Push to Fire: Alternative Music Webzine

Push to Fire Interview: The Action Design
The Action Design is a San Francisco quartet formed back in 2006. Just as pop punk act Tsunami Bomb was hitting its peak - seemingly poised and ready to take over the world - the band abruptly disbanded. Feeling they still had something to contribute to the music scene, vocalist Emily Whitehurst and bassist Matt Mckenzie soldiered on and joined forces with guitarist Jaycen McKissick (ex- Pipedown) and drummer Jake Krohn (ex- Calcutta Bazaar). Tsunami Bomb and Pipedown were former touring mates and Mckenzie and Krohn were childhood friends, so the chemistry and familiarity had already been established.
The band played their first show in June of 2007 and wasted no time heading into the recording studio. The result was the EP 'Into A Sound' released in September of 2007. Subsequently in September of 2008, they released their first full length album 'Never Say'. Suzy caught up with Emily to find out what the band's been up to lately and their plans for 2009.

Hey Emily! You're probably currently most well known for fronting Tsunami Bomb who split up in 2005... earlier this month the band reunited to play one last time. What made you decide to do this?
We decided to play one more show as Tsunami Bomb to help a friend in need. One of our very good friends (who essentially helped create Tsunami Bomb) has a brain tumor and has excessive expenses to go along with it. The realization of this is what moved us to do something about it. We came to the conclusion that the best way for us to raise her some money would be to play another Tsunami Bomb show. It worked!

Was the gig a success and did you achieve what you aimed to do?
The show was a definite success, and it was sold out. It was good closure as well -- when we broke up in 2005, it was pretty abrupt. This was a nice way for our fans to finally have a proper sendoff.
The Action Design got together in 2006. How would you describe the band's music?
Energetic, poppy, synthy, fun yet thoughtful, melodic.
How do you feel the new album compares to The Action Design's previous EP?
The new album ('Never Say') is definitely a step in the direction we want to go musically. The EP was kinda rushed in a lot of ways, so it was nice to have more time to formulate the songs and make them how we wanted them. Of course, we always feel like we could use more time in the studio, but with what we had, Never Say came out pretty good. I would definitely recommend it over the EP, although there are some staple Action Design songs on that one as well.

The Action Design promo

You appear to have gone in a different musical direction to Tsunami Bomb. Why do you think this is?
When Matt & I started the Action Design, the only thing we knew is that we wanted to play music. We wanted to open our doors musically by including electronics -- when we first started the band, we didn't even want a guitar player! We gradually came around on that one. Anyway, we just wanted to do something that wasn't as limited as punk rock but was still just as high-energy, and this is what we ended up with. We're all pretty happy with it!
What do you think about the DIY scene in music? Would you say you are very DIY in your approach to promoting the band and interacting with the fans?
We are definitely very DIY, at least right now! There are definitely some ways that bands can promote through the underground, but I do think it's difficult. Generally, DIY for a band means you don't have any money backing you but you're still working as hard as you can. It can be very limiting, and there are some instances where it would be very nice to have a (monetarily) supportive label/publisher etc. If all of us band members were independently wealthy, we would stay DIY forever!
What's the most memorable tour experience you've had in your musical career so far?
In the Action Design's career, I would have to say one of our most recent shows in San Antonio was really great. We were headlining, and it was super late, and our expectations were pretty low because we didn't feel like we really had a good draw there. But it turned out really well, everyone had a great time, and it was a super fun and memorable show. In Tsunami Bomb's career, probably our US/European tour with The Bouncing Souls. They're one of my all-time favorite bands, so it was really an honor and SUPER fun to play with them every night, not to mention travel the world!
What bands did you grow up listening to? Would you say they inspired your musical style? Growing up, when I really started getting into music, I started out with Green Day, Rancid, Operation Ivy, NOFX, Bouncing Souls, The Vandals, MxPx... they definitely inspired my musical style. Even though I would never call the Action Design a punk rock band, we've all got roots in punk, so we've carried some of the characteristics with us. Namely, songs that are somewhat short, to the point, melodic and high energy.

The Action Design promo

Recommend three bands you think we should check out now!
Beat Union, Detektivbyran, The New Trust.
If you could tour with any band, which band would you choose and why?
Morrissey. Because he's one of my top favorites, and I don't think it will ever really happen, so that's my irrational wish!
What can't you live without on tour?
Books. When we're not on tour, all the books I want to read start piling up because there's no time to read at home. Those long drives are the perfect time to catch up!
What's next for The Action Design?
Hopefully a solid fanbase in the UK, so we can come tour over there!! Aside from that, the plans we do have are just to tour tour tour the US as much as we can. We've got partial US tours lined up for March and May, then hopefully a full US in summer. And we're always writing -- gotta start preparing for the next record!
Any plans to come to the UK?
Well... in our hearts, yes! Nothing is officially planned yet, but touring the UK is always in the forefront of our minds. It's people and publications like yours who are helping us make the first steps to come over there.
We heard you have a street team over here, how can people get involved with that?
YES!! Our street team is called The Action Figures, and our UK leader is named Manoj. To join up, all you have to do is send him an email at ukactionfigures@theactiondesign.com. We periodically send things over, like stickers, posters, etc. to help get the word out, and we have contests as well. We currently have members in all different areas of the UK, but we can always use more! You can also go to www.reverbnation.com/theactiondesign to see some of the stuff that's been done already. Check it out and join up!
Thanks for taking the time to speak to us Emily! All the best for your forthcoming gigs and hopefully we'll see you in the UK very soon!
Thank you so much for the interview! Believe me, we'll be out there as soon as we have the opportunity!

Thanks very much to Emily for speaking to us and thanks to Manoj for his help organising this interview. Check out the official web site at www.theactiondesign.com for the latest release and tour news!

Push to Fire Interview: The Action Design The Action Design is a San Francisco quartet formed back in 2006. Just as pop punk act Tsunami Bomb was hitting its peak - seemingly poised and ready to take over the world - the band abruptly disbanded. Feeling they still had something to contribute to the music scene, vocalist Emily Whitehurst and bassist Matt Mckenzie soldiered on and joined forces with guitarist Jaycen McKissick (ex- Pipedown) and drummer Jake Krohn (ex- Calcutta Bazaar). Tsunami Bomb and Pipedown were former touring mates and Mckenzie and Krohn were childhood friends, so the chemistry and familiarity had already been established. The band played their first show in June of 2007 and wasted no time heading into the recording studio. The result was the EP 'Into A Sound' released in September of 2007. Subsequently in September of 2008, they released their first full length album 'Never Say'. Suzy caught up with Emily to find out what the band's been up to lately and their plans for 2009.
Hey Emily! You're probably currently most well known for fronting Tsunami Bomb who split up in 2005... earlier this month the band reunited to play one last time. What made you decide to do this? We decided to play one more show as Tsunami Bomb to help a friend in need. One of our very good friends (who essentially helped create Tsunami Bomb) has a brain tumor and has excessive expenses to go along with it. The realization of this is what moved us to do something about it. We came to the conclusion that the best way for us to raise her some money would be to play another Tsunami Bomb show. It worked!
Was the gig a success and did you achieve what you aimed to do? The show was a definite success, and it was sold out. It was good closure as well -- when we broke up in 2005, it was pretty abrupt. This was a nice way for our fans to finally have a proper sendoff. The Action Design got together in 2006. How would you describe the band's music? Energetic, poppy, synthy, fun yet thoughtful, melodic. How do you feel the new album compares to The Action Design's previous EP? The new album ('Never Say') is definitely a step in the direction we want to go musically. The EP was kinda rushed in a lot of ways, so it was nice to have more time to formulate the songs and make them how we wanted them. Of course, we always feel like we could use more time in the studio, but with what we had, Never Say came out pretty good. I would definitely recommend it over the EP, although there are some staple Action Design songs on that one as well.
You appear to have gone in a different musical direction to Tsunami Bomb. Why do you think this is? When Matt & I started the Action Design, the only thing we knew is that we wanted to play music. We wanted to open our doors musically by including electronics -- when we first started the band, we didn't even want a guitar player! We gradually came around on that one. Anyway, we just wanted to do something that wasn't as limited as punk rock but was still just as high-energy, and this is what we ended up with. We're all pretty happy with it! What do you think about the DIY scene in music? Would you say you are very DIY in your approach to promoting the band and interacting with the fans? We are definitely very DIY, at least right now! There are definitely some ways that bands can promote through the underground, but I do think it's difficult. Generally, DIY for a band means you don't have any money backing you but you're still working as hard as you can. It can be very limiting, and there are some instances where it would be very nice to have a (monetarily) supportive label/publisher etc. If all of us band members were independently wealthy, we would stay DIY forever! What's the most memorable tour experience you've had in your musical career so far? In the Action Design's career, I would have to say one of our most recent shows in San Antonio was really great. We were headlining, and it was super late, and our expectations were pretty low because we didn't feel like we really had a good draw there. But it turned out really well, everyone had a great time, and it was a super fun and memorable show. In Tsunami Bomb's career, probably our US/European tour with The Bouncing Souls. They're one of my all-time favorite bands, so it was really an honor and SUPER fun to play with them every night, not to mention travel the world! What bands did you grow up listening to? Would you say they inspired your musical style? Growing up, when I really started getting into music, I started out with Green Day, Rancid, Operation Ivy, NOFX, Bouncing Souls, The Vandals, MxPx... they definitely inspired my musical style. Even though I would never call the Action Design a punk rock band, we've all got roots in punk, so we've carried some of the characteristics with us. Namely, songs that are somewhat short, to the point, melodic and high energy.
Recommend three bands you think we should check out now! Beat Union, Detektivbyran, The New Trust. If you could tour with any band, which band would you choose and why? Morrissey. Because he's one of my top favorites, and I don't think it will ever really happen, so that's my irrational wish! What can't you live without on tour? Books. When we're not on tour, all the books I want to read start piling up because there's no time to read at home. Those long drives are the perfect time to catch up! What's next for The Action Design? Hopefully a solid fanbase in the UK, so we can come tour over there!! Aside from that, the plans we do have are just to tour tour tour the US as much as we can. We've got partial US tours lined up for March and May, then hopefully a full US in summer. And we're always writing -- gotta start preparing for the next record! Any plans to come to the UK? Well... in our hearts, yes! Nothing is officially planned yet, but touring the UK is always in the forefront of our minds. It's people and publications like yours who are helping us make the first steps to come over there. We heard you have a street team over here, how can people get involved with that? YES!! Our street team is called The Action Figures, and our UK leader is named Manoj. To join up, all you have to do is send him an email at ukactionfigures@theactiondesign.com. We periodically send things over, like stickers, posters, etc. to help get the word out, and we have contests as well. We currently have members in all different areas of the UK, but we can always use more! You can also go to www.reverbnation.com/theactiondesign to see some of the stuff that's been done already. Check it out and join up! Thanks for taking the time to speak to us Emily! All the best for your forthcoming gigs and hopefully we'll see you in the UK very soon! Thank you so much for the interview! Believe me, we'll be out there as soon as we have the opportunity!

Thanks very much to Emily for speaking to us and thanks to Manoj for his help organising this interview. Check out the official web site at www.theactiondesign.com for the latest release and tour news!