We were able to catch up with Dan Faughnder (voclals/guitar), of Sledding With Tigers, and ask some questions. The band has been together for five years now, which lends to some pretty interesting stories. These guys have great personality to go along with their talent. You can check out the full interview below.
You just announced that you’ve signed to Antique Records; how did that relationship come about?
I received an email one day, from Antique, asking me if I would be interested in putting out Not The Beatles Yet (a silly little compilation album I made of some of our songs) on vinyl. When I read the word vinyl, my brain started salivating, but I knew that it would be weird to release something like that (it wasn’t even a proper album). I asked them if they would be down to put out the album I was currently working on, and they were crazy and reckless enough to agree!
What are you most looking forward to about being signed to Antique?
Twitter flirting with James and Craig (owners of Antique).
As well as announcing your signing with Antique Records, you’ve also announced that you’ll be releasing your full-length album A Necessary Bummer through them. Do you have any sort of tentative date as to when we can expect that?
March-April?!?! I think?!
2014 will mark your fifth year as a band. Within those five years you’ve put out plenty of music, so what will make A Necessary Bummer different from your previous releases?
This one is markedly sadder. I wrote all the songs when I was supremely bummed out about a few things, but don’t worry, team; there are still some sillies to be had.
Back in May you released Now! That’s What I Call Music That I Don’t Particularly Care For via your Bandcamp where you asked friends (and whoever else wanted to participate) to do covers of their least favorite songs. How did you come up with the idea for this and which cover was your favorite?
My friend Morgan made a couple of my friends play a game where we had to name 3 nice things about a band we hated, and the concept really resonated with me, so I thought would be fun to make my friends record their least favorite song, with one caveat: Don’t be a jerk about it.
My favorite is probably Adam Powell’s version of “Smooth.” It’s so good, that it makes me hate almost everything else.
What are some goals that you’ve set for yourselves as a band for 2014?
Unlimited hot tub parties and mimosas for every breakfast.
Can we look forward to some tour dates following the release of A Necessary Bummer?
Hopefully! My job keeps me pretty tethered to San Diego at the moment (I teach child development music classes), but there will definitely be some cool shows in the future.
You had the chance to open for fellow folk punks Andrew Jackson Jihad a few times a while back, what was that like?
Their drummer said he liked our “party attitude” so I think that sums it up.
What’s your dream tour line up?
A Root Beer Fountain, Beyonce, KIDS, The Frights, Modern Baseball, and The Front Bottoms
Where did the name Sledding With Tigers come from?
Short answer: Calvin and Hobbes.
Long answer: Caaaaaallllvinnnnnnn and Hobbes
What would you say has been the most difficult part of your career for you all personally and collectively?
Balancing careers, other projects, the desire to succeed outside of music, and the desire to be the best little folk-punk band in the whole wide world.
How did you, or do you continue to, overcome these struggles?
I’ll let you know when we do. So far, I’ve tried really hard to put life first and music second, but I don’t know if that’s the greatest “career” choice. Who knows, you know? Sorry if that’s a terrible answer.
What is the ‘highlight’ of your career so far?
When we played with Defiance, Ohio this summer, I lost my voice the day before. We played our set outside, with no amplification in a circle of 100+ people. I could barely project like I normally do, so the crowd helped me by singing along to every single song. It was the best feeling in the world.
What is the one dream the moment at which point either personally or collectively you would be able to say yes I’ve achieved this, I’m living my dreams?
I want to play on Conan, or be on the president’s iPod… or just be able to spend my days playing songs with my best friends and singing my deepest darkest secrets to rooms full of strangers.
