Ready for the concert of This Century?

MANILA, Philippines - How do you stay modern in the ever-changing pop music biz? One way is to name your band after the current millennium, as the band This Century chose to do. The pop rock band from Phoenix, Arizona has been making strides, even charting locally on the RX 93.1 Daily Survey for the last three months, with their single Everywhere Everything hitting No. 5 last Monday, possibly heading to No. 1.

Not only that, This Century promises an unforgettable concert in Manila, where they’re headlining a three-band show with We Are The In Crowd and Set Your Goals on Saturday, June 2 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. We got a chance to talk with This Century singer Joel Kanitz, who spoke about the band’s roots and their upcoming show in Manila.

PHILIPPINE STAR: What’s This Century’s frame of mind? What has been occupying most of the band’s time these days?

JOEL KANITZ: We’re in a very determined, ambitious frame of mind. We’re gearing up to release our brand new single and working towards putting together both national and international tour dates. Lately, we’ve been busier as we getting ready for our big show in Manila, but prior to this we were in the studio for a good chunk of time recording our new album.

This Century is an interesting band name. What’s behind the band’s moniker?

We wanted to change our band name but struggled to think of one for a few weeks. At some point, Sean said that we’d be “lucky to find a band name some time this century”. This Century stuck with us, so we decided to move forward with that as the new name. True story. Unfortunately, not as interesting as one might hope.

We’ve read that This Century started in your high school days. How was the Phoenix, Arizona music scene at the time?

When we started, the Phoenix music scene was transitioning from having an overwhelming amount of “screamo” bands to having a new batch of pop bands on the rise. We had great pop/rock bands like Jimmy Eat World and The Format to look up to. And yes, our hometown was very supportive. I think kids in the scene were happy to hear something besides the same old locals they had been listening to for so long.

Though we know musicians hate labeling their sound and avoid being boxed into a specific genre, what’s the best way to describe your music?

Refreshing pop-rock that grooves.

From 2007 to 2009, This Century was mainly releasing EPs instead of full albums. Why?

Kanitz be loved: “I really like to interact with our fans and make them feel like they’re a big part of what’s going on.”

The main reason behind the EPs was the money issue. Since we weren’t signed to a label at the time, we had to pay for everything ourselves, which meant recording fewer songs to save money. At the same time, we wanted to be able to keep pumping out new jams so the EP seemed to be a fitting choice. I also think EPs are starting to become more accepted and common in the music community, so that encouraged us to pull the trigger on them.

Your debut album, “Sound of Fire,” was released in 2011. How was the songwriting and recording experience different from your previous work in the studio? Did anything change in the dynamic? And how do you now feel about your album being officially released in the Philippines by Pulp Live Records?

The songwriting on “Sound of Fire” was much more collaborative than anything we had done before. A lot of the songs were written with all four of us sitting in a circle in our producer Tim Pagnotta’s living room. I think that made for a great record that painted a better picture of who we truly are. We couldn’t be happier that Pulp Live Records is putting it out and that our music has been so well received in the Philippines!

Tell us about the songwriting dynamic in the band. How does a song usually start off, and what does each member bring to the picture?

Usually a song will start off with either a melody or guitar riff that we think is catchy enough to pursue further. Lately, Sean and I have been together to get the melody and lyrics of the song written, and then Alex and Ryan will help bring in the percussive elements and add finishing touches. Everyone has their area of expertise and over the years we’ve fine-tuned our songwriting system. It wouldn’t feel like a This Century song if any one member wasn’t a part of that process.

Who were your primary musical influences growing up?

I looked up to Tom Delonge (Blink 182) when I first got heavily into music. I loved watching how much fun he had singing and playing guitar, and how happy the fans were. I wanted to be able to make people happy like that. That inspired me to pick up the guitar and sing. Nowadays, I look up to Brandon Boyd (Incubus) and Brandon Flowers (The Killers) since they’re both phenomenal frontmen.

Describe the band’s live show. What can fans in Manila expect to see, hear and experience at a This Century show?

We’re big on high-energy shows with a lot of crowd participation. I really like to interact with our fans and make them feel like they’re a big part of what’s going on. They can expect to be singing along to a lot of our set.

Any memorable tour moments?

The one that sticks in my mind is probably when we did a headlining show in Toronto. We ended up selling out the place and having a crazy show. I remember being blown away by that because we had only been to Toronto twice before and really didn’t expect to see that kind of a turnout.

What music are you currently listening to? What’s on your iPod/MP3 player?

I’ve been on this crazy Mozart kick lately — and by Mozart, I literally mean the composer. He’s my favorite as far as classical music goes. Other than that, I dig the new Gotye album. He’s got a fresh sound that intrigues me.

What do you want to tell fans in Manila?

Hello, Philippines. You better not miss this show because it’s going to be a memorable one. Plus, we’ll be playing a brand new song.

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This Century headlines a three-band concert with We Are The In Crowd and Set Your Goals on Saturday, June 2, 2012 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, sponsored by Vans. Tickets are available at all Ticketnet outlets nationwide. For ticket reservations call 911-5555.