THE DRAMA STATE Shares A New Song, Their Favorite Vans Warped Tour Memories, Biggest Musical Inspirations and More!

The Drama State, self-proclaimed “millennial rockers” from Indiana, have the potential to be your new favorite band. The band, consisting of Ryan Diskey, Ronnie Ish, Ramsey Hall, Mike Babb, and Eric Hewitt, channels local experiences to craft a sound that is both nostalgic and fresh. They strive to create music that is classic – music that defines rather than transcends.This past summer, the Midwest quintet released “The Quiet Life” – a 3-song summer sampler, at the 2015 Vans Warped Tour. Since their formation, the band has released their full length album “Stories” in addition to successfully touring across the country numerous times and holding a presence on the 2013 Vans Warped Tour.

The band is currently working on their sophomore full-length release with no intention of slowing down or letting up. They are ready to bring their engaging ‘head held high’ vibe to even more people across the globe.

The guys just released their official music video for their standout track from the sampler, “Pool House Envy,” which features AJ Perdomo (ex-The Dangerous Summer).

They’re gearing up to release their upcoming sophomore full-length album, but for now, get a taste by watching the video for “Pool House Envy” here and at the bottom of the interview, you’ll find a free download of the song exclusively through All Access:

Thank you for your time! How’s your summer been going?

Ronnie: Absolutely, we’re happy to be chatting with you and All Access Music! Our summer has been awesome. We partnered with JBRD Apparel and I spent the season managing the tent on Vans Warped Tour, representing both the apparel co., and the band. 4,000 copies of “The Quiet Life” later, and there’s a lot to be hyped about.

Can you remember first starting this group? How did you all meet? Did you instantly think that you could be in a band together?

Ryan: The band wasn’t really started, it kind of evolved from a different band. From the moment we had our current line up we all knew that there were no other guys we would rather have on this journey.

What was it like sharing your 3-song sampler at the Vans Warped Tour earlier this summer?

Ronnie — Man, Warped Tour is a completely different animal, always has been and it always will be. A tour like that really tests you, and challenges you daily; both physically and mentally. This summer was extremely rewarding. We gained a lot of new fans / friends, and received such positive feedback on the new songs. There’s so much love and camaraderie on a tour like Warped, amongst the bands/crew/and fans. Being able to wake up and do it all summer was rad, regardless of how much rain haunted us all.

How do you think being from the Midwest has influenced your music and the band dynamics in general?

Ryan: We come from a place where you work really really hard or you don’t eat at the end of the week. That plays into identifying strengths and allowing each person to do what they are best at. We don’t let egos get in the way.

Can you talk about the music video you just released for “Pool House Envy”? How creatively involved were you guys in the making of it?

Ronnie — It was 100% cohesive between us and our videographer/director, Bone Thorburn. Leading up to the shoot, we had a completely different idea/storyline. When we were in our pre-production meeting the day prior to shooting, we were going over the script, and Bone pitched an idea that transformed into an entirely new idea altogether. We ended up running with it, and we’re really pleased we did.

Your debut album, “Stories” came out very shortly after you formed. How did that happen so quickly?

Ryan:  We had some framework from the previous line up and bringing in a new guy really revived what we had and changed it into what it is now.

What artists have consistently inspired you and your music? Who would you love to work with in the future?

Ryan: The Starting Line, Taking Back Sunday, and Saves The Day. We also love all the 90’s rock like Third Eye Blind and The Wallflowers. More recently though we really get inspiration from the bands we consider our peers like Uh Huh Baby Yeah, Audiostrobelight, and We Are Forever. We would really love to work with the dudes in Matchbook Romance, As It Is, and if we could work with Just Surrender that’d be tight.

What’s been a favorite show of yours? What made it so great for the band?

Ryan: We played a show in New Jersey at a bounce house rental type place. We walked in and saw people deflating bounce houses and were like “what the hell is going on???” It turned out to be one of the best shows of that tour and on the drive after we were like “Did that just happen? What is life right now?”

What do you think is the message of your music? What do you hope fans take away from your songs?

Ronnie:We write honest songs. It’s different for every listener, we’re sure.
Ryan: We don’t want every person to think that each song is about one thing, and that one thing only. We want people to connect with the songs and then apply their own meaning to them.

Listen to The Drama State’s “Pool House Envy”: