Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.

Jason De Leon- Vocals, Bret Bennette- Drums, Jeff Schultz- Guitar, Brian Halicki- Bass, Patrick Greenwood- Guitar

For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to I Made You Myself? How long has the band been around?

Bret and I had played in 2 bands together before IMYM. Terrible names, we’d rather not say. Jeff played in From the Sidelines and The Light Up Scene. Brian had a band called Radio Contact. The band has been around since 2010.

What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?

The band name I Made You Myself is a reference to pride and belief of what you’re doing. The name has never changed but there was definitely a point recently where we almost changed it. The name stands because it never stopped representing what we did/do.

Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time?

All of us take part in writing for instruments, but I write the lyrics for IMYM. My lyrics cover many different things but a lot of it is just based on personal experience and observation. There are more thoughts and experiences to be had with this life so topics will definitely change. However, that’s not to say I’ve lost my roots of aggression, self-loathing, coming of age-type things. That comes stock with me.

What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?

Underoath, Taking Back Sunday, Brand New, Every Time I die. There are way too many to count. If you couldn’t tell, we have a definite attachment to bands from the early 2000’s, especially since most of them are still going strong and killing it. There are 3 local bands that come to mind as far as more recent inspiration: When We Was Kids, Elder Light, and Ghost of a Dead Hummingbird. They’re all amazing friends and some of the best musicians we know.

Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?

The Color Morale plays a big part in the start of IMYM. They were a band that started small, had great music/work ethic, and were just very genuine people. They’re such a big band now. For us, they were proof that a small band like ours could, more or less, make it.

What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, etc …

So there’s definitely a big process for me. I have a specific vocal warm-up that I’ll do every day, about a week before performing. I’ll slow it down during the week of performance by warming up every other day. And Finally, I’ll warm up right before the actual performance. If there’s not some kind of actual physical benefit to all of this, I have a mental boost for sure.

What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?

We opened up for Enter Shikari and Being as an Ocean during the Take to the Skies 10 year anniversary tour. We felt like a big-time band for once. It was the biggest/most receptive crowd we’ve ever played to. We also had access backstage. It’s a nice feeling to not have security questioning you. The whole night was surreal.

If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?

Apologies for the slight repetition: Underoath, Taking Back Sunday, Brand New, Every Time I Die, just to name a few. They are huge inspirations for our music. A random one for me personally would be Knocked Loose. I feel like they are THE band right now. They seem like awesome guys to be around. I also feel like there would be this cool respect for each other’s music that a majority of people would not assume when you compare both bands. It would be cool to see them every day but from side stage of course. I’m far too small for the pit.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

We will be releasing an EP called Graveyard Songs later in October. It will be comprised of 5 older songs that we recorded over the last 5 or so years. We felt that these songs needed redemption as far as recording quality and proper reception of the songs is concerned. Also, we realized that people love our old material. This upcoming EP is a gift for the old school IMYM fans, as well as a nice send off to the old material. From here, we will venture into the “new” I Made You Myself.