I think it's really cool that you guys started in high school and continued from there. What was your first full band show experience like coming out of high school?

Dan Young: Yikes, I'm not sure I remember that. We played a lot of teen centers and elks lodges during high school. I remember our first tour well though, it was a 2 week run up and down the West coast. We played in a few backyards and actually, probably a karaoke bar. We slept in our conversion van mostly (we've upgraded to a 16 passenger...haha) and ate fast food every day. It was disgusting, but thrilling. Just being on tour at that point was the greatest feeling in the world!

Your new song, 'Waste Myself' is awesome! I love it! What events inspired that song? Any behind the mic info you can share?

Dan: I don't really want to go into specifics, but I had been reading some books that brought me back to my childhood memories of the many hours spent in hospitals, not because of my health, but a family member's. Anyway, the song is loosely related to those books, my own little story that I'm not sure if I'll ever publish, and my own experiences with the hospital.

The rest of the Bright Lights EP is pretty stellar as well and features a great new renovated edition of "My Beautiful Rescue". What made you guys decide to change it up?

Dan: Our record label asked us to re-record the song just to have. It was just going to be a new recording of the same version. But we decided to mess around with it. It really came out well, and it represents the direction of our upcoming album.

When you look back at Our Worlds Divorce, what kinds of changes do you recognize in yourself and your music since the production of that album?

Dan: Well the various member changes and just the process of growing changes a lot. That album, 'Our Worlds Divorce' documented my final years of high school, and was very honest and straight to the point. I liked that a lot about that album so we took that honesty and put it in our new songs. Musically we have changed a lot. We used to love making a song a little hard to follow, on this new record we just wanted to make great rock jams. It's hard to feel the music when it keeps changing all over the place. We wanted to FEEL the music more on this new record.

Where would you like to see This Providence go next musically? Are there any different genres that you'd like to tackle?

Dan: I don't think we've thought too much about that just yet. We have an album waiting to be released, so we'll see where we go from here! I think we'll stick with rock 'n roll though.

What kind of vibe can we expect on your next album?

Dan: It's more straight forward, it grooves more and doesn't leave you hanging. It's got some dancey stuff, kind of along the lines of the Cure and it's got some more rocking stuff. But we tried to keep a good groove throughout no matter what vibe each song has. I think 'Waste Myself' does a pretty good job of representing the album as a whole.

What is a typical day on tour like for you?

Dan: Waking up in a hotel bed next to another dude. Or actually, not me - I'm one of the last to wake up. Shower, drive, drive, lunch, drive, drive. Arrive at the venue, load, set-up. Go get dinner, hang around waiting to play, play, pack up, take pictures, sign stuff, hang out with the other bands, drive, hotel, sleep.

What are your goals as a band? Who do you hope to reach?

Dan: I just want to keep making music that I can be proud of. We want to be ourselves, not try and fit into everyone's formulas. And we would love to make a lasting career out of this for the next however many years. I'd love to hear my songs on the radio, and I'd love to tour the world. We'll see.

You recorded 'The Exit' with Brendon Urie and Forgive Durden for "Razia's Shadow", what was that experience like?

Dan: It was fun. I was in the studio recording some stuff with Thomas and he said, 'Hey, you should sing on this song.' I said, something along the lines of, 'nothing would bring me greater joy.' and he threw a mic in front of me, taught me my parts and that was that!

Dan performing live; Photo credit: Chris Ramsey

What kinds of things has being in a band taught you about yourself and your band-mates?

Dan: Being in a band can be really bad for a persons character. And I'm not convinced it's been great for mine. I can't figure out if any of the good stuff I've learned is just because I'm getting older or if it's because the band has actually had some positive influence on me. I'm sure it has, I mean, we're all really, really good friends, and we know each other's flaws inside and out. But we still love each other, and we still love playing music together. That's the best part - a great live show makes it all worth while. I suppose I can attribute my dedication to making music to this band. I will always make music, the band makes me hungry to write.

If you could name three albums that are essential to any music collection – what would they be?

Dan: What's The Story Morning Glory - Oasis
Abbey Road - The Beatles
Heartbreaker - Ryan Adams

Is fame important to you? Why or why not?

Dan: No, not as much as it used to be. I'm learning to really value my privacy. I'll take the fame though if it means I get to do make my mark on music!

Do you ever go back and visit Australia? Do you think you'll ever want to live there again someday?

Dan: Every few years. I hope I get to live there again, I want to live by an Aussie beach.

I've never tried vegemite myself, but I've heard that most unexposed Americans can't handle it when they try it. Where do you fit in there? Are you a vegemite lover or hater?

Dan: Hater turned lover. My cousin was in the states recently, and he taught me that I had been putting it on too thick. The trick is a thin layer on a piece of toast. You can't beat it, I've converted a few Americans with this approach.

And lastly, what are some books and movies that you're into?

Dan: I love books, but I'm so behind on my literature all the books that I would mention, you would say, 'oh I read that in High School'. Well I didn't because I was lazy, and now I'm kicking myself. As far as movies go, there's a gem I recently saw called Kenny. It's an Aussie movie, maybe I just miss the place a lot, but I haven't laughed so hard in a while!

If you haven't already, you should definitely check out This Providence. Keep checking back for tour dates in your area. For more information on the band, you can head over to their official website or check them out on MySpace. Thanks for reading!

Check out this video of Dan Young and Gavin Phillips performing and acoustic version of This Providence's latest single "Letdown" at KISS FM studios in Seattle: