Rise Records’ Miss May I are no strangers to the relentless lifestyle the Vans Warped Tour calls for. The Ohio based metal quintet signed to Rise Records in 2008, and since then, they have not slowed down. With three releases under their belt, the most recent being June 2012’s At Heart, Miss May I continue to push forward and embrace their unrelenting schedule. Despite their busy Warped schedule, singer/frontman Levi Benton was able to find the time to talk about the band’s latest album, the Warped Tour, and their plans past the summer.
Miss May I released their third album, At Heart, this past June on Rise Records. How has the reception been?
The reception’s been great. It’s definitely been the best we’ve received so far. It started off like we thought it would, and it did what we thought it would, but its really starting to grow. Its cool to see that you know it had a solid start, but now its just really starting to pick up, and its really exciting to see.
Rise Records has a lot of reputations and a lot of heavy bands. How do you feel you fit on the label?
Rise is a great label. They understand when to sign bands that are hype bands, but they also sign a lot of great bands they happen to enjoy. It’s cool to see a label that does both, you know? The label and the bands all make you feel very welcome. A lot of bands, even outside the label, are just hype bands and the labels deal with them as such. We don’t see ourselves as being a hype band; we’re an old school metal band. It’s nice to be on a real label that doesn’t lump us altogether. They see us the same way we do.
Warped Tour is one of the busiest and exhausting tours around. With that, how’s your time with the tour been going?
This is our second year on the tour and we couldn’t be happier with it. It just a lot of fun. The whole tour from that first show to the last, it just a lot of fun.
The tour does a lot for its bands with catering three meals a day and always having drinks and such around. What’s been your favorite meal?
Definitely Chinese. I’m a vegetarian but the catering always has a vegan option for meals, which is really cool. They always have like vegan cheese and other substitutes for everybody. It’s a really cool thing to see a big tour like this suit everyone on the tour.
What’s been your favorite city throughout the tour?
I have two for different reasons though. My favorite city ever is definitely Denver Colorado. I’m in love with it. I love it as a city and I’d seriously be ready to just live there. Aside from Denver though, my favorite city is pretty broad. It’d probably be anywhere in Texas. Texas is always real good to us and its just an awesome state, so I’d definitely say Texas.
In the last few years you guys have managed a pretty full slate. Do you have any plans after the tour wraps this summer?
We definitely have a lot of big stuff coming in the fall. I think the first thing we’re doing is heading to South America. After that, we head back to home to do a headliner tour. Then, in December we’re heading to Europe. We’re all really excited with the stuff we’ve got coming up.
Okay, last question. If you could tour with any band on the Warped Tour this year, who would it be?
They weren’t on the whole tour, but they did a big leg of it. We would definitely want to head out with The Used.
Miss May I will finish out the Warped Tour this summer, but be sure to look out for them this Fall and Winter. Until then, make sure you pick up their latest record, At Heart, which is available on Rise Records now.
