Introduce yourself, name and duties in the band:
I’m Jeremy, I sing and play guitar and keys in Abandon Kansas.
Your debut EP, We’re All Going Somewhere, dropped on September 8. Tell us about it. What should music fans expect from this release?
This EP is definitely a step up (or ten) from our last effort. We have grown up a lot on the road the last two years. After playing 400+ shows together we could really vibe out what kind of music we wanted to write and what sort of songs our fanbase responded the best to. There are some really dancy, almost sexy, jams on this EP alongside some straightforward indie rock tunes. The lyrical content is much headier than our breakup songs from the past so I hope people can really get into the words. It’s still catchy, but not near as much cheesy synth as the full length. JR McNeely did a killer job mixing and we’re stoked with the way it turned out.
What was it like working with Mark Lee Townsend? How did he affect the outcome of the record?
Mark is a brilliant producer. He has worked with bands that our band loves like Deas Vail, Relient K, and House of Heroes and it was a total honor working with him. He brought a lot of experience, knowledge, and retro gear to the studio that brought our songs to life. We had the 6 songs written and ready to go and they didn’t change much at all when Mark heard them. However, he was able to magnify our strengths on this EP and gave us some clarity as to what kind of band we are. You always leave the studio a better musician, but Mark really took that idea to the next level and challenged us as men.
Long-time readers of Indie Vision Music have probably seen the name Abandon Kansas tossed around before (one of my first assigned reviews for this site was Minutes), but this is the first time they’ve seen it attached to Gotee Records. How did you guys get connected with them, and what made you think Gotee was the best fit for Abandon Kansas?
A few reps from Gotee saw us open up for I Am Terrified, another Gotee artist, at their CD release show last summer in Alabama. We didn’t think much of it then but we kept in touch and here a year later they are putting out our new record. We dodged and passed on quite a few offers the last year. I’m not saying we turned down any multi-million dollar deals but I will say that Gotee was not the biggest offer we received. The other labels that contacted us wanted us to change something. Either stop playing churches and start dressing like a scenester or stop playing bars and start appealing to the Christian families. Gotee was the only label that got us and wanted to support exactly what we were already doing. We love the roster, love the staff, and love everything the label is about. I can’t think of a better label home for our band.
One of my favorite lines on the EP comes from the title track, which says “We spend our lives tiptoeing carefully, just to arrive at our death safely.” Could you speak a little more on that sentiment?
The title track is a philosopher’s lament concerning fate and faith. This line is towards the end of the song as he realizes that no matter how careful and healthy and safe we are, all of us still have to die at some point. The chorus is his simple revelation that we’re all going somewhere and his plea for that somewhere to be safe.
What role does faith play in Abandon Kansas?
Songs come from inspiration and my inspiration comes from love, faith, and life on the road. You can hear all three pretty clearly in our songs but the latter two on this EP especially. All four of us are Christians and we do our best to spend time praying and reading the word together. Tour makes any sort of routine a challenge. God has been so faithful to us these last three years and we’re so humbled by all the opportunities that have come our way. Faith plays a huge role in this band from the lyrics I write to the way we run our business.
Any plans yet for a full length?
There has been talk of heading back to the studio and making this EP a full length or we may just release another EP. I figure it comes out the same either way as long as we’re always putting out fresh tunes.
This isn’t exactly a question, but I have to say the lineup on your upcoming tour with House of Heroes and The Wedding is pretty sweet. They’re both incredible bands pushing the limits of what’s being done in the industry today. Is there anything our readers should know about this tour? Why do you think they should come out to the shows?
We are really excited about the lineup for this tour as well. Though we haven’t played with The Wedding yet, we had the chance to play with House of Heroes a month ago and were totally blown away. Those guys are vocal gods! Anyone that loves music should come out these shows. All three bands are going to be putting on an intense live show and all three sounds are pretty unique. It’s a great way for us to kick off the release of this CD!
Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions for us. Anything else you’d like to add in closing?
People keep saying we’ve worked really hard as a DIY band over the last three years and that we totally deserve all of this cool stuff that’s happening. While we have worked hard, by no means do we feel entitled to this record deal, the radio play, or the amazing tours we’ve been on. We have so many incredibly talented people that have joined our team and we’re so humbled by the whole thing. We’ll keep writing songs and dancing like fools if people keep acting like their interested! We love Indie Vision too, appreciate what you guys do for the Christian music scene.
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