Up-Load UK, Gigs News & reviews Bowling For Soup Guilfest Interview

Prior to their Saturday night headline slot on the Ents24 stage at this year’s Guilfest, we caught up with Erik Chandler from Bowling For Soup for a quick chat about Guilfest and beer, amongst other things. Be sure to get your tickets for the festival this year so you don’t miss out on their legendary performance.

Up-load	You have been booked to play at the Guilfest festival this year and are headlining the Ents24 stage on Saturday night. It’s one of our favourite festivals due to the eclectic line up. Are you looking forward to it and how did the booking come about ?
Erik	we always look forward to playing festivals, because it's so much more than just a show. the whole day becomes an event. we all enjoy walking through the festival grounds-drinking beer and sampling food that isn't good for you at all. we were really happy to get the invitation to be a part of the day.
Up-load	Is there anyone else you are looking forward to seeing at the festival ?
Erik	as i said before we all enjoy strolling through festivals, so i imagine we'll get a chance to catch several of the other acts.
Up-load	The festival is famed for having one of the longest bars on the UK festival circuit (it’s 140 foot long) do you think you may be having a drink or two while you are there?
Erik	i have a feeling you'll be able to find me there quite a bit.
Up-load	Guilfest is also known for people dressing up as fairies etc (and that’s just the men) will we be seeing Bowling For Soup following in this tradition for your appearance as we know from your videos that you seem to enjoy the whole dressing up thing?
Erik	dressing up is only for videos. when we play i think we all dress for comfort, not for show...
Up-load	This has been a really busy year for you so far with tours in China and Australia, how did it all go and do you plan any more tours this year?
Erik	we just got back from an awesome tour that took us through japan, australia and china. all the shows were amazing. we played to the largest japanese audiences we've ever had. it was our first time in australia, and we had a blast! we've been trying to tour there for years, and until now it has never worked out. thankfully it went off without a hitch this time. the shows were so great that we are already planning to go back next year. as for china, it was our second time there and it was great. even better than the first time we were there. we won't be touring much more this year. just our short stint in the u.k. in july. we'll be playing a few random shows in the second half of the year, but mostly we'll be concentrating on recording a new album.
Up-load	When we last saw you at the end of 2007, you were heading back home to write and record some new material, have you actually managed to get any material written or recorded so far, and when can we expect to hear the new material?
Erik	actually when we left last october we were headed home to take some time off. a long needed break. at that point we wanted to take the better part of a year off. we knew that writing and recording an album would happen in '08, but we weren't in the right frame of mind to even consider when. i don't believe we had taken more than 4 months off in the last 9 years, so we were all pretty tired and ready to not have to think about the band for a little bit. the plan was to "take a break and we'll talk about a new album when we're ready." and now 7 months later we're all ready to get to work. we've just had a new rehearsal space built, so i think everyone is anxious to get in to the new place and break it in.
Up-load	You are hugely popular in the UK and have a very loyal fan base here, how would you compare British fans with your fans at home?
Erik	the fans in the u.k. are just a different breed of fan. there we hear things like "bfs and slipknot are my two favorite bands." you would never hear that in the states. the music culture just seems much more open with you guys and we love it .
Up-load	Have any of you ever had a stalker or over obsessive fan ?
Erik	i'm gonna say yes and leave it at that....
Up-load	What’s your favourite BFS song so far and why?
Erik	i can't really pick out just one. it's not that easy. you love different songs for different reasons, and one that you absolutely love today, you might be tired of in a week. so picking one above the others is nearly impossible.
	Now for a few silly random questions ...... Jam doughnuts or iced ring doughnuts? i don't really eat sweets, but i'll take the iced ring and scrape the icing off. Playstation or Nintendo Wii? wii Vodka or Beer? most of the time it's beer, but if we're in another country where we can't find our favorite american beer, it becomes vodka very quickly. MacDonalds or Burger King? i think they are both shit, so i don't really prefer one over the other. those are the kinds of things you are forced to eat when there are no other options. Women with tattoo’s or no tattoo’s? absolutely tatoos. there are few things sexier than a sleeved out rocker chic! we've all seen the t-shirts that say "i love dirty rocker boys" and i'm here to say that dirty rocker boys love dirty rocker girls. Shoes – slip on or lace up? i wear both. but even with my lace ups i still slip them on and off without tying and untying. Boxer shorts or briefs most of the time it's boxers, but i also enjoy going commando.