Key Percussion

Bowling For Soup is a classic in the music world. They are a band that really defined an era with their witty, hilarious, up-beat music. Although their songs seemed frivolous and far from serious, their goal was an important one: to bring a sense of enjoyment and light-heartedness to a world that could really use a good laugh. Jaret Reddick gave us an insight into the world of Bowling For Soup!

 

Your music is widely reputed for its light-hearted sense of humor in your music and videos, has there ever been a time where you've found it difficult to keep up with that?

No. The great thing about BFS is that what you see is what you get. We talk on stage like we talk in the bus. We wear the clothes to the show that we put on when we woke up. There is nothing “put on.” So, Musically speaking, it’s just us being us!

 

In 2013, Bowling for Soup had a farewell tour, but you've just announced the "How About Another Round" tour, what sparked the return? What have you guys been up to since your farewell tour besides, of course, new music?

Farewell wasn’t supposed to be good bye. We needed to slow down the pace and we needed to regroup. Not necessarily the band. There was just a lot of shit going on in our personal lives that made it difficult to keep the pace. So we slowed touring. This time has been good for all of us I think. We have a good pace and outlook now, so it seems right to get back out there. Personal life stuff is straight and good, so we have a good focus these days.

 

How do you feel "Lunch. Drunk. Love." differs from your previous albums?

I actually think it is very complimentary to everything we have done before. It is a bit angrier. IF you look at the timing of that album, it is when a bunch of stuff was happening and changing in my life. I was in a different place than I had been before. But I think it strikes a chord with anyone who has ever lost at love. It works.

 

Bowling for Soup has retained the same band members since its formation in '94, how do you all manage to get along so well throughout the years?

By knowing that BFS is a sum of its parts. We are all equally important to what this band is and without any of the 4 of us, there would be no BFS. We have a friendship and a trust that is unique in music. I don’t take that for granted. I love these fellas!

 

Do you feel there was a similar process in creating all the songs that ended up on "Songs That People Actually Liked"? Did you get a feeling before any of those songs were originally released that they were going to be as successful as they were?

When I first started writing for BFS, I didn’t really write from the heart. It was more just stuff I was thinking about that day. Around 1999, I started writing things that came from my own experience and that is when I feel like the songs started really meaning something. 

I am terrible at picking hits! haha…The songs I always think will be the most popular never are!

 

Your albums easily have some of the most interesting titles, how do you name them?

All of the titles come from conversations in and around the van/ bus. And all of them have their stories that still make us laugh. Some are random and some just silly. I think Chris is credited with the most contributions in that category!

 

What do you want people to think and feel when they listen to your music?

I used to say I just wanted to make people smile. And that is still important to me. But I do take pride in the fact that songs like “Much More Beautiful Person” or “Turbulence” strike a different kind of chord with people and actually help them in life situations. I don’t set out to do that, but it is nice when it happens.

 

Describe the most interesting thing to happen during one of your performances?

The list is long! One of my favorites is when we were playing this tiny little festival in Iola, Kansas. We had met some folks from that tiny little town and they brought us in and put us on a flat bed truck to play REALLY late at night. Everyone was hammered! We all ended up playing in our boxers, and at one point Chris balanced his guitar on his head and peed his pants right on stage. It was a delight!