Not a Jerk
The Academy is… is on a hot streak right now. They had a successful release of their sophomore album “Santi”; they recently wrapped up the Honda Civic Tour with two of today’s biggest acts: Fall Out Boy and +44; and they’re currently headlining their own tour, the Sleeping with Giants tour. This summer we had the opportunity to sit down with bassist, Adam T. Siska. Does he floss before or after brushing? You definitely won’t find the answer to that question in…
10 Questions with The Academy Is…
- by Mattias & Dave-Os –
1. The first obvious question would be to ask you what exactly The Academy is… – but we’re not going ask you that. Instead, what are 3 things that The Academy is… not?
A: That’s a great question! The Academy is… not a bunch of jerks. Write that down. The Academy… is not muscular guys.
M: None of you guys are muscular? Seriously?
A: Nah I think Butch [Andy Mrotek aka The Butcher] our drummer probably is… and Mike our guitar player. 3/5s of The Academy is… not muscular. And I’d say The Academy is… not fans of the Detroit Pistons. We’re Chicago Bulls fans so we don’t like the Pistons.
2. So your video for “Neighbors” recently came out. Who do you think would make a better neighbor: Mr. Rogers or The Girl Next Door?
A: Oh man, I’d have to go with The Girl Next Door.
M: But Mr. Rogers c’mon! If you ever needed a cardigan…
A: *laughs* yeah he’d be good. I think Will has a big crush on her – Elisha Cuthbert. We actually met her when Cobra Starship did “Snakes on a Plane” on Jimmy Kimmel last summer. She was one of the guests so we met her. She was really sweet, so I’d say she’d make a great neighbor.
M: Did you get her number?
A: I don’t know about that…
M: She’s dating a hockey player.
A: Yeah one of the guys in the Kings; that’s what she was saying.
M: Sean Avery.
A: I can’t say I back it. *laughs*
3. So yeah, “Neighbors” just came out; any other upcoming singles off Santi?
A: It’s all in discussion right now. I mean it all depends on this single and where it goes, and where we line up the third single you know…
M: Yeah, usually after the third, that’s it.
A: Yeah, you know usually most records get three- four if they’re lucky. Some bands have been fortunate enough to have five. It’s crazy. So yeah, it all depends on the progression of the singles. There are a lot of songs we’re passionate about and we’ll be talking about it. We definitely plan on there being more than two.
M: Any particular song that you’re leaning towards right now?
A: Ummm, I hate to speak too soon. You know it’s so up in there. Everyone kind of wants something a little different- we all have different tastes.
4. What’s the “biggest mess” you’ve ever hand on your hands?
A: One time I was making lasagna with my Mom, and as I was taking it out, I dropped it. The lasagna and cheese had just been cooked, and it hadn’t quite settled in. It ended up all over my kitchen floor. Also I think one time actually, I was taking syrup out of my fridge, and I dropped the syrup. The bottled cracked open and I had a syrup mess.
M: Syrup! That’s much worse than lasagna.
A: Well the lasagna mess a little bit bigger. I’d say that the quantity of the lasagna mess was bigger, but the quality of the syrup mess was worse.
M: Yeah I guess with the lasagna, you have to factor in the time it took to make it. Baking lasagna’s not easy.
A: Yeah that’s probably the biggest mess I’ve ever had on my hands. Other than that, I think everyday your own… you have something or another that’s going your way – and that’s what the real logic and meaning behind that song was. It’s like the reoccurring theme that you find yourself in.
M: Everyday really?
A: Well not everyday but like certain moments in life when you’re like “wow I’ve really done it this time”. Even if it’s like the slightest thing where you locked your keys in your car or forgot to call your Mom on Mother’s Day.
M: So short answer, lasagna?
A: *laughs* Or syrup – either one.
5. How’s the Honda Civic Tour treating you?
A: It’s been GREAT! You know Fall Out Boy has been old friends of ours. We’ve seen them build their band from the ground up, so it was fun to put out the record then go out with them. Cobra Starship – great friends of ours. It’s been a real great time getting to know all the Plus 44 guys.
M: Oh yeah, how’s that like. Mark Hoppus is kind of a legend and Travis…
A: A little bit you know… especially being a younger guy; I mean they were really big I was coming of age. It was a little intimidating the first few days, then we realized that they’re such fun-loving and good guys – they’re just good people. And Paul Wall has been incredible. I was the most intimidated by Paul Wall just because I didn’t know what to expect. He’s the nicest person on the tour.
M: Really? Did he get you guys grills?
A: Nah, I felt a little embarrassed to ask. I didn’t want to step on his toes. He’s really friendly, really cool, he made a cameo in one of our webisodes – he’s awesome. Yeah no complaints, this tour has been great. The shows and have been huge and we’re just lovin’ it.
M: Do you get a free Civic for being on the tour?
A: We don’t. Fall Out Boy was given a Civic that they designed themselves, which will be given away for charity.
M: If you were given one though, how would you do it up?
A: Hybrid for environmental reasons and I guess I’d take the Fall Out Boy one. *laughs* nah, I guess I’d get it red and black with a big Chicago Bull on the hood.
6. How does one prepare oneself before “sleeping with a giant”?
A: I think before sleeping with a giant, you’d have to… that’s a great question.
M: Do lunges?
A: Yeah, you’d have to bulk a little bit to make sure you wouldn’t get crushed. Maybe get a good slumber cap and pajamas so you don’t get any of that giant sweat all over you. Yeah I’m not to sure on the preparations but I think it’s something we’ll all have to face one day.
M: I’m already training!
7. What is your favourite Academy Award winning movie?
A: Wow, I really have to think about this – I’m a big movie guy. My favourite Academy Award winning movie… can I name a few?
M: Sure.
A: I was big fan of American Beauty. It’s definitely a weird one but I though it was cool. I thought it was a good statement that that was given Best Picture because it IS a pretty crazy store. It seems like all the Academy Award winning movies are all like biopics and stuff like that, so it was cool to see a movie that just came out of thin air that actually represented some life.
Did Pan’s Labyrinth get an Academy Award? I think it got cinematography or something. I thought that movie this year was great. Braveheart – I’m a big fan of Braveheart. I like Mel Gibson’s movies a lot when he directs. I’m not necessarily a big fan of Mel Gibson but when he directs movies… like Apocalypto this year was brilliant.
The South Park movie wan an Oscar for that song “Blame Canada”. Yikes.*laughs* I liked the South Park movie; I thought it was very funny regardless of the Blame Canada thing. I like Canada a lot. Yeah, I’m a big fan of movies – the list could go on.
M: Wrong Answers. We were looking for The Godfather II – Robert DeNiro come on!
A: I’m a huge fan of mob movies. Goodfellas and Casino are two of my favourite movies... Donnie Brasco and the Godfather movies…
8. What do you like about being with Fueled By Ramen.
A: Well we were all fans of Fueled By Ramen before it was this current beast that it is. There was a band called The Stereo that we were all big fans of at the time… Animal Chin, The Impossibles. Less Than Jake – we were all big fans of Less Than Jake growing up. We couldn’t be happier, especially because this label’s growing you know. It’s something completely different than what it once was; we’re really happy that we’ve been here for the long haul and watched the label progress.
I mean you hear horror stories about the music industry. We’ve been fortunate enough to be able to surround ourselves with people who have passion for our project. And when you have that type of relationship with who you’re working with, you feel a lot safer, and a lot more heart is going into what you’re doing – so it helps. Everyone from Fueled By Ramen to Atlantic to Crush Management – they’re our best friends.
9. Are you a Dog Person or a Cat Person?
That’s a great question – I had both growing up. I had a bad tragedy with my dog, so I kind of wrote off getting dogs for a long time. You build a real bond with a dog… losing a dog is really hard. They become a part of your family you know. Where as cats, they stick to their own; they have a little bit of an attitude – which is what I love about them. I have to say I’m a little bit more of a cat person because I’ve had so many cats growing up – like tons of them. I love cats but at the same time I love dogs. I plan on in the future having both. The day Pete [Wentz] got his bulldog, I was so jealous. That’s like my dream dog right there.
M: And he’s brings the dog on tour!
A: Yeah he’s taunting me with it everyday. I see him walking around – I wanna steal it.
10. Who would you like to see next on Band of a Day?
A: You should do The Smashing Pumpkins, since they came back. You should do a Smashing Pumpkins feature and interview other bands asking them about The Smashing Pumpkins.
Adam actually had a lot to say about The Smashing Pumpkins, but we’re saving it for a Smashing Pumpkins tribute article. So if you want to know how “1979” changed his life, stick with us kid. Thanks again to Adam for an awesome interview and reminding us that The Academy Is… not a bunch of jerks. Don’t forget to catch these dudes during the Sleeping with Giants tour along with The Rocket Summer, Sherwood, and Armor For Sleep.
Disarm Us a Smile,
The Botd Team