For The Record had the chance to ask the guys of Cash Cash some questions! You can read them below:
For The Record: What made you decide you wanted to be in a band? Jean Paul Makhlouf: “It all started out in elementary school. I played Cello & Saxophone. It was such a release for me and influenced me to learn other instruments. Once I picked up the guitar in 5th grade, I knew I would be doing music the rest of my life. Sam and I then played in different cover bands, jazz bands and pop punk bands throughout high school. Finally we started writing our own music and took things more seriously. We started recording albums and playing tons of shows. We build a solid fanbase in NJ and were lucky to sign a record deal with Universal Records as well as a publishing deal with EMI Music.”
FTR: What do you consider to be your biggest accomplishment or most memorable experience so far in your career? JP: ”Our biggest accomplishment would probably be hearing our single “Party In Your Bedroom” on the radio. We grew up imagining what it might be like to hear our own song on the radio and it was a feeling we’ll never forget! Another huge accomplishment was touring the UK, Brazil & Japan. It was such a crazy feeling hearing people in different countries sing along to our music.”
FTR: If your band was the baby of 2 other bands, who would the “parents” be? JP: “If Daft Punk had sex with Kesha we would be the bastard child.”
FTR: Do you have any guilty pleasures, music wise? JP: ”Haha hellz yeah and I back my guilty pleasures 100%! We’re huge Celine Dion fans as well as Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, and Britney Spears. We love pop in so many ways and aren’t ashamed of it one bit. We grew up listening to a lot of 90’s grunge too like Nirvana & Stone Temple Pilots. The truth is at the end of the day a good song is a good song regardless of the genre. There’s just so much amazing music out there to limit yourself to one style and not give others a chance.”
FTR: If you could be any artist or band member for a day, who would you be? JP: ”I would definitely be Adam Levine of Maroon 5. That is one sleek ass mother fucker. I’m not even gay and I think he’s sexy as hell.”
FTR: Favorite place to eat while on tour? JP: ”Cabo Bobs in Austin Texas. The place has the most amazing burritos. Hahaha but we can’t always get that. My favorite quick stop is definitely Subway though. It’s way healthier than the other fast food places and it’s not easy to get good food all the time when you’re on the road. Subway makes it easy for us.”
FTR: What is one band or artist you’d do absolutely anything to tour with? JP: “Goo Goo Dolls or Daft Punk. I would probably cut off a finger to go on tour with either of them!!!”
FTR: Finish the sentence: “When I was 17, I…” JP: ”When I was 17, I did a ton of drugs and hooked up with a ton of girls…..sike more like when I was 17, I was a 2 beer queer and watched a ton of porn.”
FTR: Who was your favorite band/artist growing up? JP: “Jimmy Eat World is a very important band to me.”
FTR: What’s a crazy story from your youth that not even your parents know about? JP: ”Oh my parents know it all from finding bongs in my basement to condoms on the floor….haha!”
FTR: How do you prepare yourselves before you go on stage, do you have any pre-show rituals? JP: “Usually I stretch a little bit to loosen up. I do 5-10 min of vocal warm ups, and we usually do a football huddle chant of a super dirty phrase right before we hit the stage.”
FTR: If each member of your band was given a superlative title, what would it be? Jean Paul - “Most likely to come at you with a baseball bat if you fuck with him.” Alex - “Kid that spends 4 hours getting ready” Sam - “Someone you can count on any given day”
We recently had a chance to ask Alex Gaskarth of All Time Low some questions! Read it below and be sure to check out some photos from the show here!
For The Record: What do you consider to be your biggest accomplishment or most memorable experience so far in your career? Alex Gaskarth: For me, one of my proudest moments was headlining Merriwether Pavilion in our home town, in front of all our friends and family. It was a very surreal moment for all of us and something I will never forget.
FTR: How does it feel being signed to the same label as artists such as Lady Gaga and 50 Cent? AG: It’s very humbling for us. They’ve enabled us to do a lot of things we never thought were possible. We’re very excited to a part of their family.
FTR: How has your life changed now that you’re signed to a major label? AG: I don’t think our lives have changed all that much, honestly. However, there are definite advantages to being on a major label, and I think they have helped take our band to the next level. It’s nice because now we have the resources at our disposal to do bigger things.
FTR: In your opinion, who’s the most underated band in today’s scene? AG: There are so many good bands out there, but one of my favorites right now is a band called Parachute. I can’t stop listening to them.
FTR: Do you prefer playing small intimate shows, or large arenas? AG: I get asked this question a lot and I can never make up my mind on what I like better. I love playing smaller shows, when there’s no barricade and kids are climbing on stage but I love playing for 10,000 people at a festival as well. I think at the end of the day, the idea is to play for as many people as possible so I guess I’d have to say bigger shows.
FTR: What’s one band you’d do absolutely anything to tour with? AG: Foo Fighters or Blink 182. I love them both.
FTR: What’s the coolest gift a fan has ever given you? How about the weirdest? AG: We constantly get gifts from our fans, which is very thoughtful of them, but occasionally we do get some odd gifts. The weirdest gift I remember is a finger puppets that looked like us. It was a nice gesture, just a bit weird. One of the coolest gifts we’ve been given is a huge canvas painting of all of us. It was so well done and looked incredible. We love fan art!!
FTR: What do you believe is the biggest misconception of yourself and/or the band? AG: Jack and I are not brothers!!
FTR: Do you have anything to say to your fans who have concerns about you signing to a major label? AG: We’re the same band we’ve always been. Have no fear :)
For The Record interviews Will, Matt and Brandyn of Call Me Anything! Check it out to see what they have to say about their new single “Let’s Talk” and more!
*Sorry the video is so dark. This was done in the back of their car at 10 pm, with just a few small lights.
