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

Will Carpenter – Guitar, Vocals, Production

Art Andranikyan – Drums

Dan Hange – Bass

For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to Ships Have Sailed? How long has the band been around?

[Will C.]

Dan and my last band were a rock hip-hop project called ‘7Lions’.  Art’s last major project was called ‘Terminal VI’.  All of us have played in tons of projects over the years…probably too many to count! J Ships Have Sailed has been around for about 2 ½ years now.

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

[Will C.]

No, I thought long and hard before naming this project.  The creation of the first Ships Have Sailed EP ‘Someday’ happened at a very transformative time in my life, and I found myself thinking a lot about how we arrive where we are in life…  So many different twists and turns to get us to where we belong, and any shift in that can drastically change the outcome.  It’s really fascinating, and I was inspired thinking about that in the context of where I was at the time…so I took the turn of phrase ‘That ship has sailed’ (which has somewhat negative connotations) and I flipped it on its head, creating a positive spin on it…thus, we get: Ships Have Sailed.

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?

[Will C.]

Generally, I do most of the writing, and also the production.  Dan has been known to get involved at times – he’s orchestrated some incredible horn parts for ‘If Only’ and ‘You Should Know’ on ‘Moodswings’, and Art always contributes to the groove.  The ideas tend to pop into my head and I’ll show them to the guys in kinda the pre-production stage, and then we go from there…whatever the particular song needs, you know?

Thematically, I feel the music changes from one album to the next.  ‘Someday’ was kind of about finding yourself as a new person, changing from who you once were.  ‘Moodswings’ was a bit more mature musically, and kinda toed the line between contemplative, moody and exuberant positivity, hence the name.  And now ‘Whispers’ turned out really melancholy for some reason…I think I just kind of channel what’s going on internally at the time, like, kind of the world through that lens.

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

[Will C.]

I’ve been listening to a lot of Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness lately, also The National and the new Mumford and Sons.  I’m loving the new Bon Iver record, but really have to sit down with it to dig in, and the new Fitz and the Tantrums record is pretty brilliant!  Really, though, it’s the world itself that tends to inspire the music – the world and the people and feelings that make it so fascinating.  I do love hearing what other artists are doing creatively, however, and that definitely tends to inform what inspires my production a little bit.

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

[Will C.]

For me that was somewhere in the midst of Nirvana, Jimi Hendrix and Red Hot Chili Peppers.  I had grown up playing classical music, and right around the time ‘Nevermind’ came out, one of my older sister’s friends made her this mix tape…it was incredible…I honestly wish I still had it.  There was Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Nirvana, RHCP, The Police, U2, The Cure…like, GREAT stuff, and a huge variety. And it just opened up my world musically.  Actually…I need to track her down and send her all our CDs and a letter about just how great her mix was… J

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

[Will C.]

For me, usually I just do some deep breathing and visualization…Art definitely has a warm-up regimen he does though…he’s super disciplined about preparation, and it always shows!

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

[Will C.]

Honestly that keeps changing, which I guess is a high-quality ‘problem’! Our first year playing live, we couldn’t believe we got a SXSW gig, a Canadian Music Week gig, and a CMJ gig all in the same year…that was pretty crazy.  But most recently Pat Monahan of the band ‘Train’ was randomly sent our song ‘If Only’ by a mutual friend on Twitter, and the next thing we know we were getting tweeted at by people hearing it on his show ‘Train Tracks’ on SiriusXM The Pulse.  Since then, he’s featured our music (‘If Only’ and also our song ‘Drive) a total of 6 or 7 times this year on his show, and it’s all a little mind-blowing.  I mean, here’s a guy who can write a profound song…like one that reminds you of the exact time and place you were, and even the smell of the air when you first heard it…and he’s digging what we’re doing…I have to say it’s a pretty surreal thing, like in the most amazing sort of way.

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

[Will C.]

How long can this list be??  Sorta joking, but not really – I have a huge variety of influences, and so I feel like we could tour with tons of artists and be cohesive.  Basically everyone I’ve mentioned previously in this interview would be amazing to tour with…and then also The 1975, and I actually think Bleachers would be a really great matchup for us.  …and I mean, The Beatles…who wouldn’t go tour with The Beatles?

Is there anything else you would like to add?

[Will C.]

First of all, thank you for the opportunity! Last but not least: we’re on tour on the east coast in early November! Tour dates are listed below. Come dance with us!

November 2 – New Brunswick, NJ – The Court Tavern

November 4 – New York, NY – The Bowery Electric

November 5 – TBD

November 6 – Burlington, VT – The Radio Bean

November 8 – Providence, RI – Alchemy

November 9 – Cambridge, MA – The Plough & Stars

November 10 – Somerville, MA – PA’s Lounge

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