Five Questions with Nick Kubley of Passafire

This past Friday hometown heroes PASSAFIRE released their latest album on Easy Star Records, called Longshot. I had the chance to chat with friend, and drummer for the long-running band, Nick Kubley. Here are his responses, and links to getting a taste of their killer new album. Kudos & congrats to the boys for keeping’ on keeping’ on, and we look forward to seeing them back in Savannah soon!

HL: Congratulations on the upcoming release of Longshot. Passafire has a habit of slightly tweaking their sound every time a new album comes out, without losing what brought fans onboard from the beginning. What do you think the differences are between this one, and previous releases?

NK: The main difference is that we tracked most of this record live. Usually we do it one instrument at a time for all of the songs. Tracking the basic drums, bass, guitars and keys at the same time gave this album a more live feel. We think its the best recording we’ve ever done. Sound and song wise, I think the old and new fans will dig it.

HL: You’ve recorded several albums at Sonic Ranch in Texas. What’s the reason for returning there time & time again, and can you describe a bit about Passafire’s recording ‘process’ for us?

NK: Sonic Ranch is the best studio we’ve ever been to. It’s beautiful, secluded and has the best gear. Everything is taken care of for you, so the only thing you have to worry about while staying there is creating. Our process is doing pre-production whenever we can between tours and then spending a week or two at Sonic Ranch once it’s ready.

HL: The band seems to be on a relatively endless tour-cycle, and has been for years. While Savannah is considered Passafire’s ‘hometown’, all of you actually reside in different parts of the U.S. now. Have you found that physically being apart during hops on & off the ‘tour bus’ has helped the four of you as a band, songwriters, and musicians?

NK: I think it’s prevented us from getting sick of each other! (laughs) I do wish we could practice together more. That’s really the only part that sucks.

HL: Slightly off-topic, but what are the four of you up to in your limited downtime?

NK: I personally try to spend as much time as I can with my beautiful wife. Beyond that, I keep myself busy doing illustration work.

HL: Any thoughts as to what’s next for the band? I’m assuming that you’ll be touring in support of the release, but are there any other Passafire related ‘happenings, announcements, or special tours’ that you’d like to share with our readers & your fans? When can we look forward to another Savannah show?

NK: We’ve got a few more tours lined up for this year, including a few shows opening for 311. We’re also releasing a new music video soon. Our next Savannah show is July 29th at the Jinx. We’ll be spending a couple days there after the show, so I’m excited for that!

Click on any of the above highlighted links for more information, music, and more….