American Thrills are looking for a good ol’ time! They’ll hook you up with a beer if you watch them play! Let’s see what they have to say!
First off, What’s up with your name? Is there a story behind it?
Kurt had a list of potential band names he was sitting on for a few years. We just thought it sort of sounded awesome. We were between American Thrills and something like Skate Party? I am grateful we chose American Thrills..
Tell us about your musical past, would you tell us about your early years?
3 out of 4 of us played in a pop punk band called Top of the Fair circa 2002-2006. After disbanding we went onto other bands, college and eventually started careers. When COVID hit we got the band back together!
How would you describe your sound?
This is tough for us. People describe us in all sorts of funny ways. I think we have some punk and alt rock vibes for sure. We occasionally bring in some big country vibes. We are trying to start a genre called Nu-Country. Not working out well, but we will keep trying.
Which artists have the biggest influence on your sound?
We grew up on bands like The Get Up Kids and Hot Rod Circuit. More recently I have been listening to The Gaslight Anthem and The Menzingers. I would like to think we take some elements from those bands to create our tunes.
What’s the last song you listened to?
A Wilhelm Scream – GIMMETHESHAKES , if you haven’t spun their newest record I recommend doing it like a million times.
What’s your source for hearing new music?
I am always finding new bands through social media. Spotify is great at dropping new tunes on discover playlists. I also frequent Punk News and some other great sites.
Who is your dream producer?
So many I would love to work with. Steve Evetts is incredible. Jesse Cannon did some of our most influential records. Would be cool if we did a record with him in the near future….
If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be?
Matt Pryor is such a talented songwriter and vocalist. Would love to have him on a track.
What led you to music, and what motivates you to keep making it?
My father bought me Green Day’s Dookie and it made me want to pick up a guitar. It was great to get back into music. It’s a break from the mundane lives we live. It’s a blast to get up there and shred some songs with my homies.
Tell us about the songwriting process. How does it all come together?
Usually someone will come up with a chunk of a song. We will take the riff/chorus or whatever we are working with and send it to our group chat. At that point we start to hash out these chunks into full fledged songs together at the practice space. Next we demo them out and continue to add to the song.
How do you connect with your audience? What is the easiest way for them to connect with you?
This is tough. We are old and bad at social media. We usually post on the socials and are somewhat active there. Not sure if anyone actually sees or cares about anything we post. If you hit us up on the gram or twitter we will likely respond.
LinkTree
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
Spotify
YouTube
What’s next for you?
Our debut LP “Parted Ways” is dropping November 18th. Vinyl will be available in December on Wiretap Records(US) and Disconnect Disconnect(UK). We have a record release show in Milford, CT on November 26th. Andy Jackson of Hot Rod Circuit is flying in to rock with us. Will be a blast.
Anything else you’d like to add or let us know about?
Support your local music scene. Go to shows and see new bands. Come out to a show of ours and we will buy you a beer.
Bio:
American Thrills is a punk rock band from Connecticut. Founded in 2020, during the pandemic, the band came together to write their debut Self Titled EP – American Thrills. The album was well received. According to Punk Rock Theory – “This is punkrock from the heartland and kinda what you wish The Gaslight Anthem still sounded like”
The band quickly returned back to the studio with Chris Teti (The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die) to record their follow up record Old Things, which features Andy Jackson of Hot Rod Circuit. In the fall of 2021 the band would release a split with Nightmares For A Week / Tired Radio / Neckscars and land a spot on Fest 19.
American Thrills is currently working with Nick Bellmore (Hatebreed / Make Do And Mend) on their debut LP which will be dropping on Wiretap Records (Spanish Love Songs / Audio Karate). The first single Alive And Well was released on December 17th.
