(This interview was conducted on June 14th, 2001, at the El-N-Gee club in New London, CT, with Brandon of the Movielife. Enjoy...)

Josh Nacho: How did you come up with the name the Movielife?

Brandon: Vinnie, the singer, used to be in an acoustic band with Daryl- the singer from Glassjaw, they're best friends, and they had this side thing, it was an acoustic band and it was called the Movielife. And I guess the name came about from some times when you're in a relationship, it feels like a movie. I think Vinnie would be able to answer it a little bit better, but that's the jist of it.

J.N.: Is it kind of like the crossover of reality and when you think you're in a movie?

Brandon: Just how like certain stupid things happen in your life and you feel like you're in a movie.

J.N.: Like how when you look at your life, and you feel like you're watching a movie.

Brandon: Yeah, exactly.

J.N.: That happens to me all the time.

Brandon: Yeah, everyone says that too.

J.N.: So, you're on Revelation...

Brandon: Technically.

J.N.: Technically. But you're putting out an EP with Drive Thru Records.

Brandon: Yeah. We're signing to Drive Thru. Drive Thru bought out the rest of the remainder of our contract with Revelation, it's just not inked down yet completely, but it's definitely happening. At the end of August we're going into the studio to record an EP for Drive Thru, and from there on out we'll be on Drive Thru.

J.N.: You're friends with a lot of bands on Drive Thru, and they're always promoting you, putting your tour dates on their site and what not, so why didn't you just sign with Drive Thru at first?

Brandon: Actually, Drive Thru had never even heard of us before we signed to Revelation. They didn't hear about us until our record came out on Revelation, unfortunately because there could have been a lot of problems that were avoided. Yeah. We were an unknown band before Revelation. It jut so happened they [Drive Thru] got a hold of it one day in their offices and called us the next day and asked us if we wanted to be on their label, but we were already bound by contract, so we worked something out where they're going to buy out the remainder of the contract. And we're very happy about that. Very happy.

J.N.: It's better to see Drive Thru buying out bands than bands being bought out from Drive Thru.

Brandon: (laughing)

J.N.: Dashboard got bought out.

Brandon: Yeah, now he's on Vagrant.

J.N.: I don't like Vagrant.

Brandon: They have a lot of good bands, but I don't know... I'm not going to say anything. (laughing) I like Vagrant.

J.N.: I like one band on Vagrant.

Brandon: What band?

J.N.: No Motiv.

Brandon: Cool. I think the new Alkaline Trio is possibly one of the best releases of this year. Did you hear it yet?

J.N.: Yeah.

Brandon: What do you think about it?

J.N.: I like it.

Brandon: I like it a lot. And I heard the new Saves the Day, which isn't out yet, that is so amazing, it's the best they've done yet. But it's a huge departure from what they were doing.

J.N.: On the subject of Saves the Day, since you mentioned them, what do you think about the people who compare you to them or New Found Glory?

Brandon: I think it's an easy way out to categorize a band that's not playing hardcore, and not playing metal, so obviously they're "emo". Which we're not even emo. But, we're pop punk. Saves the Day's pop punk. New Found Glory's pop punk. Unfortunately people don't really look at a band, they just assume. It doesn't really matter though, if people want to compare us to Saves the Day and New Found Glory, then I guess that we're doing the right thing. It means we're doing good I guess.

J.N.: Because people like them.

Brandon: Because they're very successful bands, and I hope one day to be successful like them.

J.N.: Are you signing to Drive Thru for a six record deal?

Brandon: Actually, since we're not technically on Drive Thru yet, we haven't negotiated our contract with them, but their contract is, they do give you a major label contract. It's gonna be a lot of records. Six? Hopefully not. Hopefully we can get between four and five. It would be ideal to do like, two. They're affiliated with a major, so you know, maybe we'll do one record and we'll get on MCA after it. I don't know about the six record contract. It's definitely scary, but we just like what they do, they're very family orientated and they push their bands beyond belief. Every Drive Thru band. Look at how much work they put into their bands. People talk shit about them, but at least they care about their bands. All these other labels, they put out the band's record and that's it.

J.N.: It's like, "Ok, now go out and promote it."

Brandon: Yeah. I don't wanna fucking starve. I don't wanna work 9-5. I wanna tour and get my record in stores. I want people to know who we are when we get to the club.

J.N.: Drive Thru's one of the only labels too, that has pushed... FenixTx got successful, then New Found Gory got successful, and now Midtown's blowing up.

Brandon: Yeah, obviously they're doing something right. They're looking out for their bands. That's what we want. We want to get our music across to as many people as possible, that's our goal.

J.N.: On a personal question, I saw you guys three times now, and you never play "How Can You Even Face Me?", which is one of my favorite songs. What's up with that?

Brandon: Actually, we don't play that song.

J.N.: Why?

Brandon: We just don't. It's a song we just don't choose to play live. It's a huge departure from our sound.

J.N.: Yeah, that's why I like it though.

Brandon: People always shout it out when we play shows. It's just a song we prefer not to play.

J.N.: But it's short.

Brandon: It is short, but it's safe to say that every Movielife song is short. (laughing) We just don't feel comfortable playing it live, and some kid threw ice at you. (laughing)

J.N.: (laughing) But, it's fast though, and it would get people pumped up.

Brandon: Yeah, I don't know. It's a little too aggressive, but it doesn't matter, it's just one of those songs we just never play live. We never play the last track live, we only played it once. And all the other ones we play. You can't play every song off an album.

J.N.: Will you ever play "How Can You Even Face Me?" live?

Brandon: I'm not going to say no, but I think with the more new stuff we keep putting out, the less of a chance there's going to be we will.

J.N.: When you tour with Boy Sets Fire and Thursday in July, I'm going to be at two shows two nights in a row, will you play it then?

Brandon: If you come to my show and start throwing fruit and knives at me, then we might be forced to play it. We never practice it or anything, so if we played it like, tonight, it'd just be a total mess.

J.N.: This tour is ending, go home and practice it and then come back for the BSF tour and play it.... You guys are playing with BSF though, and you've played with Reach the Sky before- I know you have the same booking agent, but how do you get into the hardcore shows?

Brandon: I think we're able to fit in with many different styles of music. Which is a good thing, because there's so many bands out there that are set on sounding only a certain way that they can only get the attention of those kids. And that's really limiting yourself a lot. I think we have a lot of different influences, there's pop punk, some hardcore, some indie rock, some people say emo, I don't want to say that, but that's what I hear. I think that enables us to play with pretty much any band, but we wouldn't go over well on a metal show or something like that. I think the best we do is on a pop punk show, if it's decent, because that's where we do best.

J.N.: Do you prefer to play those over hardcore shows?

Brandon: Yes, any day. The kids are so much more friendlier, they're so much less judgemental. I don't want to talk shit, cause I have so many friends that are traditional hardcore kids, but they don't wanna hear the Movielife. They wanna hear e chord chugging, fast drumming and songs about hatred and all that stuff. We just wanna have fun, and jump around and bob our heads.

J.N.: It's not like, insulting, but it's just that hardcore kids, when they go to hardcore shows, they want to see hardcore bands. If any band's in there that isn't hardcore...

Brandon: Yeah, you get heckled.

J.N.: One band that happens to a lot is Catch 22, because they're on Victory, so they play with a lot of hardcore bands like Snapcase and even Reach the Sky.

Brandon: We went on tour with our very good friends Kill Your Idols, and that tour was very good for us, but there were those kids there standing like this... Pretty much waiting for you to get off. After the first song they'd shout "One more!". We don't feel very welcome playing hardcore shows, we just wanna play pop punk shows.

J.N.: Hardcore kids aren't very accepting of non-hardcore bands.

Brandon: Yeah, they're boring, they're boring. I'm talking too much.

J.N.: Grade is a great band to be on tour with I think.

Brandon: Yeah, this tour has been very good for us. Every show has been a ton of kids, and it's great. The Impossibles... Everyone, we're all bringing out our kids, and it's a great show.

J.N.: I think Grade is good because they have mass appeal.

Brandon: Yeah, they do, every kind of kid likes Grade. It's an awesome thing. This is uh... Phil's gonna say hi right now.

Phil: Hello, I suck.

Brandon: Phil's head went out today during the first two songs, so there was no bass. But, you know, Phil's not that good.

Phil: You should definitely get rid of me as soon as possible.

Brandon: Yeah, there's this band called Something Corporate, and the kid's name is Clutch, he'll probably be replacing Phil some time soon.

Phil: Yeah, he's much cooler than me, especially because he wears sunglasses all the time.

Brandon: Phil can just not hack it any more.

Phil: I'm finished, I'm past my prime.

J.N.: So you're going on tour with Boy Sets Fire and Thursday after this, and you have a Drive Thru EP....

Brandon: Yeah, Boy Sets Fire and Thursday is a big tour in July, then the first two weeks of August we go out with Reel Big Fish and Goldfinger, and then after that we record our EP. Then after that it's up in the air right now. There's a couple tours we're trying to get on.

J.N.: I forgot about that, you're on that Hidden Finger Crouching Fish tour or whatever...

Brandon: Hidden Finger, Crouching Goldfish... (laughing)

J.N.: What do you think about being considered to be the next big thing?

Brandon: You know what? That's very flattering. It's extremely flattering I don't really know how to respond to that. Obviously none of us can really see that. I guess we're, I wouldn't say pessimistic, we just tend not to get our hopes up. If we're the next big thing, that's great. If it happens, it happens. But I don't know what you consider the next big thing. Like, what level, do you mean, like, New Found Glory?

J.N.: Yeah, like that size.

J.N.: Going into signing with Drive Thru, what do you think about their turning band after band into a success?

Brandon: I think getting on Drive Thru, there tends to be an automatic crowd. I think we're going to sell more records than we did on Revelation, because it has the MCA distribution so you can actually buy it in stores, cause the Revelation CD you can't find any where- except for our shows pretty much. And that hurt our sales terribly. But I think Drive Thru has an extremely good name for itself right now. It's the big thing to be on right now, and that's going to create more of a crowd right there, right off the bat. Then hopefully after that, we'll sell more just from people seeing us and people liking us.

J.N.: Ok, one more thing. I want you to say something positive.

Brandon: I think I would say, don't cheat on your girlfriend, and if you're a girl don't cheat on your boyfriend just because it sucks. It's not a personal experience or anything, it just hurts. (laughing) That was totally emo! Now people are going to think we're emo.

J.N.: Way to dodge that emo label there.

Brandon: I think that's a big issue though, I don't think people should cheat. You should be honest. Be a good person. If you see a bum, toss him some change.

J.N.: You should say something like, "If you see someone, punch them in the head", so you get in good with the hardcore kids.

Brandon: Yeah. (laughing) Was that positive enough?

J.N.: Yeah.

Brandon: Oh, here's something positive- go to our web site- it's www.themovielife.net. Pretty soon, it's going to be .com, but right now it's .net. You know, check us out. Our CD's called "This Time Next Year", it's on Revelation. And look out for an EP coming out on Drive Thru Records. That's about it. I had a lot of fun. Thank you for the interview.

Links:

NCA
the Movie Life
Revelation Records
Drive Thru Records