Rock group Jimmy Eat World (above) is slated to perform at SLO Brewing Co. on Tuesday night. The band’s latest album, “Damages,” is out now. “With this record we went with the acoustic feeling, we tried taking it out of the mix but it didn’t sound right,” guitarist and backing vocalist Tom Linton said. “There is a lot more acoustic played on this record than on any of our other records.”
Kelly Trom
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Not many bands can say they have known each other since preschool and grade school. With eight albums, 20 years and many tours under its belt, Jimmy Eat World is a veteran band that consistently makes relevant music. What’s its secret? Jimmy Eat World guitarist and backing vocalist Tom Linton believes it is because of the bond they have as a band.
“I think the main thing for us is that we all get along,” Linton said. “We have been through a lot together as a band, as far as being dropped from labels. Everything from starting out touring in a small little van.”
Jimmy Eat World will rock SLO Brewing Co. (SLO Brew) for the first time tomorrow with Matt Pond as the opening act.
The band has come a long way from its first show in a thrift store in Mesa, Ariz. that was mostly in front of friends. The band would tour in a van and never book hotels.
“There were even some tours where we brought camping equipment and stayed at campgrounds,” Linton said. “Now we are lucky enough to use a bus so we are able to stay on the road longer.”
One of the biggest accomplishments for the band was when it played shows outside of Arizona, Linton said. Now they have toured the world, from Europe to Australia to Japan.
Traveling in a van for tours was a much different experience than traveling overseas. In some cases, it led to some unforgettable, if not terrifying, experiences including getting stuck on a deserted road.
But back at home, Jimmy Eat World recently released “Damage,” the band’s eighth record.
It differs from other albums in that it is more stripped down, Linton said.
“With this record we went with the acoustic feeling, we tried taking it out of the mix but it didn’t sound right,” he said. “There is a lot more acoustic played on this record than on any of our other records.”
The inspirations for every album differs according to the music the band is listening to and surrounding influences, such as a conversation one of the band member’s might overhear, Linton said. These inspirations change the feeling and sound of the album.
“I think a lot of it has to do with having the knowledge of being in the studio for so long — we have been making records for awhile,” he said. “I think you learn a lot making different records and different sounds.”
As for the San Luis Obispo stop on this tour, the band is excited. It has played at SLO’s Veterans Hall but has never played in the more intimate setting of SLO Brew.
The band will be playing songs from every album and is excited to explore the city on its day off, Linton said.
Opening act Matt Pond, on the other hand, is no stranger to SLO Brew. On one previous trip to the Central Coast, he played even though he had a broken leg from wrestling someone on that same tour in Pontiac, Mich. Although the broken leg made it hard for Pond to explore San Luis Obispo, it freed up some time to work on music.
“I actually wrote the most I have ever written on (that) tour because I had nothing to do,” Pond said. “I remember being there and writing a lot of postcards from San Luis.”
While Matt Pond has also put out eight records, Pond’s music style differs from Jimmy Eat World in that it can be described as chamber punk.
“There is always this kind of orchestration we are looking for, it’s hard to describe,” he said. “Now we use all sorts of instruments like guitars and synthesizers, anything that we can put together to create a woven sound.”
Pond is involved in the writing process of all the music and enjoys the feeling of performing those songs to a live audience.
“Every show I get so wound up to play, it’s like everything is electric the whole time,” he said. “Whether we go back and hang out in the hotel room and wreak havoc or whatever we are doing, all (of) my senses are heightened.”
SLO Brew is the smallest stop on Jimmy Eat World and Matt Pond’s tour, with most venues having room for 5,000 fans in the audience, according to SLO Brew’s events and promotions supervisor Jessica Puchli.
“By nature, more intimate shows create a more intimate energy that is hyper-focused on the performer,” Puchli said. “Nearly every artists’ energy level is amplified when they get a chance to play a small room like this.”
The sold out concert begins at 8 p.m on Tuesday night.