Sara: For the record state your name and what you do in Motion City Soundtrack.
Jesse: I’m Jesse and I play keyboards and moog.

Sara: So recently you re-released Commit This To Memory what made you do that knowing it could be really risky with bashing of your band or being called a sell-out?
Jesse: Well we wanted to release a DVD because we kinda wanted to do a really small show in our hometown so we filmed that and we also wanted to kinda do a documentary were we answered a lot of questions that a lot of people ask and get all that in there and we also wanted to show some of the processes of recording the record some of the processes of us being on tour and what we do and a lot of old footage. So if people want to bash that the fact that we sell a CD and a DVD for 9 dollars then they can go ahead and do that or they can be stoked that they get a CD and DVD for only 10 dollars.

Sean: Alright you guys have been touring non-stop what’s going on after Warped Tour? Time to write more music after this?
Jesse: Actually we are writing music right now we have like a demo studio in the back of the bus so we are doing that. After Warped Tour we are doing the UK and Europe with Ok Go over there supporting us and then we do a short stint supporting the All American Rejects and then record a new record.
Sean: Who is going to produce it? Mark Hoppus again?
Jesse: No idea.

Sara: What would you change about the current music scene?
Jesse: About the current music scene? I don’t really know because even though I guess we’re technically in the current music scene a lot of the music I listen to is from bands that were around from a long time ago so I’m actually not to hip on the current music scene honestly.

Sean: I just wanted to ask you, you are pretty much the craziest one on stage what do you take before you go on like 3 Red Bulls or what?
Jesse: On Warped Tour I do tend to drink… they have this Monster energy drink and I actually do drink one before we play pretty much every day.

Sara: What was it like to work on the Sounds of Superman Soundtrack?
Jesse: It was awesome just to be involved with something like that. Tony especially is a big fan of the Superman movies and Fred Foullmen he basically got to pick the bands for it so it’s an honor that he thought to ask us to do it and you know we had two days off on our tour and we went and banged it out in the studio and I think it turned out pretty cool for the short amount of time that we had to do it.

Sean: Who are the bands that you guys are close to on tour with? Who do you hang out with everyday?
Jesse: I’ve hanging out with Fat Mike and Eric from NoFX a little bit, the Silverstein guys, the Over It guys, Gym Class Heroes, this band Buzzcocks, Meg and Dia, who else have I been hanging out with…just starting to get to know the Gatsby guys is really nice. A lot of people it’s really cool because there are the punk bands and the pop bands and the bands that scream and stuff and after a show everyone is hanging out and everyone is cool.

Sara: What’s one band or person that has change or influenced your life a lot?
Jesse: Influenced or changed my life hmmm… that’s a tough one. Umm… I’ll probably go with honestly, The Dead Kennedy’s they were one of the like the Dead Kennedy’s and The Clash, and The Sex Pistols, some of the first bands that I started listening to and they all held such a strong…well political just strong opinion on a lot of things that I think are positive you know women’s right, gay right’s basically freedom. I’d say those three bands for sure.

Sean: [ please note: a helicopter flew over head so some of the question was missed] After you record when should we expect another major headlining tour in the states?
Jesse: I’d say probably early next year we’d probably go out and do a tour
Sean: Is there a band you guys haven’t toured you want to tour with really bad?
Jesse: We’d love to tour with Green Day. I think Green Day is at the top of our list of bands we’d love to go on tour with.

Sara: What would you like to have accomplished with Motion City Soundtrack in the end?
Jesse: With Motion City Soundtrack…we’ve already accomplished everything we thought we could do to tell you the truth. We’ve been able to put out two records, we’ve been able to tour the world, we’ve been able to tour in a bus, we’ve been able to play warped tour, we’ve been able to meet people in awesome bands like Blink 192 and NoFX. We’ve pretty much accomplished all our goals so we are just trying to hold on as long as possible.

Sara: In your personal opinion when does a band make it?
Jesse: That’s a tough one because… I would say technically in my opinion a band makes it when they are able to play in a band and tour and not have to work a day job, like being able to play your bills and rent by being in the band.
Sara: So like being able to survive.
Jesse: Yeah, which we were lucky enough, that doesn’t necessarily mean a bus and all the fancy stuff we were touring in a van for years and just barely making enough to survive but that’s what we wanted to do so we did it.

Sean: Last year I saw you guys on Warped Tour some many bands were on tour Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance all these ended up having a huge years. Who do you think besides you guys on this tour we are going to hear a lot about this coming year?
Jesse: I think for sure Underoath they are definitely kicking ass on Warped Tour. I would really like to see Against Me do really well they’re awesome band, awesome guys. The Living End are probably the best damn musicians on this whole tour. I think the Plain White T’s definitely deserve credit to get out there and do well and Over It.

Sara: Do you think there is a wrong way to like music? Like if someone hears a song on the radio or in Hollister they only like it because they think it’s trendy it doesn’t really do anything for them.
Jesse: What was the question in there sorry?
Sara: Do you think there is a wrong way to like music?
Jesse: No. When I was growing up which was a long time ago I won’t tell you how old I am. I would hear a song on the radio I would watch a video on MTV or whatever but I grew up when alternative music was big right basically right when Nirvana was big, Pearl Jam, and the Chili Peppers and I definitely liked certain bands because they were definitely associated within the scene. Not necessarily because… I grew to like them but there was definitely that I would check out the Screaming Trees because they are from Seattle and they are friends with this or they were on Sub Pop or whatever. So I don’t think there’s a wrong way was long as you enjoy it whether you are doing it because your friends like it our because you like it was long as long as you like the music that’s fine with me.

Sean: Well what do you want to say to all the Motion City Soundtrack fans?
Jesse: Thank you, I mean we just never expected anyone to like us so just the fact that people come to shows and sing along is pretty amazing for us.

Sara: What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done on stage?
Jesse: The craziest thing I’ve ever done on stage?
Sara: To get the crowd going.
Jesse: Well Justin kinda pulled his pants down a little once. [laughs] but he was covered by his guitar so no one really saw, well us in the band got to see his buns but nobody in the crowed really got to see anything.

Sara: When you say “Let’s get fucked up and die” are you really speaking figuratively?
Jesse: Yes. Definitely, figuratively Justin actually doesn't drink or do drugs at all. Actually none of us do drugs and most of us don’t drink either. I think it’s more of an expression of well I don’t know I didn’t write it. I don’t know what he is talking about.

Sara: So do you have anything to say to the internet world?
Jesse: To the internet world I don’t know I’m still waiting for internet too I hear it’s going to be much much better.