Quitting a regular job to play in a band is a gamble. But it looks like the guys in We Are the Fury made the right decision.
"We had been playing together for about seven years on and off," lead singer Jeremy Lublin said by phone from Los Angeles, "but two years ago, we got serious and we quit our day jobs to do the band full time."
We Are the Fury is comprised of Lublin, guitarist Chris Hatfield, bassist Alan Hoffar, drummer Stephen Lublin (Jeremy's brother) and keyboardist Todd Wehrle.
The band has released an extended-play recording on a major label — "Infinite Jest," which was originally done as an independent record. "We did it ourselves," said Lublin. "We felt the need to get our music out, but at the same time, we put ourselves into it. We knew we would be spending our own money and our own time to do it. So it had to be good."
The EP caught the attention of East West Records, the same company that housed Pantera, and signed We Are the Fury.
"East West re-released the EP and we are now working on our new full-length album," said Lublin.
The band's mix of rock, glam and punk was a hit at South by Southwest and left everyone with high expectations for the new album. "Now we have to back up what has come before," said Lublin. "So we're feeling it now."
One of We Are the Fury's fans is Mark Hoppus, a former member of Blink 182. In fact, the punk idol has been tapped to produced some tracks for the new album. "I don't know how we got him to do it, but we met with him and he was excited to do it. We're looking forward to working with him, too, and we'll also be working with Tim Patalan, who produced our EP. So, it will be an experience."
The album is slated for release in early August.
Meanwhile, the band is recovering from having crashed its tour van. "The crash was actually the second van we lost, but this last crash was more intense," said Lublin. "We were coming back from a gig in Los Angeles and were in Colorado. It was storming and we lost control of the van, hit the guard rail and luckily didn't fall down the 500-foot drop.
"The only thing that was damaged was our van. And we were lucky because some of our fans pitched in to help. And the record label was cool to work with. They've supported us through it all. We just got a new van."
If you go ...
What: Matchbox Romance, We Are the Fury, Chiodos, Amber Pacific, The Early November, The Take Action
Where: In the Venue
When: Tuesday, 5 p.m.
How much: $14
Phone: 467-8499 or 800-888-8499
Web: www.smithstix.com
E-mail: scott@desnews.com