We caught up with Ryan Neff from Miss May I who are currently headlining The AP Tour with The Ghost Inside, Like Moths to Flames, Amity Affliction, and Glass Cloud.
State your name and role in the band, please.
Ryan, Bass Player, professional complainer, F1 champ in the making.
What are the best things to give you guys when you are on tour?
Gift cards to Starbucks or Chipotle. We spend more time going to those 2 establishments than anywhere else.
On a day off in a city, what do you do with your time? How do you find out which restaurants to go to?
Just depend in the city. Today, we had bus trouble after a wheel flew off the trailer, so we arrived at 4:30 instead of 1:00, so luckily I had been here before and knew Chipotle and Starbucks were both within a few blocks.
How is your diet on tour different from what you would eat at home?
I eat like an idiot all the time. I have a taste for unhealthy things I guess so it’s pretty similar. Buffalo Wild Wings, Chipotle, and pizza most days.
What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, etc
I stretch, warm my voice up, warm my hands up to play, and take a few shots of Jack Daniels usually. Then I just try not to stress out before we go on. Playing well for me has always been a mental battle. If I approach it in a good mood it’s always better.
What are some tour rules that you have established?
Designated bunks and hotel rooms are a big one. And on bus tours we try to designate “G Rated” times if you will for when family visits and such.
Which song do you look forward to playing the most every night?
My favorite song to play is “Day by Day” but we added a few new ones that I’m into.
Who is your favorite up and coming artist out there at the moment?
I love the new Glass Cloud album. Stoked to have them supporting us on this tour
Will there be a deluxe reissue of At Heart?
No plans for that right now.
What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?
Being a main stage Warped Tour band was a big honor; and being selected to headline the AP tour is pretty awesome. Hard to pick 1 moment with so many good ones.
When a tour ends, what do you most look forward to about going home?
Relaxing for a bit. No deadlines, no stress, just hanging out!
What do you put into your music to differentiate yourselves from other bands in the genre?
We try to incorporate our inspiration from all genres/bands that we each individually enjoy. At Heart is a much different sounding album for us because of all the great music we were inspired by, and without allowing those different influences to make an impact on us we wouldn’t ever write anything new. Change is good in our book.
Last question: What advice do you have for bands or musicians trying to make a name for themselves today?
Have fun. If you’re in it for the glory and money you’re probably in for a rude awakening.