When someone has a musical idea, it could very well turn into a flop, or it could be imaginative and skyrocket into the wondrous world of the industry. The Company We Keep is a product created by Brian Southall, tour manager for both Motion City Soundtrack and The Receiving End Of Sirens, which created a hybrid of both band’s sounds. His idea that he brought to Justin Pierre (Motion City Soundtrack), had potential, so they ran with it and it has become a great success. Despite the fact that the bands front-woman, Amy Brennan, has just departed from the band, they are still hitting the studio hard. Check out what Brian Southall had to tell us about The Company We Keep, and the future of the band.
All of you have been in previous successful bands and are still apart of them. How does this project differ from the others?
This project is different for me, because it’s the first time I’ve ever written nearly all of the music myself. In the past, it’s always been more of a joint effort, but with TCWK, these are songs I’ve been writing now for over 3 years, primarily alone.
Did you have a specific goal when starting The Company We Keep?
My goal was simply to make the music I want to make, do it my way, and either succeed or fail based on my own decisions, not leaving things in someone else’s hands.
Has the band gained new fans that didn’t know about the previous bands, or have the fans transferred over from the other projects?
I think it’s safe to say the majority of our fans came directly over from fans of TREOS/MCS, but hopefully we have influenced some people who may not have heard of either!
Did Warped Tour treat you well? Was this time around on the tour different than those you might have been on with other bands? How did the fans respond?
Warped always treats every band well. It’s a great tour, and we were fortunate enough to be apart of the Acoustic Basement in it’s very first year! Obviously it’s a bit of a change to go from playing a large stage where people already know your band, but it was very fun to sit down with some acoustic instruments and try to gain some new fans.
The Company We Keep had a great and sudden popularity, how did you take the news of Amy, your lead singer, leaving? Was it totally out of the blue or had you seen it coming?
It’s never easy to lose a member of a band, especially a lead singer. It’s a frustrating set back, but in the end it will all be for the best for all parties.
With an upcoming EP, how are you going to deal with the loss of your lead? Has the search for a new singer been successful?
Singer Search ’12 is going great so far. So very amazing potential singers, and we plan to have someone to announce before the year is over.
Because of this loss, are there any aspects of the new music that will change from what has already been started? Or are you going to try and keep it the same or as close to it as you can?
The music will never change unless the band actually breaks up! People may come and go, but as long as I am the primary song-writer, things should not stray too much. It’s hard to actually know what a band is all about based on a 3 song 7″, with only 2 original songs, so I do believe people may be shocked when we release an LP.
How would you compare the music on this new EP to the music you have already produced?
The music for LP1 is definitely louder, faster, more intense. I think everyone will be pleasantly surprised.
All of you have been in the business for a while. How has social media helped/shaped the way you work personally, and as a band?
Social Media has definitely changed everything. Dating back to mp3.com, social networking has been a massive change for anyone trying to promote their art. It’s a benefit to everyone, but is also very easy to abuse.
What has been the highlight of The Company We Keep’s career so far?
The highlight for me has simply been the opportunity to record my music and play it for people. Ive missed the feeling very much, and cant wait to keep moving forward.
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