Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.
Anthony Pagorek - Vocals, bass
Joe Bickham - Drums
Ethan Grove - Vocals, guitar
Jeff Popka - Guitar

For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to Oceans Over Airplanes? How long has the band been around?
Farewell to February
Fathom Blue
Chancellor
Sail Oceana

OOA has been around for 6 years. However only 1 year in the current
line-up. At the moment Anthony is the only original member that remains in
the group.

What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?
We had a friend that died in a airplane crash and on their tombstone it said my body will forever lie beneath the ocean and we got inspired by that story. (actually that is not true, we use to tell that story and immediately tell people we were lying. It ended up being a pretty funny conversation starter with people. But the band name originally had no real
special meaning we just thought it sounded pretty cool. However over time the name has been a message to us to not always look at life in the normal way, its okay to think outside the box and be an individual. Before the band was OOA we were called The Coverup.

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?

The musical ideas usually start with Jeff and Ethan. Usually it’s just a riff and then the whole band works on the song together to craft it, create the structure, add complementary parts, etc. The lyrics are mostly written by Anthony, however with the addition of Ethan to the group some of the lyric writing and even the singing are shared. Many of the topics center
around relationships. These are family, friends, band-mates, love interests. I am a big believer that the relationships you have shape you into the person that you are and will become. The moments you create with people are the most important interactions you can have in my opinion and it is something that I want our listeners to never take for granted/loose sight
of. For as close as we all are with social media in the sense of availability, we are light years away from each other in a social sense. I want people to remember how it felt to get lost in conversation, to get their heart broken, to relieve a great evening from their past, etc. I
write from a personal place and its what has always felt right and natural. I have tried to write about politics and other issues, however I can’t ever get the emotions right and it feels forced. I can channel about interpersonal relationships all day. So I think my themes will continue to
stay consistent over time.

What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?
Turnover, The 1975, Gin Blossoms, Taking Back Sunday, Jimmy Eat World

Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a
band?
Anthony - Hum and Failure was the band that started it all for me. They we super talented groups that had huge sounding music, great tones, but somehow where able to incorporate these great melodies in all the chaos of noise. The way that each band layered sound was and is still very impressive to me.

What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, etc. …
Joe and Anthony usually go through a stretching routine before we perform. Ethan usually is good for a joke or three to loosen everyone up before we take the stage.
We do like to have a good dance party if we are feeling something at the time. Joe usually has a deep track that he likes to pull out to play or sing. Usually its some 80’s pop song or a 90’s Hip hop or dance track.

What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?
We have had the privilege to open up for Lucky Boys Confusion to a sold out crowd of over 600 people which was a great room to perform for. We also have played at SXSW as a band selected by Chicago’s Famous JBTV to perform at their showcase. This summer we are also a featured artist at the Taste of Chicago.

If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and
why?
We would love to tour with Jimmy Eat World. They have been making great music for a long time have become one of my favorite groups over the years and taught me so much about being a songwriter.

Foo Fighters would also be great. Just to meet Dave Grohl. They all seem like they are such down to earth, fun loving guys despite being the biggest Rock band in the world. I would think Dave and Taylor would be fun to hang out with on a daily basis. I have a weird feeling there would be some hazing from those two. It would be awesome as well to learn how they do it,
how they prepare for shows, how they put a set together, etc. Just an opportunity to learn from the best in the business would be priceless.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

We have a brand new EP coming out in July called Traditions. The single is already available on Spotify and iTunes. Our next single “Skeleton Bones” will be release as a music video in July
as well!
See our website for details: www.oceansoverairplanes.com
Twitter: @OOAirplanes
Instagram: OOAirplanes
and find us on Facebook, YouTube, band camp, iTunes for more content.
Thank you for your time!
(most of these questions were answered from the opinions of Anthony Pagorek
for reference)