Dan "Soupy" Campbell - The Wonder Years (audio interview)
When a band cracks the decade milestone it's such a momentous occasion which needs to be celebrated no matter if you've reached international success, national acknowledgement or are just considered local heroes. A band that has just unlocked this achievement is Philadelphia's pop-punk heroes The Wonder Years who are also celebrating the release of their fifth studio album "No Closer To Heaven" which is also out today.
Typically when a bands releases a new album, we get to chat about the recording process involved and what it was like working with "insert well known producer here", but on this occasion we've decided to take things in a different direction and focus on the past ten years of The Wonder Years with front-man Dan "Soupy" Campbell. A fellow bearded brother (who doesn't get classed as a hipster, unlike myself) who is more than willing to share with us all the origins of the band and how he had no idea they would become as successfully well known as they are today.
From the inception of their easily picked name (which they're still worried will result in a lawsuit any minute now), Dan takes us on a journey throughout the years focusing on the songs from each album that have the most memorable stories or anecdotes attached to them, which after all these years, still bring the memories flooding back to them. Whether it be getting stranded with a dodgy tour van on New Years Eve in freezing temperatures, or subconsciously coming up with the lyrics of a song in a dream, while suffering from the anxiety of trying to back up such a successfully well received second album, all the way though to the hard hitting (and close to home) topic of substance abuse on the new album "No Closer to Heaven" which touches on the sad passing of a friend as a result of their prescription painkiller addiction. A topic so raw and powerful that it literally brought Dan to suffer an emotional breakdown whilst he was in the recording booth.
As fans we love music because it can take us away from reality and back to a familiar memory of the past, or in most cases, it can relate to a time in our life where we connected with the lyrics better than what the band had intended. However when you're in the band and a song can have that effect on you, before anyone else has had the chance to hear the final result, you know you're on a winner and are making an even bigger connection with your fans by sharing those moments which literally brought you to your knees and exposed your emotion to the world.
The new album from The Wonder Years is by far their best work to date and it is a pleasure to call myself a fans of these guys. While they have no plans as of yet to make their return to Australia, you can certainly fill the void until they're back by grabbing a copy of "No Closer to Heaven" and helping to celebrate the band's tenth year together by taking a trip down memory lane with Dan "Soupy" Campbell insight below.
Until next time, rock the fuck out.
Browny (@brownypaul)
Facebook: The Wonder Years
Twitter: @twypoppunk, @headabovewater
Website: www.thewonderyearsband.com
"No Closer to Heaven" Out Today!
If you or someone you know needs help with their own mental well-being, please get in touch with Beyond Blue or call 1300 22 4636.
