How long have you been in the band Green Means Go?
Well, we started Green Means Go the summer of ’07. 3 out of the 4 original members of GMG all played together in a previous band but since people left for college, we decided to change up the lineup a bit and change the name. So we’ve been playing together longer, but as GMG we’ve been around for about 2 ½ years.
You play guitar in the band; can you tell us how long you've been playing this instrument?
I’ve been playing for about 6 years. I started off by taking lessons, but I wasn’t really progressing the way I wanted to so I picked up bass (which is what I played in our first band). When GMG started, I switched back to playing guitar. So, I’ll say that I’ve been playing guitar seriously for about the same amount of time the band has been around. Before that, I was kind of a slacker and didn’t really play too much.
Who has been your biggest influence?
Bands like New Found Glory, Blink-182 and Sum 41 are what made me want to be in a band in the first place. I love pop/punk, so that has a huge impact on my writing style. But I also love writing and playing heavier stuff, so bands like A Day to Remember, Four Year Strong and even some metal inspire me to write breakdowns and hardcore parts.
If you can describe yourself in one simple word choice, what would you say?
Enchanting, of course.
Who have you all shared the stage with?
We’ve played with some of our friends in Loftland, Callback California, Sleep Serapis Sleep, Now You Have Audio and Leo. We’ve also played with Eleventyseven, Run Kid Run, Flatfoot 56…There’s been a ton more, but I can’t really think of them all. Oh and our singer, Stephen, sang a few songs with MxPx, and our drummer, Jon, played drums on stage with New Found Glory once. Does that count??
Who would you like to share the stage with?
New Found Glory is my number one choice because they’re my favorite band of all time. I think Yellowcard would be an awesome band to play with. And if we did that, that would mean that they were reunited which would be sweet! Also, Andrew WK because that show would just be one giant party.
I heard that you played The Ernie Ball Stage at Warped Tour, how did that go?
Well, it was pretty stressful at first. They told us the wrong time and stage multiple times, so all of our promotion was thrown out the window. We were constantly scrambling to promote to people once we got a new time/stage change. But we had a good time slot, we played a good show, got in for free which was pretty awesome, and they fed us! We got to eat with all the “real” bands that were on it hah. So all in all, it was a very fun experience. Warped tour is amazing.
Was there anyone who thought the band wouldn’t make it?
Hah well, there’s always going to be people talking crap about bands. Ours is no different. We would always hear people putting us down and saying things that are just uncalled for. Sometimes it’ll be from people who have never even heard our band. I think there will always be doubters no matter what, but that doesn’t really bring us down. It makes us play harder and we just have fun doing it because music makes us all happy.
What genre of music do you consider your work to be?
Pop/punk with a little bit of some good ol’ hardcore riffs and breakdowns thrown in the mix.
What is your favorite GMG song to play live?
Our new song “Never Saw it Coming” is probably my favorite. It’s pretty simple and upbeat, but it also sounds really powerful and heavy. Also, I really like “Brand New” because there’s a lot of jumping parts in it and its one of our poppier songs, so a lot of people can get into it.
What is the biggest obstacle you have faced so far to make music?
Writing a song we are all proud of is pretty difficult. We all have our own style of music that we all share, but we bring in a lot of outside influences from different directions as well. So, trying to work together as a full band and making a song that each of us really likes is always pretty tough. But completing a song and hearing it after it’s all written is a great feeling because that’s something you put your time and effort into, and that’s something that you can be proud of.
What is your ultimate direction for life/music?
Right now, I’m in college studying philosophy. Not exactly sure what I’m going to do with that but it’s a lot of fun. Also I use music as a way to keep me sane from all of the crazy thinking that comes with this field of study. Music will always be a part of my life no matter what. I will always be writing with friends and just playing guitar on my own time.
In honest words, what are your feelings about the local scene?
The local scene isn’t that great. We’ve had better luck playing out of the area most of the time. Sometimes it seems like kids go to shows just to go to shows, like they’re almost afraid to have fun. When we play shows, we like to see kids jump around and sing the songs with us. That gets us more pumped than anything. It was always pretty hard doing that around here. Not to say that we’ve never had good shows here. We’ve had some really great turnouts and a lot of fun at some of them. But just going out of town makes for a better time because that also gives us an opportunity to act like idiots in the car while we’re traveling.
Do you have any advice for aspiring musicians?
Just have fun with it! You have to love doing what you do. If playing music becomes more of a chore than an enjoyable experience, it just sucks the fun right out of it. If you want to take your musical career to a new level, pursue that. But don’t let it consume you. Music is to be enjoyed, not forced.
Who are some guitarists that you admire?
Chad Gilbert (New Found Glory) and Tom DeLonge (Blink-182) are huge influences of mine. To me, those guys are kings at writing superior catchy pop/punk. Also, I like Alan Day and Dan O’Connor (Four Year Strong) because they’re so creative and they fuse hardcore and pop/punk very nicely. I’m pretty jealous of how good they are.
What’s your most memorable show you have played?
One was in Madison for Halloween. That show was crazy! There was a huge turn out and everyone was rocking out with us and having a great time! We busted out a “Fat Lip” cover, and everyone loved it. Another time was at Lifest 2009 up in Oshkosh. We had about 200-300 kids there and they were all jumping around, singing along and even doing the whole circle pit thing. It was nuts. Seeing kids get into your music is one of the best feelings in the world.
Hah well, only one really comes to mind. I’m not going to name any names or go into extreme detail, but this guy was just one of those people that doesn’t leave and the more he’s around, the more creeped out we would all get. Other than that, our fans are awesome! We’ve just had fans/friends that like to bring us tasty treats like candy or homemade brownies, which isn’t crazy at all. That always brings a smile to our faces because our band absolutely loves to eat. And some people make signs and banners for us too. Also, last summer we were playing at Lifest for the weekend, and two girls made shirts to wear at the show and it said “We Love Camron” on the front and it had a picture of me. It was pretty sweet haha.
Besides making music, what other hobbies do you have?
Playing videogames is definitively up there. I think our band’s game to play is Super Smash Brothers. We’re all pretty good and we could play that for hours. Other than that, I love going to movies and shows, and acting stupid with my best friends. We all have our own sense of humor that I think people would find weird yet captivating haha. I also love hanging out with my girlfriend and watching “Friends” with her. That’s always an awesome time! I’m just a pretty laid back dude. I don’t really have to be doing much of anything to have fun. As long as I’m with people I love, I’m good!
If I were to steal your iPod, would I find any embarrassing songs?
You may or may not find Miley Cyrus on there. Maybe some Kelly Clarkson and Taylor Swift as well. No Justin Bieber yet, but I’m working on it. I also have Creed on there…sorry.
Even though I haven’t seen them live, their music is still pretty sweet. I suggest you check out the track called “Never Saw It Coming” on their Myspace page. If you do have the chance to see them, they’ll be in Madison on April 24th. I’ll be getting my hands on one of their CD’s soon and make sure to check back to read a review of it! You can listen to their tunes here on their Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/gmgrock
Hope you enjoyed my latest article!
-Isabel
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