Letlive.: We are all literature buffs

Hailing from sunny Los Angeles, letlive. are a band going from strength to strength and power-move to power-move. 2011 has been a big year for the band, with appearances at Download and at Reading & Leeds. I threw some questions in the way of Ryan Jay Johnson.

How’s everything going?

Never a complaint. I’ve had a recent conversation with band mates, where it has finally dawned on us that we are doing something that everyone dreams of. Everything happens so gradually, and your mind is always moving forward, or focusing on small things, that the big picture is a bit blurry – that is when you step back and realize how damn far you’ve gotten. We’re comfortable.

So it’s the end of 2011 – how has the year treated you?

We’d always spoken about how this year would be a huge testament, proving worth to all of the years we’ve put into this, and, although it rarely happens in life, it has treated us, to be modest, kindly. Grateful isn’t a strong enough word.

Fake History is your third album now; would you say it’s your best record yet?

It is certainly. Second best to our fourth record.

Kerrang! named you the best live act of this year – a big deal, surely?

We’re still sorting out how any of that happened. I would say someone in our camp paid them off, but we don’t even get paid. We appreciate every and all recognition we receive, especially from the kind folks over at Kerrang!.

You re-released Fake History this year as well, any reason?

Well, we loved the label we were previously on, and everything they did for us, but, not to their fault whatsoever, they didn’t have the means to release the album at the volumes we’d hoped we’d be able to reach. We felt as though releasing it through Epitaph would give the album a larger push that we had wished we would’ve received before. It was fun redesigning and working on something from the past; writing a new track and releasing b-sides as well.

At what point did you feel that letlive. really broke into the UK?

I think Download festival was a huge indicator that something was happening. There was a lot of anticipation leading up to that festival, especially with us curious as to how we would be able to translate to both such a large crowd, and large stage. Strangely enough, we felt perfectly comfortable, and we honestly loved playing in front of the droves of people. Reading and Leeds both reaffirmed those feelings and our intense sense of accomplishment, and we seriously thank those festivals for those opportunities.

A lot of bigger bands in the US work with Epitaph – was it a privilege to join this cohort and to work with some of the best?

Honestly, a lot of the bands on Epitaph, both from the past and present, have inspired us as individuals and musicians. It was surreal to begin working with them, and now we truly feel as close to them as we do family. It is a very tightly knit operation, and we have personal relationships with a lot of them. We have become close to a few of the artists on the roster as well, and will be heading out on the road with them shortly.

Is literature a big influence for letlive.?

This is a question that I’ve always wanted to answer. In every sense of the question, yes. We are all literature buffs to some degree, and span through different genres. We gather a lot from what we read, and discuss anything related, pertaining it to our goals within the band. Sometimes I feel as if literature has influenced a lot of our decisions and directions more than other musical compositions. Affixing a few authors to us, leaving the corresponding members anonymous: Garcia Marquez, Dostoevsky, Malcolm X.

What are next year’s plans?

We plan on starting the first half with more heavy touring, then proceeding with recording the next album. Yeah, we’re probably equally as excited about that one.

UK domination?

Surely. Always.

Any last words?

I’m glad you attached a literature related question. Read.

letlive.’s third album – Fake History – is now available to buy as a vinyl as well as digitally. You can also catch them on the Kerrang! tour

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