Having formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Valencia are known for playing sunny pop punk. Their third full length album Dancing With a Ghost comes out this month and we caught up with singer, Shane to chat about how things are going.
Hello and thanks for chatting with LGO. Please can you introduce yourself to our readers.
Hi! I’m Shane and I sing in Valencia.
Can you tell us what the mood is like in the world of Valencia right now?
We’re all just extremely excited to release our third record. As I’m writing this, we are on our way back to the east coast from Minneapolis where we just shot our music video for Dancing with a Ghost. So we are starting to get the ball rolling and get back on the road for the first time in a year and we couldn’t be happier.
Dancing with a Ghost is due out next month. What can we expect from this?
You can expect our best effort yet. It’s overall a bit more aggressive, but there are some new twists that I won’t ruin for you. Also, I feel like our live show with these songs and our new drummer Dan are going to be ten times better than any Valencia show you’ve ever seen.
Do you think it is much different to We All Need a Reason to Believe? If so what are the reasons for this?
Well the subject matter and meaning behind We All Need a Reason to Believe was about going through a really hard time in my life and describing the perseverance. Dancing with a Ghost deals with the change from being a young man somewhat confused with the direction life is taking you, to being a grown man trying to make yourself a better person through fighting your old habits.
As for the music, it’s the first record that we all feel we really came together as a band and had a clear vision and the inspiration to really put 110 percent into the entire process. We really gave ourselves and each other freedom to be creative. At this point we all trust in each other’s skills and believe we are the best we have ever been.
Have you tested out some of the songs at shows?
We have played a little more than half of the songs live so far. The reactions have been great and the kids seem to really be into it. On the upcoming tours were doing this fall we plan on playing two new ones until the record comes out.
Would you say there are any key themes to the album?
There’s a good amount of story telling on this record, but the over all theme is changing yourself for the better. Taking a look at yourself from where you are, yet trying to get yourself to where you want to be and the process of going through such a transformation.
Where does the lyrical inspiration come from?
Every day life mostly. All the songs come from personal experience. I was able to experiment a little with story telling on a few songs, but mostly the lyrical inspiration comes from true life stories and experiences.
How does the song writing process work for Valencia?
It changes from song to song. There have been times where I bring a song to the table and we work on it as a band, there’s been songs that have been written from scratch with all of us working together. A lot of times someone will bring an idea and we will just work on it as a band. We never restrict ourselves by saying the writing process has to be a certain way. We allow the song or idea to dictate the flow of creativity.
You’re touring for pretty much the next two months. Do you like touring?
We love touring. Our fans are the coolest people ever. We have been doing it for over 6 years now, and there’s no better feeling than standing on stage and having the kids that truly care about us screaming our words back to us. It makes the hard work and sacrifice worth it.
Who would you cite as the band’s musical influences?
That’s always a tough question ‘cause we all love so many different bands and it would be impossible to all pick a favourite. For me it’s a lot of Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Hot Water Music, Jimmy Eat World and many more.
Are there any bands you think we should check out?
There’s a ton of bands you should check out! The Wonder Years, The Swellers. The new Mumford and Sons record is incredible. Bayside has a new record coming out, and Person L are always good for some new tunes.
What can we expect from a live Valencia show?
A ton of energy and passion. We put everything we have into our performance, and we love it when the kids have fun. Also expect a lot of sweat!
Do you have any plans to come and see us in the UK?
We love the UK, it’s been a while since we were on the Kids in Glass Houses tour so we are itching to get back there. Hopefully that will be very soon!
Thanks very much for chatting with LGO, we hope to see you in the UK soon.
Thanks for the opportunity! Oct 12 Dancing With a Ghost check it out!!
You heard the man! Dancing With a Ghost is out this month.
Interview by Claire – Oct 2010
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