{"id":18186,"date":"2013-09-10T23:52:41","date_gmt":"2013-09-10T13:52:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/maytherockbewithyou.com\/mtrbwy\/?p=18186"},"modified":"2013-09-10T23:52:41","modified_gmt":"2013-09-10T13:52:41","slug":"jenna-mcdougall-and-whakaio-taahi-of-tonight-alive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maytherockbewithyou.com\/mtrbwy\/2013\/09\/jenna-mcdougall-and-whakaio-taahi-of-tonight-alive\/","title":{"rendered":"Jenna McDougall and Whakaio Taahi of Tonight Alive"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n<\/a>\u201cSo it\u2019s just little things like that that we\u2019ve taken on board and made sure that this whole album is going to be good live, and we wanted to write something explosive and hit hard physically and sonically but also emotionally.\u201d<\/p>\n

From Release:\u00a0 After recording their 2011 debut album What Are You So Scared Of?<\/em> <\/strong><\/em>in Los Angeles with Mark Trombino,\u00a0 Australian pop-punk icons, TONIGHT ALIVE,<\/strong> decided to make their sophomore album closer to home. After finding a stunning remote house near Coffs Harbour, NSW, on a property surrounded by acres of forest, they took it over and reinvented it as their own epic recording studio. They were joined in by long-time collaborator, Dave Petrovic, and combined forces to create the masterpiece that is THE OTHER SIDE<\/em>, which was then mixed by Dan Korneff (Pierce The Veil, Paramore, Sleeping With Sirens).<\/p>\n

Since their debut release, TONIGHT ALIVE has relentlessly toured the world including Europe, Asia, Japan, the US and the UK. In 2012 alone, the band played to in excess of a quarter of a million fans that included wowed crowds on the US Vans Warped Tour and the Kerrang! Tour in the UK and now just back from Vans Warped Tour in 2013\u2026<\/p>\n

On a day off from their current Australian tour, we sat down with Jenna and Whakaio (Whak) from Tonight Alive for a great chat to talk about their new album \u2018The Other Side\u2019 and its creation, as well as touring and how much they\u2019ve done in only their short time together.<\/p>\n

First thing\u2019s first, congratulations on the new album.<\/strong>
\nBoth:<\/strong> Thank you<\/p>\n

Is there a sense of relief when you finally get an album out?<\/strong>
\nJenna:<\/strong> Yes
\nWhak:<\/strong> 100%
\nJenna:<\/strong> And excitement, that\u2019s the best part as it feels like we\u2019ve been waiting for it all year and the year hasn\u2019t started until now. It feels like January, a brand new leaf.<\/p>\n

The album itself is a monster, when we spoke in March Jenna you were talking about the song writing, and how you felt you\u2019d become better as writers, so what was the inspiration for you for this release?<\/strong>
\nJenna:<\/strong> It was super personal influenced and we were on the road for two years, so I guess everything we wrote was spontaneous and candid, it wasn\u2019t like \u2018ok we need to write the record it\u2019s coming up so let\u2019s sit down and write\u2019 it was \u2018ok I\u2019ve got an idea quickly, get a guitar\u2019 so that really affected that I think.
\nWhak:<\/strong> We\u2019ve never been a band that says ok let\u2019s set aside this three months to write. I don\u2019t know how people just switch it off? We\u2019re always writing and for the past two years, ever since we finished the first album we\u2019ve been writing. I think \u2018The Ocean\u2019 was the first song that we wrote two years ago. I guess our major influence has been touring and growing up and seeing other bands that we look up to and respect and what they\u2019re doing right\u2026
\nJenna:<\/strong> And how we can apply that to ourselves\u2026
\nWhak:<\/strong> And also there\u2019s a lot of fans that come to us with their stories as well and it kind of paved the way for Jenna to be able to tell her experiences and kind of make it a lot more relatable I think. It\u2019s a super, I feel like it\u2019s a really\u2026 emotional album\u2026
\nJenna:<\/strong> Emotional *laughs* yeah it is\u2026
\nWhak:<\/strong> And we\u2019re so happy about that as the albums we loved were the most emotional and that\u2019s what we connected to and that\u2019s why you can listen to them every day as they mean so much to you. This is definitely something, this was the album that we wanted to be like that.
\nJenna:<\/strong> Well said.<\/p>\n

What was the biggest thing you think you had learned in between records that you were then able to use on the making of The Other Side as to me it sounds like almost a totally different band?<\/strong>
\nJenna:<\/strong> Oh that\u2019s great. I think mostly what kind of music translates to live. Just because we\u2019re surrounded by music every day of the year, we got to experience which ones of our songs were kind of duds live even if we put them out as a single, \u2018Breakdown\u2019 for example, cool song\u2026
\nWhak:<\/strong> Sucks live\u2026
\nJenna:<\/strong> It\u2019s really boring to play live and the tempo is too slow to do any type of crowd interaction and it doesn\u2019t feel good on stage. So it\u2019s just little things like that that we\u2019ve taken on board and made sure that this whole album is going to be good live, and we wanted to write something explosive and hit hard physically and sonically but also emotionally.<\/p>\n

So it\u2019s fair to say that you set out to do something differently this time around?<\/strong>
\nJenna:<\/strong> Well it was in the back of our mind, it was natural, the songs that we came up with it wasn\u2019t like \u2018it needs this\u2019 or \u2018it has to be like this\u2019, it was natural in a sense, but in the back of my mind there was that\u2019s a bit boring or that\u2019s a bit slow, you know what would be better and it was influenced by live.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>I\u2019m always intrigued by the naming of an album, why was \u2018The Other Side\u2019 the right choice and what does it represent to you?<\/strong>
\nWhak:<\/strong> This was a hard album to name I remember\u2026
\nJenna:<\/strong> In the back of our mind the whole time we were like \u2018Black and White\u2019, \u2018Light and Dark\u2019 it was all about progression and perspective and gaining that knowledge of what\u2019s on the other side.
\nWhak:<\/strong> Black and White was what I wanted it to be but I think Michael Jackson got that *laughs*
\nJenna:<\/strong> We wanted Black and White for a while and wanted to represent the difference between one life and the next and sort of come out of a dark time and going into another chapter of your life. The Other Side, we didn\u2019t name it after the song, so much as the concept of the progression and gaining perspective and respecting the past and looking forward to the future. It was something to go through in those past two years.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re currently out on tour, how have the shows been so far?<\/strong>
\nWhak:<\/strong> It\u2019s amazing\u2026
\nJenna:<\/strong> They\u2019re on a new level, it feels completely different to the past, Sydney especially, we were so nervous, we were like \u2018oh my god, I hope we pack the room out\u2019 and we did, but on the night because we were anticipating that we were like is this going to be full, and it was, and the energy was there and nothing went wrong. As I said, I\u2019m repeating myself, it was natural, a lot of the time on stage I\u2019m like, what are you going to say? Don\u2019t stutter, how am I going to be commanding over the crowd? How am I going to run the show? Just as a front man obviously it\u2019s a five person effort, but as a front man I get so nervous over commanding the crowd and making it feel\u2026
\nWhak:<\/strong> Like a show\u2026
\nJenna:<\/strong> Yeah, like a show, not just a gig. It just came out of us\u2026
\nWhak:<\/strong> It was awesome, it feels like everyone in the crowd is so proud of everyone and we\u2019re proud to be there\u2026
\nJenna:<\/strong> Just to all be on the same team, vibing for the same thing.
\nWhak:<\/strong> Everyone knows all the songs, and to get to that point is just so amazing for us and just such a rewarding thing after how hard things have been, it is definitely the reason we do everything is for moments like that.<\/p>\n

What about the new material, is that going down well?<\/strong>
\nJenna:<\/strong> Yes\u2026
\nWhak:<\/strong> Awesome\u2026
\nJenna:<\/strong> Better than the old *laughs* there\u2019s such a groove when the choruses hit and the verses drive and the bridges are some emotional thing or whatever they are, it just seems the structures of the songs are working live.
\nWhak:<\/strong> They already know the lyrics, it\u2019s crazy\u2026
\nJenna:<\/strong> We streamed the album a week leading up, we did two new songs every day leading up and that was the best thing we could\u2019ve done because the Sydney show was the day before album release but there were already people singing it, it was amazing.<\/p>\n

So, let\u2019s jump back though, how was the recent experience of Warped Tour?<\/strong>
\nJenna:<\/strong> It was different this time than the last. Last time we were like \u2018Oh my God Warped Tour!\u2019\u2026
\nWhak:<\/strong> We went as wide eyed\u2026
\nJenna:<\/strong> I mean it was enjoyable but it was so hard work, I don\u2019t know what it was at that time?
\nWhak:<\/strong> I think we had progressed as a band and we were on a bigger stage and the crowds were bigger and I guess there were more expectations. Where the first year we were kind of on a smaller stage and were the underdogs and going well, but this time there was more attention and it was expected that we do well, but it\u2019s honestly, it\u2019s just so great to be on Warped Tour\u2026
\nJenna:<\/strong> It is a dream come true\u2026
\nWhak:<\/strong> It really is\u2026
\nJenna:<\/strong> It is the peak of pop punk culture and stuff.<\/p>\n

What about Warped Tour here? You\u2019re back here in December for that\u2026<\/strong>
\nWhak:<\/strong> We\u2019re pumped about that\u2026
\nJenna:<\/strong> Because we don\u2019t know what to expect, we don\u2019t understand it, we don\u2019t know it, it\u2019s not familiar to us\u2026
\nWhak:<\/strong> It\u2019s just going to be great to be a part of that, to be a part of Australian Warped Tour, it feels like that we\u2019re part of the music scene here.
\nJenna:<\/strong> It\u2019s like eleven years ago the last Warped tour and it\u2019s coming back and we\u2019re one of the few Australian bands on the line-up.
\nWhak:<\/strong> I guess we feel so proud, I mean we\u2019re taking Australia overseas in our eyes, not that other bands aren\u2019t, but it\u2019s so good to come back and that\u2019s our reward that we can be recognized and be on Australian Warped Tour, that\u2019s really cool for us.<\/p>\n

How have you seen your international appeal grow as you continue to travel abroad?<\/strong>
\nWhak:<\/strong> We\u2019ve seen it do what Australia has done. When we first started touring Australia it was definitely really hard for us, then there were a couple of club shows that were really memorable to us. The first one was Trash, we played there as a support and that was the first time ever that we had people sing our lyrics back and I will always, always remember that.
\nJenna:<\/strong> It was when we put out our first single \u2018Wasting Away\u2019 it was like 2010\u2026
\nWhak:<\/strong> So now we\u2019re definitely seeing the same build. We\u2019re playing the same rooms as we are here in the UK at the moment\u2026
\nJenna:<\/strong> They just grabbed onto us and ran with it, there\u2019s something in the water over there, their culture and their music scene is just like \u2018give me, give me more\u2019 they\u2019re hungry for music.
\nWhak:<\/strong> It\u2019s like all the hard work we\u2019ve done in Australia has translated to the UK and they\u2019ve picked it up. America is a harder one to crack but we\u2019re actually doing our first ever headline tour there. It\u2019s not like massive or anything, but we\u2019re doing our first headline tour there, so that\u2019s really rewarding to finally get to that point.<\/p>\n

In only a few short years on paper it looks like you\u2019ve done pretty much everything a band would ever dream to do, but is there anything specific that you still haven\u2019t done that you\u2019re aiming for?<\/strong>
\nWhak:<\/strong> Play an arena *laughs* that sounds selfish, but we\u2019ve never opened an arena tour at all, and we haven\u2019t played the Hordern yet\u2026
\nJenna:<\/strong> Which is something I want to do. My first show was at the Hordern and my second show was at The Roundhouse, we\u2019ve played the Roundhouse maybe three times\u2026 The Hordern I saw Status Quo and Deep Purple there with my Dad when I was fourteen, and would love to play there and Allphones arena is somewhere I really want to play, I don\u2019t know if that\u2019s realistic, maybe I\u2019ll give myself a ten year thing, and if we haven\u2019t done it then fine\u2026
\nWhak:<\/strong> Then we\u2019re giving up *laughs*<\/p>\n

So has there been one moment that stands out about all the rest as can\u2019t be beaten?<\/strong>
\nJenna:<\/strong> Yeah there\u2019s a bunch of them but let me think of a recent one so it\u2019s relevant.
\nWhak:<\/strong> What about New York on Warped Tour?\u2026 That show was massive\u2026
\nJenna:<\/strong> I don\u2019t remember it\u2026
\nWhak:<\/strong> Well, not so memorable then\u2026 *laughs*
\nJenna:<\/strong> Oh my gosh, yes, I just had to put myself back in that position. New York Warped was unreal, such a contrast to last year, we played two years in a row, so you can just gauge the complete difference between a year\u2019s made\u2026
\nWhak:<\/strong> We just didn\u2019t expect it, and when the into music was played it was like the biggest scream and I was like \u2018What the fuck?\u2019 as we never look out to what the crowd is going to be and the music started and I was like \u2018Holy Shit that sounds big\u2019. You know it\u2019s going to be big when there\u2019s people waiting back stage to come up on stage\u2026
\nJenna:<\/strong> That\u2019s right\u2026
\nWhak:<\/strong> And I was like \u2018What the fuck are you doing here? Get out there\u2019 so we go on stage and\u2026
\nJenna:<\/strong> It was like a sea of people, it was really weird\u2026
\nWhak:<\/strong> I was like, do they know we\u2019re playing? *laughs*
\nJenna:<\/strong> Weird things going on right now *laughs*
\nWhak:<\/strong> But that was surreal, that was awesome and it\u2019s moments like that on Warped tour that is why I do three Florida dates that rain. Every one of the dates had to stop because the rain was so intense. There were hurricanes, I think seven times on the whole run they had to stop the festival for a couple of hours.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s all the time we\u2019ve got guys, so thanks so much for your time<\/strong>
\nJenna:<\/strong> Aww, so enjoyable!\u00a0 Thank you, was great to meet you and chat.<\/p>\n

Essential Information<\/span><\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n

From:<\/strong> Sydney, Australia<\/p>\n

Band members: <\/strong>\u00a0Jenna McDougall \u2013 Vocals, Jake Hardy \u2013 Guitar, Whakaio Taahi\u00a0 \u2013 Guitar \/ Vocals, Cam Adler- Bass, Matt Best- Drums<\/p>\n

Website: <\/strong>\u00a0http:\/\/www.tonightaliveofficial.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Latest release:<\/strong> The Other Side (Sony Music Australia) Out Now!<\/p>\n

Catch Tonight Alive on the remainder of their Australian headlining dates here:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wednesday September 11 – Melbourne – The Hi-Fi – Under 18s<\/p>\n

Friday September 13 – Melbourne \u2013 Billboard – Over 18s<\/p>\n

Saturday September 14 – Perth – Astor Theatre – Licensed All Ages<\/p>\n

Sunday September 15 – Adelaide \u2013 Hq – Over 18s<\/p>\n

Then on the Warped Tour:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Friday 29th November \u00a0– Brisbane – RNA Showgrounds<\/p>\n

Saturday 30th November – Coffs Harbour – Coffs Harbour Showground<\/p>\n

Sunday 1st December \u2013 Sydney – Barangaroo *subject to council approval<\/p>\n

Friday 6th December \u2013 Canberra – Exhibition Park<\/p>\n

Saturday 7th December \u2013 Melbourne – TBA<\/p>\n

Sunday 8th December \u2013 Adelaide – TBA<\/p>\n\n

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