Interviewed by Brian Rademacher
Date: March 2010

Chris Schlichting: Hey Brian this is Chris from SEASONS AFTER. How’s everything?

Brian Rademacher: Good, you’re tour just started right?

Chris Schlichting: Yeah we just went back on the road a few days ago.

Brian Rademacher: Are you headlining or supporting?

Chris Schlichting: A little bit of both. We are getting ready to hop on a tour but it hasn’t been finalized yet.

Brian Rademacher: Do you feel by winning the Ernie Ball contest in 2007 that it started your climb to success?

Chris Schlichting: Yeah. The Vans Warped Tour was a jumping point in our career, things started moving after that. We learned a lot from that day. We never did anything or experienced anything like that so we were very much unprepared. It was trial by fire and (we) learned a lot.

Brian Rademacher: I think you guys are a little heavy for the Warped Tour. I know there are a few heavy bands but did you feel out of place?

Chris Schlichting: The first year we played there were a lot of heavy bands; KILLSWITCH was on the bill that year. The second year we played we were a little out of place (laughing) but it was still cool because we had a really large crowd.

Brian Rademacher: I saw a few videos on YouTube and you were playing smaller venues. I think, matter of fact, one show was from Wichita, KS. How was the feeling paying your dues in a small club compared to a bigger venue now?

Chris Schlichting: There’s not a whole lotta difference. We do what we do every time. We go up there and take care of business whether there are five people there or five thousand. It’s a lot easier when there’s five thousand there because there is a lot more energy (and) the crowd is feeding you.

Brian Rademacher: Tell me a little about your youth and your high school days?

Chris Schlichting: I was a weirdo. I was in the gifted programs but I still was a skater. I started my first band when I was in high school with my brother and a couple good friends. We were called MAD HOUSE (laughing). It was funny, we had two original songs (laughing) but you gotta start somewhere.

Brian Rademacher: You still have those songs hidden away?

Chris Schlichting: Oh no, no. The bass player wrote one and the guitar player wrote the other. I wrote the lyrics but they are terrible songs. Those will never see the light of day (laughing).

Brian Rademacher: When you were young and hung out in your room did you have anything on your walls?

Chris Schlichting: Dude, my walls were covered in posters. KISS, FAITH NO MORE, PANTERA, SKID ROW, MOTLEY CRUE and pictures of chicks. I listened to everything so had everything all over.

Brian Rademacher: What did your parents think?

Chris Schlichting: My Mom was totally cool, she supported me in everything. The reason why I’m singing today is because of her. I had a music teacher pull her aside when I was like ten and say he’s pretty good at what he does and he can read music and he has ability and they let my mom know they could push me in the right direction. They never really pushed me but they supported me. So I ended up doing this because of my Mom, she is totally cool with everything. She let us jam our terrible music in the house (laughing). I know it had to be annoying for her because we were terrible (laughing).

Brian Rademacher: What was the first CD/record you ever bought?

Chris Schlichting: I remember buying Michael Jackson’s "Thriller" with my own money (laughing). I was a little kid.

Brian Rademacher: What was your first concert?

Chris Schlichting: It was STRYPER (laughing). Yeah, it was STRYPER and HURRICANE. My mom took me to the show.

Brian Rademacher: So you were into glam or not into glam?

Chris Schlichting: Well Kind of, some of that stuff was too far out.

Brian Rademacher: So it’s a big change from SEASONS AFTER?

Chris Schlichting: Oh yeah, we are influenced by crazy different things. Jimmy listens to country, I listen to everything from LAMB OF GOD to LADY GAGA.

Brian Rademacher: Did you start working on the next record yet?

Chris Schlichting: Yeah, we have some ideas kicking around and Jimmy has some entire songs written. We have some songs that were previously written that may or may not be on the next record. We are not rushing it. When they tell us that we have two months to have the next record ready that’s when we will work hard.

Brian Rademacher: Tell me a little about life on tour?

Chris Schlichting: It’s crazy; it’s nothing what I expected. We are still traveling in a van with a trailer and doing all the driving ourselves. Sometimes we have some long days. Play as show in Spokane, WA get up at seven o’clock in the morning and drive all day to get to Boise, ID. Get the load-in, sound check and play and then load-out. We get lots of sleep in the van.

Brian Rademacher: So what’s the favorite food spot of the band?

Chris Schlichting: McDonalds all the way; the dollar menu every day! I’m so sick of that dollar menu but I will eat there again. We also eat at Taco Bell. Whoever has a dollar menu that’s where we are going!

Brian Rademacher: So what is a luxury on the road?

Chris Schlichting: Getting a nice meal at the venue, that’s really cool when they cater food in instead ordering pizza.

Brian Rademacher: How are the fans on tour?

Chris Schlichting: Awesome, everyone received this record really well. People who don’t know us welcome us with open arms. It’s been really cool.

Brian Rademacher: How are the woman on tour?

Chris Schlichting: Crazy (laughing) nothing has changed. I’m married so I don’t get too crazy. But I watch them.

Brian Rademacher: I see the CD is doing well and charted.

Chris Schlichting: It’s going great and technically it hasn’t been released yet. I looking forward to see what will happen in the next two weeks.

Brian Rademacher: Do you have a favorite song to sing off the release?

Chris Schlichting: Yeah 11-11 means a lot to me but so do all the songs. I love the feel of that song and I get pumped up every time I hear it and I’ve heard that song a fuck’n million times.

Brian Rademacher: I like to commend you on the track "Cry Little Sister", which is featured twice on the release. I like the acoustic version better but the heaviness of the electric one is also great. Why did you decide to do that song and were there other songs you were going to do?

Chris Schlichting: I’ve always been a Lost Boys fan. I had that tape in my walkman all summer. I love that track. We could not agree on one song we always had another member not agreeing, I was watching Lost Boys and we all agreed. The other songs we were thinking of were "Anything, Anything" by DRAMARAMA and MR.MISTER’s "Kyrie" (laughing)

Brian Rademacher: I think you picked the right song and both the acoustic and plugged-in version on the CD is fantastic.

Chris Schlichting: Thank you, cool.

Brian Rademacher: What’s the next step after the tour?

Chris Schlichting: We want to tour forever and we know we are not coming home for a while. We are looking to get across the pond.

Brian Rademacher: Tell me a couple things that people don’t know about you?

Chris Schlichting: None of us are from Wichita (laughing). Not a single one of us (laughing). I’m from Joplin, Missouri, Dawson is from Twin Fall Idaho, Tim is from McPherson. Kansas, Michael is from Eldorado, Kansas, and Jimmy is from Sparta, Illinois. I actually came here to go to college, but there’s something about Wichita that sucks you in.

Brian Rademacher: Chris I would like to thank you for the little chat

Chris Schlichting: Oh thank you Brian.

Brian Rademacher: Would you like to say anything to the fans?

Chris Schlichting: Yeah, go buy the album (laughing). Dude, thank you.