California punk band Joyce Manor doesn’t take breaks. After a European tour and supporting Against Me! for an Australian tour, the group embarked for a trip on the road once again, with a stop in Phoenix this Friday at Crescent Ballroom.
Guitarist and singer Barry Johnson spoke about the aforementioned tours and how each differs and comes with distinct challenges.
“(The tour) was really ‘cushy’’ he said, “It was really nice venues and we got put up every night. We kinda got the back end of Against Me!’s treatment which is a little bit nicer than we’re used to. We got taken care of very well."
The group has been touring in support of its previous release, "Never Hungover Again." Paired with performances at FYF Festival and Riot Festival, the band has been playing all over the world, which Johnson said is good and bad.
Felt like the floor was gonna collapse people were goin so crazy last night. I was insanely nervous but that was an amazing night.Thank you.
— Joyce Manor (@JoyceManor) September 20, 2015
“It kind of goes both ways,” he said. “Sometimes I feel fortunate to see all these places that you wouldn’t have the opportunity to and see them in an interesting way being a touring musician. You can get kind of homesick though. Like if you’re just having a rough day or if you’re bummed out on the road and it can be rougher if it happens in Germany for example.”
"Never Hungover Again" maintains the ethos of pop-punk music while avoiding the sins commercial bands committed during the genre’s peak of popularity. Although Johnson believes that the genre is experiencing renewed interest, he expressed his concern for guitar music in the current musical climate.
“Guitar music is a niche thing right now,” he said. “EDM is kind of what people will remember the time for. There hasn’t been a punk band on top of the world lately and there isn’t any guitar music that’s on top of the world right now.”
The group is immensely proud of the music they have created and performed regardless of the public preference. Pairing bouncy, pop-infused rock tracks with honest, relatable lyrics, Joyce Manor has plenty of songs the group and their fans love. Johnson explained which of these tracks he is proud of in particular, albeit for different reasons.
“Got to be ‘Christmas Card,’” he said. “I remember I heard the melody and then the rest of the song wrote itself. It was really a moment of inspiration and even a month or two later, I would look and be pumped I wrote that. Sonically, I love how ‘Falling In Love’ turned out. I also really like ‘Heart Tattoo’ because it’s only about one thing. It’s harder to do than it seems, and I’ve never really tried to pull that off.”
Joyce Manor is extremely self-aware of what is going on around them and of their own actions, and the fans appreciate the results. The band is maintaining the flame of a movement they grew up on and a sound that people are willing to fall in love with again.
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Reach the reporter at dloche@asu.edu or follow @DMLoche on Twitter.
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