I Breathe the Underground

Interview with Dan "Soupy" Campbell of the Wonder Years

The Wonder Years are quite possibly the best thing to happen to pop-punk since Joey Ramone started sniffing glue. Hailing from Philadelphia, PA, these guys have been rocking their infectious brand of pop-punk for the last two years through DIY tours, EPs and a full-length. In the vein of bands like Set Your Goals, Say Anything and Four Year Strong, the Wonder Years are a crucial part of the new pop-punk movement that combines the influence of genre legends with the honesty and energy of hardcore punk.

I Breathe the Underground recently sent the band's frontman, Dan "Soupy" Campbell, some interview questions over email to discuss popular television, the band's progress on an upcoming full-length, the state of pop-punk and the lyrical genius of...LFO.

I wanted to lead off with the question on everyone’s minds…when are you guys going to give in and cover “With a Little Help from My Friends?”

If we’re covering any theme songs, it’s going to be Hey Sandy by Polaris from Pete and Pete. Half the world covers Beatles songs. I mean, you know that sign in the music shop in Wayne’s World that says “No Stairway” that the guy points to when Wayne starts playing Stairway to Heaven? There should be on of those in every acoustic guitar section that says “No Blackbird."

Where do you guys stand on the writing/recording process for the next full-length?

We’re seven songs deep right now. I’m not going to say that all of them will make the record, but we have seven written and I think a lot of it is our best work to date. I think the stuff that isn’t will get weeded out eventually. We just moved all of our shit into my basement in South Philly and will be pissing off my ICP-loving neighbors for the next 5 weeks while we write everyday. We want to get at least 15 songs before we go in to record this but we do have studio time booked in August with Vince Ratti and we hope to have this record out in November. I’m having some trouble naming it though. We’re trying to work out the legality of the name we want right now so if you know anyone who will give us free legal consult, let me know please.

Which sitcom character do you most relate to?

I thought about this for awhile and I decided it would have to be Cory Matthews from Boy Meets World. He’s from Philadelphia. All of his friends are cooler than he is. His girlfriend is way more attractive than a girl he should be dating and he’s super neurotic and paranoid. It’s pretty much my life aside from the curly hair.

The Wonder Years’ lyrics convey an honesty and personality that seems to be disappearing from pop-punk. Where do you find lyrical inspiration?

I think I’ve written the answer to this question and deleted it three times now because it’s simpler than all the shit I’ve been writing. The lyrics are about my life. Well, our lives-- my best friends and I. I didn’t want to sugarcoat it and cover it in metaphor, but I did want to include the comedic aspect for two reasons. One being that I agree with this dude Scott Bryan Wilson who says that comedy is the only real way to represent the range of human emotion and so the sad parts of our songs can only really be sad because their represented in humorous ways. The other is that I think that my group of friends has this innate ability to find the humor in everything that shouldn’t be funny at all and I wanted to make sure that was represented in the lyrics. I really wanted to write songs that were about exactly how I was feeling and exactly what I was doing and when I did, this weird thing happened. Kids started coming to shows and telling me that it was like I was video taping their lives and writing songs about it. I started to realize that a lot of people were experiencing the same things I was and living the same shitty life and that we were kind of all in this together. That was a good feeling. Head above water this year, boys.

Do the Wonder Years do anything to try to rise above the stigmas that mainstream pop-punk carries these days?

I’m not sure if we really DO anything. I think it’s more about what we don’t do, if anything. I see bands on tour with racks of clothes in the trailer and hair straighteners plugged into the van’s cigarette lighter. We’re just dudes and so we don’t try to be anything different. A good friend of mine said once that on stage he tries to portray “fun and sexy” because that’s what “the girls like.” It took everything I had not to laugh at him. Maybe I’m the one in the wrong here, but pop punk for me has always been about playing your heart out and being exactly who you are without pandering to anyone and so we don’t get on stage every night wagging our fingers and asking girls to scream after spending an hour picking out outfits, but we do leave the stage every night covered in sweat and often, blood feeling like we’re going to pass out because we just gave everything we had to give. In my humble opinion, there is more to pop punk than what you look like and we try to stick by that.

Scrubs or Grey’s Anatomy?

Absolutely Scrubs and I’m not just saying that to retain my manhood. It’s honestly one of the best written shows on television and I’m really going to miss it. I heard they were basically going to continue without JD but the focus of the show will be on the new interns and I think that’s a good call. After 8 seasons, I think we all “get” JD. He’s quirky. He really loves Turk. He’s going to marry Elliot. He has a mentor thing for Dr. Cox. Check. Got it. The interns are fresh and really funny and I’m excited to see where the show could take them. Plus, I really think Sonal Shah, the girl who plays Sunny, is ridiculously attractive. What up? Call me, girl. I know you read I Breathe the Underground.

Describe a typical day in the life of Dan “Soupy” Campbell.

Things are changing, man. This is a pivotal week in my life so I’m going to break down a day from last week vs. a day from next week.

Last week: 7 am I’m up and in the shower. I can only write melodies in the shower and I was having trouble writing at night so now I wake up early and start writing songs before my head gets jumbled with the day. At about 8 am I eat oatmeal, tea and orange juice for breakfast and then ride my bike about 5 miles up to school. I go to a bunch of classes I hate (save for a few) and learn to be a teacher but really spend most of the day jotting down ideas for Wonder Years. I get an everything bagel with turkey and cheese for lunch at the Bagel Hut, go to another class and then ride my bike like 3 miles to work. I teach and after school program for 1st and 2nd grade and right now, we’re working on a play so we do that, have snack, work on homework and at around 6, I ride my bike 3 miles home. I generally get home and sit on the computer taking care of Wonder Years shit for an hour or two and then get into all of the homework I don’t want to do. If it’s Wednesday, I watch Lost. My girlfriend and I never feel like cooking so we usually order out and I’m like a 75 year old man so I’m in bed around 10.

This week: School is over and so my day starts at 9 when I wake up and shower. At 10, the guys get here and we write songs until 2:30. At 3, I ride my bike up to work and teach for a few hours. Then, I come home, maybe watch a movie and make dinner. Hang out with Jess and Kennedy and Josh and a bunch of other friends and maybe work on some songs on the acoustic guitar and at midnight, we go get pretzels from the Pretzel Factory that I live a few blocks from.

Also, I play ukulele a lot and panic attacks about the record daily.

Are the Wonder Years planning for the future or taking it one day at a time?

Dude, I’m way, way too anxious and neurotic to take it one day at a time. I have a plan for almost every day up until Halloween, haha. It’s not all set in stone but we’re doing the I Call Fives tour in June, then Europe in July (including… holy shit… RUSSIA). In August we’re doing the new record and in the fall we plan on being on tour every single day to make up for this past year of us being in college.

As a recurring theme in your music, what role does literature play in the writing process?

We’re a hyper-literate band. I’d say on the 6 week tour we did last fall, we polished off maybe 30-35 novels as a band. Needless to say, we read a lot and I’m an English major (well, that and Secondary Education) so all day every day, I’m surrounded by literature and it would be wrong, I think, to keep that out of the lyrics. As I was saying above, our lyrics are our lives. I try not to sugar-coat anything and so if I’m reading Bukowski, I’m going to let you know that I’m reading Buk. I also feel like a lot of the writing I found when I was younger came from things that bands would mention off-hand and so it’s cool to think that maybe I’m getting some kids into some good books. Or not. Either way, I’m going to keep doing it haha.

What are your thoughts about “blowing up?” Do you guys subscribe to any defined ideals regarding the music industry, staying underground, signing to a major, etc.?

This is a hard question to answer. I mean, we fucking love small shows. We’re playing a basement in West Philly with Fireworks tomorrow (5/12/09), but realistically, you can’t stay alive on donations at the door and the van doesn’t run on hopes and dreams. That shit needs gas and a lot of it. If we want to be on tour non-stop (and we do), then we need to be doing some bigger shows, but that doesn’t mean that the energy changes at all. We played with Motion City Soundtrack recently and I got off stage, onto the barrier that kept the crowd back and front flipped off of it into kids at the end of Salinger. Bands get bigger if they get lucky and work hard enough. That’s what happens and I don’t see anything wrong with that at all. Honestly, if you don’t like a band anymore because some girl in you high school likes them now, then you didn’t like them in the first place. Don’t be the “I knew them when they only had a 7 inch out” guy. That guy is an asshole. As long as the band is still doing the same thing they’ve always done then it shouldn’t be an issue. Now, if we start wearing make up and start singing songs with the lyrics “girl, I can’t go on without your love,” then, by all means, throw shit at us. We’ve always said that if we’re lucky enough make it to the next level that we’re still going to do smaller shows every time we can. I think it would be cool if we played a venue one night and then the next night we did a surprise set at someone’s house or something. I don’t know. Maybe I’m just blowing sunshine up my own ass, but I think it’s possible. As far as major labels, I don’t see it anywhere in our near future. They seem to swallow most bands whole no matter how good or popular they are. I haven’t seen a lot of good come from it.

If Alex P. Keaton (Family Ties) and Larry Appleton (Perfect Strangers) got in a no holds barred fist-fight, who would win and why?

Before I answer this, I have to ask if you’ve ever taken the time to read the lyrics to Summer Girls by LFO. I’m telling you right now that there is no comedic genius greater than that song. Some key lines include “when you take sip you buzz like a hornet. Billy Shakespeare wrote a whole bunch of sonnets” and “like the color purple, macaroni and cheese. Ruby red slippers and a whole bunch of trees.” I bring this up because one lyric is “fell deep in love but now we ain’t speakin’, Michael J. Fox was Alex P. Keaton.” I think based on that alone, I have to give Keaton the W. The dude has LFO getting his back. I wouldn’t fuck with it. I mean, they’ve always been hip to the B-Boy style as well as being known to act wild and occasionally, make a girl smile.

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"Wouldn't it be cool if we were astronauts, zero gravity, two, one, blast-off?"
- The Wonder Years, "Buzz Aldrin: The Poster Boy for Second Place"

Define "Irony"

After about two weeks of some hardcore listening, it's pretty clear to me that Manchester Orchestra is neither British nor orchestral. Still, there's something defiant and clear-cut in the band's hodge-podge of influences, something clearly defined that helps the Atlanta natives stand-out against the backdrop of pretentious indie rock permeating the music scene as of late.

Manchester Orchestra's recently released second label-backed full-length Mean Everything to Nothing is as ironic as the album's title. MO front-man Andy Hull has cited a diverse list of influences for the sophomore offering, from Foo Fighters to Nirvana to Death Cab for Cutie. What ultimately emerges is a concoction of Smoking Popes-esque vocals, big Motion City Soundtrack hooks, Get Up Kids pianos, anthems and lyrics that would make Matt Skiba jealous, twangy Hot Rod Circuit riffs, Hold Steady honesty, and a definitive sound that is quite oft compared to the evolved stylings of Brand New (who ironically enough discovered MO).

In a recent Alternative Press article, Max Bemis even weighs in: "On the upcoming Say Anything record, I was inspired a lot lyrically by [MO's] Andy [Hull]...They are the band who will push kids to write and listen to better music."

METN is exactly that, displaying rich soundscapes of indie-emo explosiveness that bridges genres without spreading itself too thin. Universally relatable and widely acclaimed, METN debuted at #37 on the Billboard charts -- and it's easy to hear why. METN will identify a far better direction for the wayward world of indie music.

The entirety of Mean Everything to Nothing is currently streaming at Manchester Orchestra's MySpace. What nice guys.

"Are you the living ghost of what I need? / Are you giving me the best of me? / We will see."
- Manchester Orchestra, "Shake It Out"

Open Up Your Books to Chapter 1, "The Rise of Science"

In high school, I hated science so much that I never took a college course in any of the major disciplines. In fact, I think I took some sort of blow-off geology class to fulfill my gen-ed credits. But for the first time, science has touched me in a way it never has before. The science of musical cohesion, as exemplified by unsigned but innovative five-piece post-hardcore outfit The Rise of Science.

I found these guys randomly through Alternative Press' AP&R section, and I have to say "bravo" to the indie mag. The Rise of Science are stunning, employing Moneen-esque guitar riffs, high-pitched, raw vocals a la Coheed and Cambria, aura-building melodies that build brighter hooks than Circa Survive, and an essence that would turn Anthony Green...well, green (with envy, of course). Yet, TROS encapsulate a beauty that is rare for an unsigned band. In fact, I'm almost enraged at the fact that these guys are not signed to a huge deal. I've yet to come across such an impressive band that I've never heard of.

I don't have any tracks to share on the site, but please do me, them and yourself a favor and go check these guys out. They just got in a van accident for f@*#'s sake!

And definitely check out their cover of "Desperados Waiting for a Train."

"I can't pin my lungs and bite my tongue / Induce what I might soon forget."
- The Rise of Science, "Short Comings Can Be Incomplete"

A Hardcore Band to Remember, Bra

Whoever thought of mating anger with happiness blew my f@#%ing mind. I'm of course talking about the affectionately-labeled "happy hardcore" (or "melodic hardcore" to those keeping official track), a trend that is catching on in a big way. You've probably already noticed this burgeoning movement erupting through bands like Set Your Goals, Daggermouth, Four Year Strong -- and of course the band that began the movement in the first place, Fall Out Boy. Don't act so offended, hardcore kids.

Expect to hear a lot about the next up-and-coming act in metalcore, a five piece from Florida called A Day to Remember. These kids can rock, and they've got the melodic hardcore world by its tail with their new release, Homesick.

Yep, here comes another bastard-child analogy to try to put the band's sound on the level. Think Bullet for My Valentine (fresh off a recent fling with My Chemical Romance) meets Fall Out Boy, falls in puppy love, elopes to Vegas and is wed by Set Your Goals, who have the authority to marry following a mix-up at the state department. The resulting offspring would sound a lot like ADTR.

Homesick makes me feel simultaneously comfortable and violently ill. ADTR masters the art of hardcore with an ecstatic flair, utilizing some of the most radio friendly riffs I've heard from a hardcore act. The screaming borders on death metal; the drums are oddly dumbed down. But the edge is there in a big way...and so are the hooks. They could have called this album The Next Big Thing in Underground Music and it would have turned out to be a self-fulfilling prophesy.

Final summation? A Day to Remember will top my chart as the next music act that I love to hate, drawing in an audience most hardcore bands won't be able to relate to but keeping me interested with their catchy, edgy tracks. They stand as a reminder that even hardcore can be relatable to a wider audience while solidifying the death of gang vocals. RIP.

Here's a track from the new album, Homesick, for your listening pleasure.

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"You know I've got you, / like a puppet in the palm of my hand, / don't you let me down."
- A Day to Remember, "I'm Made of Wax, Larry, What Are You Made Of?"

Thanking the Academy the Punk Rock Way

If I had any actual clout in the music industry, I would give Propagandhi the award for Best Supporting Caste.

Okay, no need to be tongue and cheeky when the punk rock/experimental thrash vets have already done so for me. But for the love of all that is unholy, I can't understand how Propagandhi keeps doing it. For their fifth full-length studio release, Propagandhi has opened up the flood gates of socio-political lyricism and musical complexity that rivals even Strung Out's more recent work.

This is not punk rock anymore, my friends. Propagandhi has introduced us to something seriously profound...elevated...something that transcends the breadth of former label Fat Wreck Chords' entire collection. Therefore, I'm happy to announce that this release is backed by Canadian label Smallman Records, a much more consistent and forward-thinking home for the evolutionary punkers.

To be frank, Supporting Caste doesn't really do anything that much more spectacular than Potemkin City Limits (2005) or even Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes (2001). Nothing beyond solidifying Propagandhi's stranglehold on the punk rock industry, that is. But Supporting Caste does stand out in and of itself, offering original, poetic, and unique punk rock fury supported by metalesque complexity that can't quite be defined as metal, either. Is Propagandhi the musical equivalent of social progression? Depends on how bleeding heart liberal you are. From a purely technical standpoint, Propagandhi represents a musical future that doesn't exist, a future that has yet proven ungraspable by the rock and roll landscape of today's standards.

Supporting Caste is beautiful, with more reliance on catchy intricacy than gushing, blazing hardcore compared to the band's past albums. Tracks like "Supporting Caste," "Tertium Non Datur," and "Dear Coach's Corner" stand out, even though they spin back to back to back.

The album borders on pretentious; then again, hasn't that always been Propagandhi's calling card? I mean, I have to admit...they know far more about social doctrine and humanist philosophy than I might ever hope to learn. Pretentious or not, I really could care less. Supporting Caste will be spinning on my playlist for awhile.

Supporting Caste drops on March 10. Check out a couple of older Propagandhi tunes below.

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Download 12 Iteration

"I guess it comes down to what kind of world you want to live in / and if diversity is disagreement, disagreement is treason."
- Propagandhi, "Dear Coach's Corner"