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

Matt Hasenmueller: Vocals
Kyle Featherstone: Guitar/Keys
Kyle Culver: Guitar

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

The Millenium, as it is now, was an idea that finally came together May 2nd of 2014, after our two local bands, The Picture Perfect (Kyle Featherstone) and The Last Semester (Matt Hasenmueller, Kyle Culver) disbanded around the same time in late 2013. With of all us bringing different skill sets and expertise to the table, it only seemed fitting to form out of the ashes of the former and create something new.  

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

We haven’t changed the name, and really chose it so it could remain that way under any cultural scenarios that arise. We wanted something that could help us define the themes and topics of our generation. That idea of nostalgia is incredibly prominent in our lives. It’s important. It’s a foundation.

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?

It’s So Much Friendlier With Two was written by Kyle (Culver) and Matt, but the general theme of the songs as we start to coalesce as a three piece have been consistent; of love, of loss, and of learning.

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

Absolutely Coldplay, The 1975, Third Eye Blind, and resurgent 80’s instrumentation. What was analog is now digital, and sounds are so easily manipulated, it makes arrangement of our material more fun than it ever has been.. We thrive off those endless possibilities.

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

Kyle Culver: For me it was a slow transitional period from sports to the arts in high school. I picked up my first guitar when I was 15, and was heavily into the "coffeeshop" genre - John Mayer, Norah Jones. I played my first show in November of 2007, and the gratification and camaraderie from the audience was really an addictive feeling. In addition to that, the local music scene has had a profound impact on what I aspire to be. Coming from a town which has produced a few grammy winners, notably one of my favorite bands, Bon Iver, a very reputable indie scene, and a community in which the arts can flourish, to me it's a very motivational place to live. I can speak for the other members in saying that we all come from a very different musical background, and so the way in which we have coalesced as a band and bringing those elements to the table has been very cool.

Kyle Featherstone: It wasn’t really a concert that made me want to start, but after doing solo acoustic styled things for so long, I really got lonely and longed to have a band with my friends so I could play songs like the bands that inspired me like Jack’s Mannequin, Coldplay, The Rocket Summer, etc.

Matt Hasenmueller: Although I had been in bands in the past, when I saw Twenty One Pilots live at the Triple Rock in Minneapolis it inspired to create music built around making a unique live experience for both the audience, and myself.

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

Our preshow ritual is heavily based off scenes of Hot Rod. If you don’t know what that is..well…

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

As a band we all had a similar goal of playing Warped Tour, whether it be a single date or the whole tour. Having played Milwaukee and the Minnesota date since our inception,, it gave us an incredibly honest perspective on how much you have to sacrifice if you want to be a successful touring band.

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

The same as our influences, no questions asked. With The 1975’s 80’s aesthetic, coupled with Coldplay’s stadium technicolor light display, our angst and raw energy would be a fun compliment to experiment with.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

2015 has been overwhelmingly a bunch of things. Humbling, complicated, calculated, uncertain, but most of all the most rewarding thing all of us collectively have ever done as people and as a unit - as a team, family and band. Can’t wait to see what 2016 has in store, right alongside all of you. Thanks!