Bayside’s ‘Killing Time’ Is ‘As Good or Better as People Are Expecting’
Bayside -- whose new album, 'Killing Time,' was named one of the most anticipated albums of 2011 by Alternative Press -- endured a tragedy that would table a lesser band. After the death of their drummer John "Beatz" Holohan in a 2005 van accident, the band decided to keep going. Their fans are glad they did. 'Killing Time' is out Feb. 22 from new label Wind Up after a long partnership with Victory Records came to a close.
"Things are really great with the new label," lead singer/guitarist Anthony Raneri told Noisecreep. "We spent about a year deciding what label we wanted to go with, and we definitely know now that we made the right decision. I would say the biggest and best difference with our new situation is that we had more time than ever to work on the new album. We spent about a year writing and recording this record, and it really gave us the time to make sure that everything was perfect."
Alternative Press' accolade could bring about a lot of stress, but Raneri and Bayside are hardly affected by it. "I am honestly not worried about it," Raneri said. "I'm actually pretty excited that it is as 'anticipated' as it is. I think it's as good or better than people are expecting it to be."
Raneri has confidence in 'Killing Time,' that's evident. He feels the album's "real stand out" is a song called 'Mona Lisa,' which is a bit of an experimental accident. "When we're working on an album, I write something every day. And a lot of times, I don't think it's any good. And a lot of time, I write things more as an exercise.
"I wanted to try writing a song with as many key changes as I could fit in and as many weird tricks as I could and see if I could make it sound listenable. Basically, try and make something very complex sound very simple. So I wrote that song just to see if I could, and it wound up sounding great so it made the record."
Additionally, Bayside have partnered up with Nike Stadium for a unique video contest, giving away a customized Bayside Nike Destroyer jacket to one lucky winner. "We have total input into it. We actually came up with the idea for the contest, and we will actually be the ones judging the videos," Raneri revealed. "Basically, we set up a site with a bunch of video elements -- pictures of us holding signs, videos of us, song clips -- and you can use the site to edit together your own Bayside promo video for the new album."
The prize of a Bayside jacket is doubly special, since so few have them. You have to be a part of the inner circle to own one. "Everyone in our band and our crew has Bayside varsity jackets that Nike makes for us," Raneri said, reminding us that "the only way to get them is to be in the band or work for the band. But we decided it would be awesome to design one special one for a fan to get in this contest. It's my favorite contest we've ever done, for sure."
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