Backstage Beat

By: Angelina Berube
Posted In: Entertainment

Three hours before taking the stage in front of a sold-out crowd at the Palladium in Worcester, Mass., Nov. 26, Patrick Kirch, the drummer from The Maine, sat down and discussed his band, influences and upcoming holiday EP. The Maine joined headliners All Time Low on their recent tour.

Arizona quintet The Maine formed in early 2007. Kirch, 18, and bassist Garrett Nickelsen formed a band and their lead singer quit. Kirch then found John O’Callaghan, who became the lead singer of The Maine. “John came over to our house and played a couple cover songs for me, and I liked it,” Kirch said. “Then we started playing together.” Jared Monaco and Kennedy Brock, both guitarists, later joined the band.

The band chose their name from the song “The Coast of Maine” by indie band Ivory. Kirch credits O’Callaghan for the name. “We were just kind of in a crunch of time for a name and John thought of it,” Kirch said.

In December 2007, The Maine released their EP, “The Way We Talk.” This past July, they released their first full length album, “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop,” on Fearless Records while on a major U.S. tour opening for Good Charlotte and Boys Like Girls.

For Kirch, making the album “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop” has been his greatest experience being a part of The Maine. “It was our first time to actually like spend time in the studio more than a week,” Kirch said. “We had two months. It was awesome. It was a lot of fun. We got to experiment with a bunch of different things we hadn’t before.”

Being young and on the road sometimes collide. All the members of The Maine are under 21 which can sometimes pose a problem. “There are some places we can’t go because we aren’t 21 yet,” Kirch said. “We’ve had problems booking hotels and stuff just because of our age.”

Although none are legal yet, this does not affect them musically; The Maine’s pop rock sound is catchy. The songs are infectious, such as their single “Everything I Ask For.” “Being young doesn’t really affect [the music] any more,” Kirch said. “When we first started, we were finishing high school and stuff. That was obviously challenging.”

Kirch explained that early 1990s alternative bands such as Third Eye Blind influenced their sound along with life experiences in general.

Kirch hopes fans enjoy his band’s music. “I hope it makes them feel better or happy or makes them feel something,” Kirch said. “Basically we hope that they enjoy it and listen to it.”

Kirch sees himself always involved in music and not going back to school. “I didn’t really have much of an interest in school and stuff, but I think maybe if I found something I had an interest in I could do it.” If he was not in The Maine, he would try to do something musically. “This is all I wanted to do and all I had for a while so I would probably be trying to figure something out,” Kirch said.

On Dec. 9, The Maine will release “And a Happy New Year,” a Christmas EP with four holiday songs. The band recorded the EP within a few days. “We just kind of wanted to do it, just for fans to have something more to hear around the holidays,” Kirch said. “We did a Christmas album last year and kids seemed to like it so we wanted to do a couple more.”

The Maine is a band to watch for in 2009. Their performance at the Palladium grabbed the audience’s attention. The sold-out crowd sang along to their songs. The Maine’s catchy sound will hook any listener in.