Bobby and Alex are joined by Christine Goodwyne and Andy Anaya of Pool Kids to recount the band’s hilarious connection to Pete Alonso, give an update the Pete/Pool Kids saga, talk about their last year of touring, writing new music, creative influences, meeting Hayley Williams, and more.
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Songs featured in this episode:
Pool Kids — “Couch” • My Chemical Romance — “Hang ‘Em High” • Booker T & the M.G.’s — “Green Onions”
Transcript
Tell us a little bit about what you saw and be able to relay that message to Cora when you watch Kimbrel pitch and kind of help out so he wasn’t typical pitches.
So tipping pitches we hear about it all the time. People are home on the stand what tipping pitches all about? That’s amazing. That’s remarkable.
BOBBY: Alex, what are you listening to these days? Any new bands that have broken through to you? Any albums? What are you spinning?
ALEX: I’ve been going back and listening to some Ovlov. I don’t know, Ov— Ovlov, Ovlov?
BOBBY: Don’t you love the first time you have to say a name out loud?
ALEX: Uh-hmm. Like— I, like, listen to them for years, but no one’s ever asked me who I’m listening to.
BOBBY: This happened to me the other day with— oh, oh, I— I was listening— I’ve been watching Better Call Saul finally. I had never watched any of it while it was running live. They finally wrapped up, like, a year ago at this point. But I was making my way through it, and the lead actress in that— in that show is called— is named Rhea Seehorn, R-H-E-A. And I was just saying Rhea in my head the whole time, the whole time. And then I finished the show, I went and listen to a bunch of podcasts about it, and everybody was just saying like Rhea and I didn’t know if that was like a nickname. And then I realized that that was just like the actual pronunciation.
ALEX: You— you tried your best, you know?
BOBBY: I just sounded— I like to sound things out phonetically, because, you know, it makes more sense to me.
ALEX: There was a— there— there was, like, a whole, like, viral, like, thing. I feel like on Tumblr or Twitter where this like— if someone, like, mispronounces a word, like, don’t make fun of them because, like, it means they learned it while they were reading, and they’re, like, trying to— but it— like it means they read.
BOBBY: I could not be more out on— on this discourse. Done. Next. What else are we listening to?
ALEX: Mannequin Pussy has got a—
BOBBY: Yeah.
ALEX: —got an album coming out next year. They’ve been dropping some music for that. Also Foxing released their— their 10-year anniversary coverage compilation of their seminal album, The Albatross with some— with some— featuring some bands that you and I actually enjoy. Sweet Pill is on there.
BOBBY: Hell yeah.
ALEX: Carly Cosgrove is on there.
BOBBY: I— I— I’m glad you mentioned Sweet Pill because this didn’t make it into the interview that you’re about to listen to with Pool Kids, what we got on the Zoom. And you noticed that Christine, the lead singer, was wearing a Sweet Pill shirt and you’re like, “Oh, is that a Sweet Pill shirt that I see? Very cool.” And then I— I pan the camera down to reveal that I, too, was wearing a different Sweet Pill shirt. So I think from that moment, I was like, “All right, we’re all on the same page here.”
ALEX: [2:58] like I— we’re gonna— we’re gonna do all right.
BOBBY: The reason I asked you what you’re listening to is I was just getting listeners prepared for us talking about things that have nothing to do with baseball, because that’s what this episode is gonna be like.
ALEX: Well, I mean, what about you? Do you want to—
BOBBY: Oh, I’ve been on a little bit of a journey recently to try to add some new artists into my rotation, because—
ALEX: Hmm. Okay.
BOBBY: —you know, getting back out into the world, going to a lot of movies, gonna spend a lot of time on the subway. There’s only so many times— I mean, this isn’t actually true, because I could listen to my favorite albums ever made, like, every single day and not get tired of them. That’s why they’re my favorite albums. But, you know, you want to use this time that we have on this— this precious time that we have on Earth wisely and expose yourself to as many bands as possible. So I’ve been in a little bit of a— a little bit of a journey. I just started listening to this band called Antarctigo Vespucci.
ALEX: Hmm.
BOBBY: Which is a creative collaboration between two artists that I like, named Chris Farren and Jeff Rosenstock. Didn’t know that going into listening to it and then, like, four songs in, I was like, “Fucking— this sounds a lot like Jeff Rosenstock.”
ALEX: Yeah.
BOBBY: And then I went to the— to the description and I was like, “That’s because it’s Jeff Rosenstock.”
ALEX: It’s Jeff, right. He has like 12 bands.
BOBBY: This is the tough part, so that’s— the same case for Into It. Over It. who we saw in concert a couple weeks ago. Like, five different projects, always kind of in and around the emo scene, collaborating with people in a really cool way. And then every once in a while, you realize like you’re listening to two artists and you’re like, “I like this artist because it’s like the other artist.” And then it’s the same artist.
ALEX: It’s that artist, yeah.
BOBBY: But, yes, you know, Sweet Pill. I— you’ll be happy to know that I’m fully— I was, like, a foot— one foot in, one foot was getting ready to step into the water for Hot Mulligan, and now, I’m like—
ALEX: Uh-hmm.
BOBBY: —two feet in. I did a cannonball in. I’m totally in.
ALEX: Yeah. Uh-hmm.
BOBBY: On— on their album, Why Would I Watch.
ALEX: I— I am happy to hear that, honestly.
BOBBY: My friend Sal sent it to me and he was like, “I don’t know if you’ll like this, but I think you might love it.
ALEX: Yeah.
BOBBY: And I listened to it once and— I think it was like on a plane and, like, kind of half asleep and whatnot. And I was like, “This is not the music I need to be listening to at this moment.” And then I came back to it a couple of months later, now I’m fully in. And then Ratboys. Are you familiar with Ratboys?
ALEX: Yeah. I am, yeah.
BOBBY: Really good album, released this past August, which just one of my favorite songs of the year that is, like, nine minutes long. And I’m like, “You know what? Fuck it. We should have five-minute guitar solos in the middle of songs if they sound good.”
ALEX: Can I— can I just say? This makes me really happy— I’m sure the listeners are fascinated by this. But this makes me really happy because, like, for a little while there, you know, like, we have, like, similar music tastes, like adjacent—
BOBBY: Right.
ALEX: —music taste. But, like, there would be a band that you would mention, and then I’d be like, “Oh, I’m not super familiar.” I would say, “Hey, you know, I’m checking out this artist.” And you’re like, “Oh, I’ve never heard of them.” And— and—
BOBBY: We were like perpendicular lines. Just in the same genre, just like one degree of separation, just right next to each other.
ALEX: Yeah. And— and for a little while there, you were like, “Yeah. You know, I’m— I’m trying to listen to more music.” Like, I don’t really listen to a lot of like new music lately. And I was like, “Oh, okay.” Like, I mean, you’re cranking out pods, right? And so—
BOBBY: I’m off pods entirely now. I don’t listen to any pods. Somebody— some—
ALEX: Yes. Come back. That’s right. You’ve seen the light.
BOBBY: I mean, I listened to pods that I already like and want to listen to, but I will never check out a new podcast from this point forward, sorry.
ALEX: Wow. Wow. Wow.
BOBBY: I actually will, but you know what I mean? But I’m like— I’m trying to replace that with music. But, anyway, you were saying.
ALEX: No, I just— I’m— I’m happy that— that they’re finally dovetailing. You know, it took a little too long.
BOBBY: It’s probably been like three years since I first started to try to get into Bright Eyes because of you—
ALEX: Right.
BOBBY: —because you are just like deep in your Oberst bag, which I just never really got it. I mean, the songwriting and the lyricism and stuff, but like the actual music in his voice. I’m still not fully in on Bright Eyes, but listeners will be happy to know that Alex and I have truly met in the middle, like the— these two jacked dudes shaking hands meme over Desaparecidos.
ALEX: Right.
BOBBY: Their album from 2000— 2000? 2001? Which is called Read Music/Speak Spanish. I just think it’s the greatest album ever made. I’m just gonna come out and say it. I think it’s literally the greatest album ever made. So that concludes Alex and Bobby’s music recommendations. And thus begins the portion of the podcast where we talk to real musicians who make good music. Christine is going to tell the full Pete Alonso story for your baseball needs, and then we’re just going to talk about what it’s like to be a touring musician. This will probably remind people a lot of the conversation that we’ve had— or the conversations that we’ve had over the years with our friends, Steve Sladkowski of PUP. It was really cool to meet Christine and Andy. And if you don’t know Pool Kids, and you like this pod, and you— you kind of— you— you recognize a couple of those bands that we mentioned, I gotta say, Pool Kids, check them out.
ALEX: Uh-hmm.
BOBBY: Doing really interesting stuff, gonna be huge. Gonna be huge, in my personal opinion.
ALEX: Some might say they already are. Some might say— when— when you get the co-signs they’ve gotten— you’re— you’re there.
BOBBY: Okay. Let’s go to our conversation with Christine Goodwyne and Andy Anaya of Pool Kids. But before we do, I am Bobby Wagner.
ALEX: I’m Alex Bazeley.
BOBBY: And you are listening to Tipping Pitches, a podcast that for this week, is not really about baseball.
[theme]
BOBBY: Okay. We are so happy to be joined by Christine Goodwyne and Andy Anaya of Pool Kids.
CHRISTINE: Hello.
BOBBY: Hi, welcome. Thank you for coming on the show.
CHRISTINE: Hi. Of course. Thanks for having us.
ANDY: Hello. Thanks for having us.
ALEX: It’s— it’s always such a treat to just, like, use this platform as an opportunity to just, like, talk to musicians we like.
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
ALEX: Like, we really don’t have a sense of— of like, you know, who in our audience is a Pool Kids fan. I think after this— after this episode, many more.
CHRISTINE: That’s—
ALEX: But this one’s really, I think, for us, is for us as much as anyone else, so—
BOBBY: Well, you made it easy—
CHRISTINE: [8:49]
BOBBY: You— you guys made it easy because you sent the tweet that rocked the baseball world how— about halfway through this year—
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
ALEX: Uh-hmm.
BOBBY: —in the middle of June. I— I don’t need to read the whole tweet about— that you’re saying, Christine, about—
CHRISTINE: Right.
BOBBY: —knowing Pete Alonso in— in middle school? In high school?
CHRISTINE: High school.
BOBBY: High school.
CHRISTINE: Yes.
BOBBY: Because I’m sure people have seen it by now. But my first question about that is, where did it come from? Why did you decide to send it that day? What— how did you choose the photo? Like, what— take me through— walk me through it.
CHRISTINE: Good question. All very good questions. So what made me decide to actually tweet it was— well, first of all— first of all, let me actually back up and say how I even— because as someone who’s not necessarily a baseball fan, much at all, like I don’t keep up with it. I didn’t even know that, like, Pete Alonso’s life had turned into this. Like, I had no idea. Like, I graduated high school and did not hear his name again until maybe— I don’t know if it was— okay. I was cleaning pools with my dad. It’s a coincidence that he cleans pools. That is not what the band is named after. He started doing that after I named the band name. But I was cleaning pools on a summer with my dad and he listens to, like, sports radio. And I’m like zoned out on my phone, and then I keep hearing them talk about, like, “Blah, blah, blah. Pete Alonso. The New York Mets. Pete Alonso.” And they were talking about, like, some type of record, I think, or something that he, like, is breaking. I don’t know exactly what, but they just kept saying his name. And then I was— I like— it hit me and I was like, “Whoa, whoa.” I was like, “Pete Alonso?” I was like, “Wait a minute.” I was like, “I know a fucking Pete Alonso.” And I was like, ” Dad, like”— and he was like, “Yeah, he’s, like, from Tampa.” And I was like, “Oh, my God, like, the”— I, like, started Googling, and then I saw his face, and it, like, clicked for me. I’m like, “Oh, my God! Like, Pete Alonso is, like, famous.” Like, I was, like, freaking out. It was like this huge shock. And so, you know, that was just some crazy thing. I’m, like, telling me dad, I’m like, “Dad, like, I [10:47] in English. Like, I know this guy.” And stuff. And, you know, he thought that I was cool or whatever. So from that point on pretty much, any— anytime I was home in Tampa with my parents, my dad would, like, talk— say some shit about Pete Alonso and was like, “Oh, like, blah, blah, blah. Pete Alonso like”— you know, just like talking about it, giving me updates on, like, his career or whatever. And so I was home with my parents or had just finished, like, a trip with them or whatever. So it was just kind of, like, floating around in my mind, again, this whole Pete Alonso thing. And it just kind of hit— occurred to me one day. I was like, “[11:22] I was like— because I was talking to my dad about how he was a really nice guy and stuff. And I was like, “I feel like Mets fans would like— just like to hear this, you know?” I mean, like—
BOBBY: Right. Great contextual information.
CHRISTINE: Yeah. And I was just like— because, you know, whenever I have, like, a musician or whatever, someone that I like, you love to hear— like, people always ask, like, you know, “What was Hayley Williams like in high school?” You know, what were they like? Like, for people that grew up with them who really know or whatever. And so I was like— I feel like they would just like to hear this, that he’s like a nice guy or whatever. So I just drafted up the tweet. The picture, I think, I just, like, Googled image and tried to find the one that felt like— the most like— I don’t know, was how I remember him or like—
BOBBY: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: —that encompassed his, like, you know, little himbo smile.
BOBBY: His energy.
CHRISTINE: Yeah. And I was—
ALEX: Right.
CHRISTINE: So that’s how I picked it. And a couple people quote-tweeted like, “Oh, my God, this picture made me think he, like, died or something.” Like, it was some type of announcement—
ALEX: Oh, Jesus.
CHRISTINE: —or whatever. And I was like, “Oh, my God.” But, yeah, so that’s— that’s the context.
ALEX: From the Pool— from the Pool Kids official account.
CHRISTINE: Right.
ALEX: Break— breaking that news.
CHRISTINE: Yeah, breaking the news. But, yeah, that’s the context on what made me like— the build-up for me making the tweet.
ALEX: Did you— did you have a sense, like, back in high school of like— oh, because like, I mean, sometimes if you’re— if you’re like, you know, not into sports as much or whatever, you might be like, “Ah, this— this kid could be the best player on the face of the Earth, or he might actually, like, you know, never play beyond high school.” Like, did you have a sense of, “Hey—”
CHRISTINE: I mean—
ALEX: “—maybe he’s got something going on here.”
CHRISTINE: I just knew— because, again, even in high school, I didn’t really keep up with sports. But I mean, people definitely just, like, talked about— like, because he played, you know, in high school and people— you know, teachers and stuff, I think, would definitely bring it up. You know, like, “Whoa, Pete, like that— like you hit a crazy, you know, home run or whatever.” Like, people would definitely, like, talk about how he was good. That’s the only thing I can really remember. So, you know, I didn’t, like, think much of it just because I’m not in that world. But I was like, “Okay. Like, yeah, he is apparently some great, like, baseball player, you know?” But that’s— that’s all the thought I gave it.
BOBBY: So— so, Andy, I’ve been led to believe that you are the baseball expert among a band of not big baseball fans. You’re— you came—
ANDY: Expert is such a strong word.
BOBBY: You came in—
CHRISTINE: Relatively speaking.
BOBBY: Hot with the—
ALEX: Yeah [13:41] down the curve.
BOBBY: [13:41] jersey. Yeah [13:44] the curve. We’re the expert.
CHRISTINE: It came out perfect.
BOBBY: But—
ANDY: Yeah.
BOBBY: So, did— were you able to make this connection? Like were you able to provide context for this when— when Christine—
ANDY: I mean, when— I saw the tweet after it was sent out as well, and I was like, “What? Like, Pete Alonso?” Like— because I knew he was like a rookie of the year at one point and, like—
BOBBY: Yeah.
ANDY: —up like a— was it a hits leader or R— or RBI leader or something like that?
BOBBY: Home runs leader, yeah. Home runs leader.
ANDY: Okay, home runs leader. So I’m like, “That is not like a small accomplishment. Like, that’s insane.”
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
ALEX: Yeah. And—
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
ANDY: —she was like, “Oh, yeah, he’s so nice.” Blah, blah, blah. I was like, “What the hell? That’s pretty crazy.”
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
ANDY: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: Should we— should we give context to what the tweet was?
ALEX: We probably should, yeah.
CHRISTINE: Yeah, I don’t know. In high school, he sat in front of me. It was assigned seats, and I just remember like— I was like— I wasn’t a full-on, like, same kid in high school, but I was, like, kinda— like, hung with that crowd. Like, I had the, like, I heart boobies bracelet, and I was like, you know, all like edgy, like I hate jocks. You know what I mean? Like—
ALEX: Uh-hmm.
CHRISTINE: —shit like that. And I just like— you know, I didn’t like any of the kids, like, in that, like, crowd or whatever. So, like, you know, I was kind of just like, “Ugh. Like, whatever.” Like, you know, this like jock guy or whatever. And I didn’t think I would, like, like him or whatever, but then, like, I remember him— I think I was wearing a shirt. I want to say it was like a— either a Silverstein shirt or, like, A Day To Remember or something like that. And he was like, “Oh”— like, I think it was the first time he talked to me. He was like, “Oh, like, you like that band or whatever?” And I’m like, “Yeah.” And, like, I think he’s, like, fucking with me. You know what I mean? Like, I think he’s—
BOBBY: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: —doing that, like, popular kid thing when they’re like, “Oh, you like your little emo band.” You know what I mean?
ALEX: Uh-hmm.
BOBBY: Yeah, yeah.
CHRISTINE: And I was like, “Yeah.” And he’s like, “Oh, me, too.” And I was like— like, “Stop fucking with me. Like, you’re being a dick.” You know what I mean? And he was like, “No, I’m serious.” And I was— I kind of, like, named one song to him, probably. And he, like, answered it, and I was like, “Oh.” I was like, “You’re not fucking with me.” And he was like, “Yeah, like, I— I love that band. Like, this is my favorite band.” Blah, blah, blah. And I was like, “Oh, like, guy is kind of fucking cool.” And then, yeah, it was— it was a— what— what was the class? Like— it was, like, AP English or some shit like that, and we had to give speeches all the time. And he would always get, like, so fucking red, like— like beet red when he had to give his speeches. And his voice would, like, shake and quiver. And I always, like, fell for him so hard. I’m like, “Just get through this feeling. Like, you got it.” Like— it was like, secondhand like— you know, just like pain. But it was like— very, like, sweet. I’m like, “Okay. He’s like a shy, like nice guy that, like, would actually have conversation with me and stuff.” And— yeah. So I mean, in the tweet, I was just like, “Ha-ha, like fun fact, I sat behind Pete Alonso in high school. He was really just like a— a sweet, little himbo.” And then I mentioned like— the girl who he was dating, it was also interesting, like, it was not one of those like— you know— I— I don’t know. She— she was just, like, outside of what I felt his social circle was, which I also thought was, like, kind of cool and like, “Okay. This guy is, like, down-to-earth. You know, he’s not doing the whole, like, high school, like, clique thing or whatever.” You know, he very easily could. So I don’t know. I just tweeted, saying he’s like a sweet himbo and, like, a genuine guy or whatever. And then, like, Mets fans started going fucking crazy. And I was like—
BOBBY: Yeah, Mets Twitter is its own little vortex. But so— so you’ve led us to believe that there has been updates on this story, and I have heard through the grapevine that Pete has been asked to listen to your guys’ music.
CHRISTINE: Yes. That— that’s basically the update, but it’s nothing that crazy. But, yeah, the Mets fans, like, started, like, blowing it up. I was like, “Oh, shit.” And it was, like, making them very happy. And then they said a lot of like— like, “Oh, this is exactly what I thought of Pete.” And then I thought that was really cool, because I didn’t realize that that’s the reputation that he had already, you know? With—
BOBBY: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: You know, people were like, “Oh, he’s like a goofball.” Or whatever. So I was like, “Okay. This is, like, funny.” And then some, like, journalists and stuff that, like, seemed like they kind of had some, like, clout were, like—
BOBBY: Yes.
CHRISTINE: —talking about it. Yeah.
BOBBY: So it was, actually, a friend of the show, Lindsey Adler, who has been on the show multiple times.
CHRISTINE: Yes.
BOBBY: Who is a big fan of your guys’—
CHRISTINE: The Wall Street Journal person.
ANDY: Uh-hmm.
BOBBY: Yeah. She used to work at The Athletic and she covered— she covered New York sports and New York baseball teams. And she’s a big fan of yours. We were at the show together when you guys opened for PUP. And she was like, “Pete, you should check out this band. Like, they tweeted about you. And it’s like the kind of music that you would like.”
CHRISTINE: Yes. Yeah. So that was, like— the tweet had been out for, like, a few weeks, you know, and blown over. And the— the bigger it got, I started thinking like, “Oh, fuck. Like, man, like, I didn’t think about him maybe actually seeing it.” And then I started kind of overthinking it. I’m like, “Oh, my God. Did I just, like, accidentally, like, roast him a little bit in the tweet?” Because I was talking about how his voice would shake and he’d get red. And then I started feeling bad about it and weird. And then, like, two weeks later, he DMs us. He follows the band and DMs us, and I’m like, “Yeah!” And he was like— let me just pull up the message. “Yo, what’s up???” Three question marks. “You guys are awesome. Keep up the awesome work!!!” Four exclamation points. “What time does the show in Brooklyn start on July 29th?” So then we’re thinking like, “Oh, shit! Like, Pete’s trying to come to a Pool Kids show.” And we’re like [19:08]
BOBBY: Oh, that would have brought down the house. That would have been, like, my biggest—
CHRISTINE: I know.
BOBBY: —regret ever if he went—
ALEX: Uh-hmm.
BOBBY: —to that show and we didn’t—
CHRISTINE: I know.
BOBBY: —it out to that one. That would have been terrible for me, personally.
CHRISTINE: I know, but the thing was, we looked up the Mets schedule as soon as he sent that, and they had a game, like, that night. So we were like— we were like, “First of all, why are you even asking? Like, don’t you guys have a game?” But I guess he was— because he asked what time, I’m like, “Was he thinking he would be able to swing both?” Like, I don’t know. But—
BOBBY: He thought you guys were gonna go on at, like, midnight?”
ANDY: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: Yeah, yeah.
ANDY: I think they were, like, at the NATS, [19:38] too. Like, there’s no way home boy—
ALEX: Oh, God.
ANDY: —is gonna make it to this gig.
BOBBY: Home boy is gonna charter the PJ up after— to go— to come to the Pool Kids show.
ALEX: But honestly, that’s so— such relatable energy, is like—
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
ALEX: —is like, you know, suggesting that— you know, even if you know in your head, you can’t make it, just be like, “I’ll try. You know, I really will.”
CHRISTINE: Right, just the gesture. Like, “I would like”— yeah, that was like enough for us. But— so I was like, “Oh, my God. Like, I’ll— here’s the schedule.” And I gave him, like, the whole breakdown like, “These are— these are the doors. This is when we’re actually going on.” Blah, blah, blah. And— and I said in the message, I was like, “But, like I— we looked at my schedule and see you have a game, so like, you know, no pressure, obviously.” And then I start thinking about, I’m like, “Oh, my God, like, this is, like, a 200 cap, like, sweaty room.” You know what I mean? Like—
BOBBY: Right. He’s not gonna be able to just kind of blend in. He’s gonna stand out like a sore thumb.
CHRISTINE: Right. You know, and it’s like, I wish— if it was Pier 17 or something, that would be, like, perfect, you know? They have all these, like, boujiee little rooms he could, like, go into—\
ALEX: Uh-hmm.
CHRISTINE: —and hide away. You know what I mean? But like—
BOBBY: Right.
CHRISTINE: Whatever. So it was probably, like, for the best, but—
ANDY: Honestly, I feel like— I feel like judging by the way that you’ve described him and how other people have, like, written about him, maybe he would have been down. And it was like— you know, it was one of the—
CHRISTINE: It was a nice room.
ANDY: —the better 200 caps that exist out there.
CHRISTINE: It’s very true. Once I got there, I was like, “Okay. This isn’t like”— yeah, it— it was nice, but—
ANDY: Next time.
BOBBY: I can’t imagine just like catching a Pete Alonso elbow in the pit. Like, that’s a big guy. That’s a big dude.
ALEX: Uh-hmm.
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
ANDY: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: Dude, yeah. I could see him like trying to crowd surf for some shit. But God, I know— I was, like, fantasizing about him. I’m like, “Oh, my God, the crowd go fucking insane if we were just like, “We have a special guest in the pit.”
BOBBY: “Shout-out to Pete Alonso.”
ALEX: “There’s Pete Alonso.”
CHRISTINE: Yeah. Like, oh, my God, can you imagine? But— yeah, whatever. So we get there, we played the show. I, like, kind of joked about on the mic or whatever. I was like, “I’m assuming like some people here have seen the Pete Alonso stuff.” And they’re like, “Yeah.” And then I was like— I was like, “He did reach out to us, and he apparently likes the band. But he’s not here tonight because he is busy playing baseball for the New York Mets.” So—
BOBBY: I’m not sure if they’ve heard of him.
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
BOBBY: So Lindsey let me know that when he listened to the— the music, he was like, “It reminds me of early Paramore.”
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
BOBBY: And so the Pete Alonso and Pool Kids tweet was the biggest crossover event in my life until the Paramore and Pool Kids tweet.
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
BOBBY: And so I wanted to ask you guys— well, I want to hear a lot about, like, your musical influences and stuff like that, but what— what was that like to— to meet Hayley Williams and hear that the band actually, like, knows your—
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
BOBBY: —stuff and cares and stuff?
CHRISTINE: It—
ALEX: And, like, has— has for years at this point, right? Has like—
CHRISTINE: Yeah, yeah.
BOBBY: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: I mean, the first hit was like— or the first, like, you know, shock was when she first, just out of nowhere in, like, 2018, put us on her Instagram story—
BOBBY: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: — after our first record. And that— yeah, that was like, you know, out of body. I was, like, at work and my phone was blowing up, and I was in a meeting, and I just remember seeing a preview to one of the texts that was like, “No one— no one posts about Hayley,” you know, spelt with the why, how she does, “Until Christine sees it.” And just a lot of, like, capital letters. And I was like, “Whoa. Like, did something happen with Hayley Williams? Like, what the fuck?” And I was, like, stuck in this fucking meeting. And then I got out and it was just, like, insanity, like, best day of my life. And then she was nice enough to actually, like, talk to me a little bit. Like, afterwards, like I DM-ed her, telling her how much she, like, means to me and stuff. And she was so fucking nice. Like, had a full-on, like, conversation back and forth, saying all this nice, encouraging stuff. And then she was like, “Maybe I’ll, like, catch y’all someday.” And she was like— I remember she looked back at our tour flyer and was like, “Oh, I see you passed the Nashville recently.” Like, “Oh, I missed it but, like, let me know.” And I was like, “Damn, okay. Bet. Like, I will let you know.” So there were a few times where we’d go through Nashville and I would DM her. And she always had like— much like Pete Alonso having a baseball game, she would have some crazy— she’s like, “Oh, sorry. I’m, like, headlining Bonnaroo right now.” Or just, you know—
BOBBY: Right.
CHRISTINE: —crazy shit like that. And I’d be like—
BOBBY: “I’m— I’m opening for Taylor Swift’s first night of The Eras Tour.”
ANDY: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: Exactly. So
ANDY: The— the Bonnaroo one was like, “Oh, yeah. We— we forgot that we’re on tour.””
CHRISTINE: Yeah. That was on us. Like, we should have, like, known.” You know what I mean? But, anyway, she always, like, responded and was very nice, but had like a legitimate reason to not. And then we decided to like, you know, stop inviting her because we didn’t want to, like, punish her. Like, we didn’t want to be annoying. So we were like—
BOBBY: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: “—Let’s pump the brakes. Like, just be, you know, happy with what happened.” And then fast forward, we’re opening for Sunny Day Real Estate, and we have a Nashville show. And it didn’t even cross my mind, but like, you know, Hayley Williams, everyone knows is like a true, like, music fan and like [24:27] stuff—
BOBBY: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: —with, like, emo music and, you know— and Sunny Day Real Estate are, like, fucking, like, legends in this world. You know what I mean? So—
ALEX: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: And, you know, I know she goes to show, so I should have thought of it, but I— I didn’t make the connection. And then Sunny Day’s TM comes into our greenroom, like literally we’re— before we’re about to play, pretty much. And we knew nothing about this beforehand. Like, Hayley did not, like— you know, no one messaged us or emailed us about this happening. The TM just comes in our room and is like, “Hey, so we have, like, special guests tonight. It’s Paramore.” And I look— thought she was, like, fucking with us. I was like, “Huh. Like, yeah, yeah, Nashville. Like, Paramore’s coming.” And then she’s like, “So, yeah, just, like, stay away from the booth that’s on stage left, like upstairs, because that’s, like, reserved for them.” And I was like, “Oh, she’s serious.” Like, they actually are here and have a reserved booth. Like, “Oh, my God.” And then she leaves. Funny enough, the TM’s name is also Hayley with a Y, but—
BOBBY: Huh.
CHRISTINE: Yeah. So then we’re just like, “Holy shit.” Freaking out. Like, Keep it together. And we played a show. Not like our best show, but like, whatever. We were— like, kept trying to look for her in the crowd and— but it was like dark and I couldn’t totally tell. And—
ANDY: Hello.
CHRISTINE: —you know, clocked her at one point, right?
ANDY: Yeah. I— I feel like I’m the least sight-challenged in our band, so—
CHRISTINE: That is true.
ANDY: —often when there’s like, somebody in the crowd that— that’s being looked over for— or by anybody in our band, I’m usually the one that could spot them. And, yeah, she was up in the mezzanine. And at first, I was like, “Oh, fuck, that’s Hayley Williams.” And I started to just, like, really focus and play like with all the intensity that I could muster. And then I was thinking to myself, “Ah. Maybe that wasn’t her.” Like, that’s— that’s like wishful thinking. Like, you’re an idiot.” And we walked off. And a couple of minutes later, I was, like, upstairs, looking for my keys because I constantly misplace everything. And I opened the door that went from our greenrooms to the, like, upstairs bar area, and she was just standing there, like 15 feet in front of the door and came right up to me. And— yeah.
CHRISTINE: You approached him?
ANDY: Yeah, it was just like— I felt like I was having an out of body experience. She was like, “You’re in Pool Kids. I’m Hayley.” And I’m like thinking to myself—
CHRISTINE: “Yeah, no shit.”
ANDY: —like, “Duh.” Yeah. And then she’s like, “Taylor, Taylor, come here.” And, you know, Taylor, her boyfriend, the guitar player.
CHRISTINE: Yeah, she brought fucking Taylor, like, “Oh, my God.”
BOBBY: Yeah.
ANDY: I’m like, “Oh, my— like, what— what is going on?” And they were being so nice and complimentary. And I was just like— they need to come to the green room right now. Like, everybody in the band needs to, like, converge in the greenroom right now and brought it back there. Christine was crying. I was [27:28]
CHRISTINE: Yeah, I was like— I went down to the greenroom and— because at this point, it like— Andy was like, “Yes, she is here. Like, I saw her.” And I’m like, “Oh, shit. Like, it actually happened. It actually happened.” Because the whole set, I’m sort of playing as if she’s not there, because I’m like, “She probably like couldn’t make it, you know, to catch our early set. Like, it’s fine.” But— so then I— he tells me she is there. I go to the greenroom. And that’s when I had my, like, cry. I was like, “Oh, my God. Like, I’m fucking meeting her tonight.” And I’m thinking, I’m like, “What do I, like, tell her?” I’m like, “I don’t even know.” You know? And then as soon as I’m taking off my, like, giant, like, boots and my like— she caught me, like, mid, like, boot off, like feet all over— like socks everywhere. And she just opens the door to the greenroom, and I was just like, “Ahhh! Like, oh, my God.” And I just, yeah, freaked out. She hung out, like, the whole night. We were talking. She was, like, complimenting Caden’s snare tone and, like, just being so fucking nice. Like, just like showering us with, like, compliments and, like, nice stuff. And it was just, like, unbelievable. And, like, Taylor, too. And then Sunny Day starts, and she was like, “Oh my God. We can’t miss Sunny Day.” And then we watched Sunny Day, then like afterwards, we didn’t even like, sell— like we were selling our own merch for that tour and we were like, “Nah.” Like, we didn’t [28:48] so we definitely lost out on, like, a few [28:53]
BOBBY: We’ll take the hit, yeah. We’ll take the hit this time.
CHRISTINE: Yeah. But— yeah.
ANDY: Yeah, it was just such a strange experience, like standing in the green room when, like— around that hallway to the greenrooms with Sunny Day Real Estate.
CHRISTINE: In the presence of greatness.
ANDY: And, like, Taylor and Hayley. And we’re just, like, in between them. Like, everyone’s having a nice conversation. It’s just like— it’s one of those moments that will live with us forever, for sure. And, like, the fact that they were so nice is, like, incredibly affirming.
CHRISTINE: They could have totally just, you know, been nice and been like, “Oh, that was really fun.” You know what I mean? Like a—
BOBBY: Yeah. Uh-hmm.
CHRISTINE: —big compliment. And even that, it would have been like, “Oh, my God. Like, so nice.” Blah, blah, blah. But they like— I don’t know, they’re— it was— it was just very exciting.
BOBBY: That’s— one of the things I— I love about Paramore, though, is that like they’re truly— like they’re musicians, musicians, though. Like the fact—
CHRISTINE: Yeah. Yes.
BOBBY: —they would complement the snare tone specifically—
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
BOBBY: —because, like, they all started as drummers, you know? Like, they love— I love that. Like, that’s such a cool thing about them as a band in the scene. Like, they— they blew up too, but they still noticed small stuff like that, it’s really cool.
ANDY: Yeah. Like, she namedropped Snapcase and I almost fainted.
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
ANDY: Then— I mean, what else? She— she said that when she walked in, Christine was, like, hitting like a really high, like, loud, like, belting note, and she said that it was like when Wayne sees Cassandra for the first time.
CHRISTINE: In Wayne’s World.
ANDY: I was like— I was like, “Are you kidding me?” Like, dream sequence, “What?”
CHRISTINE: It’s just the most insane thing to hear.
BOBBY: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: Yeah. From, like, the person— I just like— in terms of, like, influences and stuff. Like, I, growing up, mostly started out like my dad listened to, like, strictly classic rock, like the same, like, 20 songs on repeat. And I was like, “Yeah. Like, that’s what’s cool.” Like, I was parroting him.
BOBBY: Hell yeah.
CHRISTINE: Like, “New music sucks.”
ALEX: Uh-hmm.
CHRISTINE: And then, like, I heard Paramore, and it— I— that, like, changed my life. It was my whole thing. You know, Paramore, Paramore, Paramore. And, like, you know, I’ve just been following them since I was, like, 11 or 12. And, like, she’s just like, my biggest— like, she’s like my fucking idol. And to not only be able to, like, meet my actual idol, but for her to also, like, be so fucking, like, nice to me. And then also, like, say she’s like a genuine fan of, like, the stuff—
BOBBY: Right.
CHRISTINE: —that I’m making, that I’m making, like, because of her. You know what I mean? It’s just like—
BOBBY: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: —it can’t, like, get any, like, more awesome than that. Like, I’ll— I’ll never top that in my life. But—
ALEX: Y’all have— y’all have had a year.
CHRISTINE: Yeah. Yes.
ANDY: Totally:
ALEX: You’re— I mean, you— you finally, I think, have some time off the road. I mean, you can correct me if I’m wrong. In— in theory maybe, but—
CHRISTINE: Like a couple of weeks, and then we’re going to Japan, which is crazy.
ALEX: Are— are you— are you all the— the type of people who, you know— I— I feel like some bands are like, “We— we want to tour. That’s like— that’s where we get our energy from, is like being out on the road.” Are you, like, you know, a little relieved when you get home and you can finally take off your boots and, like, you know, kick your feet up? I mean, where do— where do y’all fall in that?
CHRISTINE: It, like, varies, I feel like. Right now— I’ll speak for myself, but right now, I think we’re a little, like, burnt out, honestly. And it’s like getting pretty fucking exhausting, but I don’t want to sound, like, ungrateful, though, because—
BOBBY: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: —I am, like, so happy that we’re staying busy and that things are going well, you know? But I definitely am, like, excited to get home now. But I’m sure if I— if I eventually get an adequate break of, like, more than like a month, then— or more than like two months maybe, then I’ll probably be back to like, “Yeah, let’s get on the road.” You know?
ALEX: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: I don’t know. What about you, Andy?
ANDY: I said, like, while we were out this summer, we, you know, we had just done— up to that point, we had toured like most of the Midwest and the West Coast with PUP and Joyce Manor. We spent a full month in Europe with Law Dispute and Oceanator. And then did, like, headline shows of our own. Then, like, pretty much as soon as we got back, we did another handful of shows with PUP and Beach Bunny. We went into the studio, then we did a 40-day summer tour. And—
CHRISTINE: And then straight from that did Soccer Mommy.
ANDY: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: That was like— we played like— we literally zigzag the country within, like, a week. Like, it was—
ANDY: Yeah, it’s— it’s very rare that you play two shows in Colorado a month apart from each other.
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
ANDY: And, like, we did that. We— we were everywhere. This— this— like the first nine months of this year. I guess from, like, February to September of this year was, like, very touring intensive. And then, you know, we just— we actually like kind of said we weren’t going to take any more shows, and then the Sunny Day Real Estate stuff came up. And we’re like, “Well—”
CHRISTINE: Well, you couldn’t say no to that, obviously.
ALEX: Right, right.
CHRISTINE: So we were like, “All right, fine.”
ANDY: Yeah.
BOBBY: Good problems to have, but nonetheless very exhausting.
ANDY: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: Exactly, yeah.
ANDY: We thought there was going to be like more of a— a break between, you know, end of summer touring. We were gonna do some writing, no matter what. And then, yeah, Japan is coming up, so that should be really fun, though. I— I’m really looking forward to that. And— yeah. I mean, touring is awesome. It’s where you see, like, all your hard work kind of pay off, you know? But, yeah, I definitely, with this band, especially, I really enjoy being in the studio.
BOBBY: I wanted to ask about that, actually, because so when we talk to Steve Sladkowski from PUP last time, we usually talk to him, like, right around the beginning of the year, so we can talk about how he thinks this is the year for the Blue Jays and then it just like never works out for them.
ANDY: Poor guy. He’s so— he’s so hopelessly devoted to his Toronto teams. He really is.
BOBBY: He’s so in deep for the Toronto teams. Like, he’s just really— I— I feel for him sometimes, but that’s the life of a sports fan, you know? We— we talked a lot about how when he’s on tour, it’s like how much do you balance, like, listening to other music versus like trying to just give your ears a rest, versus, like, trying to be creative and think about when you’re going to be in studio next, because like, they’re— they’re truly like a touring band. Like, they’re— they tour a lot. Much like the— the last year for you guys. And I think that their fans, like, really respect and appreciate that because—
CHRISTINE: Uh-hmm.
BOBBY: —it— it deepens the connection with the band when they’re— they come into the— they come into your city, and they give you an amazing show. And they’re, like, super nice people. And, like, they make it fun and safe—
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
BOBBY: —and welcoming for everybody. But also at the same time, like, you got to make new music to, like, continue your career, and like advance—
CHRISTINE: Right.
BOBBY: —it, and— and be creative. So, like, what is your relationship to, like, playing the music that you already have out there and, like, still trying to be creative? And also, like, still try to hear other bands on the scene and, like, have appreciation for them, but not have—
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
BOBBY: —that too much influence, like your own creativity? Like, how does that work for— for your band and for— for you as artists—
CHRISTINE: I mean—
BOBBY: —when you’re on tour?
CHRISTINE: —in terms of like keeping up and listening to other bands and stuff, honestly, the— the touring actually makes that part a little easier, just because you have so much time in the van. Like— you, like, run out of music to listen to. You know what I mean? Like—
BOBBY: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: So that van time usually goes towards, like, you know, hearing like the new stuff that everyone’s dropping and stuff. But, yeah, we don’t— like, right on the road, I, like, don’t know how that’s possible unless you’re on, like, a bus, and can have— hold an instrument in your hand on long drive days. But—
BOBBY: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: —we’re very much like— that’s another reason why I, like, want a break so bad so that I can, like, sit down and like write. But we’re very like— we’re a long-distance band, our drummer is in Pittsburgh, I’m In Miami, Andy’s in Melbourne, Florida, and Nicolette is in Manchester, New Hampshire. So we— like if I have enough— like a few weeks to myself, I can, like, shit out like a couple demos and then— of just like the bare skeleton of a song and then we just have to have, like, a marathon meet-up, usually like for our tour, or just like a, you know, random week that we decide we’re going to ride, and then we just all fly into the same place. And, like— yeah. Everyone, like, kind of private pro— private practices the demos before we meet up and then we show up, and everyone just like shares ideas and we, like, flush it out. So that’s kind of how our process goes, at least.
ALEX: You— you also a— dropped a split EP this year—
CHRISTINE: Oh, yeah.
ALEX: —with— with your own alter egos, Pool. The— the— the—
CHRISTINE: With ourselves.
ALEX: Right, exactly. I— I’m just kind of wondering— I mean, this is kind of a— a long running, maybe thread, right? You— you dropped a— like a two-song charity single, I think. Maybe—
CHRISTINE: Uh-hmm.
ALEX: —like five years ago or so on—
CHRISTINE: And that was actually— the day we dropped that was actually the day that Hayley Williams put us on her story.
ALEX: Wow.
CHRISTINE: Which was April Fool’s Day, which we at first thought it was some type of sick joke, but— but anyway—
ALEX: And so—
CHRISTINE: Yeah, that’s how that started.
ALEX: I— I mean, I just kind of wondering how, you know, that idea bubbled back up that— amid everything else that was going on—
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
ALEX: —this year, you were like, “Hey, let’s, you know, play around in the sandbox a little bit more.” I mean, how does that—
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
ALEX: —kind of differ maybe from how you put the rest of the music together?
CHRISTINE: It’s a lot different. The— I mean, the idea came up— Caden had pitched it years ago. Doing Pool in general was Caden’s idea, our drummer. And, you know, we did the first release, and then after that, he was like, “Oh, my God, split with ourselves.” Like, he just threw it out there. And I immediately was like, “Yes.” Like, “Fuck, yes. We have to.” But then, you know, it’s a matter of like— again, it’s such an ordeal with us figuring out how to write and, like, all the planning and everything, it just takes so fucking long. And so then, every year, like— when it kind of would come around, like, start thinking about April Fool’s, I was like, “Okay, wait. Like, are we— should we do this? Like, should we revisit this idea?” And we were always back and forth about it, you know, for one reason or another, whether or not we should even actually do it. And then, finally, all four of us were just like, “Yes, we should do it.” But we were like, “But we can’t make it happen by April Fool’s Day again.” Like, you know, it’s not gonna be able to be an April Fool’s tradition anymore. But we were just like, “Damn. Like, okay, if we pencil it in, like”— we came straight from— which tour, Andy, was it that we went straight from the studio?
ANDY: That was after Europe—
CHRISTINE: Europe?
ANDY: —with Law Dispute.
CHRISTINE: Okay. Yeah, we were like, “If we go straight into the studio, like from Europe, and just like, bang it out, then like”— and we were like— we don’t have to do like new Pool Kids songs, because if it would— if the Pool Kids side was, like, completely new songs, we would not have been able to, like, make it happen. But we were like, “Let’s do some reimagined versions, and then let’s do one song that, like”— the instruments were already done on— and, yeah, the Pool songs take us, like, 30 seconds to like, write.
ALEX: Right.
CHRISTINE: So we— we were pretty confident we could, like, get it done. Yeah. I don’t know. That’s pretty much how that happens.
ANDY: Yeah, definitely, like, worn down by the— the lingering idea of the split.
CHRISTINE: Yeah. And, oh, you know what it was? The— the main thing that like triggered us to like, “Okay, now’s the time is”— our managers— we just got managers for the first time this year. They were like, “You should really like, put something out or, like, do something like before your first headliner.”
BOBBY: Uh-hmm.
CHRISTINE: So that’s where the rush came from because, like—
ALEX: Uh-hmm.
CHRISTINE: —it had to be out before the July headliner. So we were like—
ANDY: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: And we were like, “How? We’re on the road.” And they were like, “Okay, we found these, like, two weeks that we can, like, you know, get it done.” So—
BOBBY: Is that just because, like, they want to have something new, like, available to, like, buy and stream?
ANDY: It—
BOBBY: Or, like, what’s the reason behind that?
ANDY: It really helps for promoting a tour, especially when, you know, our LP from last year came out in July.
BOBBY: Yeah.
ANDY: And it’s, you know, almost a year after. Which isn’t, like, super out of the ordinary. It just really helps to have, like, something new that maybe all the streaming—
CHRISTINE: Just like [41:17] that people are—
ANDY: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: —talking about because then they, like, look at you, and then they say, “Oh, they’re on tour.” And then they buy the tickets rather than, like, if you’ve been—
ANDY: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: —quiet for too long, they’ve—
BOBBY: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: —you know, you’re like, “Oh, no one’s gonna see it or know about it.”
BOBBY: Can I— so I— I wanted to ask about the four or so years between the two, like, full-length records.
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
BOBBY: And just what that was like for you guys. Because, obviously, like you put out this— the first record and, you know, we talked a little bit about Hayley putting it on her story and stuff. But, like, this is still your first record, like you’re a small band, like trying to get on the scene. And then, like, you’re ready to do this tour with Wonder Years. And then like—
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
BOBBY: —three weeks later, COVID happens, and that gets fully cancelled. But then, you know, we come out of that, but, like, for— as a create— a creative band, like what are those four years look like and how does it evolve? Like, your sound and your creativity and your artistry, like, the leveling up from first album to second album, that every band goes through, but you guys having the unique experience of having like a once in 100-year—
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
BOBBY: —pandemic in between, like what— what does that look like?
CHRISTINE: It was— oh, God, there’s just, like, so many factors and things that changed from, you know, that time to now. And I mean, the biggest difference in terms of, like, our sound was just like— our first record was— it was just me and then Caden on drums. And so— and it sounds that way. You know what I mean? It’s— it’s very, like, minimal and, like, you know, pulled back. And, like, I didn’t spend nearly as much time like, I don’t know, pulling the songs apart and, like, really working on them. And then we finally became, like, a full band, you know? After that record came out is when, yeah, the four of us were finally like, “Okay, this is Pool Kids. You know, and all of us are going to contribute.” And, yeah, we just, like, had to figure out how to, like, write together, like, how we work, you know? And how these, like, you know, long distance flying, like, meetups would go. And so, yeah, it was just a lot of, like, flying in and meeting up, like— like, wore masks, like, during, like, the practices. I was, like, belting into, like, a like— like spitty mask for, like, eight hours a day. Like it was like—
BOBBY: That’s rock and roll right there.
CHRISTINE: It fucking sucked. Like, it was horrible.
BOBBY: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: Like, honestly. But—
ANDY: But it’s really interesting to have, like, our first, like, real lengthy writing experience come at, you know, December 2020, when we were all—
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
ANDY: —trying to stay separate from one another, wearing the masks. You know, we’re still like— as close as we were as friends, like we really didn’t know too much about each other as like, you know, musicians, like how we actually work together, like how you communicate, like, an idea from one person to another. You know, those are things—
CHRISTINE: Who has the better like drum talk, like, who can communicate the [44:15]
BOBBY: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: —you know? Like, shit like that.
ANDY: Yeah. It’s like a really delicate language that everyone need— like any band, like, develops over, like, a very long amount of time. And because there was such a gap between like, the actual touring that we were doing on that Wonder Years tour, which is like, what, February into March of 2020. And then we didn’t link up to actually start, you know, working on Christine’s demos until December of that year, so it’s a lot of time apart. And then, you know, I’m also trying to, like, add my flavor to— to the Pool Kids stew and, you know, it’s— it’s a delicate thing.
BOBBY: What— how— how would you describe your flavor? What is your flavor?
CHRISTINE: [45:01] I’m just kidding.
ANDY: Definitely, like, I tried to make, like, technical sounding guitar parts that fit into, like, a poppy sensibility.
ALEX: So maybe delightfully math-y but palatable, you could say.
CHRISTINE: Right, yeah.
ANDY: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: One could say.
ANDY: Like— like, we all we all listen to a lot of different types of music and there’s very few bands that we all agree on. And we try to, like, take those, you know, those elements that make those bands work for all of us and, like, implement those styles through our own voices, you know?
BOBBY: Yeah, yeah. I mean, what are some of those bands?
ALEX: What are— what are some of the—
ANDY: Yeah.
ALEX: Yeah.
ANDY: You want to kick it off, Christine?
CHRISTINE: Well, I— I couldn’t tell what you said because everybody said something at the same time.
BOBBY: We’ve literally just spoke over each other at the same time.
ALEX: Yeah. We— we both said the same thing.
ANDY: What are the— what are the bands? Yeah.
ALEX: What are— what are those bands?
CHRISTINE: You just did it again, but yeah, I heard it that time.
ALEX: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: Okay. What are some of the bands?
BOBBY: This is like who’s on first situation.
CHRISTINE: Yeah. Like, the bands that we listen to?
BOBBY: Yeah, yeah. Who are the bands that you all agree?
CHRISTINE: Oh, the ones that we all— okay. This is actually a pretty funny topic. We like— it’s very hard to find a band that all four of us equally, like, loves, like, to the same degree. And there’s really only, like, a few. Linkin Park was on there until recently.
ALEX: Hell yeah.
BOBBY: Hell yes. Hell yes.
ANDY: The good thing is even when there’s like a three out of four situation, usually the fourth person, whoever is like the outlier, is like, “I respect them.” Like, there’s—
CHRISTINE: Right. Like, we decide— like Linkin Park was on the list and then I, like, really was, like, “Okay, no, these are— these have to be only bands that all of us, like, equally love.” And Nicolette— I was like, “Do we all love Linkin Park?” And Nicolette was like— she’s like, “I respect Linkin Park, but I don’t think I love them.” And I was like, “Okay. Then they’re— we’re gonna take them off.” But—
ALEX: She wasn’t gonna— she wasn’t gonna steal valor there. She’s like—
CHRISTINE: Yeah, exactly. So Paramore, Great Grandpa, Turnstile, and King of Heck. Honorable mention is [47:10] which is like a little Florida man. But, yeah, those are some of the big— the big four. Definitely that Great Grandpa record, we all love that. And that’s how we like decided who is actually going to produce the self-titled record. His name is Mike Vernon Davis. Yeah, and he did a Great Grandpa record, and we were lucky enough to have him agree to do our record. So lots of influence there.
BOBBY: I feel like a real mark because when— when Alex and I got to college, we were college roommates together.
CHRISTINE: Oh.
BOBBY: The first thing I did was hanging up a Paramore poster and tell him that in my childhood bedroom, there was a Linkin Park poster hanging up. So I feel like a real mark for just like all the musical influences—
CHRISTINE: Nice.
BOBBY: —that went into Pool Kids.
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
ANDY: Hell yeah.
ALEX: So it’s— you— you’ve kind of alluded to it a little bit, but kind of what is coming down the— the pipeline for you guys or— or and— and is there anything that’s kind of going on, I guess, extracurricular-wise, you know, like, outside of the band that y’all are excite— excited for?
CHRISTINE: Well, in terms of inside the band, we are really just trying to write as much as we can. Andy mentioned, like, December 2020, I guess was our first, like, writing session for the self-titled record, which is two— like, two and a half years after we released our first record, and like— I was gonna say we like to, like, blame COVID for like, “Oh, that’s why we had four years in between.” But, like, the fact that— I didn’t realize that you really have to start writing the next record, like, as soon as you release the last one. You know what I mean? And that’s like—
BOBBY: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: —a huge thing that I learned from that like, “Oh, shit, it really does take two years to, like, write a record, you know?” And so this time, I’ve, like, learned my lesson, and we’re like deep in writing, yeah, any chance we get now. I’m just, like, trying to like shit out these demos, and then anytime the band is together, we’re just like, “Can we squeeze in a writing day?” You know, stuff like that. That’s really the band’s, like, biggest focus. Outside of the band, I don’t know. I don’t have any life outside of the band at this point. I’m literally either like in the van or I’m at home trying to write a song. Like, that’s the extent of my life right now.
BOBBY: Or DM-ing with Pete Alonso, of course.
CHRISTINE: Or— or that. Which, by the way, I was gonna say the last thing on that is I just bought tickets to our high school reunion, 10 years.
BOBBY: Oh, yes. The [49:41] throne.
ALEX: [49:42]
CHRISTINE: Yes, on— on December 22nd. And I’m super curious if— I feel like— he has to come because he’s definitely like the most famous person other than this one, like, girl that’s like TikTok famous now. I don’t know if y’all seen that Kat Stickler girl on TikTok. I don’t know. Anyway, she’s like— has like millions of followers. So it’s her and Pete Alonso are definitely the most famous people from our class, and I feel like they have to be there. But we’ll see. I’ll let y’all know.
ALEX: Right. That’s— those— those events are targeted at those kinds of people, right?
CHRISTINE: Right.
ALEX: The ones who made it and can come back and flex a little bit.
CHRISTINE: Shine— you have to shine.
BOBBY: Right. Yeah.
CHRISTINE: Like, the big, like, peacocking contest, yeah.
ALEX: Have y’all had a chance to make it out to a Mets game? Is that something that whatever— is— is ever, like, on the table as like a— as like a group, you know?
CHRISTINE: Sometimes— every once in a while, we try to, like, just go to like a sports game. I think it’s only successfully happened once. It was like a Denver— the Nuggets.
ANDY: Yeah. We went to the Miami Heat-Denver Nuggets game where Jokic elbowed Markieff Morris in the back—
BOBBY: Oh, my God.
ANDY: —and like— like [50:41]
BOBBY: You were at that game?
CHRISTINE: We were there—
ANDY: Yeah, we— we were there.
CHRISTINE: Pool Kids was there.
ANDY: We were there.
BOBBY: That’s like ground zero for like the Jokic myth. [50:48] Amazing.
ANDY: It was crazy. It was crazy.
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
ANDY: And I was the only one that, like, jumped out of my seat screaming like, “That’s bullshit!”
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
ANDY: And then like 50 dudes got up around me and they’re like, “What’d you say?”
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
ANDY: I was like, “Nothing, sir.”
BOBBY: I assume you’re a Heat fan, then? That’s why you were at the game.
CHRISTINE: Yes.
ANDY: Yeah. I grew up in Miami, you know?
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
ANDY: Heat, Panthers, Marlins, Dolphins, you know?
CHRISTINE: Yeah. I mean, none— like none of us are technically, like, Mets fans. You know what I mean? Like—
ALEX: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: —I’m not gonna— I’m not gonna act like— you know— but I mean—
BOBBY: Right.
CHRISTINE: —I would consider myself a fan of Pete, so maybe— and, you know, he showed interest in coming to a Pool Kids show, so maybe—
BOBBY: Now, it’s part of a lore.
CHRISTINE: —maybe— yeah.
BOBBY: I mean, now— now, it has to happen.
CHRISTINE: Maybe— maybe I’ll bring the band to— to watch Pete. I don’t know. Maybe someday.
ANDY: Yeah. I’m sure Pete is a lovely guy. I told this to Christine recently. I was like, “You will not catch me dead in a Mets jersey.”
[laughter]
BOBBY: I respect that. You won’t catch me dead—
ANDY: But—
BOBBY: —in a Marlins jersey, though, so it’s okay.
ANDY: Yeah. But like—
CHRISTINE: Respect.
ANDY: —you know, that’s just— that’s what sports fandom is about, right? Like, I’d be stoked to meet him. I bet he’s cool, you know?
CHRISTINE: We have a friend, Frankie, who’s a drummer in multiple bands. I think her main band is Macseal. She’s actually toured with Paramore, not— not like playing for them, but, like, with a band that was opening for them. And she actually got to play drums on Misery Business though, which is crazy. But, anyway, she is a huge Mets fan. Like, that’s like her number one personality— personality trait, is that she’s a Mets fan. And her girlfriend— she was telling me this recently, actually. She was like, “Yeah, I told my girlfriend when we started dating like, ‘Listen, you are a Mets fan now, like that— like, that’s just how it works.” And then like recently, her girlfriend was like, “You know what? Like, I gotta be honest with you. Like, I’m not a Mets fan. I’m a Pete Alonso fan.” I think that was, like, funny, but they make it work.
BOBBY: That’s— that’s amazing. I like— I like the— the decision— like you don’t have the autonomy when you’re in a relationship with somebody—
CHRISTINE: Right.
BOBBY: —who’s that much of a sicko. Like, I kind of am that person, so I’ve basically done that to everyone else in my life.
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
BOBBY: It’s like, “If you’re gonna be around me, like it’d just be much more frictionless for you to be a Mets fan.”
CHRISTINE: Yeah, exactly. You just go—
ANDY: Yeah. You need to, like, really be sensitive around the sports fans like when they suffer a big loss and stuff, so—
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
BOBBY: Andy, Christine, thank you so much. It was great to meet you. It was great to have you on.
ANDY: Thank you.
BOBBY: Any— any—
CHRISTINE: [53:15] yeah.
BOBBY: —specific place that you want to point people to hear at the end of this? Just— or just go check out Pool Kids wherever you listen to music?
CHRISTINE: Yeah. I guess just, like, keep up with us, like, on our social medias. it’s poolkidsband on everything, so you can just always see if we’re touring. Just check our social medias and there’ll be flyers.
ANDY: We probably are.
CHRISTINE: Yeah. Come to the show. Please buy T-shirts. That’s the only way we get money pretty much.
ANDY: We’re just traveling T-shirts sales people.
CHRISTINE: Yes, we are a T-shirt band [53:44]
BOBBY: That’s like kind of the way that every industry is going. It’s like, “Ah, you just—”
CHRISTINE: Yeah.
ALEX: That’s—
BOBBY: “—got to have to sell T-shirts now.”
ALEX: That’s kind of what happened with us as well, yeah.
ANDY: It’s crazy.
BOBBY: Yeah.
CHRISTINE: Oh, yeah.
BOBBY: It’s podcasting as well.
CHRISTINE: Yup.
BOBBY: All right. Thank you guys so much.
CHRISTINE: Thank you.
ANDY: Take it easy.
SPEAKER 5: And we’re getting staler by the day. Better luck next time. You gotta know by now. We’re walking on a thin line.
BOBBY: Thank you to Christine and Andy. Thank you for listening, you at home. Thank you to everybody who signed up for the Patreon this past week. I don’t know who you are yet, because we’re recording this well in advance. By that same token, if some big news happened, that is Tipping Pitches adjacent in our universe, I apologize that we didn’t talk about it. We bank these interviews in an effort to not have to record over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend with all of the travel that we’ll be doing. And just because it’s— it’s the offseason and, you know, it’s— it’s nice to sometimes not have to fire up the mics and talk about the newest thing. But I promise that if anything did happen, we will discuss it next week when we are doing a full mailbag episode.
ALEX: Well, you— you should know, I’ll still be here next week. I mean, I can’t record or edit any of it, but I will be seated in front of a microphone—
BOBBY: Oh, okay.
ALEX: —ready— ready to talk whether you’re here or not.
BOBBY: A guy sitting in front of a microphone, not connected to anybody in his Brooklyn apartment is like— it’s real like Museum of Modern Art territory.
ALEX: Right. Like if a guy— if a guy talks in an apartment—
BOBBY: If you— if you took a microphone—
ALEX: —and no one’s around to hear it.
BOBBY: If you took a microphone and a chair, and sat at the Museum of Modern Art, and just sat there in silence, people would be like, “What a brave statement.”
ALEX: Yeah.
BOBBY: “About masculinity in the 2020s.” A guy who’s willing to silence himself.
ALEX: And The Athletic would have a whole profile of me.
BOBBY: So next week, we’ll be doing a full mailbag episode, that includes questions that people email us, tippingpitchespod@gmail.com. If you want to tweet at us, DM us, that works too. Or I love— I always love when we get voicemails for a mailbag episode, 7—785-422-5881 if you want to call in. We’re going to be catching up on a lot of the voicemails and— and questions that we’ve gotten over the last month-ish or so. And then also later this week, if you are a patron, on Thursday, you will be getting a full— another full mailbag episode about— of the questions that were leftover or didn’t make sense for our 300th Episode mailbag, The Power Hour. so there was a handful of questions which we loved, which just— we were not going to be able to answer in— in the span of one minute, and we saved those for a future date. That is— this is that future date, Thursday on the Patreon bonus feed, and you can find out how to get that over at patreon.com/tippingpitches. That’s everything I got, Alex. Is there anything else that you would like to add? Any more bands? Any playlists you got that you want to draw for people? The Tipping Pitches playlist is— is bumping. Maybe we’ll throw that link in the description this time through.
ALEX: That’s a great— I— I mean, I— because I have not been using Spotify recently, I don’t actually get to see how it is evolving over time.
BOBBY: That’s because you don’t want me to have a salary, and you don’t support—
ALEX: Yes, it is.
BOBBY: —The Ringer and its activity at Spotify?
ALEX: Yeah, I’m actively boycotting. I’m actively [56:59] from Spotify.
BOBBY: Because you don’t think we should have a union. You’re like, “The Ringer union was the reason I left Spotify.”
ALEX: Right, right. No, man. No— no other bands. There aren’t any other bands.
BOBBY: No other band? Only band is Pool Kids.
ALEX: No other— no other only other artists. The only band is Pool Kids, and I encourage y’all to check them out.
BOBBY: Until another band comes on this pod, they are the— the Band, capital B— capital B, Band.
ALEX: They’re— they’re— they’re the one.
BOBBY: Thanks, everybody, for listening. We will talk to you next week.
SPEAKER 6: But don’t stop. If I fall and don’t look back. Oh, baby, don’t stop. Bury me and fade to black.
ALEX RODRIGUEZ: Hello, everybody. I’m Alex Rodriguez. Tipping Pitches. Tipping Pitches. This is the one that I love the most. Tipping Pitches. So, we’ll see you next week. See ya!
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