March 19th, 2015 
Gabbie Brown 
15 years in the music world may be the equivalent to 100 years in human life. Trying to keep a band relevant and successful takes time, dedication, hard work and severe determination. Bayside, the punk-rock band we’ve all grown up with has reached this very milestone.
Throughout six studio records, a live acoustic album, overcoming the trials and tribulations of the passing of drummer John “Beatz” Holohan, and bouncing around record labels, the guys from Queens have proven that music will always be what keeps them going. To celebrate, Bayside are throwing themselves an on-the-road birthday party like no other, with Senses Fail, Man Overboard and Seaway along for the ride as guests.
At the Hard Rock in Las Vegas, we got inside the head of frontman Anthony Raneri about the monumental chapter for his band. Follow us below the jump to read the interview and to check out the remaining dates of Bayside’s birthday tour.
UTG: So it’s been 15 years of Bayside – what do you think has been the key ingredient to keeping the band alive for so many years?
Anthony Raneri: I think it’s the fact that we’ve always stayed true to ourselves. You know, most bands try to go out and change something that is working completely fine in order to keep up. They try to go with a new sound, etc. That’s where we’ve stayed true to ourselves.
Speaking of 15 years, you recently posted a photo of the original lyrics to “Don’t Call Me Peanut,” and some other throwbacks. Is there one piece you have in your Bayside collection that you’re surprised you had?
I was shocked that I still had all of the lyric sheets. Those have been at my mom’s place for a while and the fact that they were still there was remarkable. It’s cool to be able to go back and look at those from 15 years ago.
You’ve gone into the studio so many times, and I’ve read that Cult only took you 14 days to record. Which one took the longest and why do you think it took so long?
Killing Time took the longest to record due to the fact that we could sit on it and take our time. We were touring and would go record, and hop back on the road.
There was a time where you were cranking out records pretty quickly. Did you feel like that was because you had to in order to keep up?
We were cranking out records because we didn’t know any better. We thought that was something everyone did. I think we were releasing those records every 12-18 months and we did have a lot of material. It was non-stop go for us at that time.
I love how honest and real you guys still keep things. I saw Nick tweet something about technical difficulties at a show last week and how you’re never too old for those. You think those moments kind of still keep you on your toes?
We always get a laugh at those moments because after 15 years, we still have those issues sometimes. I mean, everyone does. Look at how Madonna fell off of the stage. It keeps us going.
So, what’s next, for not only Bayside, but also your own individual projects?
Bayside is always going to be a thing for us, we’re going to keep doing Bayside. As you said, we’re all kind of doing individual things on top of the band, and each have exciting things coming up. Nick is doing crazy things with his clothing line, Born & Bred. I’m actually getting ready to release another solo record due out soon. It’s cool that we can still do our own thing, but can still come back to Bayside.
UPCOMING 15-YEAR BIRTHDAY TOUR DATES:
Mar 20 – The Complex – Salt Lake City, UT
Mar 21 – Summit Music Hall – Denver, CO
Mar 22 – Granada – Lawrence, KS
Mar 23 – Ready Room – St Louis, MO
Mar 25 – The Rave – Milwaukee, WI
Mar 26 – Concord Music Hall – Chicago, IL
Mar 27 – The Crofoot – Pontiac, MI
Mar 28 – House of Blues – Cleveland, OH
Mar 29 – Opera House – Toronto, Canada
Mar 31 – SoundStage – Baltimore, MD
Apr 01 – House of Blues Theater – Boston, MA
Apr 02 – Best Buy Theater – New York, NY
Apr 03 – Electric Factory – Philadelphia, PA
Apr 04 – Starland Ballroom – Sayreville, NJ
Interview written and conducted by Gabbie Brown (follow @GabbieBrown)
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