Handguns: interview with Eric Stone and live show footage!

Since the release of “Anywhere But Home” in early 2010, Pennsylvania’s Handguns have spent time on Warped Tour, touring the country, making friends and fans the country over. Their tireless work ethic and commitment to the genre shines through on the aforementioned EP, which is currently available on iTunes and vinyl through Better Days Records. We caught up with Jake and talked about what it is that sets the guys apart, dream tours, and the future of Pennsylvania’s very own Handguns.

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By Eric Stone

Please start by telling me your name, your position in the band, and three words that describe you.

Jake Langley – I play guitar. The three words I would use to describe myself would be persistent, hard working, and absolutely, completely insane

Since the release of Anywhere But Home, your band has played countless shows with countless bands. Your commitment to playing music has gotten you this far. What was the thought process behind this push? Did you all sit down and decide, “This is do or die,” or did it just come naturally?

Well for me it started back when I was in high school. I had a lot of people tell me that my dreams of being in a band were far fetched and not worth my time. My high school music teacher even said to me, “Music is all about being in the right place at the right time.” So me being the smart ass I am, I came back with, “Then I guess I will have to be everywhere ALL the time.” I didn’t realize it then but that smart ass statement became one of focal points of how this band runs. We go out on tour as much as we possibly can, whether the tour is fully booked or not. We just go. When this calendar year ends we will have been on the road for 200 days out of this year. Some of that was spent on The Vans Warped Tour selling cds and hanging out with the kids in line as well as playing off-shoot shows. So, even when we don’t have shows we still go out. For me personally, music is the only thing that has ever made sense to me at all. So it no way feels like hard work. It’s just legitimately the only thing that gets me out of bed in the morning. To answer your question, no we never sat down and had a talk. Every time I say, “Hey, let’s go on tour!” or “ Hey, let’s follow the warped tour and sell cds,” or “Hey, let’s drive 18 hours to The Fest in Gainesville, Florida and hope we can hop on a warehouse show,” Taylor, Nate, and Marco just keep saying yes. We all love what we do.

There are hundreds of pop-punk bands. What three qualities set Handguns apart from everyone else?

Hard work – I can’t even give you three. I really believe that with the digital age and the way music can be mass marketed on the entire net, that the only REAL way to set yourself apart is to bust your ass and tour as much as possible. A lot of bands, especially with the way online music has taken off- Want to record, go on one tour and get signed. Anything worth having is worth starving it out in the back of van for.

What has been your greatest thrill, thus far? Does anything on your journey stick out as especially memorable?

For me it was the second to last show we played this summer after we had followed The Warped Tour all summer. We played in Olympia, Washington at the Black Lake Grange. It was the biggest pile up and the biggest sing-along and the best crowd response we have ever gotten. It was magical. I was crying so much while we were playing that my eyes burnt and I could barley see to play the guitar. There is no greater feeling in the world for me than when kids sing back lyrics to songs that I helped write.

What is up with Handguns right now? Is there anything that you can share with us?

The pre-order was just announced for the vinyl release of our record, “Anywhere But Home.” You can get that through Better Days Records. That is available at HYPERLINK . We are touring the whole U.S. minus the Northeast and West Coast from September 18th – Nov 5th with some really great bands. After that we are going into the studio to record five brand new songs for a 7” coming out on Pure Noise Records sometime this winter.

I’ve heard your band mentioned by many artists and fans of the genre. What is it about you guys or your music that makes you so well liked by fans and other musicians?

I am not really sure how to answer that question. We are just ourselves- complete and total losers who are thankful for every ounce of support we get. We do what we do not only because we love it, but because we can’t imagine ourselves doing anything else. When people support us by coming to see us, other bands help us out by putting us on shows or taking us on tour, we are beyond grateful for it. I think we are just easy to get along with because we don’t get involved in a lot of the drama, the back stabbing and the trash talking that goes on between bands. We love and support every band that is doing what they love.

Where do you see your band in a year?

On tour somewhere. Hopefully not broken down. We would love to tour other countries as well,

As touring is a main focus of your band, tell me who your ideal package would be. Give me four bands that would comprise your dream tour.

I am going to answer for the whole band on this one cause I know I can
Blink-182
Paramore
New Found Glory
Saves The Day
Alkaline Trio
MXPX

Lastly, compose a message to up and coming bands. What do you think it’s important that they know, and what do you wish that you had been told before you got started?

At the end of the day, I can sleep at night because I know that I  am doing exactly what I want to be doing, how I want to be doing it, and I am not taking “no” for an answer.

Don’t count on anyone to help you through other than yourself. Rely on no one but be thankful for everyone. Trust your gut and do what makes sense to you. Other than that- tour, sell your car, drop out of college, dump your girlfriend, get in the van, and just do the damn thing.