SouthFlorida.com | Teen Link South Florida

Meg and Dia, Ace Enders and The Color Fred recently met with student reporters before their show at Revolution with Angels and Airwaves on Feb. 5.

The news conference gave students a chance to get answers to their most pressing questions:

Meg and Dia

Q- What is your writing process like? A- Well I used to take my guitar, write the melody, and then write the words to go along with that melody. Then I discovered Rock Band on my Mac which gives a variety of instruments and vocals to chose from.

Q- What are your biggest influences for your music? A- Books such as Steinbeck were the greatest influence for our last record. But our personal experiences influence our lyrics as well.

Q- What are your expectations that you have planned for yourselves as a band? A- My biggest fear is to be a one hit wonder. We want to stick around as long as possible and continue traveling with our tour.

Q- What is it like being on tour with your sister? A- It's nice to have my sister with me. I think it would be weird if it were just me and six guys all the time. She's someone I can be really comfortable with, especially when it comes to the sleeping arrangements on the tour bus.

Q- Do you get into any sisterly fights with your sister? A- Actually everyone likes to ask us that but I can't say that we do. I really like my sister a lot.

Q- How did you enjoy the Warp Tour of 06? A- It was the worst summer of my life. Our manager thought it would be funny to keep the showers a secret from us for the first week. We also came out of that tour with a huge debt but we did get a lot of work accomplished.

Q- How did you and your sister meet the rest of your band members? A- Well I had wrecked my car and Nick was my mechanic. When I found out that he was a drummer I told him that if he bought our CD, we would let him play with us. Then we found Carlo on YouTube and Jonathan through our label.

Ace Enders

Q- What was your favorite song from your last record? A- That's a hard decision but I'd have to say that whatever I write is always my favorite song for that second. But if I had to think of one of my favorite songs ever to play, it would be "The Best Happiness Money Can Buy"

Q-What's been your favorite point in your career? A- I'd have to say right now. This moment, with all these people right here is my favorite point in my career. I finally feel that I'm doing things the right way. Even though I'm the poorest I've been in my life, I think I'm the happiest I've ever been.

Q- Were you ever in a boy band growing up? A- I wish I could say I was, but unfortunately I do not have the voice for it.

Q- What's it like writing music on your own compared to collaborating with three or four different band members. Do you like that freedom?

A- Yeah, I like being able to write whatever and not have to worry about what someone else is going to say. It's much easier and I enjoy it.

Q- What do you think is the most important thing that people should be focusing on in the world right now? A- People need to stop blaming things on others or waiting for people to do things for them. They need to become the people that act and try to change things.

Q- What is your biggest inspiration as a musician? A- Jimmy Eat World

Q- How old were you when you wrote your first song? A- I wrote a couple songs when I was fourteen. I was in a band when I was fourteen and they told me I couldn't write any of the songs because they thought you had to be crazy or had an abused life to write a song.

Q- Have your parents always been supportive of you in music? A- My parents are very supportive. They were scared at first but as soon as things started to pick up, their support came easier.

Q- What does the tattoo on your arm mean? A-"It's what I can't admit that haunts me," is what my tattoo says. It helps me remember that most of the problems that we go though are within and we can't blame anyone else.

Q- What is it like owning your own recording studio? A- It's wonderful because I get to work with a whole bunch of bands that I help out and they help me out as well. I've had so much fun doing it so far.

The Color Fred

Q- What was the most difficult part about becoming a solo artist? A- It was a tough decision to leave but it's been easy since because I used to be solo artist before I was a part of Taking Back Sunday.

Q- Why did you leave Taking Back Sunday? A- It wasn't a fight or anything, it was just something that I wanted to do. I felt like we were losing steam but they didn't feel the same way, so I left.

Q- What are your future plans? A- When I get home from this I'll be doing another tour, hopefully to Germany and England. Also, Warp Tour this summer. And then I'm trying to plan something in the Fall.

Q- What is the Color Fred? A- It's a silly name that makes people smile when they first hear it. The name was in a list of others that I put online and I asked people to vote. They picked that name by far compared to the rest.

Q- What advice would you give any bands that want to make it in this business? A- A lot of bands sit at home and wait for people to call them. You should come up with at least one thing to do toward your goal everyday.

Q- What's your favorite song on the record? A- "Hate To See You Go." I like the mood of it and the catchy sound.

Q- How do you manage being a vegan on tour? A- Once you find the things that you can eat it becomes easier. I'll order tacos with no cheese or sometimes have to go simple with a peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Q- Is there any song or songs on your Ipod that you would be ashamed of for people to know about? A- Well I've got a lot of guitar geek music and some Stevie Wonder. I think people like him are geniuses but they've kind of gone out of style recently.

Q- If you weren't a musician would there be any other interests that you would like to pursue? A- I've never really took interest in much else. My mom played guitar and got me into it. Once I started playing the guitar, everything else, including school, took a backseat.

Q- Do you spend anytime on Guitar Hero? A- No, actually I'm told that guitarists are some of the worst ones at that. I am not very good at all.

Q- Is it true that you converted your car to vegetable oil? A- Yes, I go to Chinese restaurants and get their oil from their greaser. I bring it home and pour it through this filter. When I put it in my car, there's a system that heats it and makes it useable for my car. It smells like Thai food and it gets about fifty miles to the gallon.

Q- Do you ever see yourself in Taking Back Sunday again? A- If I did go back, it wouldn't be for awhile, because there are still things that I want to do. But basically, I'll never say never.