know, figure out, hey this is time to record our music and get it heard. And they’re great people over there at Red Inc. and its gonna be awesome.What was it like opening for Hellogoobye at Axis?Martin: That was the best show I’ve ever played. It was something very, very different than anything else. We had played tours, me and John, with smaller venues, and then (snaps) slam we played with Hellogoodbye and it was sold out. It was one of the venues I went to when I was younger looking at bands and going to shows and I’ve always wanted to play Axis and all the venues on Lansdowne (Street) and it was crazy to be there and actually look out at the sea and have people there to see you and sing along with you. It actually felt real for one.What was the Purevolume tour like?Martin: It’s been great, amazing. We’ve met so many amazing bands, Hit the lights, A Thorn for Every Heart, Keating, and Drive By, they’ve all been so supportive of us. It was our first tour so we’re very thankful that they took us out. Last night was funny, we all played gags on each other. We played “Thunder” and Hit the Lights came out with these big bulletin boards of like a winding road and lips for your voice and eyes. It was funny. I think the best part of this tour, besides playing the shows and getting out was the friends we’ve made on this tour, and the bands we’ll be able to hang with in the future.How excited were you when you found out about the Mass. Date?Martin: Oh stoked! It got added in the middle of the tour our booking agent Mike called us up and was like “guess what? You’re playing in Worcester!” I was so bummed when their originally wasn’t a Mass date. I mean, its our first tour and we wanted to end it off right. Usually Worcester is a little weird for us but a lot of our friends are here so I think it’s gonna be amazing.What has been your favorite venue so far?Martin: I like the smaller venues, when the crowd is right in your faces and you’re right on the floor. Obviously its amazing to play places like Axis where you’re high on a stage and the sound is incredible but I feel like where the magic really is in the local scene, and when kids come out to a show its like they’re right in your face. You’re on the floor and you’re in some stupid venue hall, and the kids come for the tunes. They don’t come for the scene, they don’t come for the looking cool they just want to see and appreciate the music for what it is. It’s raw, it’s stripped down, there’s no effects, there’s no fake shit, no faking it. It’s the guitars plugged in the amps cranked in there faces, and that’s what it is, it’s what we grew up with, you know. To be able to see a band you like and you know the words in a place like that, there’s something magical about it.What is your favorite song to play live?Martin: We like playing every song… um, I like playing Thunder at the end. It’s cool cuz it’s broken down at the beginning and all the kids are singing along because it’s been online and stuff. And when the first chorus sets in and you look out and see a certain number of people singing, you really see who went out and listened online and learned the words and that pumps me up a lot. I know it might be different once the record comes out but for now, for this tour, ending the show with Thunder really pumped me up.Any crazy tour stories?Martin: Um, what happens on the road stays on the road (laughs). No, well we did a lotta crazy things. We got kicked out of a couple venues, a couple restaurants for being maniacs, but for the most part we’re pretty low key, we just love playing our music and you know, getting to the next venue. And we do stupid stuff you know? Like if, we’re not staying at a hotel we’ll go to the local YMCA and shower and lie in the grass with an acoustic guitar all afternoon. Or go to the mall and meet people and tell them to go to the show, just, you know, stuff that advances the cause.If you could tour with any band, ever, who would it be?Martin: Ever?Kelly: Ever… even if they’re not together anymore…Martin: What if they’re dead?Kelly: Go for itMartin: I think every band under the sun would say the Beatles. I’d like to see what happens, behind the stage at a Guns ‘N’ Roses show. Id like to see Axel and Slash back in action together and I’d like to see what they’d be doing backstage hanging out. I think it would be a fun and entertaining time.What would you say has been your greatest accomplishment so far?Martin: Getting on the road for this tour. I mean obviously its been a great accomplishment getting our music out through the internet just by word of mouth but that’s sorta up to the kids. It was a hard time to go out with very little funding in a van, in the winter, and everyone getting sick, but now we’ve gotten past that and we’re in the groove of things. And just being able to get out and play around the country instead of just around Mass. and New England it felt great to do. I just can’t wait to do it again, and do it once our record is out.And now just for some random questions…Martin: okay hit meHave you rescued any orphans lately? (to fully understand this question head on over to http://www.myspace.com/boyslikegirlsMartin: (laughs) We rescue orphans every time we get the opportunity. I know you probably got that off the silly bio we put up, (laughs) we’d been a band for like a week when we did that.Kelly: Well I was like, hmm no real bio… let’s work with this.Martin: (laughs) I hear ya, um, yeah we rescued an orphan last weekend and he was very happy we rescued him and um, we hooked him up with some very good parents.If you were a crayon, what color would you be?Martin: They have all these new crazy names for crayons. There is like barf green and like…Kelly: Well they had to expand the box.Martin: Well you see I use to eat the crayons, not really color with them…Kelly: What was your favorite flavor?Martin: My favorite flavor was definitely the orange crayon so I’d be an orange crayon. It sticks out of the crowd you can see orange for miles away so I’d be the orange crayon.What is your favorite animal?Martin: Um… favorite animal… I’m trying not to be cliché here… JOHN! Uh he’s not here… hmm, um what’s your favorite animal? See it’s a hard question.
Kelly: Probably, an elephant.Martin: Elephants?Kelly: ElephantsMartin: Actually I saw an elephant up close onceKelly: I road an elephantMartin: I road an elephant once too! It cost me like $10 to do. You know what, I’m gonna agree with you, probably an elephant. When I was like, literally, probably, four years old I road an elephant and it was amazing I felt really really tall. I think they should leave them where they belong though. Instead of parading them around parks and zoos and such. That pisses me off. Just let them chill man, they have no say. They have no say of who’s on their back. So maybe I feel bad for taking advantage of that elephant but it was still sweet.What is your favorite store?Martin: Thrift stores. I hate going into guitar stores because I either want everything or want nothing and it gets me frustrated because I really like equipment. But I love going to thrift stores because it’s new every time. When you go to the mall it’s like the same shit, in every store. New spring line, color of the season. Every store in the mall is like identical and now they even have stores that are owned by the same people like marketing to certain groups of people like the “Abercrombie people” and the “Hollister” and the new thing that actually sells black. So that’s why I like going to thrift stores because they don’t really go with the crew. But this time around I uh, like the Boys like Girls store because I’m out of clean clothes. Actually two of us tonight are wearing Boys like Girls shirts tonight, one is inside out. But I’m not afraid to show it, I’m not afraid to hint at, well, I have no clean clothes and I shopped at the Boys like Girls merch store today.Word association:Tree:Martin: Tree?Kelly: Just the first word in your headMartin: Tree, that’s the first word in my head. No, uh, time.Phone:Martin: Shut it off and don’t call me. I hate phones.Shoe:Martin: Hate them. Bare feetMagnet:Martin: refrigeratorCup:Martin: JuiceShower:Martin: I need oneClock:Martin: Um, lightLight switch:Martin: Hit the lights
Thank you for this interview and be sure to check out www.forthesound.com.Martin: Thank you! Thank you so much, this was fun.