Polar Bear Club’s Jimmy Stadt Is Proud to Be From Rochester, N.Y.

"I currently live in Connecticut since my girlfriend goes to school here and I pretty much follow her wherever she goes," laughs Jimmy Stadt. The Polar Bear Club vocalist is on the line with Noisecreep promoting his band's upcoming third studio album, 'Clash Battle Guilt Pride.' Formed in upstate New York, the melodic punk group has spent the better part of the last four years out on the road playing with everyone from straight-up hardcore bands to indie rock acts.

Noisecreep asks Stadt if growing up hours away from New York City informed his songwriting at all. "The actor Philip Seymour Hoffman is from the same town I'm from [Rochester] and he said something really brilliant about growing up there. He called it "the Kansas of New York." There's definitely some truth to that [laughs]. I was talking to the guys from Every Time I Die and they're from Buffalo. They used to make fun of Rochester. Andy Williams [guitars, Every Time I Die] said that they used to say that people in Rochester would love bands that no one else would even listen to. I think he was right about that. So yeah, being the area I grew up in has definitely shaped my musical habits," says Stadt.

The vocalist says although Rochester internationally renowned for its arts scene, he's glad he grew up there. "I grew up in the punk and hardcore scene and we had the Rochester Institute of Technology and there were a lot of kids from New York City and Boston that go there. So that helped get the music and cool stuff here before the internet or whatever. There's actually a really cool art scene in Rochester and I'm proud of that.

"I know Rochester will never compare to a place like Chicago, but that's OK with me. It's like growing up in a poor family and not knowing until you went to a friend's house and realized that there's a class difference [laughs]. I've learned from touring so much is how weird I am and how weird Rochester is. But it's still my home and the things that are odd about that place are comfortable to me.

Listen to 'My Best Days' from Polar Bear Club

Polar Bear Club is currently out on the Clash Battle Guilt Pride Tour with Fireworks, Balance and Composure, Make Do and Mend, and Such Gold. Stadt says he'll be sticking up for Rochester the entire time. "When people ask me where I'm from, I usually hesitate because if I say Rochester, they automatically assume I mean New York City. If they do say that, I just say, "No, it's more like Canada than anything [laughs]. There's this really Midwestern kind of niceness to Rochester. I guess Philip Seymour Hoffman was right about the Kansas thing!"

'Clash Battle Guilt Pride' will be out on September 13th via Bridge 9 Records.

All tour dates with Fireworks and Balance And Composure

* w/ Make Do And Mend

# w/ Such Gold

9/8 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade *

9/9 – Orlando, FL @ The Social *

9/10 – Pompano Beach, FL @ Rocketown *

9/11 – Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum *

9/13- Austin, TX @ Emo's Alternative Lounge *

9/14 – Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live Studio *

9/15 – Dallas, TX @ The Prophet Bar *

9/17 – Mesa, AZ @ The Underground *

9/18 – San Diego, CA @ Soma Sidestage *

9/21 – Anaheim, CA @ Chain Reaction *

9/22 – Fresno, CA @ Neighborhood Café

9/23 – Oakland, CA @ Oakland Metro Operahouse #

9/24 – Orangevale, CA @ The Boardwalk #

9/26 – Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theater #

9/27 – Seattle, WA @ El Corazon #

9/28 – Boise, ID @ The Venue #

9/29 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court #

9/30 – Denver, CO @ Marquis Theatre #

10/1 – Lawrence, KS @ Jackpot Music Hall #

10/2 – Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club #

10/4 – Dekalb, IL @ The House Café #

10/5 – Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen #

10/6 – Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick #

10/7 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop #

10/8 – Toronto, ON @ Annex Wreckroom #

10/9 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Altar Bar #

10/11 – Asbury Park, NJ @ Asbury Lanes #

10/12 – Brooklyn, NY @ Knitting Factory #

10/13 – Cambridge, MA @ Middle East #

10/14 – Syracuse, NY @ Lost Horizon #

10/15 – Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk Place #