Based out of the Pittsburgh, PA area, A Week In July have released an album on Orange Peal Records. Entitled Near Fatal Explosion, it's an album filled with terrific songs, performed by a band destined take their music above and beyond their hometown scene. You may not know about this guys yet, but give it time -- cuz they plan on doing some touring real soon! Read on to find out more about this up and coming group...

Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in A Week In July and how long the band has been together.
Matt Jurcevich-Lead Vocals, Guitar
Johnny Yetsconish-Lead Guitar
Dane Weir-Bass,Vocals
Mike Soboslai-Skins

Where is the band from and what is the music scene like there?
We are a Pittsburgh band. As much as we all love Pittsburgh and playing shows for our hometown fans, the Pittsburgh music scene isn't up to par. A lot of clubs are shutting down for Pitt campus housing and etc. There are good bands that have come from here like Punchline and The Clarks, but their best bet is to leave for cross country tours and only come back for one or two shows a year. Sad to say, but its true. Don't worry though, we are fighting for a change.

Why did you pick July to be in your band name as opposed to some other month?
We were all born in the same week in July.

Describe your music to someone who has never heard you before.
Mix rock & roll with with a pinch of metal, 1/4 cup pop, and top it off with harmonious vocals and bake it until it blows up and catches your fuckin' house on fire.

What was it like performing on the Ernie Ball stage at the Warped Tour and how many dates did you play?
That was in the top 3 best shows I have ever played. On the stage in Pittsburgh especially. Since the Ernie Ball stage is the smallest stage there, there was not alot of people hanging out by it. However, as soon as we started playing there was 500+ people rolling over each other to get to the stage. It was Frickin' Sweet. It was about 93 degrees out that day and we played our asses off. Afterwards we went out to our van and cracked open a couple Rolling Rocks and I immediatly puked them right back up because I was so exhausted/heat stricken. So i just threw the rest of the cans into the crowd over the barrier and let them enjoy the alcoholic goodness. Dane drank all of his with no sharing.

What did ex-Anti Flag member Andy Wright contribute to your overall sound?
Andy recorded and asst. produced 7 of the 9 songs on NFE. His experience as a musician helped us get the sound we wanted. Andy suggested we go for a more raw sound than the previously recorded 4 More Days and Bernadette. He also played acoustic guitar in Won't Erase.

What was it like opening for Dashboard Confessional and are you surprised how big they've become?
That was our 3rd show ever. It was at Club Laga in Pittsburgh and there were 700+ people there. All we could do is go out there and give it our best since we weren't all that confident back then. We ended up having a great time and the crowd responded well along with buying every single stitch of merchindise at our table. By the way, Chris from DBC is the nicest guy ever.

Has A Week In July ever played out here in the Los Angeles/Orange County area or plan to do so in the future?
We haven't yet but we definitly plan on it this summer. Our record label is in Fremont CA so I think we will be in California for sure.

How did you wind up signing with Orange Peal Records?
Glen Schwartz from O.P.R. saw us play at Warped Tour and flew out a couple months later to our NFE CD release party, watched us play, and made us an offer the next day.

So is Bernadette a real person, and if so, what does she think of the song you've named after her?
Bernadette is actually about a girl named Amber I used to date a loooong time ago, as are a lot of the songs on NFE. She didn't like it at first but has gotten used to it since the release of the CD.

And what of Maryanne? Is she a real person and should girls you become involved with be worried about turning up on future AWIJ recordings?
Once again it is about a girl I know but I never use their real names. Maryanne is a complimentary song to her as opposed to the "I hate you" subject of the songs about the other girl.

So why should someone reading this interview drop everything right now and run out to buy Near Fatal Explosion?
Because it is musically diverse and it's one of those CD's that doesn't leave your CD player until it melts from playing it so much.

If A Week In July were asked to participate on a heavy metal tribute album, what song would you want to do and why?
Battery by Metallica because it has the most ripping guitar solo in existence.

Which member of A Week In July would be most likely to quit the band and join up as the newest addition of the Backstreet Boys?
Dane is the only one who can dance.

What are the future plans for A Week In July?
To record album after album of the best music we can create and play in every city in the U.S.A. and hopefully the world.

Any final words of wisdom?
Don't give up no matter what.

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