A Day To Remember will be in Brazil at the end of March to perform at Lollapalooza on Saturday the 26th, alongside names like Miley Cyrus , A$AP Rocky , and Alok . This Thursday, the 3rd, the band was confirmed as an attraction at one of the famous Lolla Parties alongside Alexisonfire , who are also part of the lineup for the 26th.
In an interview with Wikimetal , guitarist Neil Westfall spoke with great excitement about what fans can expect from A Day To Remember's visit to Brazil. The visit had been confirmed since the 2020 edition of Lollapalooza , which was canceled due to the coronavirus.
Check out the full conversation:
Wikimetal: Lollapalooza is finally happening this year! What can Brazilian fans expect from your show?
Neil Westfall: An insane amount of energy. We're going to bring all the energy we have, literally. We were so excited when we found out about [the festival] in 2020, or something like that. It's been so long since we first talked about it that I don't even remember anymore, but it's been building up since then and we're really excited. Brazilian fans are some of the best in the whole world and we're going to bring energy. We're going to put on an incredible show and give back their energy. It's going to be like a big virtual hug, only in real life and without real hugs. It's going to be amazing.
WM: That's great to hear! You're playing on Saturday, which is one of the most diverse days in terms of acts, and you've said before that you consider this a good thing because it can introduce the band to new audiences. Do you think this pop-punk revival can help introduce heavier bands to younger people?
Neil: Absolutely. I think one of the coolest parts about our band, specifically, is that we kind of act as a bridge where, in the same song, we have a super pop-punk chorus, or entire pop-punk songs, and then we incorporate something heavy and people think, 'Wow, I didn't know I liked that.' I think a lot of bands these days aren't afraid to combine all these different genres, and I think that's great for everyone.
It's like reading the liner notes of a CD and finding several other bands that influenced that band, and then you discover new bands that you come to love. I think that's how it is nowadays. Having all these genres mixed together, all these bands in different playlists on streaming services, and being able to listen to them and think, 'Wow, I loved this band. I didn't even know I liked this kind of music.' It's really cool. I really think it's amazing that pop punk is back. It's probably bigger today than it ever was, to be honest. And being a part of that is incredible.
WM: Speaking of mixing genres, this new wave of pop punk has brought a mix of emo and hip-hop. Do you plan to collaborate with any hip-hop or rap artists?
Neil: Yes, we actually tried. When we were making Common Courtesy (2013), we asked Rick Ross if he wanted to be on one of the songs. We love rap and hip-hop. Honestly, that's probably the genre we listen to the most. When we're getting ready for shows, we like to listen to music that gets us excited.
WM: Who are some of your favorite [artists]?
Neil: Lately, it's all A$AP Rocky . Obviously Kanye West and Jay-Z . Some new names too. I like the ones that mix things up, like Lil Skies , Lil Gnar , those younger rappers who are also mixing worlds and pushing the boundaries in their genre. The ones that are incorporating a heavier element, like POORSTACY and Kodak Black . A lot of Florida stuff, we really like Florida hip-hop.
Anything that brings a lot of energy, regardless of where it comes from – whether it's rock, rap, metal, or heavy metal – anything that gives us that feeling, we listen to it. Honestly, we love all of it.
WM: You mentioned A$AP Rocky, and he's going to be one of the headliners on Saturday along with Miley Cyrus, who has also recently embraced rock. Have you heard anything from her, or do you have anything to say about these artists who came from other genres and are now migrating to rock?
Neil: I think it's incredible that everyone is exploring. The best part of being on A Day To Remember is being able to explore all these different genres, so seeing other artists exploring that too, you know they're going to end up creating things that have never been seen before. They're going to take a lot of those influences and incorporate them into their repertoire, into everything they've done in their careers, and they're going to create something that has never existed before. To me, that's exciting.
That's the most fun part of music: doing something that hasn't been done 100 times before. You listen to a song and you might think it sounds like seven other people, but then you hear something that these guys are creating and you think, 'Wow, this has never existed like this before.' And that gives you the same feeling as the first time you heard your favorite band. That's why I listen to music.
It seems like this has been happening more and more frequently lately, with these people blending genres and challenging limitations. And the fact that people aren't afraid to do this is incredible in itself. Because I think there's something good coming, and we and other people are going to keep releasing music that will shake the world, and it's amazing that rock is a part of that.
WM: I want to talk a little about your latest album because Jeremy once said that this album represents who you were, who you are, and who you want to be. You've been on the road for 20 years. Who do you still want to be, and what's next?
Neil: We want to headline festivals. We want to be able to put on shows that are on another level in terms of production. We want to be on tour. We want to be playing music in front of people for whom it means as much as it does to us. And honestly, we've never been so hungry. We've never wanted to go out and do this more than we do now.
I think going through this pandemic and seeing how fragile these live events are and how quickly they can be taken away from us has only contributed to giving us a sense of how important this is to us and to everyone involved, and how much it means to people and how much they need it as much as we do.
Looking to the future, we're not taking anything for granted. We want to do everything we want. We want to headline, we want to put on tours that are important not only to our fans, but to us as musicians. We want to play with people who inspire us and shine a light on new bands that will continue to push the boundaries even further.
So, after 20 years, we still have the same goals we had when we were starting out. We love this, this is our life, and we think about it every single day. We've been in the studio for the last three weeks just getting ready to go back on the road, building guitar rigs, getting ready to travel, putting together the show, writing songs, and feeling inspired. It's amazing. It really is.
WM: Can you tell me about something new?
Neil: We're working on new music, but we're always doing that [laughs]. We have some things that are close to being finished, but I don't know when that will happen. We're working on some things that are incredible. It's one of the best things we've ever done in our career, and I know everyone says that, but I truly believe that some of these songs we're writing are testing us and pushing our limits. It's really cool.
WM: That's great! For those who still don't know your band after all these years, how would you describe A Day To Remember?
Neil: Funny, that's a good question. Whenever I meet someone new, I tell them that we're confused about gender. We can't decide who we are or who we want to be, so we decide to be everything and everyone at the same time.
I basically say, 'Look, we have things that are acoustic and sound like Plain White T's and New Found Glory , but we also have things that sound like Slipknot and Cannibal Corpse or some other metal band.' We cover all the spectrums, all the genres involved in the spectrum, and I wouldn't do anything differently.
I also say that we know we have something for everyone. You know, we have all the flavors, and you might like one of them if you're into music in general and want to listen to A Day To Remember. I think we're all proud of that because we get to represent all the genres that inspire us. And also because people are receptive and accept us for doing that. So that means we're doing it at least a little bit well.
WM: Do you have any final message for your Brazilian fans?
Neil: Come have fun with us. Enjoy this experience with us because I don't know when we'll be able to come back, and we're going to make this experience as incredible as possible because we can't take any of this for granted.
