After reviewing their debut album, Stand Clear of Closing Doors, Nicholas Senior was able to talk with the band’s guitarist to get to know STATESIDE.

Can you introduce yourself for our readers?

My name is Chip Su and I play guitar for Stateside.

Could you describe your sound for those who haven’t heard of Stateside before?

We have a wide range of sounds in the album. We have a few songs that are heavy, a few are fast paced, and a few more poppy. We don’t want to label ourselves in certain genre because we write music with passion, not to fit into a certain category. I like to this this is what our fans like about us!

Who would you say has inspired your sound the most?

A Day To Remember, Saosin, Silverstein have all been incredibly influential for us.

What or who has inspired your lyrics?

Mike (our singer) should be the one answer this question haha. But, like the rest of the album, much our music and lyrics have been inspired by living in New York City, the city where we formed Stateside.

Your album was released on February 7th. What are your thoughts on the finished product and how it has been received?

I think it’s great!! We have a lot of positive feedback from friends, family and fans and hoping we can take it to the next level and start touring and spreading our music out there more

What’s the best part about being from New York?

I gotta admit we are lucky to live in such a great city! You can always find something to do, see, and experience, even at 4am! It’s really hard to pinpoint the best part but it’s somewhere between the awesome food, bars, and live music. We truly have it all.

Are you guys sports fans at all? What are your favorite teams?

Yes, I love Soccer and my favorite team Intermilan (Italy).

What music have you been listening to lately? Is there a group or artist that you’ve been jamming to lately that many would find to be unexpected?

Well.. I’d say I’ve listened to just about everything lately haha He is Legend is one I’ve been really into now that they’re back together! You probably wouldn’t think anything I’ve been listening to is really that unexpected though because I really tend to lean toward listening to the type of music our band plays.

What do you guys do to stay entertained on the road?

HA.. DEF NOT DRUGS!!! But honestly, we mostly listen to the radio/ new albums and try to find new music.

Do you have a favorite place to eat on the road?

YES! WAWA and IN & OUT Burger… not the healthiest but we love them!

What are your best and worst moments on tour so far?

Well with Stateside we haven’t really had a full tour just yet. But I’ve been on tour my previous bands so I’ll tell you some highlights from those:

The best moments were whenever we were meeting new people and new bands! Especially when they would feed us and let us sleep at their house! Also of course, playing music every night!

Worst Moments:
- One show got cancelled and we lost our guarantee aka we didn’t get paid
- Parking tickets and speeding tickets…those are the worst!
- Texas to New Mexico Border Patrol checking our van and
holding me some reason because I they thought I looked like a mexican (I’m Indonesian). Even after I showed them my ID they still didnt believe me!

Whats your favorite tv show?

Friends

What is your favorite album of all time?

Appetite for Destruction

Do you have any touring plans lined up in the future?

We’re in the process! I actually just bought the van and trailer, we have full merch so everything is good to go but we still don’t really have a solid plan yet. I’m hoping that I’ve learned enough from past touring experiences that we shouldn’t just tour independently (my old band lost TONS of $$ doing that). So the plan this time around would be trying to get with a bigger band to support their entire tour so if we have to lose money or break even, at least we will get the exposure that we need and hopefully get a spot on Warped Tour! Also, we all have full-time jobs, so we cant just leave right away, but we’re definitely in the planning process!

Is there anything else you would like our readers to know?

Yes, I want thank to fans who been supporting Stateside in the past a year and half, our friends who have stood by us during both the happiest and saddest moments. I’d like to thank my family too! I couldn’t have gotten to this point without their support. Last, big thanks to Big Picture Media and Excess Db Entertainment.