Tonight Alive
While all still relatively young, the band members that make up the Australian band Tonight Alive have been playing together in their parent’s garages in the Sydney suburbs since they were just teenagers. It all started from a mutual passion for music that caused the members to gravitate towards each other through their local scene, which ultimately brought the band that we know today together.
During high school Jake Hardy (guitarist) and Cam Adler (bassist) were in a band together, mostly covering songs from bands there we into. Thanks to mutual friends they met Whakaio and asked him to join the band on keys and guitar, it was around this time they started taking the band more seriously. Although they were writing their own songs they still needed a committed vocalist and drummer
Across town, Jenna McDougall (lead singer) was spending time playing her own acoustic shows which inadvertently assisted her in being the energetic lead singer she is now known to be.
Tonight Alive came to be after Cam helped Jenna record some of her demos. When they were done Cam mentioned that his band didn’t have a singer so he handed her a demo of theirs and asked her to record vocals over it. That was that. She was in, there was no turning back.
The day before her birthday in May of 2008 was their first band practice. They booked their first show under the name Tonight Alive for Hypefest that August – which was their doorway into the local Sydney scene.
The band parted ways with their original drummer a year later in which Matty Best (drummer) stepped in. After one band practice with him they knew that they finally completed the lineup.
Proceeding this, they began the task of finding their sound and writing the songs that would become their first EP, ‘All Shapes and Disguises.’ They saved up every dollar they earned and although Jenna was still in school they all managed to take some time off to practice and record. They got into the studio with Dave Petrovic (who also recorded their second album ‘The Other Side) and recorded both their first and second EP’s with him ‘All Shapes and Disguises’ and ‘Consider This.’ They say it was because of his help that they finally honed in on their distinct sound.
What these recording generated was a buzz so big that ended up getting them picked up a support slot on Lost Prophets’ Australian tour, their first official tour. This got them noticed by the major labels which, in turn, got them invited to perform at a showcase. Although Whakaio and Jake both snapped a guitar sting during this show the label was impressed by them and ultimately got them signed shortly after. They pushed to travel overseas to record their first album.
Their dedication saw them head to L.A. to work with producer Mark Trombino (Blink-182, Jimmy Eat World) for their first LP, ‘What Are You So Scared Of?’ They got this opportunity because in late 2010 one of their demos landed on Mark’s desk and wanting to take part in producing their debut full-length record, he contacted the band himself.
They were beyond themselves with excitement. He had recorded the albums they grew up listening to.
Just out of high school they were coming back to their home away from home in L.A. every night after the studio and cooking and hanging out. This time spend together helped them bond and helped them define their message as a band. This message is one of hope, positivity and determination, provided the backbone of this debut LP.
Their message was heard loud and clear. Fans were, and still are, describing this record a “lifesaving record.” They did their sort of “rite of passage” tour through the U.S in a beat up van with no back seats.
They then returned home to extensively tour their country twice over to support the albums October 2011 Australian release, which eventually wore this energetic band out.
The signed to Fearless Records in November of 2011 and the next February released their long awaited debut LP in the U.S., the UK release came in October of 2012.
In between mid-2011 and early 2012 Jenna was battling severe head-to-toe eczema which spanned over nine different tours, both national and international. She was seeing handfuls of different doctors in between tours and it wasn’t until after their Soundwave performances that they had decided to cancel their upcoming commitments, so they could finally recover and make sure they could reach their full potential in 2012.
After taking some time off they soon found themselves back on the road promotion the release of ‘What Are You So Scared Of?’ in the other countries.
This rapidly expanding global fan base saw Tonight Alive tour internationally to Asia, North America and Europe with bands such as Pierce The Veil, All Time Low, Yellowcard and Young Guns. While out on this tour they started writing for what would become ‘The Other Side.’
Since they were consistently on the road between the recordings of their first full length to the recording of their second, every track on ‘The Other Side’ can be dated back to the tour it was written on. The first track written was ‘Don’t Wish’ in a hotel room in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2011.
Proceeding their full stay on Warped Tour 2012, a Europe tour, UK tour and another trek across America, the time finally came to go back home and record their second full length. The recorded in the town of Coffs Harbour (7 hours north of Sydney) and set up shop once again with Dave Petrovic.
From the band members perspective the songs that they emerged with for ‘The Other Side’ were rockier and more confident versions of their debut LP. The band was now ready to take on the world…and they since have.
The Other Side has since been released through Fearless Records and Sony Music Entertainment AU, on September 6th in Australia and on Sept 10 in the U.S.
Interview with Jenna McDougall. Photography provided by PR
Your band’s message is one of hope, positivity and determination. Which leads your fans to describe your debut ‘What Are You So Scared Of?’ as a life-saving record. Between July 2011 and March 2012 when you were going through those tough times of having to tour with the eczema what music helped you?
At that time I was listening to really chilled out music like Bon Iver, Aqualung and Keane. I remember really needing to ‘switch off’ when we weren’t in show mode on those tours.
I saw you all perform for the first time on your recent headlining tour through America. There was a part in between songs you talked to the crowd about not living in the fear of other people’s judgment, not being held back by other people’s opinions, and about having self-worth. I’m not 100% sure, but I think you try and say something along those lines to every crowd at every show. I’m sure you have some bad days so during those days, when you’re talking to the audience, does saying that almost reassure yourself?
Absolutely. I wouldn’t feel as passionate about those things if I hadn’t experienced them myself. Those ‘speeches’ are almost just as much for me as they are for the crowd which I think creates a sense of unity between us.
What’s the writing process like? Is it an individual thing that comes together over time, or is it a group effort?
All of our songs spawn from an individual idea. Either I will have a couple of sentences worth of melodies or Whakaio will have a riff or progression; the two of us develop the idea acoustically and then when we jam it as a band it comes to life.
Did the lyrics go through much revision? Is that normal?
Not for us. I care a lot about my lyrics and I’m quite particular about them. The guys have always respected that.
You said that the writing process of ‘The Other Side’ played a huge part in your therapy throughout your healing process. You’ve also stated that every track on The Other Side can be dated back to the tour it was written on (as you were on the road consistently between the recordings of your first full length at the end of 2010 to the recording of your second at the end of 2012). As a music listener, when I hear songs I get sometimes get swept back into a specific timeframe from when I was regularly listening to that song/album. As a musician do you ever have that with your own songs while playing them on stage?
It doesn’t happen all the time but occasionally when hearing or playing one of our songs I will remember the moment when the idea happened. For instance the first verse of Complexes was something I sang to myself while I was driving home in Sydney and recorded on my phone; and the bridge for that song was written in a laundromat in Florida.
Mark Hoppus seems like a very humble and passionate person to record with younger up and coming bands like you and a decade ago Simple Plan for their song “I’d Do Anything.” How was it for you all to collaborate with him for your song ‘Thankyou & Goodnight’?
It still doesn’t seem real to me. We met quite briefly while he recorded the part but he left a lasting impression on me. He was very tall, with a huge speaking voice and I was just out of highschool and in another country for the first time feeling quite overwhelmed. The coolest thing is that he had no obligation to sing the part, he was just into it. I’m a big blink fan so almost 4 years later I’m still in disbelief.
With your previous albums and now The Other Side artwork how did you interact with the artist/designer? Did you contribute ideas or remain hands-off? Was there a revision process?
We came into contact with Ryan Clarke after a long process of looking for the right artist. Our labels had all these different ideas and contributions for the direction but Cameron and I ultimately took the project into our hands and developed the booklet with Ryan. We were attracted to his style after connecting the dots that he had designed the album art for Jimmy Eat World’s ‘Bleed American’ and Funeral For A Friend’s ‘Hours’. It got us really excited because we wanted something that looked like it could have come from the 90’s to early millennium.
How important is it to you for the art that accompanies your music to represent the sound and the lyrics? Do you aim for a conversation between the two, or are you more interested in an aesthetically cool package?
I think they definitely need to be connected, for Tonight Alive anyway. We’ve never been a band that just does something because its cool.
For press photographs the photographer has to translate a sound into and image, into a personality. They have to take somebody’s personality and their music and translate them into one visual image that’s going to be presented over, over and over again; which makes for a lot of pressure not just for the photographer, but for the artist as well. Press shots for bands/ musicians it’s not just about them looking good, it’s about them looking like how they want the public to feel from their music. What is your perspective on how you want to be represented throughout your band’s press photographs?
It’s interesting that you bring this up because it’s so relevant to our band. In the past we’ve been so poorly directed in photo shoots to the point where we feel so seriously misrepresented. We try to be open minded and willing to try things but ultimately we end up hating the pictures and as much as we urge for them to not be released they end up all over the internet. Personally, I’d love for Tonight Alive to be represented in a timeless way. In black and white, grainy photos with natural lighting. So that colour, the environment and the clothes we’re wearing have absolutely no meaning at all. My favorite band photos are from a time when media and the Internet weren’t as powerful. It’s way more rock and roll.
I see on your social media accounts that you all try and keep a positive attitude, but even so some fans seem entitled to want a response from one of you or else they will do something bad to themselves. Now that Tonight Alive is in the spotlight do you feel even more pressure to keep a positive attitude on your social media sites and/ or write back to people who threaten to hurt themselves if you don’t respond to them?
It blows my mind the lengths that people go to get someone’s attention. When I was a teenager I never even wanted to meet my favorite bands let alone talk to them, it was just about the music for me. I will always put forward a positive attitude because it’s what I live by but you can’t tip toe around everything so I think it’s important to be honest too. I don’t see all of the messages that I get in at vein but when I do I will more than likely respond in a stern but affirming way.
Since you’ve found about your gluten allergy you’ve been really into healthy living, and have recently started you own healthy living Instagram account. I know you’re super passionate about this subject so what was the deciding factor into getting the account?
I think alternative diets can be a touchy subject because some people won’t understand it and others will think you’re forcing it down their throats. I found that as I was learning and experimenting more with the grain free diet (necessary to me for health reasons), that people were starting to question it. I wanted to speak freely about it and share what it was learning without feeling preachy so I decided to separate that part of my life and make an account specifically for the recipes I was following and the juices and smoothies that had become a part of my daily life. It feels really good to talk about it and have people interested in something I care about that is separate to music.
You all have played previous festivals including Warped Tour dates and Bamboozle 2011 and are now playing Warped Tour AUS. Do you think festivals in general are more for the musicians or the fans going to see/ find music?
I’ve never really thought about it that way but it really is an all-round awesome experience for everyone. The bands get to network, hang out and practically live together while the fans get to experience this one huge day of bands they’ve loved forever, known about but never seen or come across music they never thought they’d appreciate; it’s awesome. The best thing about it is that you are surrounded by like-minded people. Everyone comes together to enjoy and celebrate love for music, there’s nothing like it.
What song or songs would you say represent your band the most? Do you think that’s changed since the release of The Other Side?
I think ‘The Fire’ represents Tonight Alive perfectly. In other songs it can feel like we’re all doing spectate things but ‘The Fire’ really brings us together. We jump in unison, run around the stage, there’s a breakdown, I love the riff coz it sounds old school and the lyrics mean a lot to me. I guess it just has this light hearted feeling to it while the music is quite heavy. I like that balance.
