October 30th, 2008 
James Shotwell UTG Sarah earned her interview wings this week talking with Victory Records Sophomores Driver Side Impact! Their new album Lion is in stores this week and we will be reviewing it soon. See what Brandon had to say below:
UTG: So Brandon, how are you today?
DSI: Good, how are you?
UTG: very good,. Let’s get down to business. The album drops today, what can you tell us has changed in the world of DSI since the last record [you are not allowed to respond with “more mature”]?
DSI: Well we’ve had obvious member changes, the engine blew on our van after the Bayside tour last year, Jack and I are only origional members left. We’ve gone through so much. We love the the new record. it feels like a new band but the kids are still into it. It’s been such a weird roller coaster, we even got our trailer impounded a month ago and had to stop touring because of it.
UTG: Lion is an interesting title for an album, is there a story behind it?
DSI: It was unintentional. We’ve been writing a lot about overcoming adversity. I have such a heart for what I’m doing, living the life of a lion. Being out there and being a go getter, taking care of business. Lion representing a person from love to not quitting the band. The word is in the record. From the beginning to the end. It’s about the life on the lion, even though the lion dies at the end of the record, which is depressing.
UTG: Aside from the references to lions, what other themes do you think we’ll find on the album?
DSI: I try to steer away from writing about romance and agnst, more about writing about being on the road.
UTG: A lot of people wrote you guys off as being quote/unquote generic with the last album, what do you think will make you stand out from this record?
DSI: The whole generic thing came from the fact we were young. the music that came out [on the first record] wasn’t the music that we had written. We’re an indie band and we’ve always written with a more artsy tone. The cool thing with this record is that we became were more of a family with this producer, and it broadcasted perfectly. This record is us having more time to do what we wanted.
UTG: I noticed Derek Sanders [Mayday Parade] makes an appearance on the record, how did you come to work with him?
DSI: We toured with Mayday parade a month before our first record came out, before they blew up. When they were in Celveland for warped, we asked him to be on the record. He didn’t even want any credit for it. It was a lot of fun.
UTG: A lot of bands told us that the one thing you learn from your first record is to plan ahead in the future. What would you say you learned the second time around?
DSI: I don’t plan ahead for the future, If you try and figure out what’s going to happed you’ll let yourself down.
UTG: What are you fall tour plans looking like?
DSI: Unfortunately we’re supposed to be on the road, but because of the trailer we had to come home. We tried really hard, but it was terrible. We stayed in Chicago for like 3 days saying that we were going to go on and realized that we couldn’t do it. We’re going to play some regional shows though, and hopefully come up with enough money for a new trailer.
UTG: I hear you guys have some funny road stories, care to share?
DSI: So many
In East Lansing on our first tour, third day in thinking we were so excited we’re staying at a friend of mine and his ex put us up in her house and she had this roomate and she went out to the bar and came back late, at like 2 am, and she came back and started screaming at us to go back to our emo village, and get out of her house. but it was really funny because we just pretended that we were sleeping, and after she went upstairs we all sat up and started laughing.
On tour with Mayday parade, we were making a video at this party, and Cabbage and I were climbing trees, and trying to jump out of them, it was very funny. If you’re not laughing what do you have in life?
UTG: There’s a lot of holidays in the fall/winter, how do you cope wit the distance from those you love while out on the road?
DSI: This year we won’t have that problem.
[last year] It sucked we had Thanksgiving at cracker barrel in Utah with a day to remember. Spent the whole day going to a movie and playing video games. It’s funny when you have a holiday and you’re with the band, it’s like a band holiday. A lot of tours will get booked around holidays
UTG: Halloween is this week, any big plans? Also, suggestions for those readers who still need costumes?
DSI: I was a zombie this Saturday. I plan on being a zombie again this weekend. Zombie is a good idea because its cheap, like 3 of us got costumes for $10. Other than that, Michael phelps is a cool one. I’m tired of cheesy costumes. Halloween should be scary.
UTG: If you could take one historical figure on the road with you [not a band, just a single person] to join the band and your adventures, who would you want it to be and why?
DSI: Bob Dylan could tell me everything I would need to be successful. It would have to be young drug addicted Bob Dylan though, not the wrinkly old guy.
UTG: We don’t believe in closing questions, only closing statements. The floor is yours to close this however you wish, but you CANNOT plug the album or any tour plans:
DSI:
Don’t drink too much
Wear a condom
I dunno, f*ck adversity, don’t quit, never quit, take it day by day. You’re going to get the wildest cards thrown at you. And you never know what’s going to happen.
Never quitting for people who want to be in bands, keep working hard.
*Written By: James Shotwell AND Sarah Rodda*
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