Action Item’s new CD, Revolution, just came out last month and the guys are touring to support the new album. We caught up to Brian Cag from the band to talk about everything from their new music to craziest fan encounters! Check it out below.
BOP&TB: Tell us about Revolution!
Brian Cag: We’ve been working on this album for the past year and a half, and we’ve gotten the opportunity to make a lot of good friends and write with some great people. Jordan from the Ready Fair actually wrote some songs and there’s a song called “Brave†that he actually wrote with us too. I think that might be the single that fans are going to really like. It’s very upbeat and very poppy and we’re super excited about that.
BOP&TB: What’s your favorite thing about going on tour?
Brian Cag: I think trying out all the crazy food places in every state. There’s a bunch of different local shops and coffee shops that have these outrageous things, and I think that’s the best part about you find these little huts and local spots that you come back to every time you’re in that city. I think that’s what I look most forward to. That and of course playing shows, whatever!
BOP&TB: Do you have an example of one of those little crazy diners or shops that you’re looking forward to going to this time around?
Brian Cag: Oh yeah! Actually I have a terrifying situation, but it was delicious! It was delicious and terrifying, that’s how I would describe it. So Anthony, our guitarist, and I went to this little BBQ shack in the middle of nowhere, off this highway stop. There was nobody in there and it looked like it was straight out of a horror movie like someone was about to just come out of there and try to kill us! But honestly, it was the best BBQ sandwich I’ve ever had in my entire life. It was the best!
BOP&TB: So what are your tour essentials? The things that you have to have on the bus with you?
Brian Cag: Obviously everyone would say their phones, to keep in contact with family and stuff. And I think recently for this tour since this is our first bus tour ever, we’re going to get an Xbox and have everything on it, like Netflix, Hulu, movies, the full system! It’s going to be dope!
BOP&TB: What are you looking forward to least about touring? What about it would fans expect to not be a pain that you can share with us?
Brian Cag: I think honestly just the constant traveling and the constant moving. It’s cool and I love seeing new places, but I think that just takes a toll on you. But there is really nothing like it and nothing to complain about, we are living out our dreams every day and we are very fortunate to be where we are, so you just take it as you go. But probably the traveling and being away from your family.
BOP&TB: So, which of your songs is the most fun to perform live and why?
Brian Cag: I wanna say one of the new songs on the record, but we’ve only played it in rehearsal once, but I think it’s going to be the best. It’s a song called “Brave.†Jordan from the Ready Fair helped us write it. It’s really energetic live, and really inspirational. It’s a really upbeat song. Many inspirational songs tend to become a ballad and slow so we tried to steer away from that, so it’s very positive and upbeat and it’s going to be so much fun to sing and to see everybody at the show singing it, it’s going to be pretty nuts!
BOP&TB: Do you have any tour rituals that you like to do before a show or before the tour starts that would be kind of cool and interesting for fans?
Brian Cag: Sometimes, depending on the show, well before every show, we have a big group huddle with us and our crew and thank everybody who everything up for that day possible and we kind of have a moment where we just really chill out and be quiet and take a couple minutes to ourselves before we go onstage and before it gets nuts! It’s kind of like a zero to sixty in five seconds so we like to have that downtime.
BOP&TB: Do you have any crazy fan stories from tour?
Brian Cag: When we were young and starting out, we were playing local shows to get our name out just to play for the people. And Dave, one of our bassists, hit me right in the face and I was like, “Ok that hurt a lot!†and I noticed my tooth got knocked out and it fell on the stage. So a fan took it and ran out, and I’m just sitting there bleeding everywhere and have no idea what to do and we were only 15 seconds into our set, and we had to cancel the rest of the show!
BOP&TB: And she stole your tooth?
Brian Cag: And she stole my tooth and ran out!
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