Sara: For the record state your name and what you do in Armor For Sleep.
PJ: I’m PJ Decicco and I play guitar in Armor For Sleep.

Sara: For our first question what would you change about the current music scene?
PJ: What would change about the current music scene… I would have people stop screaming.
Sara: Screaming?
PJ: Yeah.
Sara: It’s just kinda annoying or
PJ: Well you know bands that scream are cool but bands that scream and sing.
Sara: Oh, like the screamo bands I thought you meant like the fans.
PJ: Oh No no no no no screaming bands. It would definitely be that it’s so like cliché now. If you start a band and do that it’s like have you not been listening to the world? You know what I mean?
Sara: Yeah.
PJ: That’s probably what I would change.

Sara: So every band has a handful of diehard fans that will do anything to come and see you how does it feel to not personally know them?
PJ: We know most of them I think. The ones that really make an effort to get to know you are the ones that are like okay cool. It’s not weird it’s just like you happen to like us a lot so we want be able to give something back to them. Sometimes when you get bigger and this happening more and more I mean it’s weird if people get obsessed with you. They’re just a person you can’t…
Sara: You can’t know everyone
PJ: Yeah.

Sara: So recently you switched to a major label (Sire Records) and knowing that you could get bad vibes or be called a sell out why did you guys decide to do that?
PJ: You can always think about that. I mean obviously there are always going to be people that just don’t have anything about what’s going on at all. Sell out is just kinda a mixed label but honestly there are a lot of bands out there that are a lot more punk rock then us that have been on major labels for a lot longer and are doing it for a lot more of the wrong reasons.
Sara: I don’t think there is anything wrong with it.
PJ: No I don’t think there is anything wrong with it either. I mean honestly if you don’t go just for the financial… If you go through another major label… it’s actually Sire Records it’s like a division of Warner Bros. and they have done like a million bands that are totally not mainstream at all. So that is kinda like one defense against it. EVR [Equal Vision Records] was the best label ever it’s just like a step up.
Sara: Yeah it helps
PJ: Yeah you want to get your music out there. Better distribution. It’s like the backage stuff behind you.

Sara: Nowadays the internet plays a huge role in getting bands names out there. What are some advantages and disadvantages of this? You have the file sharing and all that stuff.
PJ: Yeah. I think the downside of that really… I don’t really care if people download our music and trade I mean that’s fine but when people start shit talking you on Myspace and message boards that shit’s like you don’t even know they people you are talking about and you are spreading rumors A. And you are giving people who actually might like our band a bad first impression so that’s kinda the bad thing about it. The good thing about it’s you get your name out there. There are bands that have never played shows before and who are selling like a ton of records because of the internet which is cool for them. I think that kinda takes away from the band that really goes out there and work and maybe lay off the Myspace page a little bit but I mean it’s good.

Sara: How would you describe your band in 3 words?
PJ: 3 words… umm... grunge rock band.
Sara: Grunge rock band… that’s good

Sara: When do you think a band makes it? What’s like the defining moment?
PJ: Oh God. You know what happens with bands you always want to do something and you get that and you always want to have something else. And you get this and you want this. To me I remember we were thinking if we could get 100 people to everyone of our shows that would be awesome. Then you sell a few more records and you want to sell a certain amount of records and then after you do that… but honestly, I’m really happy with every step that we have taken even if it’s like really little. I mean you can’t really keep going and kinda get milestones on your belt.

Sara: What advice do you have for younger bands that are just starting out?
PJ: Advice… I don’t know just do it the right way. Don’t wear make-up like the other bands are doing. Don’t try to sound like AFI or whatever.
Sara: Just do
PJ: Just do what you want to do. If you want to write weird jazz music and go on tour with Nine Inch Nails then that’s just what you got to do.

Sara: What’s one artist that you think has made an unforgettable contribution to music?
PJ: In general?
Sara: Yeah like any artist.
PJ: Man that’s hard to find just one. I mean I guess John Lennon I’m sure a lot of people have said that. He did a whole lot. Obviously I think people like Chuck Berry did a lot. The black artist did a whole lot even with rock music. Even Elvis, Elvis was really the one to break the barriers down and he got all the blues guys. It was him doing it for the mainstream but he was definitely involved with people that were that were the blues guys in like the 40s and 50s. Everyone that breaks a new wall down. Madonna.
Sara: Madonna.

Sara: It’s your last show ever and what’s the last song you play?
PJ: What song we would play as a band?
Sara: Yeah last song you would play for the show on your last show ever.
PJ: Ever.
Sara: Yeah like you are never going to play a show again.
PJ: Probably the last song on our new record would be for us.

Sara: What’s the first CD you bought and are you proud of it?
PJ: That I ever bought?
Sara: Yeah if you can remember.
PJ: Yeah I think the first CD I ever bought was Vs by Pearl Jam.
Sara: Are you proud of it?
PJ: Yeah. Although I think I did like by the Paula Abdul’s tape when I was a kid. [everyone laughs] but that’s not really a CD.
Sara: It works.

Sara: What’s the best joke you ever heard?
PJ: I heard a really long joke the other day. I couldn’t even like say it right but it’s about you are telling your friends like an actual news story. Like oh my God I heard this on the news the other day some guy put something like over and on ramp on a highway and the truck ripped his arm off. And the prepping part is they like have the truck guy going really you know why? It was armed robber.
Sara: [laughs] [silence]
PJ: So you know the joke you think it’s a real story.
Sara: I love that joke.
PJ: It’s pretty good.

Sara: What are some good tour or fans stories?
PJ: Good tour fans stories…
Sara: Or just like tour stories.
PJ: There is this girl in umm she is in uhh... well she comes every time and brings cookies with her and she comes with her mom and she brings like two plates of cookies. We have a couple really good fans in San Francisco. Yeah there is this one girl are saw her in the front row and we played really early in the morning. That’s kinda cool. People give the band like gifts like for their birthday. Ben just had a birthday so he got a few things. If people know your birthday that’s cool people will get you stuff I’ve gotten a few presents here and there.
Sara: Do you have any good tour stories?
PJ: Yeah I have a lot I’m sure. Our guitar tech got really drunk the other day he is actually one of our really goods friends and he was like in the bunk area of our bus and he was like laying down on his side throwing up.
Sara: Awwww
PJ: Like all in our bunk area
Sara: That’s gross
PJ: If you actually look on buzznet. If you look on buzznet.com have you been on there?
Sara: No, I don’t think so.
PJ: We have like this tour journal. We have phones that take pictures and go right to the internet and you can see like everything we do.

Sara: Alright, that’s my last question but do you have anything else for the internet world?
PJ: Stop listening to bad music and hopefully come out to Warped Tour.