Fresh off the release of their second album Run on March 17, Awolnation is beginning its Run 2015 Tour, hitting locations all across the US and Canada before heading to Europe in August. As Vancouver is one of their first concert dates, The Peak got a chance to talk with Aaron Bruno, the songwriter and frontman of Awolnation, as he was preparing to leave the comforts of home for a summer on the road.
The Peak: What’s this period before the tour like? Is there a bit of anxiety?
Aaron Bruno: Yes. There’s a lot of anxiety, there’s a lot of strange feelings — it’s like purgatory. [. . .] I’m at home and I’m trying to have everything normal, and just enjoy home life and whatever, you know, get everything together, say goodbye to your family, and make sure you eat your last meal you like and all that kind of stuff. But it’s so abnormal and this whole thing is so strange.
I’m actually going through a bunch of last-minute things I need to do today [. . .] I have way less freedom than I’ve had for the last two years. It’s a strange thing. I’m kind of in between feelings, you know; I’ve got to get up early and leave, fly to Florida, and from there go to Seattle, and start the whole tour. It’s weird; it’s definitely strange [laughs]. But it’s exciting at the same time — I kind of just want to get on with it and start playing.
P: Going to a different city almost every day, do you get much of a feel for a city?
AB: Yes and no. It really depends on where I’m in and how much time I have. [. . .] If you have a day off in a city, you get more time to kind of search around, check out what is best about the city, or what the locals think is the best place to eat or check out, and the best nature to explore and whatnot. I bring a skateboard along so I’m constantly cruising around to see what the place has to offer. I definitely get a feel for the city, [but] it’s hard to get a feel for anything else because we’re usually parked in the middle of the most crowded area.
P: What’s your experience in Vancouver?
AB: We played a couple times in Vancouver, and [. . .] it was bonkers, it was just a really good crowd. I think the whole West Coast from where I live all the way up keeps getting better and better as you go north. You keep going up, it’s just more spectacular and beautiful. I feel at home on the West Coast, on the pacific coast for that matter, so that’s definitely something we always look forward to.
P: How would you describe an Awolnation concert?
AB: It’s a very bombastic, anthemic, emotional experience, you know, most people go away sweating. A lot. And hopefully want to come back for more.We definitely have a very interactive show, and you get a little bit of a sense where I came from in the punk rock/hardcore scene, but there’s also a sense of togetherness with sorts of different kinds of folks, all different shapes and sizes, male, female — we don’t appeal to one kind of person at all, it’s a little bit of everything. You may go to the show and see your next door neighbour’s mom for all you know, and at the same time see your ex-girlfriend from eighth grade.
P: How important do you see the live show being in comparison to recording in the studio?
AB: They’re equally important, but it really does start with the studio because you can’t play live unless you have songs to play.[. . .] I think in today’s day and age there’s a lot of technology and a lot of tracks going on, [. . .]we do our best to make sure that it is as real as possible[. . .] So it’s going to be a little bit more raw and a little dirtier of a sound, and a little bit heavier and louder of course.
[The live show is] extremely important to us, it really is. If [I] go to a show [. . . and ] I’m let down, that will definitely damage my interpretation of the record in a lot of ways. I won’t be as inclined to listen to it more, because I won’t really believe in the artist as I wanted to. Where if I see a band that blows my mind, that’s even better live, then I’m more inclined to follow them forever and become a lifetime fan. You know, it’s really important, it’s kind of a celebration of all the hard work in the studio and all the rehearsals. That’s what the live show is to us, to celebrate and rejoice in live music together.
P: Can you give us an idea what the songwriting process is like? Do you just get an idea in your head and try and play on the guitar?
AB: No it’s not just that. It’s a little bit of everything. An idea can come in all different forms — just out of thin air, in my head — you know, and I apply it, and I already have the beat worked out in my mind, maybe the bassline, and the melody and the lyrics, if I’m in luck all those things will come together at the same time.
Maybe in other instances it will start with just a drumbeat or it could be a chord progression on guitar or piano. The possibilities are really endless. I mean, it could be just [. . .] sitting waiting to turn left at a stoplight, my turning signal is perfectly in sync with some sort of groove I have in my mind, so then I record on my voice memo on my phone. What ends up becoming the full song, it really just started with the pulse of my car’s turn signal.
You never know when it’s going to come, but I’m always open for ideas to hit me.
For tour dates and more information, visit awolnationmusic.com.
