The difference between Irish and American crowds? The Irish will be a little bit drunker.

Literate rocker Matt Pond of matt pond PA talks about his music, happiness and cops in Florida

The thing is I always find myself setting at the kitchen table; it's something of a superstition that if I don't sit there, it wouldn't work.

I kind of want to be Radiohead and I'm really jealous I'm not Radiohead.

We love to play. We love to write. We love to hang out with each other.

"I just keep notebooks and when it's time to put some songs together, I go to those and pick out phrases here and there and plug them in where needed."

Bobby's thing is "song first" period. Jamming is great and we love jamming, but it's really about the song first.

I don't think we could make different music if we wanted to. If we tried to make it a hit, I don't think we could. We just make the music that comes natural to us.

So no matter what crappy day you've had, or whatever lousy sound system you have to deal with or whatever, you can't not do your best.

"We're heavy metal fans first and foremost. And the song, the heavier it is, that's the way we like it."

In a lot of ways it was a frustrating process because some of those songs could have been much more than they were.

Our plan, as it stands right now, is to tour until the end of time. Or until it's time to record the next record.

When I'm writing, I'm always trying to stay in contact with my upbringing with black music.

"The show is great for Beatles fans but it's also a great way to introduce young kids to the Beatles who kind of know the material, but maybe didn't think they were that cool."

I really enjoy Sabatin's voice and admire how he can sound soothing and then immediately gritty.

When we finished this record, we all felt really strongly that we'd done the best work of our lives and we were really proud; but at the same time, you don't know what other people are going to think of it.

I chose to put out a record with those people with a full, indie-rock arsenal of stories of people who in my situation had done that and were very unhappy. Being in that situation allowed me to tour the way I wanted to tour.

"We live a normal life. I just happen to have a recording studio in my house and my kids might happen to run into Chad Kroeger [Nickelback] in the stairway."

"If anything, we tried to annoy people a little bit. It just so happened that others liked it."

"St. Louis is our Manchester, and you, PLAYBACK:stl, you are our Tony Wilson."