Automatic Loveletter

Automatic Loveletter were one of the many bands you could’ve seen during the 2010 Vans Warped Tour has it passed through your town. The rock band released their SonyJapan debut, Truth or Darea few days before the tour and were just gearing up to show everyone the new songs when I sat down with front woman Juliet Simms and her brother Tommy Simms. We talked about the secrets to surviving the tour (salt and potassium, who would’ve guessed?), their troubles with their former labels and Juliet’s love for the nineties among other things.

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Bobby: So I guess the main question is today’s the second day of the Vans Warped Tour. Are you excited?

Tommy: Heck yeah.

Juliet: Yes. Very excited.

Bobby: Warped Tour is a very gruelling tour. Its 43 shows in 51 days, long drives, long days, very few showers. What do you guys do to mentally prepare yourselves for Warped Tour?

Juliet: You let go of all insecurities, all expectations.

Tommy: You don’t care about stinking.

Juliet: You just have to not give a fuck.

Tommy: I spent a week before Warped Tour in the sun every day too.

Juliet: Practicing in a rehearsal space without air conditioning too helps.

Bobby: You guys played it in 2008, do you have any tips for bands who haven’t played it before?

Tommy: Bring lots of underwear. You’re not going to get to shower.

Juliet: Yeah. Spray in shampoo.

Tommy: Axe body spray.

Juliet: Drink so much water.

Tommy: Salt and potassium.

Juliet: Clearly, partying at night – you’ll get sick. It won’t work.

Tommy: Salt and potassium is something that nobody on this tour knows about.

Juliet: Yeah.

Tommy: That’s what your body sweats out. Take that, drink water and you’re good.

Bobby: That’s good advice. Last year the tour kind of switched it up, going from two main stages to one main stage which kind of makes the kids have to walk around and explore the side stages. Are you glad they did that?

Tommy: The other stages got bigger.

Juliet: So yeah, I definitely like that they did that.

Bobby: Do you think it’s good that someone can come to see Mayday Parade or Call the Cops or somethingand end up seeing someone like The Bouncing Souls and GBH and being introduced to that?

Tommy: I don’t know. It just depends on the kid. I don’t know if a lot of younger girl fans of Hey Monday or something would be able to experience Bouncing Souls in this environment like we would. It just depends.

Juliet: There’s so many people that have musical preferences for what they like and what they don’t like.

Tommy: I would like to think that these younger girls are coming and seeing these veteran bands that paved the way for us, definitely.

Bobby: With so many bands playing on this tour, who are you guys really excited to see?

Juliet: Well, I know that Everclear are going to be on this. I love the nineties.

Tommy: Oh, I didn’t know that.

Juliet: I’m all about the nineties so I’m quite excited to see them.

Tommy: Andrew WK.

Juliet: I got into All-American Rejects eight years ago, so I’m excited to see them play. VersaEmerge.

Bobby: Everclear will be interesting. Yesterday, during lunch I overheard everyone saying “Did you hear Everclear’s playing the last few shows?” It seems like a lot of people are interested to see Everclear.

Juliet: I am, I love the nineties.

Tommy: They’ll get a whole bunch of people here too. I think those last few days of Warped Tour will be epic days.

Juliet: Yeah.

Tommy: Five major acts; you’ve got Alkaline trio, All- American Rejects, Andrew WK, Sum41 and Everclear. It’ll be awesome.

Bobby: Warped Tour lately has been kind of criticised for expanding its style and sound a bit. What’s your take on the whole “Warped Tour should only be punk bands” debate?

Juliet: I don’t like that. I think that all types of genres of music should a part of Warped Tour. It draws more people and people who are so focused on one genre; they can experience a different kind of music and actually, perhaps, expand their musical horizons.

Tommy: And music is ever evolving and ever changing. Even to say that people are only here to see punk rock; punk rock’s not even the same as what it used to be.

Bobby: It’s like how do you define it then? Where do you draw the line?

Tommy: Punk rock’s a life style; it’s not a kind of music. We’re out here and we’re fucking rock and roll, most of the guys out here are and you should respect that. We’re out here shredding just like any of these other dirty punk rockers. It’s all the same.

Bobby: With so many bands playing, all the set times kind of overlap which makes bands have to fight for an audience – hand out flyers and go out and meet the fans. Do you have any ideas for what you guys are going to do to try and convince kids to come and watch you guys over the other bands playing?

Tommy: Work our asses off.

Juliet: Walk around at the beginning, we put posters everywhere. The guys are out, we’ve got signs.

Tommy: We’ve got street teamers, our beautiful street team.

Juliet: We’re doing contests. And, you know, if you don’t show up for our set – that’s your loss.

Tommy: We’re ruthless self promoters.

Juliet: We’re really shameful.

Tommy: We do not care.

Bobby: Do you think having to self promote and flier kind of reinvigorates the DIY ethics of old? Instead of sitting down and relying on twitter.

Tommy: It’s hard to say that you’re doing anything DIY on Warped Tour. I mean we’ve done real do it yourselves tours in the back of a van.

Juliet: The Excursion.

Tommy: Excursion and Crown Victoria.

Juliet: Making feathered hair clips and selling them so I can eat.

Tommy: It shows a passion that you can see in the artist as they’re promoting themselves. They really care about what they’re doing as a band.

Bobby: Most people on this tour have a new CD that just came out that they’re promoting. You guys released Truth or Dare on Tuesday; did you guys plan to release it for Warped Tour or was it just coincidence?

Juliet: It was planned to come out just before Warped Tour and then promote it all summer.

Bobby: How important do you think Warped Tour is in promoting a brand new CD?

Tommy: Vital.

Juliet: Completely vital. It’s just such a huge stepping stone that you can’t even call it a stone. You gotta call it a mountain.

Bobby: You guys had four EPs out before you released this LP; why did it take so long to get a full length out?

Juliet: Because record label problems and management problems and all of that.

Bobby: I read that you guys had quite a lot of problems with Epic where basically they said “go write the songs again, make them more upbeat.” Were you glad when you were able to leave them and sign to RCA? Did you get a bit more freedom with them?

Juliet: Yeah, RCA definitely treated us more as artists. After RCA though, SonyJapan – who we’re with now – they’re really pushing me and helping me. They’re actually doing what a record label is supposed to do.

Bobby: Now punk rock and rock and roll is very predominately male oriented; but if you look down this year’s Warped Tour list it is quite different. There are a lot of other female fronted bands. There’s Eyes Set To Kill, Hey Monday, VersaEmerge, We Are The In Crowd and you guys. Why do you think there’s suddenly a lot more girls in punk rock and rock bands? And are you glad that there is?

Juliet: I’m very glad, are you kidding? There needs to be more women fronted bands, more girls out there setting a good example for teenage girls.

Tommy: The world is changing and just like we said, music is changing. Punk rock used to be a very male dominated thing and Joan Jett came along.

Juliet: No Doubt.

Tommy: No Doubt, Paramore.

Juliet: I think that a musical evolution is coming around again where women are having something to say and are the leaders of a band and I think that it’s about fucking time that we have another Alanis Morissette or Jewel or whatever.

Bobby: If you look back, it’s nothing new with bands like X, Blondie, Runaways, Siouxsie and the Banshees – there were a lot of female fronted punk bands and then it kind of died out a bit. Now it’s kind of making a resurgence.

Juliet: Yeah, there was like a ten year era of the producer. The producer making the *Nysnc, Britney Spears, Christina Aguliera who are talented but it’s now the era of the artist again.

Bobby: At the same time, do you think sometimes that the press just uses it as something to pick up on? Shouldn’t they be focused on the music as opposed to who’s making it?

Juliet: Yeah, exactly. That’s how I feel about Automatic Loveletter, that it’s music for guys and girls.

Bobby: Awesome, thanks a lot. Do you have any final thoughts you’d like to add?

Tommy: Come out to Warped Tour and support your bands. All these guys love you and everyone is willing to meet the fans and mingle and it’s a really cool thing that they’ve got going on here.