Hello everyone, Pat Kirch here! I answered 50 of your questions. It is a bit of a read but I hope you enjoy it.
1.LÍGI-asked:What do you expect for 2013?
PAT- I think it is going to be another growing year for me as a person and for us as a band. It will be the first year since the first year we started our band that have 100% control over what we do. 2012 was pretty close to that but we had to still work with a label in some sort of way. We are going to expand and grow what we do musically on record, our live shows and experience + all the other things we do as a band outside of just recording records and touring will expand and be improved. It is a very exciting time to be a part of this and just to be alive in general.
2.NICOLL/BRITTANY MCNICOLL-asked:when can we expect the vinyls to be released? and how much do you think theyre gonna be? :) x
PAT- To be 100% honest with you I am not sire when we are going to release the vinyl but I can tell you that is going to happen and we are also working on some ideas of how to release the older records on vinyl as well. It all comes down to us just releasing the DVD and now getting ready to get the new book into motion so the vinyl was put on hold just for a moment. I know that does not do a very good job of answering your questions but know that it is in the works and will happen it is just going to come down to the right timing. Ok cool….
3.GISSY-asked:What did you do on New Years?
PAT- Tim had a party at his house so I went over there. It was fun/nice/cool…. I hope you had a good night!
4.ALYSSA PAULSEN-asked:What are my chances of ever hearing Life Like This or Untangle Me live?
PAT- Hmm I would not be too apposed to those ones but I am not sure if everyone would agree on them but I would not rule it out. Picking what songs to play live is getting so hard with the more music we have, we do our best to play a mix of everything and balance between what we want to play and what you guys want to hear and request. One day we need to just a tour where we play for like 4 hours and then we can just play every song we have ever written and then we can all be satisfied haha
5.TESSA-asked:What do you do when you feel like giving up on life?
PAT- I have never gotten to the point in my life where I have not wanted to be alive anymore but I have had plenty of times where I wanted to give up on certain things. I put a lot of pressure/stress on myself with being in this band and I have had very brief moments of breaking down and wanting to just give up but that thought very quickly leaves. I do not even think it is a real thought you know when you just get overwhelmed in life and want to just lay in bed for the rest of your life. That can happen sometimes to the best of us… I guess I just calm down and actually figure out why I am so stressed and try and solve it one problem at a time. That always works for me.
6.LAUREN/ALLIE DALTON/TESA-asked:Any ideas on the album title or artwork?
PAT-John generally always has some ideas for a title before we step in the studio and that is no exception this time but there are a few ideas floating around so I do not want to say anything so soon. Anything could change yaaa know??
7.KAITLYN-asked:new covers anytime soon?(: how’s album #4 going, how many songs?
PAT- We are currently in writing mode so we have not really talked about doing any covers but it is something I am sure we will do for the live shows or even recorded versions once we finish the album. Cover songs are fun to do it is a completely different way of playing music. I think we will try and do more cover songs in the live set when we go back out on the road. On the past few tours we have been playing a lot of Neil Young, Ryan Adams, The Rolling Stones, Jimmy Eat World and many other covers in sound check for fun so maybe some of those could creep into the set!
8.SOPHIE/LAURENTAYLOR/MORGAN-asked:What’s your New Years Resoultion?
PAT- I kind of touched on this in a post on y tumblr the other day but I do not have a New Years Resoloution and have never. I would like to think I try and set goals and things to reach every day in my life either big or small. I guess it does work for some peep to have something big like a changing of the year to make them rethink things but I guess that just doesn't work for me. I hope you meet all your goals either way!
9.ABEER-asked:I am super excited for the new album! When will you guys start working on it again?
PAT- We are getting back in to working on the demos over the next couple days and then next we go up a cabin in northern AZ to do more writing. We will then come back to Phoenix and write a bit more and then hopefully record the album! Ooo yeah for the person above we have about 14 demos recorded right now and a bunch of other ideas to work on over the next few weeks!
10.GISSY-asked:Summer tour?
PAT- I do not want to say anything for sure but I think it is pretty safe to say we will be back on the road in the summer somewhere in this world we live in! Once we start up again it will be nonstop. I want to play for all of you again soon and hang...
11.JAELLE-asked:Are you proud of the progress you guys are making with this album? And are you excited to share it with all of us? :)
PAT- The very short answer is yes and yes! Things are going great and we working on plans to record which is getting me even more excited that is going to become a real album. I can not wait to share it with you guys I think you will enjoy the new tunes and they should be fun to play live. The thing about being in this stage of an album is that it could still go in many different directions and you really don't know what kind of album you are going to make until you start recording. I think John is writing the best stuff he has ever written and the most honest and that is the best place to start from so I am sure things will go great!
12. MEG-asked:Did you take the last band instagram post from tumblr? Like a fan tumblr? :) Because I think it was mine. Happy New Year!
PAT- Yes I did haha thanks for posting that. I always steal things from you guys so I am sorry but you all post some cool stuff about our band so I like to share it. Thanks for the support.
13.VICTORIA-asked:What do you hope to accomplish in 2013 as a band and on your own?
PAT- I hope to make a great album and then tour the world and meet lots of people. I hope we can do things our own way and continue to do what feels right as apposed to what people think will be successful. For myself I want to make sure I am taking in all of the special moments in life.
14.MEGHAN PARKER-asked:Hey Pat! Happy 2013! Have you read the scrapbook we gave you from the night in San Francisco?? It would make the start of our 2013 to hear that you have!
PAT- Hello! Yes I did thank you all very much for putting that together. We are very lucky to have fans like you guys who care so much about the music and what we do as a band. The feeling is mutual, we are more grateful than I have the words for.
15.JADE BEAL-asked:Do you ever contribute to lyrics or is it mainly John who does the songwriting? :)
PAT- All of the lyrics come from John. It is all his brain.
16.GABS G-asked:What are your wishes for 2013? love u xoxo
PAT- I wish that some people would be more open minded and accepting and understand that we are all just people no matter our differences. People get so stuck in their ways(including myself) but the fact that some people are so against things like same sex marriage to this day makes me sick.
17.PHOEBE P-asked:Will you come do a concert in Huntington beach one day???
PAT- That would be awesome it is a great place. Hope that happens in 2013
18.HANNAH-asked:What can we expect from you guys in 2013?
PAT- New album, tours, and expanding everything we do in a creative way. I think we are going to be able to do things differently than ever before and really start something exciting even if it only works for us and our fans. I think we are going to try and break the mold of how people think things need to be done in the industry. Also i think the volume of music we are going to start to release will increase this year!
19.LEDA ALMEIDA-asked:How do you stay when you are drunk?
PAT- haha umm I guess I get more talkative and rambunctious….. It is kind of a rare event which is probably good haha
20.HEV-asked:What’s the most rewarding past about being in a band?
PAT- I think seeing how much of a community the music we make has built worms my heart. Seeing how much it has changed our lives and done the same for some of you is encouraging. I think bringing people happiness and some sense of being content for the moment is something that not many other things besides music can do. I am just happy to be a part of this with you all.
21.ANGEL SNYDER-asked:Are you guys planing on releasing a Pioneer keepsake book like you did with Black & White? Or are you still looking at releasing Pioneer on vinyl? :)
PAT- No we do not have any plans of that we try to do something different with every album and not repeat the same things but we are working on a new book called "Roads" that will feature plenty photos and info about the Pioneer era of The Maine. It will follow us basically for the past 5 years.
22.BETH-asked:Around what month do you think you’ll tour North America? Got to get saving my £££ or I guess $$$ now I’m finally out of debt from the last two tours.
PAT- I am not sure but like I said before I do not see why we wouldn't be back out on the road in the summer but we just have not figured everything out. We are just focusing on the songs right now and will figure that stuff out once we finish that. After all we need a record we are proud of before we will go on tour!
23.AMBER/TYRA-asked: What are you most excited for the new album and touring? Also, do you think the sound of #4 much different than Pioneer?
PAT- I am just excited to be free and to have a good time playing music we are really proud of. to answer the second question, I am not sure yet. I think we are going to approach this album a little different in the sense that when we did Pioneer we recorded it over a long period of time and in many different record sessions and with this one it will be all one thought. Musically I think it will be the next logical and natural step!
24.CAT-asked:hi pat happy new years :-) did u kiss someone at midnight?
PAT- No….
Happy New Years to you too. I hope you got a kiss
25.RACHEL-asked:Hi Pat! :) do you ever think that the unreleased songs from Pioneer like Our Street will ever be released? I heard Our Street in Dublin in 2011 and I’ve been dying to hear it recorded since!
PAT- We have a demo recording of "Our Street" but that is it. I could see that song being record at some point probably not on the next album as of now but it is a fun song. We want to work on a new way to be able to release songs like that, the ones that maybe do not fit on any of our albums. 2013 will be the year of music for The Maine.
26.CARLA-asked:How does the recording and writing process this year differ from pioneer, like is it easier knowing you don’t need to produce something that has to meet major label criteria and what not?
PAT- We have yet to start the recording process yet so I suppose it is hard to say for sure yet. We will be recording the album all in one period of time as apposed to in a few different chunks like we did on Pioneer so i am sure that will effect things a little bit and maybe make a more fluent sound. As far as the writing goes it is pretty much the same process as we did for Pioneer, John brings in some ideas and we all work it out from there. This time around we have no pressure from a label and we didn't really on Pioneer because we did not tell them that we were recording but I suppose in the back of our minds we knew that eventually we would be presenting it to the label. This time we just know that we have to enjoy it so I think it will b even more of a freeing and creative recording process.
27.MEG-asked:Who were you sitting on last night??
PAT- That was Jimmy in that picture I think your talking about!
28.KARINA-asked:Are you guys thinking about doing a summer tour for the next album?
PAT- Maybe!!!!! I guess it just depends on the timing of when we get the album finished but that would be nice.
29.AMANDA CAPUTO-asked:Where do you think you’d be if it weren’t for The Maine?
PAT- That is so hard because I started playing this band when i was 16 years old and from day one I knew that this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I never have thought about doing anything else. My on;y guess would be if I was not in this band I would be in another band.
30.GABBY BROWN-asked:What’s the best part about putting out an album?
PAT- I think the day the album is released is pretty strange because all of your worries kind of go away. People are either going to enjoy what you created or not and it is not up to you anymore, the album is not just yours to enjoy anymore it is for where wants to. It is great to let it free and see how people react you know? You work for months and months on something and think about every little detail and then once it is out you can not go back and change anything it is what it is. To really answer your question I guess it is just the fact that people get to hear what you have been working so hard on.
31.RAQUEL-asked:What’s one of your best chilhood memories?
PAT- That is hard because I have a horrible memory when it comes to my childhood and do really remember specific moments I think just the whole idea of being young and innocent is a great time. You do not have the stress of even school or anything like that you just have fun and are carefree that is a nice time that one day i hope to get back to. I guess I probably live a life that is close to that where I do not have to answer to a boss or something like that but I put enough stress on my self every day haha
32.GABRIELA R-asked:Is the song that you guys were rehearsing on Clip #3 complete yet? I know we only got to year 15 seconds of it but it sounds so good!
PAT- Thank you! yes that is a completed(for now) song. I am very excited about the stuff we have and we are only going to add to the list.
33.GLORIA-asked:How many songs do you think are actually going to be on the album out of all the ones you’ve written so far??
PAT- Out of the ones we have written so far a good amount we are very excited about and think they hold a place that the album needs not to sure on an exact number. I think we still have some songs to write to make it a complete album but I do think we know what is going to be the first and last songs on the record already which is a nice place to work from.
34.KAITLIN-asked:What inspired you to make another book, and when can we expect it to be finished?
PAT- Doing another book has been in the plan for years now and it is why we have been bringing Dirk Mai on the road with us for all these years. This book is going to capture what it was like in the first five or six years of being in this band so it will be a great thing to have and it kind of leaves off with Pioneer being the end/start of a new chapter. We are continuing to work on it all the time but there is so much stuff to look through it is talking awhile so I do not want to put a date on it but the idea is to put it out before the next album is released.
35.MORGAN G.-asked:What is your favorite part of being in a band?
PAT- All of it! Playing shows, writing music, recording music, meeting the people who support what we do, traveling. It is all great and yes it can be hard at times it is all I want to do for the rest of my life.
36.MARISSA-asked:how white gurl shwasted were you last night?
PAT- OMG lyke so cray fool u have no idea…….
37.MEGHAN-asked:How much facial hair will be on this album cover?
PAT- haha good question. Probably very little.
38.ALLISON THEISEN-asked:Will you be coming to Dallas in 2013?
PAT- Yes! See you then.
39.MARIA CS-asked:When do you think the new album will be released?
PAT- I am not sure but we will have a better idea once we get in the studio and get into a flow of things. I do not think it will take too long to release it once it is recorded. We will get it out asap!
40.MICA-asked:First song you listened to in 2013?
PAT- I do not remember, I was at a party so i guess whatever happened to be playing at the time.
41.AMBER-asked:What did you do for the new year’s festivities?
PAT- I think I already answered one like this but I cant remember now, I went to my brother Tim's house for a little party thingy. It was a good night.
42.CLARISSA-asked:Do the guitarists come up with most of the lyrics or do you write some lyrics as well? Also, can you actually play guitar?
PAT- John writes all the lyrics, and yes and no… I can play a few chords and strum around a little bit bit that is about it. I can by no means play the guitar like a guitar player but maybe I could fool someone if I stuck to the three chords I can play best.
43.GABS G-asked:Do you intend to make another dvd? love you, pat!!!! (:
PAT- Yes I am sure we will! We do not really plan most of that type of stuff, the idea to do something like that comes when there is going to be a moment we want captured or a message we are trying to get across. We will continue to release things outside of just albums so yes somewhere along the line another DVD will come.
44.JOANA-asked:is there any real chance of The Maine and This Century come together to brazil this year?
PAT- I would love that! It is still just a little early for us to be making touring plans because we are focusing on the music but that would be a lot of fun.
45.MEGHANA MANDALA-asked:What was your best memory of 2012 (last year) ?
PAT- If I had to pick just one I guess it would be the DVD show in Sao Paulo. The energy in the room was amazing and to be filming a DVD has always been a dream of mine.
46.LISA-asked:How has Pioneer changed your life, a part from your other albums?
PAT- I has opened my mind to the idea that we can do things our way and have it work. We can make an album we are proud of and do things the way that we feel is honest and that can be how we can function. It changed how our band will grow in the suture it made it so we broke the mold of being on a label and sticking with that system. It just really opened us up to new ideas that we had always wanted to see through. Now what we want to do is a reality.
47.LÍGIA-asked:Something you learned in 2012 that you’ll take to your life 2013?
PAT- If you believe in something so much just go for it and don't back down.
48.MEGHAN PARKER-asked:Hey Pat! Thank you for releasing updates! When are you going to be doing your own Q&A like Kennedy did?
PAT- Your welcome! I will do one next week.
49.JADE-asked:What do you expect for the new album?
PAT- I think it is going to be another growing process for us and taking all we have learned making albums over the years all together. Plus all of the new influences we have all put together. I think it is really going to have a "sound" and "tone" that is specific to this album.
50.SZILVI-asked:what was the highlight your year?
PAT- I guess this is kind of the same as my favorite moment but looking back on the year I will always just remember this year in specific as the year that changed everything for us and the start of a new beginning. I will remember what amazing fans we have and how they made this album a reality. I have never seen anything like how you all got behind us in 2012 and I can only hope to top it in 2013.
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If you made it all the way to the end. Wow.
Thanks guys!
Love,
Pat
