Soon after wrapping up a short touring run overseas and releasing their third studio album, Just Like You, on Epitaph Records, Falling In Reverse revealed plans to set out on their latest venture: Ronnie Radke’s Three Ring Circus. A show will consist of three “acts”: the first being electronica openers Ghost Town, followed by the headliners performing Dying Is Your Latest Fashion, the 2006 debut from Escape The Fate (and frontman Radke’s former band) it its entirety before returning to the stage with their own material as the grand finale. Capitalizing on the nostalgia factor, this gives fans of old-school Escape The Fate the chance to hear the record with Radke on vocals for a second time.
During a quiet moment on the road, drummer Ryan Seaman took the chance to talk about what sparked the idea to create this “circus,” the new album, and the importance of making yourself happy first.
How has the tour been going so far?
We’re about three weeks into the tour now and it’s just been really, really great. It has exceeded all of our expectations and more.
How did you end up taking Ghost Town out on the road with you guys?
That’s a very good question. I think it was just one of those things where we wanted to give an opportunity to a band that we wouldn’t normally tour with, I guess. They aren’t really our genre, you know? So it was just opportune to throw them in. We’re trying to see how many kids we can bring to the shows by ourselves.
Do you have any favorite or weird stories that you can share from this stint so far?
Oh man, I’m trying to think. When you’re on tour, everything is sort of a blur (laughs). You’re in a different city every single day. But so far it’s been pretty relaxed. The thing that has really just stood out for us is how many kids are coming to the shows and how many kids are singing along to all of the old Escape The Fate stuff that we’ve been doing. This is the first tour that we have been playing more than, I don’t know, 13 or 14 songs in a show. So now we’re doing what we normally do, plus a whole other set. It’s kind of crazy because it challenges your endurance and your mind and your ability as a musician. The kind of things that we’ve had so far that have been interesting have been on our days off. This past week we’ve just been flying everywhere (laughs). The traveling has been really crazy but so far we’ve been having a really good time.
You touched upon this earlier, but the band does Dying Is Your Latest Fashion first, and then moves on to Falling In Reverse material, so you’re doing two totally different sets each night. Is that difficult?
What usually ends up happening is that because there is so much to remember somebody will play a wrong note or something. But still, it’s really fun to take on a challenge like this. We’re trying to provide something that no other bands are doing. Who wants to see the same show 50 times in a row? Every time that we come to town we want to do something different that will bring you back.
What first sparked the idea to play that album and overall create Ronnie Radke’s Three Ring Circus?
Basically, we just wanted to do something different from what other bands are doing at the moment. We wanted to figure out a way to get kids to come out to the show so they’re not seeing the same show that everybody else is giving them.
Has there been any grief from the Escape The Fate camp for performing their debut?
No, not really actually. I haven’t heard anything, honestly. I think kids are just stoked because they want to see that happen again. I don’t even think Escape The Fate played all of those songs in a row or the album it its entirety back in the day.
Do you have any songs you look forward to playing night after night, from either set?
I look forward to playing this song called “Guillotine IV (The Final Chapter)” just because it is a very difficult track. By the time we play it I’m probably around 13 songs in at that point, so I’m not starting fresh. But it’s really awesome to see how much my mind can remember and how much endurance we all have.
So the new record, Just Like You, came out in February. When you guys get together to create new music, what is the writing and creative process behind it?
The best way that I can describe it is that every band, and every successful band, has to have a leader. So basically our leader is Ronnie and he comes up with 95 percent of the material, and then we’re just the icing on top of the cake. Ronnie’s like the baker, and we are the final product.
How does Just Like You differ from previous releases, The Drug In Me Is You and Fashionably Late?
I think this record is more progressive. It’s more of a natural transition. There’s more thought… I’m trying to think of how to say it (laughs). I feel like this is more of a continuation to The Drug In Me Is You while with Fashionably Late, we wanted it to be something different and more outside the box. We just figured that when it came to our second record we didn’t want to make the same thing twice. I feel like every band has to evolve at some point in order to survive. But the record we just put out is kind of going back to The Drug In Me Is You. There’s more guitar solos and the parts are more evolved, whereas with Fashionably Late we just wanted to experiment and do whatever we wanted.
Do you find that it is difficult to keep fans happy while still being able to grow as artists?
I don’t think any artist should write to please a specific person, you know what I mean? I feel like an artist is writing a story and so if people want to listen to that story then they can. We obviously want to make our fans happy, but at the same time you need to make yourself happy first.
What are the band’s plans for after the Three Ring Circus tour?
We do have future plans that we can’t discuss yet, so stay tuned (laughs).
Falling In Reverse will bring Ronnie Radke’s Three Ring Circus to New York City’s Best Buy Theater on May 20, the Sherman Theater in Stroudsburg, PA on May 22, and Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ on May 23. Their new album, Just Like You, is available now through Epitaph. For more information, go to fallinginreverse.com.
