Give us your names and what you do for the band.
Will: I’m Will and I play bass.
Jackson: I’m Jackson and I play guitar and sing. And Travis (pulls him into the interview) plays drums.
Travis: Yeah, hi. [Walks away]
Your new EP, Acceptance, just dropped. Give us the lowdown—what’s it all about?
J: Acceptance is all about just kind of accepting where we are as a band, as individuals, in life. From the time that we put out our first EP, On Your Mark, Get Set…, we’ve kind of realized how much work goes into this. Kind of accepting the sacrifices we’ve had to make to do what we want to do. It just dropped, we’re really pumped on the songs.
Fans and press have been raving about how you’re one of the unsigned bands to look out for. What’s the deal with you guys getting signed? Any time soon?
J: Nothing is in the process. Who knows? A label is a lot less than it used to be. Definitely something we aren’t not thinking about. We literally just put that EP out, and we’ve heard a few good things from some industry people and I think we’re just going to strive to get more feedback. If something comes along that seems like it’ll fit us well, then hell yeah. You know, why not?
What do you think it is about your music that has garnered you so much of a following?
J: Ah. That’s a rough question. I would say that our singer James has a lot to say and his lyrics aren’t your typical cliché lyrics that deal with girls and you know what I’m talking about. I’d say that’s probably why…maybe? People like it, we try to talk to everyone at shows and really connect with them. I guess that’s what it is.
Can’t resist… What’s up with the name?
J: Safety Word Orange. Our singer came up with it. We started out in LA and he had been going through a really rough time and years later, his friend, who he had gone through all these rough times with, sent him this package that had all these weird memorabilia in it. On the cover, it said “Safety word orange,” which was just their word in case things got really crazy and bad. We’ve kind of evolved it into having support for each other and a reminder of where you’ve been and where you want to go.
How have the past few years changed your relationships with each other?
J: Well, it’s interesting what being in a band will do. We’ve had a few different members come and go. Will is the newest, actually. It’s probably been like nine months.
W: Yeah, about that.
J: It’s cool. It’s interesting to see how people get to know each other and work together. I’d say we definitely have grown closer and learned about each other a lot. We all have ideas and we all want to be as creative as possible and obviously when that happens, you’re going to butt heads at times. We’re learning to move past petty bullshit.
What’s next for Safety Word Orange?
J: We are going to continue touring and supporting this album. We have a show July 10th at Webster Hall and another show July 14th at Sullivan Hall and then we’re playing some private parties. We’re looking at some new tours for August and September. So, yeah, just pushing this record and trying to get it in the hands of some awesome people.
