On The Road Again

Having just completed the legendary 41-date American Warped Tour, Transit drummer Daniel Franzier is feeling rather happy with himself for having made the decision to fly home to Boston, leaving his four bandmates to schlep the 3000 miles back in the tour van.

“The shows were so good,” he says contentedly. “It was definitely one of the, exposure-wise, absolutely probably the best tour we've ever done in that respect. Also just, it was a blast – there were so many of our friends' bands on the tour and new people, you know bands that we weren't very close with or had never heard of, so it was definitely a great tour for us.

“It was kind of just like a giant... I don't even know how to explain it – there was so much thrown at you. None of us knew what to expect – it was out first time on the tour so once we kind of settled into things we were like, 'Okay, this is cool, this is fun'. It was awesome because like some days we wouldn't leave until early in the morning so you don't drive 'til the next day, so there'd be like a barbeque for all of us to hang out at, not just artists but the whole tour so it was great to meet people there… In the simplest terms, it's punk rock summer camp. Call me lame but that is all it is – a bunch of guys and girls getting together and having a blast all summer. It's great,” says the 19-year-old, name checking California's Funeral Party as his pick of the tour.

Having spent a good chunk of their time on the road since their third album Listen And Forgive was released last October, Transit are in fine form for their debut Australian visit – which includes an impressive spread of all ages dates – and they've handpicked Melbourne punk stalwarts Anchors to accompany them.

“Anchors, I don't know what happened, we were just drawn to them – we were just like, 'This is the band, this is gonna happen'. They're a great band, that's pretty much all it comes down to, and we're really excited that they could be a part of the tour and excited to meet the guys and see if any interesting tour stories happen.”

Franzier's teenage wonderment comes to the fore when asked to imagine how it will feel to arrive in a land he's only experienced through stories and imagery.  

“I picture that we're gonna land, I think we land in Sydney, and I'm just gonna see – I don't know what that building is – but the building that you always see in Sydney that people talk about,” he says trying to recall the Sydney Opera House. “I just picture I'm gonna see that immediately and I'm just gonna hang out with kangaroos and koala bears," he laughs, before grappling with some further words to describe Transit's level of expectation ahead of their first visit.

“I don't even know, I can't even tell you!” he says excitedly. “I'm gonna get up and play and then I'm gonna be speechless 'cause I'm gonna be in Australia – that's the first thing that's gonna happen! Usually you hear stuff, you know there's like a buzz goin': 'Oh, people want you to come to Australia'. That's not something I've really looked into or heard much about – I hope they come out, I hope kids care, I really do 'cause it's Australia, it's supposedly the greatest place on earth, so we'll see.”