A New Chapter for New Found Glory

Photo Credit: Andy Foster

This Friday night Pop Punk heroes New Found Glory will be hitting the stage at The Majestic Theatre. The band is currently on tour in support of their newest release, Resurrection. This is the eighth major release from the band, coming out after some of the biggest changes in their history. Last year, New Found Glory decided to part ways with long time guitarist Steve Klein, changing the lineup from a 5 piece to 4. Some fans were afraid that this would change the sound or be the end of the band. But, with their release out now and tour underway, it is clear that they are still the same NFG fans fell in love with, maybe even better. Check out the music video for the new track "Ready and Willing" below for a taste of what the new album is like. 

We had a chance to chat with drummer Cyrus Bolooki before the band heads to town this weekend. It's clear that they are as motivated as ever to keep rocking and that Detroit is in for an awesome time Friday night. Joining NFG on stage are We Are The In Crowd, Red City Radio, and Detroit's own Fireworks. Check out the interview below, then find out how you can snag a free pair of tickets to the show! 

HID- So you guys have been on tour for a couple of weeks now in support of the new album Resurrection. How's tour going?
Cyrus- "Tour is awesome! We’re super happy to be back on the road... it’s been a while since we've gone on a full US tour, and I’m really happy with the other bands that we have on the bill. We've toured with and/or played shows with every band out with us at some point in the past, so it’s great to be back on the road with friends!"

HID- Describe Resurrection to fans that haven't heard it yet.
Cyrus- "Resurrection is our eighth studio full-length, and our first album in 2 years. We’re very proud of this record, as we recently went through a member change, going from two guitarists down to just one, yet I feel like we've written some of our best songs to date for this new album. Most of the songs revolve around great guitar riffs, not just chords, and we really embraced the fact that we’re a four-piece now when we were recording, allowing each of our instruments to shine equally. Also, lyrically this record is a bit of a shift from albums in the past, where now we are talking about more than just relationships; we touch on other topics such as life in general and how to overcome struggles or obstacles in your life."

HID- Are you playing a lot of tracks off of the album during this tour or just sprinkling a few in amongst older favorites?
Cyrus- "We’re playing five songs as of now. For us, that’s actually more than we usually do with new albums. It’s tough to write a set list because we have so many songs to choose from, but on this tour besides the five new songs and of course a lot of the “hits”, we’re actually adding a few “gems” to the set list — songs that we wouldn't normally play live. Everyone seems to be responding well to the set list as a whole, and we’re loving playing all these songs every night."

HID- I for one really like the new album, do other fans around the country seem to be responding well to it too?
Cyrus- "Thank you! I think the response to the new album has been great. It’s not just people saying that the new record is good or things like that; the compliments seem to go a bit further than that and there’s lots of people saying it’s one of their favorite NFG records in a long time, or that they really connect with a lot of the songs, or even that they love how powerful the record sounds as a whole. All of these compliments are awesome and well-received by us!"

HID- What's your favorite song to play live off of Resurrection?
Cyrus- "I love “Selfless” because to me it’s pretty much a quintessential NFG song. It’s got a great hook, super powerful guitar riff, and a really cool punk-rock sounding bridge. I’m also loving playing “Resurrection”; we just added that into our set the other night!"

HID- Off of any of your albums?
Cyrus- "Favorite song off of any of the records? Probably “Truth of My Youth” because I love the drum parts…it’s faster and definitely a challenge for me, but well worth it!"

HID- You're currently on tour with We Are The In Crowd and Detroit's own Fireworks. What can you tell us about these bands? How are you enjoying being on the road with them?
Cyrus- "Well, like I stated earlier, we've toured with and/or played shows with everyone on this tour, so we were already friends coming into this run. Fireworks is a band that we've known for quite a while, and We Are The In Crowd we first met a little over a year ago after playing some Europe dates with them. We've connected with all of the bands, and I especially love how we all try and hang on days off. Last day off a whole bunch of the guys in both Fireworks and We Are The In Crowd met up with us to watch the Monday Night Football game, as a lot of us play Fantasy Football together. That was fun."

HID- Best show so far on this tour?
Cyrus- "Best show for me was the other night in Boston. That’s one of our favorite cities to play in and it feels like a second home for us, as we became popular in the North East before almost anywhere else besides our home state of Florida. Actually, almost any show for us in the North East is awesome. Tonight we’re in New Jersey and I’m sure it’ll be an amazing show!"

HID- Show you're looking forward to the most?
Cyrus- "I look forward to each and every show for different reasons. Sometimes it’s the city we’re in, and the things to do before and after show near the venue, sometimes it’s the friends that come out to certain shows, and a lot of times I look forward to shows because I know it’s gonna be a great crowd. Like I just said, shows in the North East always tend to be special for us, as well as any show in our home state of Florida. California shows are pretty great too!"

HID- In several interviews that I've read in the past with you guys, you mention that you were hardcore kids or fans of hardcore music. So, I have to ask, what are your favorite hardcore bands?
Cyrus- "I’m not really the hardcore kid out of all of us, but I did get into a few hardcore bands by in the day. I actually became a fan of Shai Hulud (the band that Chad our guitarist used to sing for) when Chad was still in the band. I also really like Snapcase back in the day and we were fortunate to tour with them back then. I know there’s quite a few good hardcore bands still around, but again I’m not really the best one to answer that."

HID- I'm not sure if you know, but your were and still are pretty much the heart throbs of pop punk. How does it feel to know that girls around the world swoon over you and every word and note in your songs?
Cyrus- "I appreciate that, although I would tend to think that most girls are going crazy about the teenage boy bands right now. Thanks for the kinds words, though. It is cool to know that plenty of people, not just girls, are looking up to us for inspiration and that our music has helped a lot of people get through their lives, whether it was a bad or good situation. That’s the kind of thing that makes our career well worth everything."

HID- Speaking of heart throbs, whose pictures were on your walls when you were a teenager?
Cyrus- "I was a fan of 90’s alternative. So I didn’t really have pictures of people, but I did have random rock posters of bands from Pearl Jam to Korn to Silverchair. How cheesy is that?"

HID- Who are the kids in the "Ready and Willing" video and how did you find people that look so much like you?
Cyrus- "Those kids were just actors in the LA area that all had some sort of musical experience. We all helped out with the casting process, and it was so funny to see these kids try their hand at acting along to the song. The Jordan character was a no-brainer; in fact, I think that he originally was trying to be cast for the part of the drummer, but one look at him and we were like, “you have to be Jordan. You look like you’re related to him!”"

HID- Ok, back to business... What can fans expect at your Detroit show on the 24th?
Cyrus- "The Detroit show is gonna be great. Not only is it a homecoming show for the guys in Fireworks, but we always have awesome shows in Detroit. In general, fans can expect a highly energetic show, complete with a great mix of songs from our entire catalog. We’ll be playing new songs and a lot of the ‘usual suspects’, and we’ll definitely throw in a few oldies in there too!"

HID- Any favorite places to hit up while you're in town?
Cyrus- "It all depends on what’s around the venue. I’m known to Yelp a lot, and if I have time, I’ll always seek out a good restaurant or coffee shop. But in Detroit I’ll probably leave it to the Fireworks guys to show us around. Why not have locals show us a great time, right?"

HID- Anything else you would like our readers to know?
Cyrus- "Just thanks to all for the support throughout the years and also for the support of the new record. It means a lot to us to be able to be back out on tour right now, especially given some of the circumstances we went through in the past year. Where most bands might think about hanging it up or not continuing after enduring rough times, we used it to bring us closer together and to help fuel us to continue and release this album and get back on the road. So the fact that we've made it through all of this hopefully can serve as an example to all about how anyone should be able to get through any challenge in life, no matter what it entails. See you on the road!"

Tickets to see New Found Glory at The Majestic on Friday, October 24th are $21.50 in advance or $25 the day of the show. You can pick your tickets up ahead of time at the Garden Bowl fee free or online here. Thanks to our good friends over at Black Iris Booking (was it really any surprise that they are the ones bringing this great show to town) we are giving away one pair of tickets to one lucky winner. To enter, please email your full name to hipindetroit@gmail.com with New Found Glory in the subject line. We will draw our winner the morning of the show!

The Majestic Theatre is located at 4120 Woodward Ave. in Detroit. If you want to pick up NFG's new album Resurrection before the show, click here.

~C