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While touring with Panic at the Disco for the Honda Civic Tour, Motion City Soundtrack just made a stop at The Fillmore in Miami. Teenlink reporter Alison Sikes got a chance to chat with MCS member Tony Thaxton via e-mail. Here is what he had to say:

Q: The Honda Civic Tour is an interesting mix of bands this year. How did you get involved with this tour?

A: Well, we were actually on Panic's first big tour they ever did, I believe, with Fall Out Boy back in '05 when their first record came out. So, we go back a little bit with them. We hoped that would help us get onto this tour, and we submitted for it, and now we're on it. I think it is as simple as that.

Q:You recently completed a headlining U.S. tour in the fall. How does that tour compare to The Honda Civic? What has been different? Similar?

A: Well, as I write this, we haven't started the Civic Tour yet, but it will be a completely different scene I think. We were headlining in the fall, so the majority of people were there for us. This time, it is Panic's tour, so we are one of the openers. Hopefully we can win over a lot of new fans. It's a great opportunity for us.

Q: Where are your favorite places to tour and why?

A: There are a lot of great places to go, that's one of the great things about touring, getting to see all of the places you never would have seen otherwise. If we had to pick an absolute favorite place in the world, I would say we are all in love with Japan. It is just unlike anywhere else in the world. If you ever get an opportunity to go, I recommend it. Everywhere and everyone is just so nice.

Q: You have toured with many great bands over the years, especially on previous Warped Tours. Who have been your favorite bands to tour with?

A: We have been really lucky with getting onto some great tours with some great bands, many of whom have become great friends. A band we go back a really long ways with is The All-American Rejects. We first met them before either one of us had a record out, and about 5 people would show up. Obviously, things are much different for them these days, and they have taken us on many, many tours since. Great guys. We always have a good time with them, Limbeck, Fall Out Boy, Sugarcult, just to name a few. The list goes on and on.

Q: There seems to be a recurring theme within each of your albums, i.e.Commit to This Memory's reference to self-medication. Where do your draw inspiration for your lyrics? Would you say personal experiences influence your writing the most?

A: Well, Justin writes the lyrics, so I don't think I could answer that one.

Q: Normally, when a band continues to produce albums, their fan base declines. You, on the other hand, it seems that your fan base is ever-growing. Even If It Kills Me was your highest debut yet. Why do you think you have been able to maintain such a great following? A: We have continued to work really hard for over six years now. We are very proud of how we have gotten to where we are. We often play over 300 shows in a year, and we always try and get out and talk to our fans and be accessible. If it wasn't for those fans, we couldn't do what we do. So, we try to give back if we can. We've met many great people this way too, and become friends with some of our biggest fans. Again, we couldn't do it without them.

Q: What is the craziest thing a fan has done for you?

A: I can't think of a specific thing, but we do have a fan from Chicago that has seen us well over 100 times. She has traveled to many different places and seen many different tours. I don't know why anyone would even want to see us that many times! It's very flattering though, we are not complaining!

Q: You have written many great songs. The Future Freaks Me Out, Everything Is Alright, and This Is For Real to name a few. What songs are you most proud of? What are your favorite to perform?

A: If I had to pick a personal favorite song of ours, it is hard, but I would probably say Autographs and Apologies. We don't play it too often but it has always been a favorite of mine. Live is kind of a whole different ballgame. The songs that I have probably played more than others can still be some of my favorite ones to play live. My Favorite Accident is a really fun one for me to play personally, and the crowd usually goes off for it, and that makes it so much more fun.

Q: What do you like to do when you are not working?

A: Nothing! Haha. I am really not too exciting. I catch up on a lot of TV and video games. I am an avid toy collector, and spend too much time and money hunting down toys. I do start missing playing if I have been off of tour for very long. I am hoping to start doing studio drumming in my spare time to keep myself busy.

Q: What are you plans for the future?

A: Tour tour tour! Depending on how things pan out, we will probably record a new record either late this year or early next year. We tend to stay pretty busy, and there's no end to that in sight!