Light Years Explain Cleveland’s Underdog Music Scene
Light Years' brand of pop-punk was born out of angst-filled teenage days spent in mall parking lots and late-night diners around Cleveland. We spoke to lead singer Pat Kennedy, who is currently sweating it out on the Vans Warped Tour, to find out exactly why Cleveland rocks, how it shaped their music and why Clevelanders are optimistic underdogs -- especially when it comes to sports. (Welcome back, LeBron!)
How has Warped Tour been going so far?
Oh, you know -- very sweaty and sleepy, but it’s fun. We’re in the dog days of summer. That’s a term, right?
You’re performing your songs in the acoustic tent. Do you approach those sets differently?
I reworked some of our songs so it wasn’t just me playing them acoustically, but more of an acoustic song. It’s more laid back. And the acoustic tent is under a huge shade with a fan–that’s a very big plus on Warped.
Congratulations on signing to Animal Style records. You’re releasing your new EP with them, Temporary. How does it feel to get a new label and new EP?
We’re excited. It’s been about a year since we’ve had anything new to promote. When we went to write Temporary it came easier. It wasn’t a breeze, but it was easier than the first time we recorded. We learned a lot from our first album I Won’t Hold This Against You. I don’t know if we changed our sound, but it’s a little more melodic–less fast punk stuff. I think these songs are a step above anything we had on the first full-length.
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