Nearly two weeks after the release of its most recent EP, Go Radio has its hands full traveling the country on the TourSick tour. Recently idobi caught up with frontman Jason Lancaster to discuss the new album, its significance as the band’s first release under Fearless Records as well as the band’s upcoming plans.
idobi: What was the writing process like for Do Overs and Second Chances?
Lancaster: Writing this EP was probably the longest thing ever. We’d been gearing up for it for a couple of years since the release of Welcome to Life and we were trying to make it as good as possible. We probably wrote 30 to 40 songs for it and narrowed them down very carefully. We left a lot of it up to the people at Fearless Records and our management. Obviously I was partial to every song, so we needed the help of outside ears.
idobi: How was writing this EP different from writing Welcome to Life?
Lancaster: Writing Do Overs and Second Chances was more of a trial-and-error thing whereas Welcome to Life just came from a bunch of demos. When we were recording Welcome to Life, I would go into the studio and the other band members would come in here and there, but the band was really spread out. Matt was in Montana for a lot of it and Steve was in Panama City. That EP was made before the band itself had any sort of identity. This time around, everything went much smoother once you got us all in a room. Our management owns a studio that we barricaded ourselves into for weeks at a time. I never really left that place and I turned out as much as possible. The majority of the songs on the new EP were written by all of us together.
idobi: What inspires you when you are writing music?
Lancaster: No matter what, if you ever hear anything that I write, it’s about life experiences. Whether or not it is in the form of a metaphor, it is always true and it always happened.
idobi: What is the significance of the EP’s title?
Lancaster: Do Overs and Second Chances has an obvious meaning, namely that everyone gets a second chance to do something else and that there is always room for mistakes because mistakes can be corrected. To me personally, Go Radio is not only my second chance at doing what I love for the rest of my life, but it is what I always wanted from music. It is really just a bunch of friends surrounding other friends. Do Overs and Second Chances is almost like an anthem to me at this point because I’m in a band again and I am going to do it right this time.
idobi: How was it working with Zack Odom and Kenneth Mount again?
Lancaster: Those guys are amazing and fantastic at what they do. They are really just well-rounded, down-to-earth people who make good records. They get amazing tones, they’ve got a whole bunch of really great ideas and I love those guys. Every time I see them it’s more like I’m going out with drinking buddies and making a record than sitting down with a couple of producers.
idobi: Do you have any plans to go back into the studio?
Lancaster: We actually had a meeting with Fearless today and we are looking at producers. We don’t have a timeframe yet, but the LP is coming out soon. We’re all really excited about it. It will be different than Do Overs because the band has evolved since we recorded that EP and developed a new identity. I feel like everybody changes and we want to keep the music changing with us. Don’t get me wrong, Do Overs means a lot to me and I love the record. I love how it sounds and it really encompasses everything Go Radio is about. But as Go Radio changes, I’d like the music to make way for that as well.
idobi: Do Overs and Second Chances is your first release as a member of the Fearless Records family. What influenced your decision to sign with them?
Lancaster: Fearless is one of the few labels left in the music industry that cares about its bands. Meeting with Fearless today made concrete everything we already knew about them — that they are here for longevity and want to make records that people will like forever. 10 years from now I don’t want to look back at my music career and say, “Remember that record we made that everyone liked?” I want to look back and say, “That was the start of everything else we have done so far.” Fearless is really good about getting behind that with us.
idobi: Many of your fans were surprised to see Go Radio on tour with bands like A Day to Remember and August Burns Red. What has this tour been like for you so far?
Lancaster: The tour has been going amazingly well. Obviously there are going to be some fans who are only into hardcore here, but for the most part people are opening up to us. It is a tough tour to be on, but I have seen people who really appreciate what we are doing, and liking the music and getting into it.
idobi: What plans do you have following the conclusion of the Toursick Tour?
Lancaster: We’re trying to feel it all out right now. Everything has happened so fast with the EP coming out and we haven’t really made any plans yet. We are hoping to stay on the road as long as possible.
idobi: Five years from now, where do you see Go Radio?
Jason: Hopefully doing the same thing we are doing now, but on a bigger scale. I want to keep writing, keep making fans and keep impressing our old ones. Our ultimate goal is to stay moving and keep our wheels rolling. We don’t want to get bogged down. We want to keep growing and evolving and making better music than what we made the last time. For me, that is the ultimate goal in life.
