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

We are The Backseaters, from Denver, CO (USA). We are Jake Cook (guitar/vocals) and David Jerusik (drums).

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

Jake: Before The Backseaters, I had played in drums in numerous ands in Colorado (i.e. The Host Club, Shoot To Please, Express Line). I taught myself to play guitar and started The Backseaters a little over four years ago as just a way for me to write and record my own ideas for my own listening pleasure. After showing the material to friends and family, I was then persuaded to start playing shows and fully committing to it!    

David: For me personally I had messed around doing basement jams with friends, but Jake's been playing drums for years in the local Denver music scene!

What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?
        
Jake: The bands name actually derives from a Gaslight Anthem song called The Backseat. I’ve always loved that band and the stories they tell in their songs, and upon listening to that song over and over, I was instilled with a sense of nostalgia. When you’re young, you always go everywhere with your family (riding in the backseat); and as you get older, you and your friends start driving, so you find yourself taking new adventures, yet again, in the backseat.

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?   
         
Jake: I write the initial idea for the songs and then I bring them to David and he contributes his part to them. Lyrically though, I write all of my own lyrics because I am a firm believer in writing what you sing; because for me personally, I can’t sing with 100% passion about someone else’s life experiences. I write a lot about the things I’ve gone through either recently or something that has stuck with me from the past. This last record, I wrote a lot about how I view the world and certain situations I either see or am a part of. For instance, our song No Explanation has a part that says “there’s a man, he runs every time it’s 105 degrees, he wears a head band, and sweatpants, and I have no idea what any of this means,” and it goes on to say that you don’t have to explain the way you are. I got so caught up in trying to figure out why people act the way they do, and at the end of the day, we’re all individuals and it’s a lot easier to accept people for that opposed to trying to “figure them out.” 
         
David: Jake actually does all the writing for the stuff we do, and man does that guy kill it on a consistent basis. A lot of our songs touch upon social anxiety, depression, hope for a better future and a belief that things will always get better! I believe that as we get older and evolve as a band that the lyrical content will begin to change as well. Writing lyrics and music is always about what kind of headspace you're in at the time and hopefully as we all grow as human beings the nature of the music will change as well!

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

Jake: Currently, my inspirations for writing have been Brian Fallon (solo music), a band called Dads, and Death Cab For Cutie! Brian Fallon and Death Cab are always constants for me and my writing because, again, I love the story telling and the melodies; but I’ve really gotten hooked on Dads and their structures. Their songs “Boat Rich” and “Chewing Ghosts” have ben on repeat for me because I love the way they can dynamically change throughout the song. One minute its upbeat, fast, and crazy, and the next, its soft and slowed down. It’s hard to describe; you really just have to hear it for yourself!

David: For me it's personally classic emo bands like Say Anything, The Front Bottoms, and Blink-182. However newer bands like Can't Swim, Modern Baseball and a few other have really been inspiring us as artists!
           
Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?

Jake: Early on, I was heavily influenced by Blink 182, and watching Travis Barker play drums is what really incited my passion for playing music and being in bands. For The Backseaters, Gaslight was the main inspiration for me to start writing my own music. I really felt like they had something to say, and I felt like what I had to say was valid as well; so I started writing my thoughts, feelings and experiances into the form of music!

David: For me it's really anything cool, but when I was 14 I dragged my mom to a local music store here in Denver to watch a band called Meese play. I was unreasonably excited to go see them, and just seeing them up there doing there thing really inspired me to give it a try!

What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, ect …
    
Jake: At shows, I usually spend a lot of my time out in the crowd watching the other bands and thanking everyone for coming out. About 15 minutes before we play is the only time I go backstage. Usually I will just sit in silence and kind of get in the zone. I’ll usually bring a guitar back there with me so I can run some parts, and then I will do a quick vocal warm up. For me it’s all about just making sure my head is in the right place, and believing that I’m gonna go out there and give everyone one hell of a show!

David: Hahahahaha as far as I know it's kind of just show up and wait to play. Usually followed by nervous comments on how we're going to do, and then finally going up on stage and doing the absolute best that we can!

What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?
     
Jake: Hands down, the biggest highlight for the band so far has been our album release-show this past April. Not only were we releasing an album that we truly loved, but we had so many people there to support us! We played the best show we have ever played, and it was just all around an amazing night!

David: Oh by far it's been headlining our album release show at The Marquis Theatre in Denver. Being able to headline at a venue that has meant so much to me over the years is something I'll never forget!

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

Jake: Personally, I would love to tour with The Front Bottoms! We love their music and the videos that they post from their tours always look like they are having so much fun. The also play a lot of cool places to a lot of people who have never heard of us, so it would just be a total honor to tour with them!
 
David: In a perfect world I would probably choose a band like before mentioned The Front Bottoms because they look like a blast to tour with, but also a band like Modern Baseball would be awesome as well!

Is there anything else you would like to add?

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Thank you