Another Lost Year To Rock Casper’s 2013 Fireworks Festival [INTERVIEW, VIDEO]

Every year, we feature some killer bands at the Fireworks Festival, and this year, we've stepped it up a notch. We'll feature 3 bands with Casper/Wyoming ties, and one band that heralds all the way from North Carolina - Another Lost Year. I had a chance to BS with their front-man Clinton, and after our conversation, I'm psyched to see them tear up our stage. Check out the interview below, then watch the video of them performing their top tune "War On The Inside" at the end. (By the way, a big thanks goes out to our own Ian Delap for typing all of this up...Ian's band Good Morning Tonight will also be playing the festival.)

Get Complete Info On The Fireworks Festival Here

Tee Roy:

As you know the 4th of July Fireworks Festival is always a huge event here in Casper and every year the bands get bigger and bigger, and this year is no different. Now Clinton, you guys have been very, very busy, and as a band you got together back in 2011. Looking here it says in 2012 you did over 220 shows.

Clinton:

That is true, actually since December 2011 we’ve done over 300 and 60 some shows now to date since that time frame, so we live on the road, that’s what we love to do. It's the only place where we are welcome. The weird part isn't leaving now, the weird part is actually going home. So we love being on the road.

Tee Roy:

You feel more comfortable on the road huh?

Clinton:

Ya we don’t have to shower and that makes it a lot more convenient.

Tee Roy:

That’s gotta make the tour bus pretty raunchy

Clinton:

Yes, yes it does. So if your listening and you want to donate some smell good stuff like Fabreeze - mostly to spray down our drummer. Dude sweats like a beast! Man, its awesome I love it. He gets a good workout back there. I'm totally jealous.

Tee Roy:

So you got this album out called "Better Days" - and listening to it, it sounds like the title fits the album very well. Very, very deep. Is there any particular meaning behind "Better Days"?

Clinton:

The album itself was kind of a theme - yet unthemed album. It wasn't supposed to be themed. And it's not really themed its just kind of an inside thing between the band. "Better days" is hope, at the end of the day you know we want people to have hope. And that's what its about man. Every song is a personal struggle I went through. I’m the primary songwriter. They are just snapshots in time. People take pictures to remember stuff, I write songs. That’s all it was

Tee Roy:

Now what about the band title "Another Lost Year" anything behind that?

Clinton:

Ya, your brain retains things in series of threes so three words Another Lost Year - starts with the letter A, haha.. So by the time you get through all your A's on whatever your media list is, as you get to the B's and C's, you kinda start skimming the list. That’s kind of where it came from. When I was in the military, I lost a lot of time playing so a lot of that factored in too. Another lost year.

Tee Roy:

Usually when I talk to lead singers they're like, and this is just generalizing, but their usually somebody's buddy, "Oh I know a guy who can sing" but you actually have a history with guitar and bass. How did you become the lead singer of Another Lost Year?

Clinton:

This is sort of a solo project for me, I’ve been doing music for about 17 years now. But I’ve been in and out of bands. Everyone kept telling me, "you need to brand yourself", because I had become really kinda popular around the North and South Carolina area doing a lot of big acoustic stuff. And As I started putting this album together I realized it just wasn't a solo effort. So I had gone to players like David, our lead guitar player, and I was like "hey man because you were willing to help me push myself, I wanna make a band with you together" and we've built it kind of from there.

Tee Roy:

You've been on the road quite a bit, and let's talk about the difference between playing in a regional band, as you mentioned, to going on the road and hitting it nationwide, worldwide. What's the biggest difference?

Clinton:

We’re stupider. Is that a word? (laughs)

Tee Roy:

It is now (laughs)

Clinton:

We’re more stupid than anybody that is. If you decide to go out on tour there is something wrong with you mentally. I don't know what it is, but there is something wrong with you. I don't know man, we just kinda - we let everything go. its been the most fun I've ever had in my life but its also been the toughest because I went from, you know, the financial freedom of my job which I had a really good job. You're watching everything you do to just pay your cell phone bill every month. The memories, the friends I’ve made throughout the country and things like that, you cant replace any of that for any amount of money. I’ve had people literally tell me that "War on the inside" , our first single, literally took the gun out of their hand, and I don't know how you stop after that. After somebody tells you that you helped save their life man. You gave somebody another shot at living. Not like I feel that we're a savior or anything (laughs), but when your music does something like that. Because that's what good music is to me. I’ve had songs that literally pulled me out of some of the darkest places I've ever been. I was really happy when we made that jump from being local to being regional, and then eventually going national. I couldn't be happier with the way things went . But like I said, we're just 6 stupid guys now - cuz we have a tour manager - who just have nothing better to do with our time other than travel around like gypsies and play our songs of rock and roll. (laughs)

Tee Roy:

Now please tell me you treat your tour manager like dirt.

Clinton:

(laughs) We absolutely do, Nate is treated worse than anybody (laughs)

Tee Roy:

You guys have shared the stage, and I don't want to say open, 'cause I feel the bands always share the stages, but with some huge bands. You've got Pop Evil, Bobaflex, Non- Point...Anyone in particular that you have enjoyed sharing the stage with above the others?

Clinton:

Candlebox. When Far Behind came out I remember I was in high school. I'm gonna show my age here, but I was in high school when Candlebox came out. And I never in my wildest dreams, ever, ever, ever, forget the fact that I never thought I'd have a song on radio, and I never thought that I would have a song on TV, which is pretty awesome. But when we got to play Candlebox's 20th anniversary tour, and they played the entire first album in its entirety - and they still got it - and I was just sitting there going, " oh my God its Candlebox" what is going on by far some of the best dudes I've ever met and I'm really excited. We're actually linking back up with them next weekend so I'm really stoked about that.

Tee Roy:

You got your primary album out, are you working on a sophmore album right now?

Clinton:

We are, its coming together really nice. Like you were saying with our touring schedule we haven't had a lot of time at home. We spent about 30 days, 40 days at home total last year. This year we’ve spent probably about the same, we’ve slowed down just a little bit. Not that we wanted to, its just we have 25 festivals booked this summer so a lot of our routing has just been driving so we’ve been off just a little more than we wanted to be. The new album is coming along nicely. If I have my way about it, the music will be out by the end of the year. Of course I probably wont have my way about it, and we'll have to wait for the first of next year. We're gonna start releasing some newer stuff that nobody has heard, some unreleased tracks throughout the year just to keep the pallet moist. Is that a good analogy here?

Tee Roy:

That is a very good analogy. I actually saw a movie with the same name, but it was an adult movie.

Clinton:

(laughs) Oh man. Actually my brother starred in that. Haha. I don’t even have a brother

Tee Roy:

Was he fluffer #2?

Clinton:

(laughs) Hey fluffer #2, get over here!

Tee Roy:

Have you ever been through Casper before?

Clinton:

I have not. But I am very excited for this fireworks show you guys are putting on, the last 4th of July fireworks show that we went on went seriously a muck. The guy setting up the fireworks - I don't know if he was drunk or if he had been drinking heavily. It was one of the two. They actually ended up catching the building on fire that was next to where the fireworks were at and it was awful.

Tee Roy:

Had to one of the best fireworks shows ever then?

Clinton:

You know what, it was very dangerous. But it was also very awesome at the same time.

Tee Roy:

When you guys hit the stage, what can we expect?

Clinton:

Chaos. we are a live band. There is one thing that we are known for and it is our loud show and I will go on record and say this: If anyone thinks they have a better live show than us, drop your pyro, drop your lights and step into the ring. lets go.

Tee Roy:

Throwing the gloves down! I love it! Well Clinton, its been nothing but a pleasure. We will welcome you with open arms, can't wait to see you guys on stage. Where can we find more information on you, your music, all that wonderful stuff?

Clinton:

You can go to our website: anotherlostyear.com, all the social medias, and of course 96.7. The best way to keep up with us is our face book page. Go click the like button but while you're on there, go ahead and friend all of us individually because we are idiots, and there is no filter. We say what’s on our minds. Social media is our playground. We do what we want with that. (laughs)