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Vocals, Bass - Scott Murphy Drums - Mike Leverence Vocals, Guitar - Tim Rogner Guitar - Kyle Lewis Vanessa: Allister has been together since 1996, that's almost 10 years…! Kyle: The band has gotten much better looking if that's what the question is going to lead to. V: Actually, I was going to ask you to share some of the things you've learned about the music industry. Mike: It's not that great of an industry. It's a frustrating industry, let's say that. Kyle: Yeah, but it's still one of the best jobs in the entire world. Tim: It's cool, but like anything, its got its ups and downs. V: Sometimes bands are in the recording studios for up to 14 hours at

V: So the title of your new album, Before the Blackout, "is a reference to the drinking binges…and various types of overindulgences singer Tim was dealing with at the time". How are you doing now?
Kyle: Our label made that up.
Tim: They're trying to make us look like alcoholics. That's fucked up. I'll have to have a word with them. No…He made it up (points to Kyle). What's it about Kyle?
Kyle: It was one of those things when you know, you get really drunk and you have that moment of clarity. All of a sudden everything hits you and everything seems so genius.
Tim (sips his beer and points at me): Right before you hit it hard!
Kyle: Right before the blackout!
V (laughs): Of course. How are you doing now?
Tim (holds up his beer): I'm doing good!
(Everyone laughs)
Kyle: He was depressed until he started drinking that Budweiser.
Tim: I'm doing good! Working on the next record (laughs).

V: You guys are from Chicago.
Tim: Yes.
V: Describe Chicago for me.
Kyle: Best city ever.
Tim: Amazing.
V: What is the music scene like there?
Kyle: World Series champions!
(Everyone agrees)
Tim: The music scene in Chicago now is cool because Fall Out Boy is from Chicago, The Academy Is is from Chicago. There was a period of four years between 1999 and 2003 where it was shitty, there were no good bands. All the bands that we'd gone to see growing up have all broken up so there was no good music there anymore. It was kind of stale for a little while. But now we have some really cool bands coming out.

V: You guys were on the bill for the 2004 Warped Tour…What is a typical day on the Warped Tour like?
Tim: Hot!
Kyle: Dirty! Not hungry though.
Mike: No, they feed you really well.
Tim: It's fun, it's like a traveling circus. Everyone says its punk rock summer camp, and it really is. There's a lot of hard work that goes into it because the roads are always really long. You have to haul your gear sometimes a quarter mile through parking lots and fields, but it's so rewarding. The amount of kids that come out and the amount of people you actually have a chance to perform in front of, you very rarely get that opportunity. You sell a lot of merchandise and kids like your band so they'll come back and see you. It's pretty cool.
Kyle: It just has an awesome vibe. Kids are so excited to be there.
Tim: They pay 25 bucks and they get to see 18 of their most favorite bands. It's like a dream tour.
Kyle: You see these kids run up to the board to find out what time the bands are playing everyday. They're all excited and their eyes are all big writing down what bands they want to see.
Tim: Kids run up with shit written down all over their arms.
V: And by the end of the day it's all smeared off.
Tim and Kyle: Yeah!
V: What were some of your favorite bands that you played with on Warped Tour?
Tim: Less Than Jake. Not even on Warped Tour though, in general Less Than Jake is one of my favorite bands to tour with. We got to tour with Andrew W.K., that was pretty cool. Home Grown is always fun.

V: Ok so…Groupies. Do you love 'em or leave 'em?
(Kyle laughs)
Mike: Do we even have any?
Tim: We get more male ones.
Kyle (laughing): I hate those fucking groupies!
Tim: No, we usually call up transvestites to come to our shows, to hang out with us in the dressing room. No, this is basically what we do at every show. We sit back here, we get drunk, and then we go play. When we go back to our hotel room we get even more drunk and pass out.
Kyle: Well we do the interviews first and then we cycle in the groupies afterward.
V: Any unusual groupie stories?
Kyle: Hmm…
Tim: Hmm…We should ask our merch guy (points to boy across the room).
(Everybody laughs)
Tim: Young Blood, any good stories? This is Young Blood.
Kyle: He's our merch extraordinare.
Young Blood: Do you have enough tape in that? (points to recorder)
(Tim and Kyle laugh)
Tim: No stories…we're pretty lame. We're a lame band.

V: What kind of people go to your shows?
Scott: Mainly people who like our band.
V: Any particular type of crowd though?
Kyle: I'd say demographic 15 -23.
Tim: It's cool to get the older people though. Most of the kids that come to our shows are under 21, but every so often we'll run into kids who are 22, 23 and they're like, "I've been listening to you since Dead Ends and Girlfriends came out! It's my favorite record!" And that's fucking weird, we were like 19 when we did that record. So that's pretty cool.
V: How have San Diego audiences treated you in the past?
Kyle: Good! Last time we were here was in August and we played the small room, it almost sold out, it was awesome.

V: Which bands, besides your own, do you see fore-fronting the future of pop punk?
Kyle: I think we just see ourselves doing it!
Tim: Yeah, we're basically going to take over the world someday.
Mike: Fall Out Boy is doing a pretty damn good job of it.
Kyle: The Academy Is, um who else? I can see Gatsby's American Dream.
Tim: Motion City Soundtrack would be pretty sweet.

V: Who's Pegleg Sullivan (Track #12 on Before the Blackout…)
Kyle: That's Tim's pirate uncle.
Tim: Yeah he was down at sea a couple months ago.
(Everyone laughs)
Kyle: Nah, I don't know if you've ever heard of the legend of the cow that supposedly kicked over the lantern that started the great Chicago fire? Well, being from Chicago, it's in all our history books so we read up on it. And one day I was watching the History channel and they were proving these legends and they actually found proof that there was this guy, Pegleg, who started the Chicago fire - he was drunk and smoking in a bar. So I though it would be an interesting topic to write about.
V: When did that happen?
Kyle: 1873…?
V: Chicago has a lot of music history. Frank Sinatra was a part of the Chicago scene, right? And I think that's where the Charleston dance was outlawed…?
Kyle: The what?
V: I read somewhere that there was a club in Chicago in the 1920's where everyone danced the Charleston and then one night the top floor of that club collapsed while people were dancing, so the dance became outlawed.
Kyle: Hmm. I never heard that. That's interesting. We might have to do some research.
Tim: Maybe we'll make our next record "The Charleston Boogie"?
Kyle: The Can-Can?
Mike: The Do-Wop?
Tim: The Cha-Cha?
Kyle: The Hokey Pokey.
Tim: The Chicken Dance.

V: My favorite song on the album is "Alone". Could you tell me what it's about? Tim: Uhh…death…and questioning religion. V: Are you guys religious at all? Kyle: No, we aren't. V: What kinds of questions? Tim: Well you know, just like….is there…like…you know…shit I don't know! I just made it up! (Everyone laughs) Kyle: He cracks under pressure! (Everyone still laughing) Tim: No! It's just questioning whether there really is a heaven. Do people really go there when they die? What happens when you die? Is the Bible really true? You know? Where did that come from? Kyle: I think all of us stand in the same area when it comes to religion. I think we

V: If you could change the world in one way you would….
Kyle (laughs): I've never been asked that question - ever! That's a good question. (Looks at Scott) What would you do? You're the smart one.
Tim: Yeah you're the only one that graduated college.
Mike: Think back on all those Miss America pageants you watched.
Kyle: What were their answers?
Mike: World peace!
Scott: I would take away terrorists.
Kyle (laughs): Take them away??
Tim: Have you ever seen "Johnny English"? I would just turn England into a giant prison for all those vagrants and fucking criminals in the world! Throw them all on the island.
(Everyone laughs)
Kyle: I can hear all our records being returned in England right now.
Tim: I'm kidding, England, by the way. I love your town.
Kyle (laughs): Town?? I'm sorry. We're all tired we didn't get any sleep last night, so we're in a weird mood.

V: Is there anything you…want to be asked?
Kyle (laughs): No!
Mike: That change the world question was good dude!
Kyle: Yeah it was a good question. We didn't even answer it!
Scott: Burritos and Budweiser on every corner.
(Everyone agrees)

V: That's not much of a change here in San Diego. Do you have any tips for aspiring musicians?
Kyle: Yeah, keep writing songs!
Tim: Play as much as humanly possible, no matter where it is, when it is. Play a show in your grandmother's basement at 5 o'clock in the morning.
Kyle (laughing): That would be cool!

V: Ok settle this debate: U2 or the Beatles?
Kyle: Whaaaat?!
Scott: The Beatles!
Tim: That's not even a question!
Kyle: What kind of question is that?!
Tim: The Beatles of course!
Mike: Bon Jovi!
V (laughs): Bon Jovi??
Tim: U2 sucks.
Kyle: Without the Beatles there would be no U2. Tell your friends they're wrong.
Tim: Tell your friends they're crazy! I do like U2 but…
Scott: I don't like U2 at all! I think I like one song. I feel like I should like them…
Kyle: I can't stand Bono!
Tim: He's a goon.
V (gasps): Why?? He could win a Nobel prize someday!
Mike: Why? Because he gives a lot of money to charity?
Kyle: Because he has a leather jacket and a pony tail?
Tim: And sunglasses?
V: And the hat.
Tim: And the hat.
V: Do you ever listen to the Kings of Leon?
Tim: No, but weren't they on that tour with U2?
Kyle: What's that song they have, "The Bucket"?
Tim: I like country. I'm the only one in the band who does.
Kyle: I like that "me me me" song.
Tim: Fuck yeah, Toby Keith? (Starts singing, "I wanna talk about me…")

V: Any last words?
Kyle: Pick up our record, it's in stores!
Tim: Before the Blackout. It's the best record out there right now.
Kyle: Without our record there'd be no Beatles!
Tim (laughs): The Beatles ripped us off.

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