Jaret Reddick – Bowling For Soup ‘We’re Definitely Going To Be The Fun Band’
As the end of the year soon approaches, we can start to excite ourselves with some of the end-of-year treats, such as the much-adored Good Things Festival. With another solid lineup that traverses through nu-metal to pop-punk, from new artists to old, there is truly an act for everyone.
We sat down with one of the acts that seamlessly unites fans both young and old, capturing the essence of 90s pop-punk, and the youth of much-loved children’s shows for years- the one and only, Bowling For Soup!
If there is one thing to take from this chat, it’s to clear your schedule for their set, which is destined to be filled with laughs, energy, and a whole lot of fun!
Firstly, when I think of Bowling For Soup, I think of you guys being a very intergenerational band. For people like myself, and I’m sure many other people coming to Good Things, I grew up with the likes of Phineas & Ferb and all the little tidbits you had on that show. I think a lot of us are now at the age where we come to a festival and see you guys. What does it mean to you that you have grown up alongside people and then you continue to soundtrack their adult lives a little bit?
Man, it’s one of my favourite things in the world, whether it’s Phineas & Ferb or whether it’s kids that first heard Bowling for Soup in their parents’ car, and now they’re coming to see us, or they’re coming to see us together. It’s one of my favourite things. We’ve been touring on Hangover You Don’t Deserve, which is the album that ‘1985’ is on. We’ve been playing ‘1985’ third, and ‘1985’ is always last. It’s been a really funny bit that we do. We’re just like, “But guess what? That’s not our biggest song. Our biggest song is this!” And it’s Phineas & Ferb. Because obviously, worldwide, it’s insanely huge. So, yeah, whatever it’s been that has helped the longevity of this whole thing, it’s just a really cool thing. I think the film and TV stuff that we’ve done, Jimmy Neutron, Phineas & Ferb, like you said, has been really great to us as far as the people such as yourself who are coming of age, starting to go to festivals, starting to go to shows, and starting to stream music and make playlists and all that. It’s definitely one of my favorite things about our band.
On that same note, I think Bowling For Soup continues to capture youth no matter how far along in your career that you pass. You’re always fun, always spunky. Even some of your latest work was a part of the Disney pop-punk album. But what is it that keeps you tied to this realm of youthfulness? Is it a way of you guys not wanting to grow up, or do you think that you’ve been boxed in?
Definitely not boxed in. I think the not wanting to grow up thing is probably closer. I think really, though, we just know who we are as a band. This genre started in the ’90s and got big in the 2000s. There’s been so many bands come and go, and some bands come in and reinvent themselves, and some of them don’t. We’re one of the ones that really felt like that’s not really us. I love Sum 41, and I’m so glad that they do their metal stuff and all that because they’re so great at it. But that doesn’t really fit what we do.
We knew we were funny. We know we’re more of an escape from a bad day than we are trying to get you to vote for a certain way politically. I think knowing who we are, realizing what our niche is, has really just kept us not really wanting to get out of this box that we’re in.
I like that we can do things where we can have a ballad and push it a little bit this way, or we can have a song like ‘America (Wake Up, Amy)’ that pushes it this way a little bit! But still, you know what you’re going to get. You buy a Bowling For Soup record, you know what it’s going to be like. You know that you’re going to laugh a little bit. You might cry a couple of times. That’s what it is.
Talking about expectations of the band, and you mentioned Sum 41, the reason I’m chatting to you today is because you’re coming to Good Things Festival, which is a very beloved festival in Australia. You’re sharing the stage with the likes of Sum 41 and Korn. What is it that Bowling For Soup brings to the table in a festival space?
Well, we’re definitely going to be the fun band. I don’t know that anybody is going to make you guys smile more than us. I think everybody’s going to know all of our songs, and it’s just going to be a big singalong freaking fun fest, and I’m excited about it. I can’t wait.
Speaking of singalongs, obviously, a lot of people would think that songs like ‘1985’ are going to be the moment of the day. But is there something that for you is the pinnacle of your set that you find is a little bit more niche?
I think ‘Girl All The Bad Guys Want’ is the exclamation point on our set. There’s something about when that riff kicks in and just the way that there’s a call and response in the chorus, it’s really when the audience starts to go crazy. But I will go back to the earlier questions and say, the most excited you will see the audience is Phineas and Ferb for sure.
It’s been a while since you’ve come to Australia. Do you think there’s anything you’re a little bit more prepared for in terms of what we bring to you guys?
I think we have a pretty good grasp of it. I think we’re pretty clear on how well we will be received and where we stand on the lineup and all of that. I’m excited to see just how everybody reacts to us because it has been 10 years. I think there’s a little bit of unknown where you’re like, “Well, are we going to be as popular Are we going to be more popular”? Are people going to be like, “Who are these guys”? But you tend to shake that off and just go, “Man, we’re going to go up there and do our thing, and everybody’s going to have a great time”!
It has been 10 years since the last visit, but the band is celebrating some massive milestones with 30 years of Bowling For Soup. Did you ever think it would get this far?
No. I’ll tell you, this band was started in a small town in Texas, literally for something to do to keep us out of trouble. It’s unbelievable that we’re still doing this. It’s unbelievable that we’re still doing this and people are still paying attention.
We’re more popular than we’ve ever been as far as people coming to the shows, as far as streaming is concerned. That’s a testament to the genre itself, I think, too.
I think the fact that there’s so many of us out here still doing it! New Found Glory celebrating 20 years of a record! And Simple Plan, Yellowcard, Story Of The Year, all celebrating 20-year albums, same year that we are, Less Than Jake as well. I think it’s just a really good time to be in the company that we’re in. I’m super proud of us, and I’m proud of everybody, and I’m glad that people are still listening, to be honest.
Is there anything within these 30 years, the most extravagant or wild memory that you can recall, that sticks true?
Oh, man. There’s so many of them. I mean, going to the Grammys in 2003 was pretty crazy. I think still to me, it’s the earlier stuff. Going to the UK for the first time, and we went into a big record store in London back when they still had record stores. We had a whole wall of Bowling For… It was just Bowling For Soup stuff. It’s just the coolest thing I’d ever seen. I wish that I could somehow capture that forever, but we didn’t have iPhone yet. But I’ll never forget how that hit me. But, man, there’s just been so many great milestones along the way. Honestly, they keep coming, so I hope they never stop.
Now, a bit more of a festival-related question since we’re heading that way. It can be for your fellow bandmates or for people coming, what are the festival essentials that you recommend to anyone?
Well, first of all, baby wipes! You’re going to need those for many reasons. Many, many reasons. I’m hoping that we get a place with some air conditioning to sit down every once in a while and some cold beers. I think if we have all of that, all of those things, it’s going to be a perfect day.
I think you’re in good luck with finding cold beers at an Australian Festival, so I think we will have you well and truly covered!
Interview by Georgia Haskins @ghaskins2002
You can catch Bowling For Soup at Good Things Festival, or at their exclusive sideshows (which you can find tickets to here)
Good Things Fest
December 6th at Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne (15+)
December 7th at Centennial Park, Sydney (16+)
December 8th at Showgrounds, Brisbane (15+)
Sideshows
with Taylor Acorn
December 10th at Metro Theatre, Syd
December 11th at Princess Theatre, Bris
December 12th at Corner Hotel, Melb
