1) First off, sorry, but why the name Plain White T’s?

Ha, thanks for the apology, yeah it’s a question we get all the

time…basically we were hard up for a name and we started looking

through cd booklets for help. We started to notice that a lot of the bands and

guys in bands we looked up to were wearing them, which started our train of

thought to icons like James Dean or Elvis…basically we look at it as

something that never goes out of style.

2) Who are some of your influences? And how did growing up in

Chicago influence your sound?

Well when we started I guess we emulated the pop rock/pop punk that was

coming out of Chicago quite a bit, most notably the Smoking Popes. They

were a very big deal for us.

3) How did you guys approach the recording of your newest album

“Every Second Counts”? Was there a goal in mind before heading into the

studio?

There isn’t necessarily a goal in mind because we’ve always just tried to make a really solid record from front to back, I think the goal has

Always been to make records that people can listen to with no filler bullshit.

I hope that’s how people feel when they listen to Every Second Counts.

4) How do you go about songwriting? Is it collaborative or more

of an individual effort?

It’s more individual, there are some talented writers in the band but

mostly we’ll get off tour and Tom will write the majority of the songs. We’ll

put most of our work into the production of fleshing out the arrangements.

5) You seem to tour quite a bit, which I’ll assume means that you

enjoy it… Do you have a favorite place to perform, not including your

hometown?

I think everyone would agree that Salt Lake and Utah in general

continues to amaze us.

6) I’ve heard you guys lumped into the Pop/Punk category, does

That annoy you? If so, how would you classify your music?

Well, I don’t think it’s easy to just lump into the “scene” as they say,

cause more than anything we’ve stayed consistent playin catchy pop rock

songs. The scene has more embraced your hardcore infused pop or your

dance infused pop. Maybe we lack that edge, but I feel it’s pure and based in

the fact that this style of rock has lasted half a century.

7) Which bands are you guys listening to these days?

My Chem, The Killers, The Matches, all the new fall releases.

Whats your take on MTV and music videos in general? Do you

enjoy making them or is it kind of a necessary evil?

It’s absolutely fun as hell! We all wish Mtv would focus more on music

But they’ve been great to us, and making videos are an opportunity that many

bands don’t get to experience, so we love every second of it.

9) Whats next for the Plain White T’s after you finish touring? A

break, new album, rehab?

Rehab, yes, haha. I suppose I could use that a bit….we’re going to

tour constantly through the next year, we’re not stopping. We’ll rest when

the job is done, so we won’t be resting for quite a while.

10) If you could model your bands career after another band who

would it be?

I’m gonna say Tom Petty or Bruce Springsteen…just because they’ve

held true to a sound for their whole careers and have stayed viable.

Another may be Elvis Costello, since he was able to change his sound and still

stay cool through the years, to stay important through that time while

trying new things is an accomplishment we would all aspire to.