Your Best Friend

My best friend? No... Your Best Friend.

MICHIGAN REPRESENT!

As some of you might know, I grew up in a small town in Michigan. I only recently left the Mitten State and moved out here to the Golden State this past July. I may be 3 thousand miles away from 'home,' but the people I love and care about are always close to my heart.

John Bonham, Dale Brown, Nick Edler and Steve Sochanek are some of the most genuine people and talented musicians I know.

Together, they make up the band Your Best Friend... residing out of Saginaw, Michigan.

YBF just released their debut full length album this past Friday [April the 18th] which has been in high anticipation for quite some time now.

It's one thing to listen to YBF's record, but seeing them live is a phenomenon.

When it comes to stage presence—some bands have it; some bands don't.
And let me tell you, YBF has it,
has it, has it!

Unlike many bands whose songs are void of meaning, YBF carefully write their songs about deep issues involving their lives. Not one song lacks a special significance.

Check out their newest song 'Near Perfect Wrists'
www.myspace.com/yourbestfriend

You'll understand instantly what I mean...

Now let's support and get these boys on the road!
Otherwise your families and jobs will suffer
puppies will cry
the sun will burn out
and it will be all your fault

SAVE THE WORLD!

Listen to Your Best Friend.

*See the original write-up w/ pictures and video here: http://www.renegadesofstyle.com/blogs/Your_Best_Friend.html - RenegadesOfStyle.com

The members: Your Best Friend is John Bonham of Saginaw, Dale Brown of Grand Blanc, Nick Edler of Millington and Steve Sochanek of Grand Rapids.

The history: “Your Best Friend formed on Nov. 8, 2003. We played our first show on Jan. 16, 2003, in Saginaw,” Bonham said.

“We had to take a hiatus when our original drummer could not commit to touring. We borrowed drummers from other bands until Nick joined in March of 2006. In the middle of booking a tour for October and November, our guitarist quit. After another hiatus, Steve joined the band in October of 2006. Now we are touring the Midwest and planning a full U.S. tour for the summer.”

What's up with the name: “It’s about the coming and going of people that you think could be, are, and were your best friend,” Brown said.

“It’s a lot of what we write about; people that were important to us and then all of the sudden they are gone,” Bonham said.

The style: “Right now, beards and tattoos are my influence,” Brown said. “I aspire to be as rock ’n’ roll as possible.”

Nick is listening to Brand New’s “The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me.”

“Cursive’s “Ugly Organ,” Weezer’s “Pinkerton” and Radiohead’s “OK Computer” are really important records to me,” Bonham said.

Sochanek said “The Boss,” Bruce Springsteen, is his greatest influence.

Got anything recorded? “We have a two-song CD available for purchase at http://shop.yourbestfriend rock.com. We plan on heading into the studio this upcoming fall to record our first full length. We have music online at www.myspace.com/ yourbestfriend or www.pure volume.com/yourbestfriend.”

Tell us your future? After this tour we are going to write and play regionally (Ohio, Indiana, Illinois). This summer we are going on our first full U.S. tour. In the fall, we are recording our first full-length. After that, we’re going to tour non-stop for a year or two, write a new record, and hit the road again. - GO & DO Michigan, A Heritage Newspapers Weekly Publication

YOUR BEST FRIEND SHOW REVIEW - MARCH 1st @ SKELLETONES IN GRAND RAPIDS, MI

Your Best Friend
Concert:
I did not catch the first minute of this concert, as I went outside for a smoke. They set up so fast. This band I did enjoy. They were very active on stage and they seemed to be very passionate. All of them. My impression of their music live was like Underoath, but not in genre. It was in the sense of that each individual member seemed to have brought their own style of playing, and for some reason when they mixed it together it worked. Despite their varying styles. The vocals were pretty strong, which is something that I look for in live music. The drums were solid. Shoot, everything was pretty solid, except for some of the piano rifts. But I think that was more along the lines that he had switch from playing guitar to piano quickly. I highly recommend giving this band a listen to.
Showmanship: 4 out of 4. A self-throwing bassist. Another guitar player that seemed to be all over the stage. The guitar/keyboardist making hand gestures at the audience. Very good.
Musicality: 3. 5 out of 4. They are original. They gel well. I loved their style. Musicianship was strong. Just need to work on getting to the keyboard faster, and they would be PERFECT-ly fine.
Interaction with Fans: 4 out of 4. They love their fans and seemed to give a damn.
CD: Demo
The CD costs only 3 bucks and contains two quality songs. I enjoy the transitions of the songs on this CD. However, it is just a Demo. But both songs on this CD are good. Any record company would be crazy not to at least give these guys a look. There really isn’t a dull moment in either of these songs as they do constantly change up.
The vocals come out great on this CD. However, the instrumentals can get a little fuzzy at times. The bass could come out a little bit more.
As far as comparing the CD to them live; the CD does them no justice to what they can do live. And that is not a knock on the CD, as the CD is good.
CD Rating: 3 out of 4. Balance is a minor issue on this CD. Oh and "The Path of an Illogical Liar" is my favorite out of the two. - Your Best Friend

While Your Best Friend write sensitive, melodic rock they somehow avoid being associated with the detrimental emo moniker that has tainted contemporary rock. On the contrary, their delicately textured layers and heartfelt orchestration work in their favor, associating them closely with bands like American Football and Mock Orange. "The Path Of An Illogical Liar" and "Keeping Company" are two examples of their clever songwriting - the anxious yet sensitive instrumental attack, the poignant sentiment, and the bipolar musical dynamic. I dig it! - Ryan Hoffer

A more dangerously energetic stage show with resulting personal band injury, cannot be found at the local, even regional level. Eyeballs have been cut, headstocks have been snapped off. This is real over the top rock theatrics, without sacrificing any clarity of the rock mayhem this Saginaw quad delivers. The first band I've ever photographed is also the most likely to find commercial success.

Tim Jagielo
Rock Star Art - Rock Star Art

YOUR BEST FRIEND

NICK HILBOURN, MORNING NEWS
Published: July 11, 2008

Those who dismiss the electric guitar as a roarous instrument incapable of expressing subtle emotion have never heard of Michigan rock group Your Best Friend.
It begins in the land of Michigan, where the lakes are pretty and the moose are many. Your Best Friend emerged from the ashes of short-lived rock projects called by such names as The Holy August Emergency, The Last Broadcast and Stars Will Fall.
Guitarist and lead vocalist John Bonham and bassist Dale Brown worked with guitarist Steve Sochanek on The Holy August Emergency, while drummer Nick Edler had previously worked with The Last Broadcast before coming together with Bonham and Brown. Guitarist Steve Sochaneck came on later after Stars Will Fall disbanded.
The tendrils of older projects found their way into Your Best Friend's sound. Check out The Holy August or Stars Will Fall on MySpace and you'll notice similar guitar work, but the scratchy, screaming voices have been replaced by crisp vocals and superb lyrics.

Continental Drift Rock
The heavy guitar sound present in former projects has blossomed into a resounding ambient feel that is musically mature. It's not uncommon for songs to have three or four movements, for electric to drop out and drop back in several times. Surprisingly, it doesn't become tedious. This has as much to do with the lyrics as with the understanding Bonham, Brown, Edler and Sochanek have come to musically over the course of Your Best Friend's lifespan. Pick any one of their tracks and you'll feel yourself listening to the music as much as the words. Each song feels whole, complete.
Although some might hint at technological tinkering, the marvel of click-track at work, the magic is just as much in the studio as it is in real life. Restraint is a beautiful word not used much in the rock world, where it's become acceptable to explode for an entire song without consideration for the message. For Your Best Friend, discipline and subtlety seem to be the tao of rock.
"Near Perfect Wrists" is an example. The beginning is a simple riff on electric that is backed by a foreboding drum beat that seems to beg for a rock supernova, but just when the thunderous clamor of a full-force electric guitar feels inevitable, the song continues on its current track with only the gentle plinking of a keyboard, until a few bars later where the real roar happens.
"Keeping Company" starts with a heavy electric presence and slides slyly into a low-fi jazz feel for the opening lyrics to the song and builds back into heavy electric with the tempo remaining firm the entire time. No monstrous acceleration that dips cheaply into punk rock, but a steady rock tempo that, with subtle changes in tone and rhythm, eventually shifts the whole direction of the song.
It's something like the musical equivalent of continental drift.

No single agenda
Further attention to Your Best Friend's choice of song topics reveals that they aren't ones for reverting to the simple subjects of love and loss.
"Aboriri" is a reflection on an unwanted pregnancy.
"The Path of an Illogical Liar" is an angry exposition against a compulsive liar.
"Near Perfect Wrists" talks about suicide.
There's no single agenda that the songs are trying to push forward, said Bonham. "We generally try to write about real issues in our lives, issues that most people could probably relate to in some context. The only common thread would be that all of our writing is something that one or all four of us have gone through."

Music appreciation
Their recently recorded, self-titled album is their first full-length and contains 10 songs. The album contains materials collected over the past few years. Bonham said that the album process has progressed slowly, but that's fine with them.
"We take a while to write," he said. "We try not to call a song complete until we are all happy with the song as a whole."
It's something the band has learned is essential to maintaining a music group. The business is inevitable, they noted, but what needs to come first and foremost are friendships and music.
Seeing more and more fans from as close as Kalamazoo to as far away as Japan find their music and enjoy it is enough to keep every member of the band happy.
"The love and appreciation for music and rocking out probably drives us more than anything," said Bonham. "It means the world to have kids relate to us and our music that much; it can make the worst days on tour great." - The Florence News in Florence, SC

Huge thanks to John Liberty and the Kalamazoo Gazette for this story. You can read it below or check out the full story <a href="http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2009/02/saginaw_indie_rockers_your_bes.html">HERE!</a>

Saginaw indie rockers Your Best Friend return to the band's birthplace -- Kalamazoo
by John Liberty | Kalamazoo Gazette
Thursday February 26, 2009, 11:00 AM

KALAMAZOO -- John Bonham and Dale Brown didn't tell their parents when they enrolled at Western Michigan University in 2003 that their idea of expanding their horizons had little to do with the books.

On their own, they moved to Kalamazoo because "back in the day, there was a good (music) scene," Bonham said, and they both wanted to start a rock band. It didn't take long for the two to meet, and their classes took a backseat. Brown, then 17, sold his dorm meal plan to buy a bass guitar and dropped out of classes halfway through the first semester. Bonham, then 18, pulled off a decent grade-point average, but was unhappy not being able to dedicate more time to their band, Your Best Friend.

"I didn't have any fun being at school instead of being in a rock band," he said.

At the end of the school year, they moved back to the east side of the state, near Saginaw. In retrospect, Bonham jokingly refers to it as the "dark year," but out of it arose their band, which added drummer Nick Edler in May, 2006.

They had met guitarist Steve Sochanek at WMU and, in October 2006, he joined the lineup.

"I don't think the band really got its wings until Steve and Nick joined," Bonham said. "It's good to have four people working toward one goal."

By January 2007, YBF was touring, including hitting Kalamazoo and encouraging people they met during their stint at WMU to come to shows. With a consistent lineup and decent following, YBF turned its attention to a full-length CD.

Last spring, YBF released its self-titled debut and again toured, this time, finally, with something to give to its followers. The album sold more than 1,000 copies in the first three months, a nice response for an independently-released work, Bonham said. The band will return to its birthplace with a show at 10 p.m. today at The Corner Bar, 1030 E. Vine St.

The themes -- loss, alienation, a wrecked friendship, family struggles and internal strife, among others -- often feature vocal work from every member of the band. Everyone contributes to writing and often use the music as a cathartic vehicle.

"When we initially write a song, the reason we're writing it is because we're upset about something or trying to figure something out," Bonham said. "Being able to use it as an outlet and express what we're going through, it gives us a better understanding of what we're going through."

The song "The Path of an Illogical Liar," written by Bonham, is a scathing, scream-fest aimed at a former member of the band. After it was posted online, the bandmate called Bonham.

"He wasn't mad, he just wanted to talk. We figured something out that day, so it was nice to clear the air," Bonham said.

The tone in other songs can also be easily identifiable to fans, too, although they may not know the backstory.

"When people connect with the songs, it's the highest compliment we can receive," Bonham said. - John Liberty - Kalamazoo Gazette

Your Best Friend - 3 stars

It's always questionable when a band associates with a completely unfamiliar network. Having never heard of any of the bands on the Top Friends list displayed by Your Best Friend on their MySpace page, going into this seemed a risky endeavor. There's a natural distinction to avoid bad music, and groups of unknown acts tend to put up red flags for me.

However, if Your Best Friend is any indication of this group, maybe it'd be wise to invest some time in their best friends, too. The Saginaw, MI quartet's self-titled debut is a surprisingly unique and creative effort that boasts boatloads of potential.

Though Your Best Friend truly don't sound like any one specific band, you might argue that they bear similarities to a more nü-emo Bear vs. Shark, a less hardcore-influenced Jena Berlin and Polar Bear Club's most tender moments.

The band utilizes their dual vocalists well. Both employ certain levels of gruffness and lower pitches, but they often carry a more sentimental earnestness in their delivery. Listen in "Near Perfect Wrists" when they sweetly sing "I will make you proud again (If I could just save myself)" over xylophone plinks and, eventually, piles of distorted guitars to close it.

That open-heart focus is restrained a bit by a pretty creative instrumental bearing. They've got those seemingly mathy, noodly guitars and dynamic production tricks, along with an occasional increase in the general aggression, as subtle as it may be.

Other notable moments include the drop-out and plead of "And I screamed 'liar'! I screamed 'liar'!" in "The Path of an Illogical Liar," the desperate promise of "I'll save my soul" in the Gatsbys American Dream-esque "Decimals" and the energetic, riffy "I'm Afraid of Myself and Everything I Haven't Done." The acoustic/electric punches in closer "Aboriri" stand out, too.

Your Best Friend sure takes a few listens to better appreciate its careful lining. But after several rotations, one comes to really see a refreshing honesty and ambition. Your Best Friend aren't exactly firing on every imaginable cylinder here, but the engine's definitely revving promisingly.

- PunkNews.org - punknews.org

YOUR BEST FRIEND


Ok so let's start with the usual, I don't know what order you wanna go in, but tell me who you are and what you do in the band?
Dale: My name is Dale Brown and I play the bass guitar and I sing.
John: My name's John Bonham, I play the guitar, the keyboard and I sing.
Steve: My name's Steve Sochanek. I play guitar and I sing.
Nick: I'm Nick Edler and I play the drums and I sing. We're like a boy band.
(laughing)
Colin: I'm Colin Scheffield and I'm just doing merch… and support…
I like the merch people.
Colin: That's cute.
We had a conversation about that.
Steve: Yep. Yes we did.

So you guys book all your own tours right? … For the most part?
John: Not for the most part, all the part.
Well I would have said "book all your own tours," but if I would have been wrong, I'd have felt kinda dumb.
Steve: That's embarrassing.
John: Yeah I could see what you mean there.

Right… Does it ever feel like too much to handle without having a label to help you or are you content without it?
Dale: Every time we book a tour it feels like too much.
John: Yeah it gets too… like… it's getting overwhelming, like the stuff we're having to do on the business side and then to uh… concentrate on promoting shows and then writing music, practicing, uh… having personal jobs. It's getting overwhelming kuz I feel like I get from work and then I just sit in front of the computer the rest of the time trying to book a tour and uh……… what am I trying to say?
Steve: It's not just that there's a lot of work. It's that there's a lot of work that a lot of times seems fruitless. You talk to people and they don't talk back or they just completely deny you. It's a lot of, a lot of getting rejected and still keeping at it… keeping going until you actually get a response or get a positive answer. So it's not so much the amount of work you have to do than it is the work and keeping your spirits up and keeping positive and just keeping going at it, you know?
John: You can email like a hundred people a day and maybe like four will get back to you and one of them will say ok, maybe, and then you still need to badger than person to make sure that the show's gonna go well and then half of those get canceled. It's just so frustrating to put all that time and effort in and sometimes it pays off and sometimes it doesn't.
Well I mean, I understand because with our website - well not with our website but I work for an autism charity - which I think I messaged you guys about - and we're trying to contact bands, like artists in the band, or get band's autographed merchandise that we auction off to raise money for autism research and nobody wants to get back to us except for bands that aren't signed or that nobody knows about which is fine, but like I said, on some different sort of level, I understand.
Steve: Yeah basically trying to do something for your organization and then… and no one's ever going to care about anything more than you do. Well I mean, like even on our level and we're not even anything big yet but it still gets to the point where like, we can't do everything for everyone that we want to you know? The bigger you get the more that starts to… as much as everything - like even a lot of the stuff you can't do is important but just having the time to do it and like… just the resources to do it starts to just….
Well like I said, in a weird way I understand, but not entirely.
Steve: It's getting to the point where we like… it's getting to where we're gonna need outside help.

Have you, I assume you have, looked into all the labels…?
John: Well as far as labels go, um we didn't wanna do anything until we had a new record out. We have the new record out now and we have live footage that we're putting out on DVD. Once we have that all together like the record and DVD, like a whole new press kit, we're gonna start shopping around to a couple of labels that we think would be a good fit for our band. Just try to go after them and see if we could do this for the rest of our lives.
Well… that's a little depressing conversation there. I hope you guys have good luck with that.
Steve: Yeah, we've got no back up plan. This band, with me in it, without before I came along, has been through much worse but… we're four dudes, five at this point, who like to persevere through anything. We have a main goal, this is what we like doing, this is what we wanna do… so it'll take more than this to break us.

Dale: Is this too loud?
John: Yeah… there's no end to this band.
It's good, no, it's good. I feel slightly weird shifting the topic but…
John: Shift it girl.

Do you have any plans to head out west at all?
John: Not west just yet.
I know it's expensive and all…
John: Every time we go on tour, like you gotta try to…. Like the first couple tours we did were the midwest then we wanted to branch out to the east and now we're trying to do the east coast and midwest. Just every time we go out we try to make a bigger circle. Like the next tour we're gonna do is gonna be like all midwest so then the tour after that we can branch out to the west but it just takes time.
Well gas prices are like four, four and a half dollars so I understand.
Steve: Yeah it's getting really frustrating with that too but…
Dale: It's not gonna stop us by any means. We're hoping it gets to the point where it stops other shitty touring bands. It's like, when you try to book a show, especially in the summer, there's so many other bands that are trying to book that same show and a lot of times the promoters don't know how good or bad they are. And they just kinda book first come first serve so if uh… gas prices get high enough, bands who aren't as serious, per say, can't do it and that'll start making it easy for us. We can't afford it either but we'll find a way.
Colin: Process of elimination. Weed that shit out.
Dale: Darwin at it's finest.

Do you have any favorite cities or even venues that you have played?
Steve: Philadelphia's been like my favorite city…
John: I'll agree with that.
Steve: … to be in so far. Um, we only played there once. It was a pretty good show, um… but I guess our best luck is been like… I don't even know if it's because of the city we're in or just because we're lucky to find a band that was really cool that would kind of take us under their wing in their hometown and you know, throw a good show for us… those have been our best shows. But just the city itself… in Chicago's been sweet.
Steve: There's other areas too like uh St Louis, Missouri area. We have some good friends there for awhile and whenever we go there there's always a good show. It's always fun to hang out with them and the crowds there as all. Pretty much every time we go out we meet someone new… like a good friend's band that we could play with that like there are people there that like cross over bands, like in South Carolina we played with Sent by Ravens. We met a band from Miami in Kentucky, And Then There Was You. And every time we go back to those cities the shows are better.

Do you have any strange or silly nicknames for each other?
Dale: (laughs) J-Boz, J-Bones, James, Jermaine (???), J-maine. J-bird.
Nick: They're all pretty dumb.
John: Uh D. D-boz.
(lots of laughing and various nicknames)
John: She-train. I've got a wrestling alter ego - the abominable snowman. Keep your eye out for that Vince McMahon.

So what are some must haves while being on the road?
Dale: Cheesecake, uh pasta salad.
Steve: 100 Grand
Dale: Energy drinks uh, soap, food and shelter, um… gasoline, underpants.
Steve: Uh wanna move like… out in the hallway or something?
(we moved into the quieter stairwell)
Steve: Take three…

So this is a fan-submitted question … What do you do before shows to get pumped in order to bring the high energy performances that you do to the stage?
Steve: We stretch out a lot… that's the main thing.
Nick: I jump up and down. I really do. I jump up and down a lot. I don't know what it does but I'll jump up and down.
Steve: That doesn't really… we'll stretch before the show as a precautionary measure so we don't pull anything you know? Like as far as getting pumped goes, it's just as soon as we start playing. I mean even at practice just when we start playing we start moving, you know?
Nick: I think one of the biggest things too, if there's a good crowd there and not necessarily a big crowd but a crowd that really is interested in us and really wants to hear, maybe not even us, just the music and they're excited about being at a show, that makes us way pumped up. Yeah, if kids are excited we're way excited.
John: Well we played shows for like 10 kids there were, like that show in Georgia. There were like 10 people there and we thought it was going to suck but there were like really interested in what we were playing and we actually played our first encore. We played like… they wanted one more song and we did it and it was stupid but like… I would rather play shows with 10 kids like that than 100 kids who just didn't care.

I've heard a lot of people compare you guys to Brand New. How do you react to that?
John: Yeah we've heard that before. Like a heavier Brand New. We all listen to Brand New. We think they're a great band. It's cool to be compared to them. I mean, we all like em a lot.
Dale: We don't try to be like them. We try not to steal, like you know, a bands rights to make music like "Oh that sounds like this song" or like, if that happens with us we try to catch it and change the part or use a different part.
John: We never set out like "Hey, lets start a band. I wanna go for this sort of feel." We just kinda play and see what comes of it.
Steve: Influences blood through whatever you listen to obviously. You know, you listen to bands and then it comes through but I think we're like Boyz II Men in some aspects too.

I have people ask me, "Who, your best friend? Do you mean MY best friend?"
Dale: That's the worst part about our band.
Nick: Everyone that says that joke thinks they're the first person to say it and thinks it's a real witty, comic thing and it's not and people start to say "Oh Your Best Friend's up next and they're our best friend" and then I get mad (laughs) "… They're gonna be your best friend too"… no we're not, we're jerks.
(Nick leaves)
Dale: Colin, you're the new Nick.
Steve: Thanks for coming.

No problem. So my website, TragicEndings, we support causes such as Skate 4 Cancer, which you never heard about…
Steve: But you were telling me about it…
Right. And like To Write Love on Her Arms. Are there any causes in particular that you guys support or want to make people more aware of?
Steve: Nick needs to answer this question kuz he's got the Love Alliance.
(Nick came back)
Steve: Hey tell her about the Love Alliance.
Nick: It was like… some of the people that helped start To Write Love on Her Arms and they just asked us if we wanted to be a part of what they were doing and then they never reached out to us (laughs).
Nick: But what is the cause….?
Is it like the same thing [as TWLOHA]?
Nick: Yeah, it's like the same idea. The people that helped start it, it's the same thing it just never got as big. We're just like, let us know what you want us to do, and they were like just put our banner on your page and we did and they never asked anything else of us so…

So if you were a piñata, what shape you would be and what would you be filled with?
Dale: Mmm, I'd be shaped like a jellyfish and I'd be filled with jelly.
John: I'd be shaped like a jellyfish and I'd be filled with fish.
Steve: I'd be shaped like 100 Grand and I'd be filled with a bunch of 100 Grands.
Nick: I'd be shaped like an owl and I'd be filled with pez.
John: I wanna change mine though. I'd be shaped like a wrestler and filled with wrestlers. Like a really big wrestler.
Colin: Eeyore.
(laughs)
John: What would you be filled with?
Colin: Many Eeyores. Piglet actually. Possibly all Pooh's pals.

If you were stranded on a deserted island and you could only have one album with you for all eternity, what album would you choose?
Dale: Third Eye Blind - Self-titled.
John: Cursive - Ugly Organ. Wait, are we together so I can listen to his record too? Hey Steve, pick Weezer - Pinkerton.
Sure, why not. You can't tell him what to pick.
John: I didn't.
Yes you did, I heard you.
(laughs)
Steve: I'll probably pick Pink Floyd's The Wall.
Nick: The Beatles - Sergeant Pepper
Colin: Smashing Pumpkins - Melancholy
John: OH! The double-disc. A LOOPHOLE, A LOOPHOLE.

So what are your plans for the rest of the year, or do you not have any really?
John: We have plans. We're gonna finish up this tour and then head back to Michigan and go back to work and our personal lives and stuff like that and book another tour for October/November and uh… ride out the holiday season and probably go back out again in January. Keep touring and touring and touring and all the while shopping out the labels seeing if we can get some label support. It doesn't matter kuz we're still gonna keep touring.
Steve: We're all in this together.

I know your album just came out in April so it's really early to be talking about it but do you have any plans for another album?
John: Not yet. It takes us forever to write songs kuz we're super picky and all four of us have to agree on almost every aspect of every song. Right now we're just trying to support this record and we're gonna be out touring it for awhile. We'll write in our spare time but we don't really have much spare time.
Steve: We'll probably wait until everything after this album dies down. We'll wait til we reach as many people as we can around the states until we exhaust ourselves playing these 10 songs and then get back to writing another album, writing some new material to put out but for now we're focused on supporting this kuz there's only a small handful of people that have heard everything on it so we need to get it out to more people.
John: I think it's kind of a goal to get hopefully, to get signed and to get this record that we have re-released on a label before we write another one. I mean kuz this record's new to us and it's new to people that we even meet face to face but as soon as we can get it on a label and in stores then it's kinda new to the… all over the country. Once we get distribution like that it'll be new all over again. Six months from now if we get signed we could be back on the road supporting the same record but to everyone else we're supporting our new record.
Dale: And I'm pretty sure when like on the road, we all still write a little stuff here and there like nothing major, but uh… I still write lyrics and I play on the guitar. So we have ideas and that really helps to have some good… if we all like our ideas and come up with a basic framework then by the time we get to work out together it's a lot less stressful… but it still sucks.

(laughs)

Well that's really all I have.
John: That's beautiful.

Is there anything else you'd want to say?
Steve: If you can just mention our website, myspace and everything.
John: Myspace.com/yourbestfriend. Yourbestfriendrock.com. Shop at yourbestfriendrock.com. Buy that -ish.
Steve: Thank you so much! - tragicendings.net

TOTAL CHAOS BAND SPOTLIGHT: YOUR BEST FRIEND

BAND SPOTLIGHT!!!

YOUR BEST FRIEND

The most requested new band spotlight BY FAR was YOUR BEST FRIEND, an unsigned band based out of Michigan who is gathering steam fast. We were lucky enough to get a phone call with Band Member John Bonham! The interview is posted here.

YOUR BEST FRIEND INTERVIEW
Paxton: TCM

Pax:Alright, so just real quick for the record, can introduce yourself

YBF:I'm John, I'm vocals, guitar and keyboard

Pax: You guys are from Michigan right?

YBF:Yeah

Pax:So Michigan is a tough place to break out onto the music scene from, and yet you have been our most requested band after a sensation such as There for Tomorrow. What do you contribute your success to?

YBF: We work hard, practice everyday, we book our own shows. We basically base our life around the band. And our fans are AWESOME, we don't call them fans. They're friends.

Pax: Where do you guys draw your influence from?

YBF:We listen to a wide variety of things. Basically everybody. I listen to Brand New, our other guitarist is Pink Floyd. Yeah, everything.

Pax: Tell me about your new album. It came out April 18, right?

YBF: Yeah. Our release show was in our home town. It was nuts. There were like 500 people there. They came from all over Michigan, but then there was Illinois and Indiana and Ohio. People even flew in from California! It was Amazing

Pax:From the look from your myspace, you guys have a got a busy summer comin', Where can fans expect to see you?

YBF: All over Michigan, we're also going to the East coast! Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, Maryland, Both the Carolinas. We'll be all over, trying to sell our T-Shirts. Haha.

Pax:Where do you see yourself in ten years?

YBF: Oh man. I hope we're not washed up by then! Well, I hope to be with a good label, you know? We're still pretty young, I think we can still tour. Haha

Pax:What is the craziest thing a fan has done at a show?

YBF: Well, it wasn't really AT a show, but two people had lyrics from our song "Keeping Company" Tattooed on them. Yeah. That was pretty crazy.

Pax:Alright, so what do you guys do during your down time?

YBF: Uh... I don't really do much. We work 40 hour weeks and then we have booking tours and running the online store. It doesn't leave much down time. I guess as far as hobbies go we have a few. Steve has video games, Dale watches movies, Nick LOVES Rockstar energy drinks. And I'm all about WRESTLING! Don't you dare let anybody say anything bad about wrestling!

Pax:If you could organize your own tour with any band who would you choose?

YBF: My hero is Cursive! I'd be intimidated but it'd be incredible. Anybody big like that. Brand New, Cursive. It would be awesome to open for some of our heroes.

Pax:Anything you want to say to your fans?

YBF: THANK YOU!!! You guys are crazy! Getting Tattoos and everything, we love you! We'd be a joke without you guys. THis is all about you and we'll keep going until it gets sad, Haha.

Pax: Alrighty, that's about it! Thanks so much!

YBF:Oh no problem! It's been a blasty blast! Bye!


Members:
John Bonham
Dale Brown
Nick Edler
Steve Sochanek

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/yourbestfriend

Look for them!:
All Tour dates are listed on their myspace! - Total Chaos