(December 19, 2007) PCM's Kristyn spent some time speaking with Nathan from the band The Midway State while they were on the road, traveling to Tennessee. Read on to learn a little bit of history behind the band and what they hope to accomplish with their music now and in the future...

Nathan: Hi, this is Nathan.

Kristyn: Hi Nathan, this is Kristyn with Pop Culture Madness!

N: Hey Kristyn, how are you?

KC: I'm fine, how are you doing?

N: Not too bad.

KC: Having some reception issues?

N: Yea - I guess so . . . does it sound okay right now?

KC: Yes, I can hear you. Can you hear me okay?

N: Good.

KC: Where are you guys at right now?

N: Between Florida and Tennessee. We're on like a long haul today. We have to go all the way to Nashville tonight. We played in Orlando at a luncheon there at the big Hard Rock Café show.

KC: Is that the big one at Universal?

N: Yeah, exactly.

KC: My aunt works at Universal Studios. Can you tell our readers a little history behind the band? How did you meet? I see you guys are from Canada. How does the music scene differ in Canada versus the States?

N: They're pretty similar in a lot of ways - Canada is similar to the United States. Me and Daenen, the drummer, we started the band in high school with some friends. Basically started touring around the country, my dad got us a van when we were about 17. When we got out of high school we moved to Toronto and we started to work with a producer named Gavin Brown and basically that's where we met Mike and Mike, our bass player and guitar player now. We put an ad at University looking for a bass player and guitar player and we had a couple of auditions and met them. We've been with them ever since. For about two years now. So then when we got out of high school, we did a tour of America afterward with a band called the Shining Paigones and we played with them. Then we met up with our manager/management company called A Point of Music out of Canada. Just basically from touring and playing shows and working on things is kind of how our career's gone thus far . . . playing with Daughtry and Ron De la Luca and Black at Night and bands like that. We've just been touring with other bands for years and years and we just finished recording our first full length record so it's kind of been like a natural progression since me and Daenen started the band four or five years ago.

KC: Okay. So who would you say are some of your main musical influences?

N: I love Neil Young, he's a Canadian song writer, Carol King and her record "Tapestry"; I love the band Fleetwood Mac a lot. Others in the band, Mike and Mike really like Radiohead, Daenen likes them, and alternative rock. For myself, I like the songwriters - Carol King, Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac, Journey, I love Paul McCartney, I love a lot of Paul McCartney solo stuff.

KC: Yea that's a different one, most people like the Beatles. It's interesting to hear Paul McCartney solo.

N: There's something about him - I love . . . Wings is just kind of neat.

KC: What has life been like on the road? Have you had any interesting road stories thus far?

N: Yea - a couple nights ago we were playing a show and we were in the middle of our first ballad and there were two women in a big fight. It was odd. But the tour's been really great we have like seven or eight in our band and our crew, and everyone really gets along really well. I think it's going a lot smoother than you would think for a bunch of guys in a van. Definitely being in the van for months at a time and staying in hotels at night we've had lots and lots and lots of interesting situations. Everyone kind of ends up back at the hotel at different time and you don't really . . . as long as you're on time in the morning, you're okay.

KC: Have there been any crazy fan experiences yet?

N: Yea, we've had we're starting to get more people and girls who drive like six hours to get here. We're not 100% used to it so we almost feel bad for them. We're like 'wow you drove that far? We're so thankful'. And we hang out with them and stuff. It super duper exciting. I'm like oh my god because you have that much confidence and you kind of want to keep going.

KC: that's a really good thing because I know fans really appreciate that kind of behavior - it's almost like, 'aw man, you changed when you got bigger' and things like that.

N: Totally, it's so important to us that they know how much we appreciate them. It's great at this level - bigger artists like the headlining act, like Daughtry, it's harder for them to do that. But we're not a big band right now, we're not jumped by a million fans every night, but its really nice - our fan base is growing in front of our eyes, we can really let them know that.

KC: Well, I wish you guys all the best. How do you feel about MySpace as a way to connect with fans?

N: I think it's really cool. We've had a MySpace page for the last view years, since it kind of got big. We all, we take time ever single day and respond to every single kid who writes to the band - we try to get some kind of message back to them so they know we really are reading it and we appreciate it. I think it's an awesome tool. We went over and played Europe and we're still keeping in touch with our Parisian fans and our British fans and our Australian fans and our American fans all at the same time.

KC: So you do maintain your own page, correct?

N: Oh yea.

KC: Good. Where do you see the future of music heading and where do you see yourself in that picture?

N: I think that the future is in . . . it's where it's always been, in good songs. I think that no matter what the state of the industry is or no matter how records are selling or what not, people are always going to love a good song that makes them feel a certain way and I always picture when I'm driving alone at night in my car, if I can list to that record that I love or hear that song, it gives me that feeling that nothing can ever take that away. It's the same with live music. Live music is more important then ever right now. It's like real bands that can really play and have the real thing I think bands are really craving that and needing that right now and they've gone through so much . . . the kind of music that doesn't have those same intentions. I think it's really coming around that way. I think the radio and everything like that is going to start embracing real song writing and broadening that again.

KC: That's a good answer. How do you feel about music categories in general? Your lyrics do have, at least in my opinion, some heavy emotional content, so where do you classify Midway State?

N: In the music scene right now? I think we fit into a wide range of the bands. I love a lot of piano based bands right now, we're just kind of . . . we have a piano in the band and its all about how you play it, you know? But I think we fit into an "easy rock" kind of new genre. Maybe like . . I hope to get to a place where in years and years, our new record that's coming out will be considered classic rock, but check us in 2020, you know? It's all about - we're really, really all about the songs. Any band that plays the music and brings the songs through songwriting or whatever, I think hopefully that's where we'll fit.

KC: When should we be expecting the full length CD?

N: It's going to come out in the New Year, around April.

KC: What do you guys like to do in your spare time, if any that you have right now?

N: Right now we're going to start the movie "Dumb & Dumber" in the van. We watch movies - stuff like that, listen to music. Keep up on all that band stuff on MySpace and we've been really lacking spare time this last year - recording our record, touring, rehearsing. I love songwriting, so whenever I'm home or on the road, I take my recorder in the back and I have my piano at home - I'm always working on writing for myself or for somebody else -

KC: What is one goal you want to accomplish with your music?

N: Do you have a specific meaning of that? Like a personal goal or a goal for the music itself.

KC: A personal goal.

N: A personal goal . . . let me think about that a moment . . . I really think that - since I was 14 when I started writing, I've always wanted every song I've written, I've always wanted to be recognized in one way or another. I don't think I've ever written music only for myself. I love writing for myself, but it's a personal goal that other writers recognize on a cultural level. For me to put out a record in April of good band songs, we put our whole hearts into it - our whole lives into it, I think that if the public recognizes it and appreciates it, I think, at this point in my live, that would be my musical goal fulfilled. To be recognized one way or the other. There's always an award show and stuff like that and they're incredible, but you can't strive to win awards or have a certain number of fans, but I think we feel really really strongly for the record that was made and the music that we're making and we feel it says what we wanted to say and in a lot of ways in putting out this record and having it be released in Europe and North America and Australia and Japan - that is a massive goal for me that we're making. When it's time to take it a step further, a huge goal would be to continue to do this. As lucky as we are, I'd like to go 10 more years and the only way to do that is to be recognized and know that no one really appreciates it the way we appreciate it ourselves.

KC: That's certainly not a bad goal to have, especially when there's so many bands out there - it's being able to stand out at least in some way and build up that fan base. I certainly think you guys are on your way up.

N: Thanks so much, thank you.

KC: Finally, can you tell our readers one secret about the band that we may not already know?

N: Hmmm let me think. (talking to band mates) We'll just say that whole thing with the razor . . .

KC: I'll keep that off the record. Come on - there's gotta be something!

N: Well, how about Mike & Mike our guitar and bass players - you will never find them apart. They've been hanging out since grade nine and they room together every night.

KC: Okay. That works. So that's just about all the questions I have for you. Is there any message or comment you'd like to share with readers of our website?

N: Sure. Just check us out on our MySpace or check us out at a show or on our website and we really appreciate your guys support. It means a lot to the guys and we can't wait to share the new record especially with all the fans in April.

KC: That's awesome. Are you guys gonna be in the Philadelphia area anytime?

N: Let me think . . . Probably the concept of the tour is happening in January and February, but I'm sure we'll be in your guys area before long . . we're always on the road. We're bound to be there soon.

KC: We definitely want to come check you guys out if you're in Philadelphia.

N: We'll definitely make sure that we save you some tickets.

KC: Okay that's awesome.

N: Thanks so much!

KC: Thanks for talking to us - good luck getting to Tennessee.

The Midway State "Change For You" music video