Interview: Single File

Single File have just released their major label debut, Common Struggles, toured with Plain White T’s, Alkaline Trio and countless others but when it came time to sit down and answer some questions with us here at PopAwesome — they were all about it. We chatted with the Denver-based pop-rock trio about everything from GI Joe to Sub Sandwiches to writer’s block.

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Working with a  producer like Howard Benson did you find yourself intimated by his past  roster? Was it ever a question of “How will our record stack up next to a band  like The All-American Rejects or My Chemical Romance?

We definitely had a lot of those feelings but i don’t think they were specifically tied to Howard or his body of work…we just put a lot of pressure on ourselves in general to make the best record that we could that would “stack up” against not only Howard’s previous works, but all of the great records out there that we love and grew up listening to
as well.

You’ve said that  you experienced the worst writer’s block of your life upon entering the  studio. How did you overcome that?

We actually went into the studio twice and most of the troubles we ran into in writing the record came after the first stint…we layed down about 7 instrumental tracks that had no lyrics and ultimately ended up scratching all but 2 as a result.  from there we really struggled with the idea that we “missed our chance” to make a great record full of great songs and that ultimately had a very negative effect on our ability to write.  we finally got to a point where we
just said “screw it, let’s write what we want to write and not what we think everyone else wants to hear”…from there the songs just starting pouring out of us.

Do you still hook  people up with free merch who bring non-perishables to your shows?

It happens much less frequently now, but we’ve still been know to make a trade here and there…ps – we LOVE chocolate chip cookies.

It seems like  every band out there is out to create a new genre. If you were to create your  own for Single File, what would it be called?

stupid-rad americana-core.

Are Legos, G.I.  Joes and Nintendo still integral parts of life and the band?

Nintendo is for sure, Legos and G.I. Joes not so much, haha…but we definitely whip out the NES and the SNES when we get together at home. Mario Kart and Super Spike Volleyball are two of our favorites…

Humor seems to  play a big role in Single File – does the humor help more on the road, in  front of an audience or in the studio?

I’d say it definitely helps more being in front of an audience…I think that when we’re having fun on stage, it makes it super easy for everyone else to have fun with us!

The poor guy on  the front of “Common Struggles” seems like he’s had a pretty bad day. Maybe  it’d make him smile if we knew his name!

Let us introduce you to Gart, the poster child for having a “case of the Mondays”, haha…

On your twitter  page (twitter.com/singlefile) you mentioned Jimmy John’s – if you’re talking  about the best subs in the world – then what do you get there?

I can’t actually say I’ve had Jimmy Johns to be perfectly honest, haha…I just see the commercials all the time – so stupid.  But when it comes to sandwiches, I think we can all agree on some type of Italian situation…pepperoni, salami, pepperjack, GO!  So delicious…

On your twitter  page you also have your bio as “The best damn rock ‘n roll band west of the  Mississippi.” If you’ve taken the crown for  that region, who takes it for the East of the Mississippi?

Gotta go with Valencia from Philly – we’re GREAT friends with those guys…they rock hard and put on an amazing live show – check ‘em out if you haven’t yet!

Nuggest vs Lakers  - who is winning and in how many games?

Nuggets in 7 for sure…can’t stand the Lake-show!  As far as the East, Magic in 5, then the Nuggets beat the Magic in 6 to become NBA Champions of the universe!

For more information on Single File visit www.SingleFileRock.com!