The Lantern: It is pretty early in the tour. How it going so far?
John Keefe: Awesome. All the bands are super dope. Everyone has been really nice. We are so stoked to be out here touring with this package.
TL: So the kids have been pretty receptive, too?
JK: Yeah, every show has been sold out so far. I don’t know how, but whatever is going on is working.
TL: So, if someone came up to you and said, “What do Boys Like Girls sound like?” what would you say?
JK: I would say we sound like a fun rock band. We are taking what has been done in the past and making it our own and moving forward and making new music.
TL: What kind of music inspired you to play music when you were younger?
JK: I grew up on Aerosmith and Pearl Jam, a lot of old jazz and swing from the 30s, 40s and 50s and a lot of Miles Davis and John Coltrane, which you probably would not be able to tell on our record because I am very song oriented as far as playing drums goes. But I have a broad musical basis.
TL: So where do you see Boys Like Girls in a year?
JK: Hopefully, all over the world. I just want to see what the world has to offer. We have been around the country a ton of times, and it is awesome. But I really want to go to Australia and Japan and the UK. We are actually going to the UK with Hellogoodbye here soon, so that should be awesome.
TL: Did any of you guys go to college?
JK: I went for two weeks and then called it quits. I thought about going again in the music school, but I couldn’t do it. I just wanted to be in a band and play songs and not get too involved in the technicality stuff. It is good to have that knowledge, but at the end of the day, it is the creative side that is really important.
TL: You just mentioned you were going out with Hellogoodbye. Are there any other big touring plans? Perhaps Warped Tour?
JK: We actually just confirmed for the entire Warped Tour, so are really excited about that. Plus we are doing Bamboozle (Fest in New Jersey). So we wrap up this tour, we do Bamboozle, head over to the UK, come back and hit Canada then hop on Warped, so that would take us to about winter.
TL: Has your perception of success changed over the years?
JK: I have always thought everyone has their own perception of success. For me right now we are on the brink of success, we are getting to where we want to be. For me, if I was to travel the world and really do this long term as a real career, I think that would be success for me because a lot of bands and careers end real quickly. You could be the best thing in the world for a year, but then it is over. So it is like, “Were you a real success?” So I think having longevity and having songs that have longevity is what real success is for me.
TL: So it is more of an intangible thing for you?
JK: Yeah. It is about longevity and about doing what you want to do for the rest of your life. This is obviously what I want to be doing, I have always wanted this. But we are just starting. We have a long way to go.
