To preface this interview I want you all to know I did this interview when Story Untold were just announced for Warped Tour so it was around March 2018. Although it is outdated I thought you all may enjoy it regardless! They are a small pop-punk band from Montreal, Canada that began through lead singer Janick's youtube covers!

So you guys come from Montreal and Quebec all the way in Canada and Hopeless Records is based in Van Nuys, California so how did you guys get in contact with Hopeless and what was your first reaction when they offered to sign you?

The first time we talked with Hopeless was on Skype. We didn’t really know what to expect and at first it seemed unreal for us to even get a chance to talk with them. I remember them being super chill and just asking us questions about the band and what our overall goal was. Then the Skype call ended and I think we waited about two weeks to go on another Skype call and we basically had a deal! It may sounds very simple and easy the way I’m saying it but this was the achievement of many years of hard work and sacrifices.

What kind of music were you listening to that inspired the sound that Waves and your Self Titled EP to have? On the EP I hear a tiny bit of country influence.

The style of music I was listening to while writing the album was very different from what I would listen to back when I was writing the EP. For the EP I think we were trying to blend more into the Simple Plan and All Time Low vibe at the time and we wanted to write more upbeat and happy songs. The country influence you’re referring to probably came a bit from Green Day. That being said, for our first album Waves I was listening to a lot of Bring Me the Horizon and PVRIS. I wanted the songs to be more mature and darker from what we did in the past.

Where do you see the band in the next 5 years of your career? (Sorry this one is a bit vague)

Working night shift at McDonald’s. No for real I think our main goal as a band is just to be able to play music and have people listening to it. We don’t really want to be the band that everyone loves and talks about, we just want to write songs that we love and that people can connect with enough to come to a show and hang out with us.

What are your favorite songs off of Waves?

I think my personal favorites would have to be Drown In My Mind and Chasing Feelings. Both song’s lyrics just feel very personal to me and I just really like the vibe of Chasing Feelings because it’s so different from what we did in the past.

How long did the writing and recording process for Waves take and did you have any struggles with the writing of the album?

Waves is basically a compilation of songs that I started writing a few years ago. I think we had over 30 demos of songs for the album. We basically chose what we felt were the best ones and we also wrote some more when we got to Toronto to record the album. All The Same is a song that me and Paul Marc from Silverstein wrote about two days before we got into the studio to start recording the album. The recording process itself took about a month.

Do you have any advice for young bands on how to make music, set up shows, get noticed by a label, etc? Just whatever you’d like to say.

I feel like hard work is really what pays off. You can be the best singer in the world but if you’re not doing all the sacrifices and just living the music, I think it might make a difference. I would also say listen to a lot of music and different genres, it’s always good to be open-minded to explore new avenues and try to create something that hasn’t been done in the past and that will make you more unique to the people that have never heard you.

Who do you think you’re most likely to set up a tour with after Warped Tour ends?

We would really like to go on tour with Waterparks and With Confidence. I feel like that would be a good fit. Opening for nothing, nowhere would also be awesome!

What are you most excited to experience on Warped Tour?

Catering.

You guys have an upcoming headliner in Canada, what can we expect to see from those shows?

We are basically going to play a lot of the new songs from our album and we are also working on a brand new amazing intro for the shows. They won’t be huge ass shows, they’re going to be very intimate and I think we can have a better connection with the crowd when we play small shows like that.

Have you already started working on the setlist for Warped Tour? If so do you have a specific number of songs you’re trying to stick to?

Yes, we are working on a set list for Warped Tour and we’re going to make sure that it’s the best it can be. We’re going to try to keep it short and sweet so we’re probably going to play 6 to 7 songs

How did you all meet and decide to start the band?

It’s a very long story, I could elaborate for days but let’s just say that we were all good friends before we started the band and we just share the same love and passion for music which is why we get along so good together.

What do you think is the best experience you have had on tour?

I think our best experience on tour so far was our first US tour with Simple Plan back in 2016. it was just so amazing to get the chance to go on tour with one of our childhood favorite bands and see them play every night. We have also learned so much from that tour and those are some of the best memories that I will never forget.

What do you think is the worst experience you’ve had on tour?

I think our worst experience so far was probably last year went we were on tour with In Her Own Words and about five hours down the road from home our trailer broke down on the highway and there was just smoke everywhere... The tour hadn’t even started and we had to spend $3500 on a new trailer.

Do you think you will ever do covers again or at least try to revive the youtube channel with vlogs or something?

I don’t know about the YouTube covers but I think it would be cool someday to start vlogging again just to show the behind the scene of what it’s like to be in a band that’s going on tour and all that stuff. I think the covers were good to gain exposure but I don’t want to be seen as that kid who used to do covers I want to be seen as a singer of an original band.

Do you think you would ever perform any of your covers or mashups live?

You’re gonna have to wait and see!

Do you ever get mistaken for Alex Gaskarth in public? I’m very curious to know how those interactions would go down.

People compare me to Alex all the time. It’s funny because this is actually how I found out about all time low because people wouldn’t stop commenting on my YouTube videos that I looked like Alex so I eventually did some research to found out who it was and I found All Time Low and became a fan immediately.

Which songs on the album are the most emotional/meaningful to each of you?

For me it would be Chasing Feelings. It’s not only about me but it’s about a lot of people that surrounds me that have been dealing with drugs and alcohol issues or just overall struggles with their lives. So it’s just a very real and sad reflection of my reality.

Lastly, what is it like touring and being able to put your music out into the world?

I think it’s awesome that we have a way to put music out for people to listen to it and actually enjoy it. At the end of the day we’re just happy to read tweets and comments about how some of our songs helped some people with their struggles it’s just amazing.

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Watch Story Untold's latest music video for their song Chasing Feelings right here and go support them on the twitter account listed below!

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