In the dry town of Stillwater, Okla., Tyson Ritter and Nick Wheeler randomly met and found a common interest in music. So they did what most carefree teenagers would do. They made a band.
With their crazy and charismatic attitudes, The All-American Rejects still manage to create terribly addicting songs. Despite Ritter's initial lack of experience in the songwriting area, the group has produced two of the top albums in the recent pop-punk explosion. The group plays this Friday at HSBC along with Fallout Boy, Hawthorne Heights and From First to Last.
Drummer Chris Gaylor has a way of spilling the beans when he speaks. While some sources say that all four have been together since the first album with their hit single "Swing, Swing" the story came out slightly different when Gaylor spoke with The Spectrum.
"I met (Ritter and Wheeler) about a year after the first record and I toured the entire record with them," he said. "When it came time for the second record, (Ritter and Wheeler) went to Florida to write for a while."
Gaylor said that they started solidifying their ideas in Georgia.
"There, we played songs together and threw ideas around," he said. "That's kind of how me and Mike joined the writing process."
There have been many questions regarding the extremely lengthy delay between their first and second albums.
"Making 'Move Along' was more like a year," Gaylor explained. "(Ritter and Wheeler) recorded the first record, toured for about a year and it was a year-and-a-half for the second album."
Gaylor also said that the band wanted to ensure a quality album.
"We didn't want to just pull up with three songs that were hits and have all the other be complete s***," Gaylor said.
"We wanted to make sure every song on the record was good. You can't manufacture Inspirado, you know?" he asked, referring to Tenacious D's concept of a physical manifestation of inspiration.
Although the band is sometimes perceived as being messy and at times too laid back and childish, The All-American Rejects are likely to keep on selling as long as they keep spreading their infectious songs.
"Yes, there is going to be another album," Gaylor said. "We have just ideas for three or four songs, but for now, we're concentrating on touring which is going on until next spring. We have a lot of writing to do."
At this point, according to Gaylor, the group has yet to reach a consensus on the next album's style.
"It's kind of up in the air on what it will sound like," he said.
The "Black Clouds and Underdogs Tour" has been sold out for quite some time, but for those looking for a scalper might want to head to HSBC before 7 p.m. when doors open.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
