Most bands try to get out of their hometown to make it big. Unless, of course, the band lives in Los Angeles, New York or Seattle.
But the four young lads in We the Kings are proud to hail from Brandenton, Fla. In fact, guitarist/vocalist Travis Clark says his songs all reflect the area, and some songs, including "Skyway Avenue," feature the city's landmarks in the lyrics.
"As we get out to tour, we realize how much we miss home and how much it means to us," said Clark during a telephone interview from Cleveland, Ohio. "All the lyrics are about family and friends. We have had a lot of love and support and we can't ignore that. We try to pay as much attention to where we are from as we do to where we want the band to go."
Last October, the band — Clark, guitarist Hunter Thomsen, bassist Drew Thomsen and drummer Danny Duncan — released its self-titled debut on S-Curve records. The band, whose average age is 20, knew what it wanted in a CD.
"I had 25 or 26 songs written for the CD," said Clark. "We had them all on demos and went to work chopping the list down to 11. We chose the best of the group and worked on tightening up the songs."
Working with in-demand producers S*A*M (Sam Hollander and Dave Katz, respectively), We the Kings began seeing the CD take shape.
"I have what you call 'songwriting ADD,"' said Clark with a laugh. "I have all these bits of songs written and have a hard time piecing them together. So it was great having those guys helping out with the puzzle work.
"They told us what pieces to leave out. The process was super comfortable. And the CD came together relatively fast."
The major highlight in the past few months is seeing the CD in stores.
"It blows our minds," said Clark. "Our main influence has always been Blink-182. We loved the way they had fun on stage. We loved the music and we noticed their charisma. And we always thought it would be cool to have a CD in the stores like them."
A few weeks ago, the band wrapped up filming the video for "Check Yes Juliet."
"Our director was Alan Ferguson, who has done things for Fall Out Boy and Boys Like Girls," said Clark. "We filmed the video in his home at Long Island, New York. It was set up like a house party. But we also got to do some acting. And I was able to drive a 1970 gold-and-black Chevy Chevelle. It was so cool!"
Still, videos and CDs aside, We the Kings do love playing live.
"We don't try to play our songs like we do on the CD," said Clark. "That would be just like setting a jambox on stage and playing the CD. So we try to make the live show entertaining. We do sing-along and all that and make it fun and interactive.
"We've never played Salt Lake, but we're looking forward to it."
If you go . . .
What: Cobra Starship, We the Kings
Where: In the Venue, 579 W. 200 South
When: Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.
How much: $10.50
Phone: 467-8499, 800-888-8499
E-mail: scott@desnews.com