The Maine, a rock band based in Tempe, Arizona, will perform in Syracuse at The Lost Horizon on Sunday. The show is part of the band’s spring tour to promote its latest album, “American Candy.” The Daily Orange spoke with Kennedy Brock, one of the group’s guitarists, to talk about the new album and life on tour.

The Daily Orange: Can you talk about the band’s process in recording “American Candy?”

Kennedy Brock: We wanted to do something different than we have in the past. And now, being this far in our career, we’ve collected enough gear to be able to record ourselves, so we thought it’d be kind of fun to rent a house in the middle of nowhere. We went out to Joshua Tree (National Park), took a big U-Haul with all of our gear to that house and set up shop there.

The D.O.: Why did you choose Joshua Tree?

K.B.: I think we wanted to be isolated. We also kind of went black on all our social media stuff, and we kind of wanted to just be out in the middle of nowhere, just with only the record to focus on… It was a chance for us to do something fresh and new, and it was actually such a wonderful place. Basically we went up a 2 to 3-mile dirt road up to the house where we were at, and without any neighbors around or anything. It was just a cool experience for us to be able to make the best music we could.

The D.O.: You also had surgery done around the time you were recording. How was that?

K.B.: I underwent surgery directly after recording, two days after we got home. During the writing process I found out that I had a tumor in my back. So I had to basically schedule to get it out as soon as I got home. It was a little unsettling. There was a lot of unknown about it prior to getting it out. It was a little strange, but the record was a really good way for me to focus on something else. For me, personally, it was an opportunity to really do what I can… I was a little nervous and scared about it. But I was more kind of happy to have the record with me and be in a place where I didn’t really have to think about it until I got home.

The D.O.: Going back to the record itself, what do you think makes “American Candy” different from the band’s previous albums?

K.B.: We’ve recorded a lot and we’ve gone in a lot of different directions musically, that I feel like this one is so very fresh. John (O’Callaghan, lead singer) kind of explained to the rest of the band the beginning of the process for writing it and kind of put us in a direction where he wanted to make something that was a little more groove-driven and more upbeat.

The D.O.: Do you have any favorite songs from the new album?

K.B.: It changes — it changes daily… Currently I’m really enjoying playing the song “English Girls.” It was the one that we released first, the one that we felt kind of encompassed the whole record. And it’s been such a blast to play that live on this tour.

The D.O.: What’s the dynamic like when you guys are on tour?

K.B.: We all hang out all the time, 24/7. There is very little people separating themselves unless you’re sick or for some strange reason having a bad day, but honestly, we — our band and crew — pretty much travel in a group of 10 wherever we go… We’re all family-oriented so we feel very comfortable and happy hanging out together.

The D.O.: What would you say is your favorite part about performing live?

K.B.: You know, we have a really close connection between all of our fans. We have spent years talking to every single person who comes to every single show — before and after — so there’s a really cool bond between us. And when we’re on stage, I get to see these faces that I’ve seen for years and that I’m friends with. You know, it’s just so funny because every picture that I’ve seen of myself on this tour, I’m just smiling the biggest smile I can have. For me, I’m just having such a blast when people are singing back to us, and the energy overall is just awesome. Even earlier on the tour, I was sick for 2–3 days, and when a show would come around, I would feel much better. It’s just awesome.

The D.O.: Do you have plans after the tour?

K.B.: More touring. Tons and tons of touring. We’ve got a bunch of international things that we’re doing after this. We just announced we’re going back to Singapore, the Philippines and we’re also doing a couple shows in Brazil. So just as much touring as we can get our hands on.

Published on April 29, 2015 at 10:47 pm

Contact Clare: clramire@syr.edu