PZO: What’s the worst thing you’ve done and gotten away with?
Dan: <laughs> I just watched this dude run into his car. He’s like 21 and he just walked into his own car and he cussed. He was like, fuck!! Hah, alright, back to the question...worst thing I’ve ever done and gotten away with...it’s hard to say because I get away with everything I do. I don’t know, I can’t answer that one.


PZO: What would you like someone to write in your obituary?
Dan: Damn, these are some questions, girl, what’s up?
PZO: <laughs>
Dan: Uhh, in the obituary? That’s the thing in the newspaper?
PZO: Yeah.
Dan: Uhh...good father, rock ‘n’ roll master...
PZO: <laughs> That’s it?
Dan: Yeah, that’s it. Just that.

PZO: Do you remember what the first show you played as Recover was like?
Dan: I sure do. I sure do. It was shredded. That’s the best way to describe it.

PZO: What qualities about yourselves as a band do you feel makes you stand out from other bands?
Dan: We are rock and roll as fuck and we don’t give a shit. And you can tell ‘cause we’re all fucking dirty, with long hair, and I only own one pair of pants.
PZO: <laughs> Are you serious?
Dan: Yeah, it’s fucked up. I own one pair of pants and I’ve been wearing this one pair of pants for a month. I mean, I wash them whenever I can, don’t get me wrong, but still, I only own one pair of pants. But whatever, that’s the price you have to pay when you live on the road.

PZO: Is there a moment in rock ‘n’ roll history that’s shocked you the most?
Dan: Shocked me?
PZO: Yeah.
Dan: Yeah, when fucking nu metal got big. What the fuck?
PZO: <laughs>
Dan: When it was acceptable to have a DJ in a rock band. That’s when. That shocked the hell out of me.

PZO: What kind of an impact has living in Austin had on the band, if at all?
Dan: I don’t know. Austin is kind of like its own nation. It’s in the middle of Texas and it’s one of the coolest cities in the U.S., by far.
PZO: Yeah, it is.
Dan: I’ve been everywhere several times by now, I mean of course L.A., New York, Chicago, Seattle, and San Francisco are all amazing cities, but Austin is like in the top 3 or top 4. Yeah, it’s super...no one knows about since it’s all in the middle of Texas. We have a laid-back vibe; I think it’s ‘cause we come from the middle of Texas.

PZO: How do you think the punk and hardcore scene has changed over the last couple of years?
Dan: It seems like everybody got younger. Or maybe I got older. <laughs>
PZO: <laughs> Maybe both.
Dan: <laughs> Yeah. It’s like, I feel like when I used to go to shows everyone used to be nineteen and twenty-somethings and now any show you go to everybody’s fifteen.
PZO: Yeah, I know, I’ve noticed that too.
Dan: Yeah, so, let’s say that.

PZO: Are there any fairly unknown bands you think people should check out?
Dan: Yes. Armor For Sleep. They’re gonna tear some shit up. And then Those Peabody's.
PZO: Yeah, I’ve heard of them. They’re local, right? They’re in Austin?
Dan: Yeah, they rule. Um, Slow Reader. Yeah, that’s about it.

PZO: Do you have a favorite line from one of your songs?
Dan: Probably something Robert says, ‘cause his stuff is good. Oh yeah, he says “worldly like a sailor, street smart like a whore.”
PZO: <laughs>
Dan: I like that! Isn’t that good??
PZO: Yeah, it’s a good line.

PZO: In what musical direction do you see yourself going in the future?
Dan: I don’t know. I have no idea where, like, it’s going to take us. We’re just going to keep writing. So yeah, I don’t know, we’re a rock ‘n’ roll band. So expect whatever kind of music comes from a rock ‘n’ roll band.

PZO: What do you guys plan on doing once you’re done touring with Midtown in Europe?
Dan: Well we’re touring over there for 2 ½ weeks and then we tour with Jimmy Eat World over there for 2 weeks. And then we come back, and we’re going to record and write, write and record, and then we’re gonna go hit the road again forever. We’ve been on the road for like a year. It’s crazy.

PZO: Name one piece of equipment you couldn’t live without.
Dan: One piece of equipment?
PZO: Yeah.
Dan: Like, musical equipment, or equipment in general?
PZO: Musical equipment.
Dan: The uhh...Marshall JCM 800, the head that I play on. It’s the best rock ‘n’ roll head ever made, I think.

PZO: What are you the most proud of about the EP you just released, Ceci N’Est Pas Recover?
Dan: I think it just sounds good, but it’s not like I can be proud of that because I had nothing to do with that. The people who recorded it were in charge of that. Proud...I don’t know, I’m proud of J.B. for fucking shredding on the drums.

PZO: If you and Midtown got into a fight, who would win?
Dan: Wow, that would be such a good fight. That really would be a great fight. We have long hair, so that’s a disadvantage ‘cause they could pull our hair and shit.
PZO: <laughs>
Dan: And they’re the types of dudes who’d do that, too. Fucking pull our hair. I don’t know, we’d probably all be down and fucked up and beat up except for one guy. And that’s our drummer, Jimmy Vela. We call him the Beastmaster ‘cause he’s one of the scariest individuals you’ll ever meet in your life.
PZO: <laughs>

PZO: What show that you’ve done has been the most memorable?
Dan: We played at this college in Hartford, CT at this place called the Hawk’s Nest or the Eagle’s Nest or something, and we had never played there before so we had no idea what it was gonna be like. So we showed up and played and the place just blew up. We tore the fucking roof down and shit. Seriously, it was one of the craziest shows ever. And it was...we didn’t expect that.

PZO: What’s the craziest goal that you have?
Dan: The wildest goal I have...sex with Britney Spears, I guess.
PZO: <laughs>
Dan: But that’s not too crazy, ‘cause I can see that happening in the near future.

PZO: How much does the crowd’s response to you affect your performance?
Dan: A lot. Because if they’re not giving anything, we won’t give anything. We wanna freak out, but we don’t want it to be like a fucking, like we’re in a circus or some shit. Like when everybody’s just standing there and looking at us, you know? We want it to be like a, I don’t know, whatever. You know what I’m saying.
PZO: <laughs> Yeah.