This interview was done with Andy aka "The Butcher" on August 6, 2006 at the Englishtown NJ warped tour

1. Introduce who you are and tell what you do in the band.

I am the Butcher and i play drums in The Academy Is.

2. You're currently on this years warped tour. What was your reaction when you found out you had a spot on the entire tour?

At first I was confused. I mean I thought it was great. Now that we're almost done with it I still think it's great. Lots of thoughts though.

3. What has been the most exciting thing so far?

We had a crazy day in Vancouver. I think the most exciting thing personally is watching our lead singer fall off the stage at one of our shows.

4. Being on the subject of tours, what are some things that you love and hate about being on the road?

I love seeing new things and meeting new people every day. I don't like getting sick. You get sick really easily when you're traveling... I do anyway. There's definitely more pros than cons.

5. Where are some of your favorite cities or venues to play at?

A lot. Theres Detroit that we just played which was great. Dallas has great people and great venues. You have to love every place.

You have to love New Jersey.

Yes, and Jersey. We have played some pretty wicked shows there. Boston and New York are great and anywhere in California.

6. Favorite song to play live?

I'd say 'Almost Here', the song we usually end with.

7. For the people that weren't able to catch you on the warped tour this summer, are they able to see you anytime soon?

No, we just finishing writing and recording for the new record. We might do a small unannounced tour, but I guess I kind of just announced it. Nothing is settled though, but probably nothing until next year.

8. You're in the process of writing a new album, if I'm correct. How is this going for you guys? Most importantly, do you have any ideas set on a release date?!

It's good but it is going kind of slow especially because of warped tour. It demands a lot of physical attention so we don't really get to sit down and play guitar for more than 15 minutes at a time. We have a lot of stuff for the album so now all we have to do is go and finish up. There's no specific release date but we're hoping February of this upcoming year.

9. Earlier this year, you were on TRL. Did you ever see yourself as an MTV-TRL kind of band?

Well at first I didn't think I would ever be in a band that would hit TRL. I try not to think about that too much because any good thing that comes our way i dont want to jynx it. TRL is sweet.

10. It's amazing to see how rapidly your fanbase is growing. It's probably going to get a little harder to meet everyone. So, what really makes an encounter with a fan memorable to you guys?

We'll do signings every day and meet the fans to say hi, shake everyone's hand and sign something for them. When a fan just comes up to us and says hi, thats much more memorable than someone who's trying to get an autograph to put on ebay or something. People that actually take the time to write letters, I mean we always read that stuff. It's not like we have anything better to do. So it's that kind of stuff, or when people make us scrapbooks or quilts or scarves.

11. If you werent in a band playing music together, what do you think you'd be doing with your life?

I was a butcher before this. If I wasn't in a band or I never did music I would be doing visual art or going to college.

12. If for just one day you could trade places with anyone-dead or alive, who would you choose, and why?

Well I wouldn't want to be dead so, i guess the only thing that really comes to mind is i would want to be Ben Gibbard from Death Cab for Cutie. I like Death Cab and he writes good songs.

13. Music you're currently listening to and cant get enough of?

As Tall as Lions- a band from Long Island and they're on Triple Crown Records. They've been around for awhile but their new record is so fucking good. You guys should check it out.

14. What motivates you the most when it comes to writing music?

Touring doesn't motivate me. It's being home or being in a certain spot for a length of time where I can sit down and absorb something. A lot of it's being around my family and friends and that love.

15. Did you know that today (August 6) is Elliot Smith's birthday?

I was not aware.

16. Any advice for new bands starting out?

Sure, I would say...I mean I've spent four years a different band that didnt go anywhere. Two years I was a butcher and then this came along. I would say don't stop doing something that you love. Once you stop then it's done. Keep putting yourself out there.

17. Share a random, crazy, or interesting fact about yourselves that no one else would know.

I was dropped on my head three times in the same spot before I was four. It's fucked up right? But I think I am okay now.

18. I think that pretty much wraps it up. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview. Is there anything you want to say to anyone reading this and TAI fans?

Well we have a kind of new website. We got rid of the TAITV and everyones pissed off so we're going to put that back up. There's going to be some other stuff although i cant really talk about that but we've got plans. New website-the easiest way to get in touch with us is email. The new record is coming out next year and we're going to finish recording right after this tour.

A big thanks to the Butcher!

www.theacademyis.com

www.myspace.com/theacademyis

www.fueledbyramen.com