Interview with Sum 41 drummer Steve Jocz and bassist Jason McCaslin

I was fortunate enough to attend the Vans Warped Tour when it made its way through Virginia Beach this year. While there were many bands playing, the band I wanted most to see was Sum 41. I have long been a fan of their music and I was eagerly looking forward to seeing them play live. It was an added bonus when I was able to actually sit down with drummer Steve Jocz and bassist Jason McCaslin to discuss the tour and their first new release, (Screaming Bloody Murder) since Underclass Hero in 2007. For over a decade now Sum 41 has been releasing records and touring incessantly. With the success of songs such as “Fat Lip,” “In Too Deep ” and “Makes No Difference” the band has racked up numerous awards including several Juno Awards and numerous platinum records. After a bit of a hiatus Sum 41 is back and in full swing. They will be touring for the next two years and Screaming Bloody Murder is due out at years end. Here is how the conversation went.

How is the tour going so far?
Steve: It has been going great. This is sort of our first tour back in a while. We have done a record and the shows have been awesome.

Jason: It is going really well.

Are you guys playing on the whole tour?
Steve: We are on the whole tour with the exception of 4 dates that we are playing in Japan. We will be playing two shows with Stevie Wonder.

Jason: It is like a huge festival and he is headlining two of the days we are playing.

Sharing the stage with Stevie Wonder. That has to be pretty exciting?
Steve: Sure… I think it will be pretty fun.

So it is a mixed genre sort of festival?
Steve: Yeah… in Japan it is just a music festival they don’t break things down into genres. So literally the last three bands are going to be us, Taylor Swift and then Stevie Wonder. On other stages the Pixies will be playing alongside Slash, so it is a real mix.

So you guys are not on the whole Warped tour then?
Steve: No we only miss four shows and then we come back and join it again in Pomona, California.

You guys have been at this for a long time now, do you find the rigors of touring taking a toll on you at all. I mean, right now you look rested and relaxed but I am sure it is tough?
Steve: I don’t know man… it is not that bad. It is like 30 minutes of work a day and a couple of interviews. The hanging out is what kills you. That is what makes your face look like an old catcher’s mitt… the hanging out. If there was more to do it probably would not be as hard.

Do you guys make it out to see some of the bands on this tour while you are waiting to play?
Steve: Normally, not really, but now Pennywise is on the tour and we are friends with them, so we watch their sets.

When can we expect something new from Sum 41?
Steve: The new record will be out at the end of the year. It is heavy, intense and pretty aggressive.

Did you have a hard time getting back into the swing of things after being off for quite a while?
Steve: Well we were off for about a year and a half or two years and we got married.

Jason: You might want to clarify that a bit.

The record is already complete then?
Steve: Yeah it is done.

Do you have a title for it yet?
Steve: Screaming Bloody Murder.

You said it should be out around the end of the year then?
Steve: Yeah… it is up to the label now.

Jason: Mixing, mastering and marketing now. They are putting the marketing plan together now.

What can fans expect from it?
Steve: It is a bit different… I mean it is still Sum 41 but it is heavy, it is pretty aggressive… there is some really heavy stuff on it and there is also some light stuff as well. The songwriting is better too.

Did you ever imagine you would be releasing records this far into your career?
Jason: No… I mean it is all kind of a shock. I mean this business chews people up on a regular basis and you guys have had some staying power.

Steve: Well I don’t know why. We are not asking too many questions we are just happy and are we gonna roll with it.

You said you are going to be out on the road for the next two years now?
Jason: Yeah we are going to Europe after this and then we go back in November for about five weeks. Then in the New Year we will be doing the United States and Canada.

Any closing words?
Steve: Just go to sum41.com for information about the new record. Soon we are going to be putting out a whole 12 minute section of the record for download.

So the first couple of songs?
Steve: It is like a whole 3 song section that flows into each other… a one chunk sampler that all works together. We are just going to give that away.

Sort of like a teaser of sorts?
Jason: Yeah just like a sort of indication of what the album will be like.  [ END ]