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![Before performing to a sold-out crowd for a hometown holiday show at The Palladium in Worcester, MA, Josh Lyford, keyboardist/vocalist of Four Year Strong, took some time to talk about the year in review, minor league hockey, and sex jokes, among other topics.
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AoS: This was a very busy year for you guys in terms of touring…
Josh: Yeah, I think there were a few weeks we had off in the year, if that.
AoS: There was a time in the beginning of the year where I think I saw you with Bayside every week or so.
Josh: It felt like we were on tour with Bayside for like ten years, but it was awesome.
AoS: As far as 2009 goes, you have the Taste of Chaos Tour dates announced. Any other plans?
Josh: Nothing really announceable yet, but we’re going to be recording our new CD and when we’re not doing that we’re going to be touring just like last year.
AoS: We’ll that be here in North America?
Josh: Well right now our plans are in North America but we’ll definitely be over in Europe and other places, I’m sure.
AoS: You had mentioned working on the new record. Any plans on when it’ll come out or is it kind of up-in-the-air right now?
Josh: Nothing guaranteed. I mean we’re going to be recording in the spring and then we want it to be out in summer…ish. (laughs) Actually, you know what, don’t even hold me to that because anything can happen. But we’re going to be recording soon. I’ll leave it at that.
AoS: A lot of people said [2007’s] Rise or Die Trying had a much heavier sound than It’s Our Time. How would you say the new record will compare to Rise or Die Trying?
Josh: Parts of it are going to be heavier. But at the same time it’s going to be more melodic. I feel like it’s very cliché to say, “It’s just us growing as a band,” but a lot of Rise or Die Trying was written when [guitarists/vocalists] Dan [O’Connor] and Alan [Day] were like 17 or 18 years old. We’re all in our twenties now so I’m sure it’ll be different. The song we have written now I’m really excited about. It’s more technical and heavier, but at the same time the vocals are more on-point. It’ll be good.
AoS: Four Year Strong incorporate a lot of lines from films into the titles of songs. What was your top film of 2008?
Josh: Honestly, I’m usually a huge film connoisseur but we’ve been on tour so much that I haven’t really been able to check much out. We saw Cloverfield in the theater; I thought that was pretty cool, and the X-Files movie. We all love the X-Files so that was pretty cool. [As far as] movies I’ve seen, not necessarily movies that were out in 2008, I saw Demons I and II again and those movies fucking rule. They’re some Italian horror movies.
AoS: You’re from Worcester and have had some great shows here at The Palladium. What is your favorite hometown show memory?](Josh%20Lyford%20Interview_files/shapeimage_3.jpg)
![Josh: My first QVCC (Quinis Village Community Center) show was probably my favorite. I look back, and I haven’t been there in awhile, but I remember being on that stage and thinking, “This place is so huge! This is crazy!” To look back on that, some of my favorite memories, seeing all of our friends at shows at the QVCC getting wild and seeing friend’s bands play. I mean, it’s still cool to see that but it’s a little bit different of an environment. We can’t really get down on the floor as much as we probably would have back in the day. Now we kind of just have to hang back. Once in awhile I’ll bust out a stage dive and then run backstage as soon as possible. We can’t get as crazy as we would like to.
AoS: You contributed a cover of the Sara Bareilles track “Love Song” to the Punk Goes Pop II album. What’s your take on the current affair of pop music?
Josh: I don’t want to sound detrimental because I know there are a lot of people doing positive things, but I think music as a whole sort of dumbs down every generation and it’s eventually going to become milk poured on a record. I feel like people get carried away too easily with autotune. A lot of stuff is really bland now. I think it’s like, “Oh well if it’s this cheesy then everyone will know it and we can sell a million records.” It’s rare to see a band that just goes out of its way to make original music. I think somebody’s got to fucking step up and do that pretty soon. But just like with anything, there are a million bands that are awesome right now. It’s just a lot of bands are getting overshadowed by cheesier maybe not-as-instrumental-minded people.
AoS: So no autotuner on the next Four Year Strong record?
Josh: (laughs) You know, there’s a time and a place. I feel like if your whole thing sounds like, “Ohh-ahh-ahh-ahh!” then there’s something wrong. Maybe don’t put your voice through effects for the entire CD.
AoS: Which concert venue would you most like to play that you’ve never played before?
Josh: That’s a tricky one. Any venue we’ve wanted to play here [in Worcester] we played. We always wanted to play the Metro in Chicago and we played there. We’ve pretty much played all of the places we’ve wanted to. Maybe some backyard party. The [Worcester arena] DCU Center one of these days; hang out with the [now defunct hockey team] Icecats or something. The Sharks. This isn’t Shark Country, this is fucking Icecat Country!
AoS: It sucked when the AHL (American Hockey League) changed up all the teams.
Josh: Right! I still call them the Icecats constantly. Scratch! I miss Scratch.
AoS: Do you know any good jokes?
Josh: We just got a whole stack of sex joke cards. I asked my grandma if she had ever tried 69 and she said, “No, I tried 57 once but that was all the sailors I could fit in me last night.” (laughs) It’s pretty shitty but it’s the only one I could remember.
AoS: Any last words for fans or anyone unfamiliar with Four Year Strong that may be reading this?
Josh: Come to our show and check it out. It’s easy to hate on shit on a message board but we’re usually a pretty good time. We’re not that shitty of people I think. We just like to chill and fucking get wild and hope kids get into it.
For photos of this show please go HERE](Josh%20Lyford%20Interview_files/shapeimage_4.png)
