Features

PRT: First of all… congrats on the new album! It has been a long time in the making, but every single song sounds amazing.

Tane: NO!  First off, thank YOU for having us and thanks for the kind words. We love what the site does. Covering music news is much like all other aspects of the music world that doesn’t get enough love. We appreciate your love and support for music. Once again, thank YOU

PRT: You recorded the album in two separate sessions with a lot of time in between, which wasn’t the idea from the outset. How did that come about?  

Tane: Many things factored in this process. Quarantine being the biggest. I moved to Boston during the pandemic, our now former member, Paul, moved to Milwaukee, and it became a challenge to get anything done when you have no money or way to book studio time. Since I’m am a recording engineer, I started tracking all the parts to the songs we had decided on for the next record. We didn’t intend on splitting up the process, but we decided that we wanted to write more after tracking the first half.

PRT: I recently talked to Chris from The Flatliners, who recorded a couple of their albums the same way for various reasons, and he looked back at it as a luxury to have some time to sit on the songs and then decide if you are still equally crazy about them. Was it a satisfying way to work for you as well or more of a pain in the ass?  

Tane: We love Chris and all the Flats but, for us, this process was a huge pain in that ass and we will never record this way again. Call us old school or whatever, but we prefer to demo the ideas, find the keepers in the demos, and just hit the studio to track the finals.Our first record was recorded in a week. The second record was tracked over 4 years… I’m thinking the next one we will find the sweet spot. Anything more than six months and I’ll consider just quitting music, haha.

PRT: Since ‘Six Feet Deep’ came out, Paul Kettler left the band. How much of an impact has that had on the band?

Tane: Paul who?! Kidding.  It was a super tough time. We lost our founding member, and if it wasn’t for Covid keeping us so bored, I honestly don’t think we would’ve continued as the same band. But it’s been working out so far and we still love Kettler to pieces. We talk all the time and he was a big part of writing for the second record.

PRT: You got reinforcements in the form of Paul Mullaney and Rational Anthem’s Noelle Stolp. How did that happen?

Tane: Funny enough, Paul M. and Noelle were the first two I asked to join. Noelle was the obvious answer to have for a lead guitar and co-vocalist, Paul is my cousin and best friend, so naturally I wanted a second guitarist who I knew could hang and make this a good time. Both said “yes” thankfully and it’s been the best version of the band.  We hope it never changes.

PRT: With half the band being new, was there like a creative spark right away or did it take some time getting used to one another?

Tane: Well, 99% of the new record is Paul (Kettler), me & Parker… minus some vocal harmonies and melodies by friends and Noelle.  I guess we’ll have to wait and see what LP3 brings before we can really answer that one.

PRT: Like I said, I love every single song but ‘Anyone But You’ really stands out for me. Can you tell me a bit more about where that one comes from?

Tane: That one came from listening to a good friend, Nate, from The Dummy Room podcast. I was listening to an episode he had with KJ from Chixdiggit! and the song just came to me. I know that sounds so stupid, but it honestly just hit me. The song was written and recorded within two hours of listening to that podcast episode.I have no Idea how it happened.

PRT: What is it about the combination of darker lyrics and bright, shiny songs that is so appealing for you as a songwriter?  

Tane: It’s just the way I write. I love catchy music, but my mind is too jaded to write “happy” lyrics. I mean, why the fuck would anyone be happy these days?!?

PRT: On one hand, you have songs like ‘Party’ and ‘Good Time’, but then you also have ‘Bad Things’, ‘Bad Decisions’ only to then end with ‘Rehab… Again’. Would you prefer a life of highs but also lows, or is there also something to be said for a life of moderation?  

Tane: I could run on this question for a lot longer than anyone would wish to hear outside of a AA/NA meeting, but honestly, if you can do drugs and/or drink in moderation and still manage to keep your life together… great. If you cannot, please find help.You’ll ruin everything you love if you don’t. But if that’s what you want to do, then more power to ya, I just feel that a life of highs and lows will just drive you to insanity.

PRT: Maybe kind of a random question, but what’s up with the ‘mating whales’ guitars in the album intro?  

Tane: I don’t fucking know, we like to make noise.  We made a racket on the first album too!

PRT: What is it about the Midwest that makes it such fertile grounds for some of the best pop punk bands around?  

Tane: Is it though? Last time I checked we haven’t had a Banner Pilot, Dillinger Four, or any other Midwestern pop punk act release anything in a long while. But I guess it’s because the Midwest is a tough place to grow up. We like to make songs about being sad because life is tough in the Midwest. It’s a working class area full of the underdogs that the rest of the world likes to relate to.  I don’t know?

PRT: Now that the album is out, what’s up next for Tightwire?

Tane: Rock shows across America. Hopefully more places too…

Upcoming tour dates:

7/28 - Chicago @ Reggie's (with Audio Karate)

7/29 - Milwaukee @ X-Ray Arcade (with Audio Karate)

7/30 - Champaign, IL @ The Space (with Audio Karate)

9/8 - Toledo, OH @ Ottawa Tavern (with Teenage Bottlerocket)

9/9 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Preserving Underground (with Teenage Bottlerocket)

9/10 - Buffalo, NY @ TBD

9/11 - Rochester, NY @ Bug Jar (with Teenage Bottlerocket)

9/12 - Boston, MA @ The Sinclair (with Teenage Bottlerocket)

9/13 - Philly, PA @ Warehouse On Watts (with Teenage Bottlerocket)

9/14 - Brooklyn, NY @ The Meadows (with Teenage Bottlerocket)

9/15 - Asbury Park, NJ @ House Of Independents (with Teenage Bottlerocket)

9/16 - Harrisburg, PA @ HMAC (with Teenage Bottlerocket)

9/17 - Columbus, OH @ Ace Of Cups (with Teenage Bottlerocket)

10/28 - Gainesville, FL @ The Fest