Wise Investment

Headlining huge rooms and playing to tens of thousands of people on festival stages is now standard for A Day to Remember. But for all the continued success since their formation a decade ago, they still remain the little band from Ocala, Florida that could.

“Most people don't even know what the fuck is happening,” laughs frontman Jeremy McKinnon. “It's Ocala, it's another planet. Seriously, [we] could have the biggest, coolest stuff happen to us and none of our families would even know. I've been on all these magazines, and I'm like, 'Yo, I'm on the cover of this magazine, it's really cool', and [my parents] are like, 'Oh yeah, I'll pick it up' – he says, putting on his most mocking old person tone. “Then we were on the front of [local newspaper] the Ocala Star-Banner and they were never more excited than that, y'know what I mean? It puts it into perspective.”

Their families might understand A Day To Remember's global standing better soon, however, because Common Courtesy, the American quintet's fifth album, is going to blast the band's popularity into the stratosphere. The record is an incredible statement of intent and commitment – combining their pop and metalcore leanings in a way that has never sounded more cohesive – and shows the full sonic spectrum of the five-piece more comprehensively than any record before.

“We really tried to expand on things we've done [in the past] and go in a few different directions as well as having a little bit of something that could be on any A Day To Remember album, and I think, as a whole, we did a better job with that than on any album,” agrees McKinnon. “There's a little bit of [2009's] Homesick, a little bit of [2007's] For Those Who Have Heart, a little bit of everything; this is the first time we've been able to get that all in one album and still branch out at the same time.”

During the creation process of the record the band put it all on the line. They built a studio at McKinnon's home in Orlando, because without Victory Records behind them – for this album at least, with contractual matters still being dealt with in court – they couldn't afford to make the record any other way. To put it in perspective, the total cost of Common Courtesy was roughly the same as [2010's] What Separates Me From You, except they had a month to record that album – this time around they had eight months.

“There has never been a better place where our band has been in,” smiles McKinnon. “We're better friends, we're in a better place business-wise than we've ever been – it's just really refreshing. It honestly feels [like] we're the only ones in charge of our destiny and we're going to do as much with that power as we can.”

If you've seen A Day To Remember live then you know the guys put on more than a show – the scene is less musicians on stage, more house band at the best party you've never been to – and returning to Australia as one of Soundwave's headline acts, the quintet will instigate a musical riot. Indeed, McKinnon promises we will get something special for the festival, and explains as far as going above and beyond to create colourful memories for their fans, the group have never considered anything but.

“It's more than just the music. You've got to invest in your show, you've got to invest in your fans,” he asserts. “Bands don't think about that type of stuff. Like, if you just really stop and think about being a fan – what did you want? What did you feel as a fan of music when you went to shows? What did you see that really lasted, really made an impression on you? We took those things that we'd seen and we made it our own.

“Less Than Jake – they were super interactive with their fans, and they would do fun stuff that gets people involved with their show. That made such an impact on me as a kid, and I went and saw them every time they came to town because of it. You look at older bands doing it too, bands like Iron Maiden, KISS – why do people still go see Rammstein? Because Rammstein puts on a fucking show like you've never seen, every time. It's new, it's fresh, it's different – it's entertaining man.

“There's never a point where A Day To Remember goes, 'We are there, guys, let's just pocket the money'. Y'know what I mean!” he laughs. “It's never about today, it's always about tomorrow when it comes to building, and that's what we're going to continue to do as long as our fans allow us to do it.”