Two-man rock band Bangups traveled a long road to get to Vans Warped Tour in Holmdel, N.J. on Sunday.
Friends Joey Dornbas and Brent French overcame drugs, women and a year apart only to reunite and put out their debut album, Ten Dollars An Hour, in 2009. They released their second record, Hellcat!, on June 25.
The two took the time to talk to Mstars before their set on Sunday about their history, performing at their second Warped Tour and more.
MStars: How did you guys get together and how did you get to this point?
Dornbas: Brent and I were in a band before Bangups and we had really high expectations for that. But stuff just started going wrong between members and out in our personal lives. There was some drug stuff, some girl stuff and it just fell apart.
So we kind of parted ways for about a year and in that time, he tried to move to London, got into acting a little and I just went away and was isolated. I just started writing music.
And about a year into doing that, randomly we met at a party. We got to talking and Brent was just ready to go again. He was just like, "Dude, if you're doing music, let's do it." So that was a relief because I really didn't know how the songs that were being written were actually going to get out into the world. So about a month after that, we got together and put the first record together and that's how the Bangups started.
Do you get any pre-show jitters performing at a venue like Warped Tour?
French: Not too bad. You just get the pulse going before and get focused.
How was the experience playing at Warped Tour last year?
French: Fantastic. It was one of the best we've had as a band, I think.
Brent, Joey had mentioned that you had gone into acting.
French: Not really. I was in some short films that my film buddies had tried to do. They entered in some festivals. Nothing that paid or did anything really.
So was there that moment where you guys met and you realized, "Music is what I want to be doing?"
French: Well, we grew up together so it's like that year we spent apart was weird. So yeah, it was definitely like a "let's do something now because it's been too long."
Looking back on it, do you wish you had that time back to have been working together?
French: No, because I think Joey needed that time to tap into something deeper, which he did. He definitely couldn't have done it if we didn't have that time apart.
What's the response been to your latest album?
French: Fantastic. People are liking it way more than the first record. I think, creatively, on this new record, we were able to collaborate where we haven't really been able to do that in the past as much. So that is one of the most exciting things about this new stuff. It feels like it's both of us putting our heart and soul into it.
