Ahead of their first ever appearance on the Macbeth Stage at the Hatfield leg of Slam Dunk Festival, The Wonder Years are rushing about giving interviews to the various journalists and bloggers that are keen to speak with them following the release of their triumphant new album ‘The Greatest Generation’. As the closing chapter of the band’s current musical trilogy about growing up, it sold more than twice what their last album did in its first week and debuted at No.20 on the US Billboard 200.
“The reception to the new record has been really overwhelming. I’m just really stoked,” said burly, bearded guitarist Josh Martin as he chatted with Solomon Radley about this latest album cycle.
“We’re just excited to be back! We played here back in 2010 – we’re really excited to get to play here again.”
On stage later, vocalist Dan ‘Soupy’ Campbell would reveal that when the guys last appeared at the festival he climbed the scaffolding of the Macbeth Stage, believing it would be his only chance to look out on a crowd that size. Watching them tear through one of the most intense sets of the weekend, there was a strong sense that The Wonder Years have really worked to get to where they are today.
Although historically Soupy has handled the lion’s share of the vocal work for The Wonder Years, this latest offering from the sextet – named after a term coined by Tom Brokaw about the generation that fought in World War II and helped America recover from the Great Depression – sees Josh playing a more prominent role.
“It kind of stemmed from our live show. Soupy handles the vocal parts,” he said.
“It just kind of developed organically – I’m happy to do it! My favourite song on the record is ‘Cul De Sac’ because I get to sing so much, but I’m terrified of playing it live.”
The most note-worthy aspect of The Wonder Years’ music has always been their lyrics, which are broadly written by Soupy and are essentially a diagraphic window into his deepest fears and anxieties. Now that this chapter of the band’s history has come to a close, marking the end of his battle with depression and anxiety, we at HTF were curious to about what to expect from the band in the future.
“I don’t know what to expect from the next record – this one just came out!” said Josh.
“When the next writing period comes around we’ll sit down and take a look at ourselves. People write best about what they know – that’s why Soupy’s lyrics are so personal.”
Writing about extremely personal subject matter certainly helps The Wonder Years connect with their fans. It takes courage to appear vulnerable, especially to people you’ve never even met; making your most personal moments public knowledge is not something many people would be comfortable with.
Taking the time to interact personally with their fans is another important part of what these guys do.
“That’s just the kind of band we are,” reflected Josh.
“We’re just like everyone who’s coming to see us. We grew up going to those shows and now we’re fortunate enough to be playing them! There’s no divide – there’s just one punk scene.”
Anyone who’s ever been in a band will know that making a living from music is extremely tough, and The Wonder Years got to where they are today through sheer perseverance and a DIY attitude. Asked if he had any advice to offer other bands trying to make a name for themselves, Josh stressed how important it is to be patient.
“I’m not really familiar with the UK scene, but just start small. Don’t over-extend yourself. Take it one show at a time. It certainly won’t happen overnight,”
“I think that’s one thing bands let go of: when you hook up with an agent or manager you can let them take control, but we try to remain involved. We would never want to be misrepresented.”
It’s hard not to have a lot of respect for The Wonder Years. They worked their arses off making a name for themselves, and created some of the most innovative and moving pop punk moments of all time in the process.
As the next journalist in the queue arrived for his interview slot Josh politely introduced himself and waited to be presented with yet another set of probing questions about his band. Leaving the press area and heading back to the festival itself one thing was clear: The Wonder Years are earning their place in the history books.
Check out what we thought of The Wonder Year‘s set by clicking through to our review of the Hatfield leg of Slam Dunk Festival 2013!
