The Graduate

The Graduate are a young band out of Illoinis. They just released Anhedonia and will probably be touring off of it for a long time to come. This interview went down with vocalist Corey Warning after their set at The Living Room in Providence, RI on April 21.

PL: State something interesting about yourself.
CW: I'm addicted to Nintendo.
PL: Regular Nintendo?
CW: Wii. We download the old games on there, just for fun.

PL: Did you have any second thoughts before Anhedonia was released?
CW: We were a little nervous just to see how it does because everyone these days is really concerned with first week sales. As far as it coming out and people liking it, when we were in the studio recording it and working on it, we were just kind of doing our own thing and doing what we loved. We were really happy with how it came out, and whether people liked it or not wasn't a really big concern for us, since we were happy with it.

PL: Are the water shots on the album Photoshopped?
CW: No, it was all live photography and stuff. Our layout was done by Danny Jones.

PL: Where do you think you'll be one year from today?
CW: Probably still on tour, just like this. Hopefully, we'll be playing bigger shows and bigger crowds. I'm guessing a year from now we'll still be touring on the same album.

PL: Have the crowds on this tour been about the same as tonight (there were about 50 people there)?
CW: Yeah, give or take. Its been a steady 100-150 a night, which is great for us because we're a brand new band, so we're happy to play in front of anybody.

PL: How important is it to know people in the music business?
CW: Nowadays, its pretty important. There's a lot of bands going around and there's a lot of competition. Its not just about chemistry as a band and the music you write. It is part of how appealling you're going to sound to a crowd as a business aspect and stuff like that. Its too bad that it seems like thats more of an issue these days than it used to be. I think its important, but I don't think it should be your focus. A band could get signed and have a decent career off of good business skills, but at the end of the day, we want to try and write music that people will remember and that people are really feeling, not just songs that people will use as a ringtone on their phone.

PL: Name one song you can't turn off if you hear it on the radio.
CW: "The New Year" by Death Cab for Cutie.

PL: Whats one movie everyone should see?
CW: "Shaun of the Dead" because it goes much much deeper than comedy.

PL: Whats a little known fact about Illoinis?
CW: We actually produce more corn than Nebraska.
PL: Are you a Cubs fan?
CW: No, Cardinals. St. Louis is about two hours away and Chicago is about five.
PL: I hate the Cardinals. I'm a die hard Cubs fan.
CW: Our drummer is a big Cubs fan.

PL: Name one album, besides your own, that you think all people should have in their collection.
CW: My personal favorite album is Radiohead's The Bends. If you're not into Radiohead, then Third Eye Blind's self titled album.

PL: Is there anything else you want to say?
CW: If this is your first time hearing about us, we hope you take the time to check out our music. Give the songs a chance and see what you think.

Interviewed by: RF
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