Say Anything

Los Angeles collective Say Anything first landed in the UK to rock the Give It A Name festival earlier this year and recently returned to plug their official debut album that’s already seen two releases in the US.
Led by Max Bemis, whose manic depression has impacted on their tour availability, the six-piece have still played with many an emo favourite and count Dashboard Confessional as great mates.
Far from the promise of their moniker, the band don’t really seem that arsed about saying anything when they meet Music News! Perhaps 10:30am is a little too early when you’re touring,

MN: Did all this start with a song called 'Sappy’?

Max: Yeah! I wrote it when I was 14.

MN: Then what happened?

Max: Basically the line-up changed a lot over the course of the years. I mean we started when we were 13/14 so obviously people aren’t necessarily 100% serious about it at that point in their lives. It takes a lot of commitment to stick with music or any band.

MN: Is the current line-up likely to change?

Max: You never know.

Max did admit in his self-penned band biography to 'being the egomaniacal singer type', who 'proceeded to kick out and\or drive away pretty much anyone else who joined the band'.

MN: Do the rest of you feel your jobs are safe?

Jeff: Yeah, I mean not that no one can do the stuff because everyone can learn stuff but it’s a matter of meshing as people, personalities and stuff.

MN: Is your name Say Anything carte blanche to do just that? Is there a lot to be said?

Max: Yeah, definitely.

MN: You’ve got a 'Ranting' section on your website. Does that cause any trouble?

Max: I mean it has in the past but I’d say it’s caused more positive things.

Coby: We haven’t done those rants in a while.

MN: Posting the lyrics 'You’re A Wanker If Anyone Is’ online caused much fan speculation. What was that about?

Max: It’s a new song on the new album that we haven’t recorded or anything but just wanted to share some lyrics for one of the songs. It’s a mixture between a few people. It’s about having friends that hold you back or keep you down and escaping that.

MN: And you’ve got a song called 'The Presidential Suite’ (ridiculing Bush-voters). Is this a topic you want to run with?

Max: I don’t know. I mean a lot of the songs I write are about the political climate or the social-political climate more so. I guess that’s the only one that’s directly about him. I can’t think right now but I feel that I’ve written other songs about it. It’s obviously something I’d be open to writing about again.

MN: You originally signed to Doghouse in the US to purposely maintain an underground status and released your official debut album 'Say Anything, is a Real Boy’ but didn’t feel happy.

Coby: It’s not that we weren’t happy with them. It’s just they can’t do too much, it’s like a really small independent label.

MN: Max, you said you wanted to make 'respectable music' instead. What did you mean by that?

Max: It was kind of a joke. I mean it’s like everyone, at a certain age you feel like you have to challenge yourself and be able to write music that you’re happy with as well as music that people who listen to the music are going to be happy with. If you just keep writing for your fans you’re never going to really evolve because people usually just want to hear the same thing over and over again.

MN: There’s obviously a Pinocchio theme with the album - the title and his nose on the sleeve. Is there a moral to your album?

Max: Yeah. It’s just about growing up and struggling to be a real person.

MN: You like your lyrics to rhyme, is that pivotal to the process?

Max: A lot of what I do is based on hip hop. I used to like hip hop when I was a little kid so there’s always rhyme in there and there’s a lot to do.

MN: You’ve been playing a few dates in the UK to promote the album, how have they been?

Alex: So much better than I thought they would be. I’m amazed, kind of spoilt.

Coby: We sold out London (93 Feet East).

MN: Your fans seem to be rather hardcore, maybe a little obsessive.

Jeff: Yeah fans really like us a lot. I would agree with that.

MN: Then you’re back to support New Found Glory later in the year.

Jake: No we had to cancel that.

Jeff: It’s a label situation. We need to do radio shows in America to get the single and stuff going better there. So it makes sense but I would love to be back over here in Europe.

Alex: Obligation versus fun!

MN: Max, you have bipolar disorder and took time out during the recording of this album.

Max: Yeah we’ve cancelled tours. I mean it’s always been an issue, it’s always going to be an issue.

MN: Has it impacted positively on anything?

Max: Yeah I mean it’s my personality so if it wasn’t for that I wouldn’t be who I am.

MN: So Max, it’s been mostly about you today. Is that the way it is, Max and his Cavaliers?

Jeff: You can expect it. He writes all the music pretty much. It’s his band. We’re just like a part of it; lucky to be a part of it.

In fact the rest of the band seem more interested in wolfing pastries and sharing a joke that has them sniggering like school boys anyway.

MN: Well is there anything else any of you would like to add?

Alex: We love Ricky Gervais!


Album 'Say Anything ...Is A Real Boy’ is out on September 18th. Single 'Alive with the Glory of Love’ is out now.

www.sayanythingmusic.com
www.sayanythingmusic.com/uk/