Then you have the band’s alter egos in The International Superheroes Of Hardcore, otherwise known as ISH. As a supplement to Tip Of The Iceberg, Bridge 9 released ISH as another outlet for the members of NFG. Partially a joke band and partially just another outlet for their music, the guys of New Found Glory are just having fun with it. They even gave themselves superhero names that are in sync with the record. I also think everyone is excited about the other bands on the tour— fans aren’t just there to see us but everyone on the tour which is awesome,” said Gilbert.
With a new tour and a new album, you might think that NFG might be taking a well deserved break with their latest comeback. Not going to happen. After finally wrangling themselves from the wrath of Drive-Thru, NFG jumped ship for the famed Epitaph Records and have made it their new home. The rumor mill has been abound with chatter about this deal for months, but the band only recently confirmed the switch. At the time of this interview, Gilbert even fucked around with me pretending not to know what I was talking about when I mentioned Epitaph but he finally spoke out excitedly about the move.
“It looks like the record is coming out Feb. 22. What’s cool about this record though is that we called our good friend Mark Hoppus, the bassist from Blink-182. He and Travis [Barker] own this studio so we went in to record with Mark because we wanted to have a record before we signed to a label— We brought the record around to a bunch, even majors, but we felt the most passion from Epitaph,” said Gilbert.
So is the band in a much better place now? Musically, yes, and possibly even socially. Even though forums were abound with the Epitaph chatter, the deal was overshadowed by speculation of Gilbert’s latest love interest, Ms. Hayley Williams. So are the two really dating. Let’s see what Hayley thinks.
“I think it’s true. He really wants to date me but I’m still deciding what I think of him,” laughed Williams as Gilbert put his cell on speakerphone. “We met on Warped Tour a while back as friends and then reconnected when we toured together in England and got closer in February and then just started dating. That’s pretty much the story,” relayed Gilbert.
With everything now set in place for New Found Glory it seems like another 10 years may be a possibility because in the end they are still the same band you grew up loving or hating, but definitely respecting.
Catch New Found Glory at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ, on Sept. 26. Fore more info, visit myspace.com/newfoundglory.
