What do Florida, pop-punk, illegal ninjas, ultimate archery and Entourage have to do with making out with 7th graders at Backstreet Boys concerts? Hmmm… We had no idea either so we asked the only geniuses we know… We The Kings. And guess what? Turns out they knew exactly what we were talking about. Maybe it’s because they’re best friends… maybe it’s because “Check Yes Juliet” is catchier than the Folgers jingle… maybe it’s the hair… Whatever it is, it’s here in The Hot Seat, along with the answers to life’s biggest questions.
Q: Tell us about your craziest touring experience.
A: The craziest tour experience that we’ve encountered would have to be when we were held at gun point for dressing up like ninjas a few weeks before halloween and running and screaming through a convience store…Pretty much we bought ninja costumes that were made to fit 12-year-old kids…we squeezed into them and then decided to run into a convenient store wearing masks and screaming. An undercover cop was there shopping with his family and as we ran out of the store he pursued us down the street where we were running towards our get away vehicle (a giant van and trailer haha) we heard someone screaming behind us “Freeze or I’ll shoot!” Laughing, we turned around and to our suprise he was holding his gun at our faces telling us to lie on the ground. He held us on the ground at gunpoint until 9 cop cars, 1 bomb patrol vehicle, and 1 helicopter came for back up. We ended up getting charged with ‘being above the age of 16 and wearing a mask in a public place.’ The most ridiculous part of the story is how it unfolded… We showed up for our court date in Jacksonville Beach Florida a month later and found out that the judge who got our case had a daughter who was a huge fan of We The Kings, all the charges we’re dropped and we were free from everything!! So we learned that it pays to have fans in high places haha.
Q: What type of college class would you most want to take and why?
A: I think we would all take an Intramurals 101 course..that way when we toured, we could challenge all the other bands to extreme kayaking or ultimate archery or competitive ping pong or whatever else the class included!
Q: What city in America is the most fun to visit and why?
A: My favorite city to visit on tour would have to be New York City! There is always so much to do there and the food is amazing…also we have a lot of friends in the city so it’s nice to see everyone there. Oh and if you are ever there you gotta try the sweet tea at a place called Brother Jimmy’s near Penn Station, I’m a southern boy so sweet tea is a must and this place does it right!!
Q: What’s some of the best advice you were ever given?
A: When I was in the fourth grade me and my friend sprayed the entire 4th grade class with a hose that was sitting on the basketball court for remodeling the playground. Everyone got soaked and it was awesome, but I DID get in trouble and the principal of the elementary school said to me “You only live once, your decisions create the life ahead of you. Enjoy life, but be smart and always pursue what you love.” I can picture him saying it now and still today it’s really good advice to live by.
Q: What’s in heavy rotation in your MP3/CD player right now?
A: Lately we’ve been addicted to Young Love and a mix CD that our tour manager made us with old New Found Glory, Blink 182, The Starting Line, Saves The Day, and Jay-Z’s “99 Problems!”
Q: What’s the last good book you read or TV show you’re addicted to?
A: We’re all addicted to Entourage, in fact we got to meet Adrien Grenier (Vincent Chase, the main actor) while we were in Los Angeles, it was sooooo sick!
Q: What’s the first concert you ever saw and how was it?
A: The 1st show I ever went to I should be embarrassed about but I’m not because of the reasoning behind it… When I was in the 7th grade I went to see the Backstreet Boys with a girl who at the time I liked. She had an extra ticket and all my friends said that if I went with her that I’d be able to kiss her. It happened. :)
Q: What are three items you can’t live without on tour?
A:I can’t live without my cell phone, it’s the only way I can stay sane. Also for a little sentimental value I can’t live without the other guys in the band, they’re my best friends in the world and without them I’d be nothing. The third and probably most important is my acoustic guitar… I love playing anywhere and everywhere so having an acoustic guitar on tour is amazing!
Q: Who are your major musical influences?
A: I’m a Blink 182, Jimmy Eat World, and Beatles kid. Blink has an amazing personality on stage and they seem like really funny guys, not to mention that they are one of the main reasons I started playing music, Jimmy Eat World has amazing songs and live they are flawless!! The Beatles are definitely a big influence to us, John Lennon is one of my heroes and was an incredible song writer.
Q: Any random messages or tips you’d like to give to mtvU watchers?
A: The biggest message we could give is to come say hi to us at a show, we love hanging out with everyone and you mean the world to us… A lot of the time kids don’t realize that they are the reason bands tour and are successful, so we appreciate it more than you know!
