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This interview was conducted with Ryan Richards of Funeral for a Friend when they played the Warped Tour on August 15. If you haven't checked out their major label debut, Hours, it'd be a good idea to because they play some great melodic hard rock.
PL: Introduce yourself.
FFAF: I'm Ryan. I play drums and vocals in Funeral for a Friend.
PL: Have you noticed if the fans are any different in all the different countries you've play for?
FFAF: Its different in the States. We do better in the UK; our audience is a little younger in the UK. We have an older audience and the kind of people that searched us out and really made an effort to find our music and are really appreciative of the fact that we're over here and we spend a lot of time over here. So, its different in that respect.
PL: Whats one thing you do to combat homesickness?
FFAF: I don't know. We try to pick out as much British style food as we can, some tea bags or whatnot. Its been pretty cool on this tour. We've been with some bands from back home on the tour with us: Skindred, The Fight, Dead 60s, so there's been a bit of comradary there. We know a lot of people on this tour anyway. We've toured with a lot of these bands before. I guess being on this tour feels a bit like being home anyway. Thats what we do most of the time.
PL: Do you like playing indoor or outdoor shows better?
FFAF: In relation to this tour: when you play indoor at this tour, you play the Ampitheatre, which I don't really like so much because there are so many seats and its quite impersonal and its hard to get a vibe really. The outdoor shows on this tour are smaller because you've got your stage and you've got people crowding around. On this tour, I prefer playing outdoor on a small stage.
PL: Does Warped Tour take its toll on you more than other tours because its such a rigorous schedule?
FFAF: Yeah, its quite busy. Obviously, you've got to play, but then there's the interviews, you've got to do signings for fans, sometimes you go to a radio station. The day before yesterday, we played Warped, and then we played CBGBs at the night. We played three gigs in 24 hours, so its a lot to do, but its so exciting that you don't even care. Its enjoyable.
PL: How was the CBGBs show?
FFAF: It was amazing. Obviously, its a legendary venue and its got so much history. Being from the UK, its always been one of those places that we really wanted to play there. And to be able to do that, not only did we get to play there, but it was for the benefit of CBGBs being kept open. I feel very proud and honored of being a small part of keeping CBGBs open.
PL: If someone gave you $100 and gave you five minutes to spend it, what would you buy and why?
FFAF: I'd probably buy some CDs or something. Its the obvious answer, but there are so many cool bands on this tour. You walk by and catch so many bands you've never heard before. There's a lot of CDs to pick up on this tour and a lot of music to get into. Its been really good being on this tour and finding a lot of new bands.
PL: Whats a little known fact about the U.K.?
FFAF: A little known fact is that Wales is not in England. A lot of people get that misconception and think that we're English, when we're actually Welsh. There is a difference. I suppose that is a little known fact.
PL: Name one album, besides your own, that you feel all kids should have in their collection.
FFAF: I think every kid should have Pantara Vulgar Display of Power in their collection because so many bands, not just on this tour, owe so much to that band.
PL: Do you have any final comments?
FFAF: No, just thanks to everybody who's checked us out and we'll be back with Story of the Year in September or October.
