Interview: The Maine Discuss Their

Interview: The Maine Discuss Their Completely FREE Tour
OCTOBER 12, 2015 KEVIN CORNELL 1 COMMENT
Touring: it’s long hard work that’ll exhaust most independent artists. Driving for hours on end, sleeping on floors, and spending a lot of time with the same small group of people for a very long time – it’s not easy, but these are the rites of passage that independent artists and bands must endure. Whether you’re supporting a new release with a national tour or just hitting some regional cities over a week, touring truly is an essential element of building your fan base and growing musically.

Tempe, Arizona-based indie rockers The Maine can tell you all about touring. They’ve been releasing music since 2007, and in 2011 they split with Warner Brothers to set their sights on distributing through TuneCore (via their label, 8123). On the heels of their 5th studio album, American Candy, the five-piece outfit decided to shake things up in a way you’ve likely never seen before: The Maine announced a 13-city tour, with each show being completely FREE for fans to attend.

Did we mention that touring is expensive? These guys gave their fans the ultimate ‘Thank You’ with their Free For All Tour this year, and we got the chance to talk to them about it. Read on for our interview with The Maine’s John O’Callaghan and Pat Kirch as we discuss the Free For All Tour, fan reaction, engaging new fans, and American Candy:

What inspired the Free For All Tour? What was the initial fan reaction when you announced it?

John O’Callaghan: Our necessity to push ourselves creatively when it comes to the tour experience and the desire to deliver a unique “thank you” to the profoundly dedicated folks that have been seeing us for almost nine years now both inspired us to construct the Free For All Tour. I think bewilderment, a bit of confusion and extreme excitement overtook the 8123 family when we first announced. People have expressed their appreciation for the idea all over the world even if they couldn’t make it out to a show, and that means the message was conveyed and in our eyes it was a major success.

Having been a band for less than a decade during a time of rapid movement in the industry, how did you go about building a community of dedicated fans?

Pat Kirch: For us it has always been about personal interaction with people. At first that was just online because I was still in high school and we couldn’t go on tour, then it turned into us making sure we talked to every person that came to the shows. The relationship feels much more like a family than just a band and fans. I think the other thing we have done is kept things interesting for ourselves which comes through to the people that pay attention to what we do. We never want to make the same album over and over and we never want to do the same tour twice. We are always trying to push the limits on what is possible for our band to accomplish and create.

Similarly, as you continued to release music, how have you maintained that connection?

PK: The very special and sacred bond we’ve formed with our following goes well beyond the music and is due, in large part, to the sense of community they (the individuals) have developed themselves. We feel as though if we continue to release our expression in its most sincere state then they will continue to stay hip on what we’re doing. If we falter and begin to take their support for granted, that’s the end of the whole show. We’re simply trying to take what is pure about our approach and our relationship with those who support it and nurture both so it all doesn’t fall apart.

Explain the importance of something like a free tour and what it means to you as a band. What has it taught you about your fan base?

PK: Being a fan of music first and foremost, the Free For All Tour has brought about a sense of pride in ourselves knowing that we did something that not many bands (if any at all) have ever done before. In the age of the paid “meet” and greet, we delivered the exact opposite experience and, save for a few sleepless nights, pulled the thing off without a hitch thanks to the help of some amazing people at 8123. That alone makes us feel like we’ve done something worth while. This run has taught us that we’re lucky enough to be part of something bigger than The Maine will ever be and has solidified our union with incredible people who love music. That rules.

Hasil (Bahasa Indonesia) 1:

Wawancara: Maine membahas tur mereka benar-benar gratis12 OKTOBER 2015 KEVIN CORNELL 1 KOMENTARTur: ini adalah kerja keras panjang yang akan buang seniman paling independen. Mengemudi selama berjam-jam di akhir, tidur di lantai, dan menghabiskan banyak waktu dengan kelompok kecil orang yang sama untuk waktu yang sangat lama-hal ini tidak mudah, tetapi ini adalah ritus peralihan yang independen artis dan band harus bertahan. Apakah Anda mendukung rilis baru dengan tur nasional atau hanya memukul beberapa daerah kota lebih dari seminggu, tur benar-benar adalah unsur penting dalam membangun basis penggemar Anda dan tumbuh di musikal.Berbasis di Tempe, Arizona indie rocker The Maine dapat memberitahu Anda semua tentang touring. Mereka telah merilis musik sejak tahun 2007, dan tahun 2011 mereka berpisah dengan Warner Brothers untuk menetapkan pemandangan mereka mendistribusikan melalui TuneCore (melalui label mereka, 8123). Pada tumit dari 5 album mereka, American permen, lima-piece pakaian memutuskan untuk menggoyang dalam cara Anda mungkin belum pernah lihat sebelumnya: The Maine mengumumkan 13-city tour, dengan setiap pertunjukan yang benar-benar gratis untuk para penggemar untuk menghadiri.Kami menyebutkan bahwa tur mahal? Orang-orang ini memberikan fans mereka akhir 'Terima kasih' dengan tur gratis mereka untuk semua tahun ini, dan kami punya kesempatan untuk berbicara dengan mereka tentang hal itu. Baca terus untuk kami wawancara dengan John O'Callaghan The Maine dan Pat Kirch selama kita membicarakan gratis untuk semua perjalanan, reaksi kipas, menarik penggemar baru, dan permen Amerika:Apa yang mengilhami Tour gratis untuk semua? Apa adalah reaksi kipas awal ketika Anda mengumumkan itu?John O'Callaghan: Kami kebutuhan untuk mendorong diri kreatif ketika datang untuk pengalaman wisata dan keinginan untuk memberikan unik "Terima kasih" kepada orang-orang yang sangat khusus yang telah melihat kami selama hampir sembilan tahun sekarang baik mengilhami kita untuk membangun Tour gratis untuk semua. Saya pikir bingung, sedikit kebingungan dan ekstrem kegembiraan melampaui keluarga 8123 ketika kami pertama kali diumumkan. Orang-orang telah menyatakan penghargaan mereka untuk ide seluruh dunia bahkan jika mereka tidak bisa membuatnya ke sebuah pertunjukan, dan itu berarti pesan disampaikan dan di mata kami itu adalah sukses besar.Setelah menjadi sebuah band selama kurang dari satu dekade masa pergerakan yang cepat dalam industri, Bagaimana Apakah Anda pergi tentang membangun komunitas yang berdedikasi penggemar?Pat Kirch: Bagi kita itu selalu tentang interaksi pribadi dengan orang-orang. Pada awalnya bahwa hanya karena saya masih di sekolah menengah dan kami tidak bisa pergi tur, maka itu berubah menjadi kita membuat yakin kita berbicara dengan setiap orang yang datang ke menunjukkan. Hubungan terasa lebih seperti sebuah keluarga dari hanya sebuah band dan penggemar. Saya pikir hal lainnya yang telah kami lakukan adalah terus hal-hal menarik untuk diri kita sendiri yang datang melalui orang-orang yang memperhatikan apa yang kita lakukan. Kami tidak pernah ingin membuat album sama berulang-ulang dan kita tidak ingin melakukan tur sama dua kali. Kami selalu berusaha untuk mendorong batas-batas pada apa yang mungkin untuk band kami untuk mencapai dan menciptakan.Similarly, as you continued to release music, how have you maintained that connection?PK: The very special and sacred bond we’ve formed with our following goes well beyond the music and is due, in large part, to the sense of community they (the individuals) have developed themselves. We feel as though if we continue to release our expression in its most sincere state then they will continue to stay hip on what we’re doing. If we falter and begin to take their support for granted, that’s the end of the whole show. We’re simply trying to take what is pure about our approach and our relationship with those who support it and nurture both so it all doesn’t fall apart.Explain the importance of something like a free tour and what it means to you as a band. What has it taught you about your fan base? PK: Being a fan of music first and foremost, the Free For All Tour has brought about a sense of pride in ourselves knowing that we did something that not many bands (if any at all) have ever done before. In the age of the paid “meet” and greet, we delivered the exact opposite experience and, save for a few sleepless nights, pulled the thing off without a hitch thanks to the help of some amazing people at 8123. That alone makes us feel like we’ve done something worth while. This run has taught us that we’re lucky enough to be part of something bigger than The Maine will ever be and has solidified our union with incredible people who love music. That rules.