Last month we had the honor, privilege, and time of our life (pun intended) at the pop punk/emo/alternative rock festival that has taken the world by storm over the last three years – When We Were Young. The fest’s über-current presence in today’s music scene mixed with the appreciation-based nostalgia for the soundtrack of many of our youths is something we thoroughly enjoyed reporting on and something we are very, very, very thankful for.
Bayside’s self-titled record is quintessential listening for any alternative rock fan. From the big hit, “Devotion and Desire,” to the deep cuts, such as “We’ll Be OK,” to the fan favorites like “Montauk,” the band permanently defined the scene. That was in 2005. Some lucky fans and festival attendees got to hear the band’s iconic self-titled, sophomore album in full a few weeks ago at When We Were Young in Las Vegas. It was beyond memorable for fans who are new to Bayside, but especially for those who grew up alongside them – from 2005 to now.
Photo by Chelsa Christensen / When We Were Young
This performance of the almost 20-year-old album is not the only exciting thing on the Bayside horizon as of late, though. Vocalist Anthony Raneri recently announced his debut solo record. On it, he is trading in his electric guitars for acoustics, and he is bringing a totally new vibe into the mix that even the biggest of fans did not see coming. This almost folk-like singer-songwriter aesthetic, while new for Raneri, is extremely exciting. The music sounds nothing like what Bayside has done before, and Raneri himself inputs an immense amount of soul throughout. This solo debut feels truly authentic and from the heart. We can’t wait for the world to hear it in full at the end of this week.
The Aquarian had the incredible chance to catch up with Anthony Raneri – Bayside frontman and newfound solo artist – at When We Were Young Festival. We discussed the new solo record and writing with country flair, but we also got an exclusive peek into Bayside’s 25th anniversary tour next year.
Your new solo record, Everyday Royalty, is coming out on November 15. How are you feeling?
Yes! I’m feeling great. It’s exciting. I’ve always said that I have two different lives. I’m at home and I have two kids and my wife. I take out the trash. I battle the HOA and pick up my kids from school everyday. I go to PTA meetings. That’s who I am. Then I come here [gestures to When We Were Young Festival around him] and I get driven around in private cars and we hang out backstage with all these rockstars. We get treated like royalty and all this stuff. Now with the solo thing, it’s my third life. Now I, once again, have a new up-and-coming project. It’s cool, man!
There are days and moments where it’s hard to go from this to that. That’s a grind. We’re trying to get people to listen to it. We’re trying to get people to pay attention. Then there are days where that is so exciting – to be hungry and claw like Bayside used to. More than anything I just got to write whatever I wanted and make a different style of record. I’ve been in this band longer than I wasn’t in this band. I started the band when I was 17 and I’ve been in the band for 25 years so it’s cool to just play a different character.
You mentioned the new sound. It’s something we haven’t heard from you before – this outlaw, sort of western music. Tell me about writing in that genre.
It’s fun! It really is like playing a character. I do happen to live in Nashville, but I never really listened to any country growing up. I grew up in New York and was never surrounded by any country [music]. There are a couple of country things I dig, but, really, it’s just a style I had fun writing in. I had a vision of taking what I do normally, which is the darker, honest, brooding, kind of style, and mixing that with country. I had that idea in my head.
You also did some solo stuff at Warped Tour way back in the day, right?
Yeah, when they had an acoustic stage I would do that. Over the years I’ve done some solo recordings and tours. This is the first time I’ve really done a big push and treated it like a real project.
The crowd that normally sees you is used to moshing and crowd surfing. How’s that going to go with a more mellow set?
I think it’s going to be cool! It’s definitely a challenge. I have the luxury here to play songs loud and fast, and everyone goes crazy and sings along. I’m going to do a different thing, something very singer-songwriter. I’m going to tell a lot of stories. I’m just going to connect with the audience in a really intimate way.
These are some of the smallest venues you’ve played in years. Tell me about what it’s like to see the crowd face-to-face. At a festival, like the one where we’re talking at right now, you see a mass of people, but not individual faces.
It’s much harder for me, mentally. For instance, I’ve never sang karaoke in my life. I’ve been a professional singer for a quarter of a century and I’ve never sang karaoke. The idea of a bar full of people (or scattered people) watching me sing is so nerve-wracking. Like you said, when there’s a sea of people, I don’t really see anybody. I don’t know; it’s just a blur. It’s harder, but I think these shows are going to be cool. I’m going into it with a game plan. Now I just have to execute.
While we talk about When We Were Young Festival, we have to talk about the set last night. You played self-titled in full!
It’s awesome! It’s great! That record brings up so many awesome memories. Before that record came out, we had one other record [Sirens And Condolences] and it wasn’t very popular. We were really grinding . We weren’t playing to a lot of people. We had already been touring for four or five years at that point, but not a lot of people were coming, We weren’t opening for big bands. The self-titled record is what really went and changed my life. I’ve gotten a lot of fun memories from that time.
Some of those tracks, like “Evelyn” and “Half A Life,” you haven’t played in years.
Yeah! I think the last time we played all those songs was 15 years ago when the record was 10 years old.
Tell me about playing those tracks and seeing fans sing along – some who weren’t even born at the time of that release.
That is the coolest thing! That was me! That was me going to see NOFX and Bad Religion who were a generation older than me. Or even growing up listening to my parents’ music – The Beatles, The Beach Boys. Now that’s happening; a new generation of kids gets into it. I go into Barnes and Noble now and there are books that we’re in. When we were doing all this I never realized we were doing something important. Now we’re seeing the next generation of kids get into it, because the music has lasted this long. Then, of course, the people who still listen from when it came out and the people who are still listening to our new music! The next generation of kids has us like, “Wow, we’re one of those bands that outlasted a generation!”
Is there anything in that self-titled record that sticks out to you as an “I made it” moment. That really was Bayside’s breakthrough album.
Just playing the venues that we started out opening up for people in, then going on and doing headlining tours and selling out places. Right before we made self-titled we went out and we were supporting Fall Out Boy. It was 2004/2005. We were playing all these clubs and they were all sold out. Fall Out Boy was on their way to being Fall Out Boy. Then after the self-titled record came out, we went and played all those places we had played with Fall Out Boy, but then we sold them out. That was when it was like, “Wow, we’re a headlining band now!”
Last time we spoke, the new album, There Are Worse Things Than Being Alive had just dropped. Tell me about the response it has gotten.
It’s been amazing! To be a band for as long as we have and for people to listen to our new records is crazy! There are bands where playing new songs is something they want to do. They get it into the sets as much as they can, but it’s a battle between the band and the fans who want to hear something else. For us to play those songs and get as big or bigger reactions than old songs is a gift.
This year at Starland Ballroom, you played “Castaway” and the whole crowd went nuts like it came out 20 years ago!
That doesn’t happen to every band. We are really really lucky that kids are listening to the new stuff.
I know it’s very early, but any ideas for new Bayside music?
I always start with inspiration. I’m starting to come up with inspiration and find what I want to do. I always do that before I write anything. “What do I want to write? What am I trying to accomplish?” I’m starting to think about it. I’m doing solo stuff for the rest of the year. Next year is Bayside’s 25th anniversary. We’ve got a lot of anniversary touring planned around that. We’re a little ways away from another Bayside record, but I’m starting to wrap my head around what it’s going to sound like.
With 25 years of Bayside, can we expect some deep cuts on that tour?
Oh, yeah! We’re doing two nights in every city. The first night is a setlist of songs from the first four records, and the second night is a setlist from the second five records. Normally we go out and play between 20 and 25 songs. About half the setlist is already written with songs we have to play. This time with two nights and two different setlists we’re going to play 40-50 songs in every city. Really, the whole idea is to get into that stuff we don’t usually get to play. It’s crazy to see when you get to those deeper cuts on the record and kids singing along to those deep cuts we never play.
FOR MORE ON ANTHONY RANERI & HIS SOLO HAPPENINGS, CHECK OUT HIS INSTAGRAM! FOR ALL THINGS BAYSIDE, VISIT THEIR WEBSITE! GET TICKETS TO HIS SOLO CONCERT AT CROSSROADS IN NEW JERSEY TOMORROW NIGHT BY CLICKING HERE!
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