n this past year, Anarbor graduated High School and scored a deal with Hopeless Records. This young quartet from Phoenix, Arizona has shared the stage with big name bands including Fall Out Boy,  and The Academy Is.  They are currently opening the Sub City Take Action Tour sponsored by F.Y.E. alongside Cute Is What We Aim For, Breathe Carolina, Meg & Dia, and Every Avenue. During the NYC date, we talked to singer and bassists Slade Echeverria and guitarist Mike Kitlas about their up and coming band. 

Cristina: Anarbor
Mike & Slade: YES
Slade: Hello

CC: How would you characterize your band?
SE: Rock & Roll?
MK: Rock & Roll
CC: That’s pretty broad
SE: Just straight up rock & roll
MK: Nothing more nothing less
CC: So, you are all a pretty young band
MK: Yes we are, we are all nineteen years old. Straight out of High School

CC: Where you signed while you were still in school?
MK: We officially signed our contract, I think
SE: Right before we graduated.
MK: Yeah, and then we let everyone know after. So we technically were, just nobody knew it.

CC: And you’ve been touring all through High School…
MK: Yes, we’ve been touring since we were fifteen years old.

CC: Was it hard for people to take you seriously?
SE: Oh yes! To this day
MK: We’ve been paying our dues since…
SE: To this day, we will show up and people will treat us differently ‘cause we’re nineteen
MK: The sound guy will be all hard on us in the beginning but after we play he’ll be the nicest dude ever
SE: seriously. “can I help you with anything?”
MK: “Can I do anything for you?” and we’re like yeah asshole. Thanks Bro.

CC: So you guys have really been impressing people then…
SE: Yes
MK: So far in this tour, definitely.

CC: So how is this tour going for you guys?
MK: It’s just amazing.
SE: We’re having the time of our lives.
MK: We are best friends with every single band on this tour. Every band is so chill, everybody is friends and just hangs out.

CC: So for a group of nineteen year olds, you guys are doing pretty well
MK: It’s really amazing. Getting to see the world when you’re nineteen is not something everybody gets to do.
SE: It’s awesome.
MK: Our manager told us this morning that we’re closer to London than we are to our hometown. How sick is that.
SE: Yes, we’re from Phoenix.

CC: Your band name is Anarbor
MK: Which is in Michigan…
CC: So how did you guys get to that name?
MK: Well my sister was born in Ann Arbor and she was the first person to get me into rock & roll music. She gave me a little punk rock CD with Blink 182 and all that. So we wanted a simple one name titled and settled for that.

CC: How did your band get started?
SE: We were very young.
MK: We were probably thirteen years old.
SE: Yeah, we were literally coming home from summer school
MK: One of our moms was driving
SE: And we were just like, let’s start a band.

CC: Did you guys even play instruments?
SE: No way
MK: Well Slade was taking voice lessons so we decided he should be the singer. And we all started our instruments like the week after we decided to be in a “rock band.”
SE: It’s really crazy the way it all worked out. And now we’re here.

CC: So there is an EP out now, called “The Natural Way”…
MK: Yes, we have a digital release out now. The physical EP is called “Free Your Mind” and it will be available March 10th.
CC: ..and you guys worked with Mike Green, who has worked with Paramore and Good Charlotte
MK: yes he worked with us for both.
SE: He is a genius. He is honestly the coolest, smartest guy when it comes to music.
MK: We really hit it off. He caught on with what we wanted to do with our music.
SE: It was just amazing.
MK: He’s in California and California is like our second home now. We loved being there with him.

CC: Most of the songs on “Free Your Mind” were also released in “The Natural Way"...
MK: Correct. Three songs off of the digital release will be on the physical.  And there are four or five new songs on there too.

CC: And when can we expect a full length?
SE: It’s probably coming out in about six months after.
MK: We’re already writing material for our full length.

CC: And what are your expectations for it so far?
MK:  Some real music. With our music, we want kids to think outside of the normal music that is out right now. There’s a lot of bullshit out in the music scene and we want to show the kids that you don’t have to wear the v-necks and Nike dunks to be cool. We want people to know that music is not about what you see, it’s about what you see.
SE: We really want our music to stand out, definitely. It’s something we’re proud of. I mean you hear bands these days that seriously sound all the same. We really want to do our own thing.
MK: Yes, and I can guarantee you not one song on our EP sounds the same.
SE: I mean, I could write a record so fast. But we really want to think outside and do something different.

CC: And does that go along with the impact you want your music to have?
MK: Exactly. We want kids to just be themselves.

CC: So in ten years, we’re doing an interview…
MK: We’ll be 29. Old

CC: So where is Anarbor at this point?
SE: Doing the same old things.
MK: Touring with bands like Jimmy Eat World, Red Hot Chilli Peppers.
SE: No Doubt and Blink 182.
MK: *laughs* yes they’ll open our reunion tour. Oh and Green Day.
SE: ...and the list could go on
MK: ...and we would play will Fall Out Boy again.

CC: How was it playing a show with them?
MK: There was a lot a lot of kids there. We were actually more stoked to see The Academy Is… who was opening for them.
SE: They’re so sick. They’re amazing
MK: In ten years, we want to change the music scene. Blink 182 is coming back and we want to hopefully have the same impact they are going to have.
SE: Changing the world one song at a time.

CC: So anything random you guys would like to add to end this…
MK: We have a sick van named Sir Charles II.
SE: It rules.
MK: He’s a ’91 Ford. It’s awesome.
SE: Our trailer rules too.