Playtime Revenue

positivexposure:

PLAYTIME REVENUE is a melodic pop-punk quartet from Eldersburg, Maryland. Like many things in life, the band began because it “felt natural”, just like a staple trip to Taco Bell. Despite the maturity in their sound, Playtime Revenue is just over a year old, with members around the youthful 20 year mark. Vocalist and guitarist Shane Conard was kind enough to give up his time to fill us in on the band’s history and future, and how a stint on MTV Cribs wouldn’t be knocked back.

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Q: Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions for us! Who is answering these questions and what is your role in the band?
Hi, I’m Shane and I play guitar and kind of just yell for Playtime Revenue.

Q: How long have you guys been a band for? Can you tell us a brief history of how Playtime Revenue came to be?   
Playtime Revenue had their first show April 15th, 2011. We all played in bands together throughout high school and starting PR just felt natural. We began as a pop-rockish band, but as things go, teenage angst took over and you have that sound that we have today.

Q: How did you come up with your name?
The name was kind of a long story about some weird idea I had. It has a lot to do with taking the things you’re familiar with when you’re younger, and the lessons you learn, and applying them in the future. Playtime, referring to youth, and revenue, referring to the morals that you keep with you. It seems really complex, but we were all for it at the time. In a further release, we plan on applying the theme of our name within the lyrics of a song. I think it will help people understand our stupid name.

Q: Were any other names considered?
Other names were considered, but they were all playing off the same theme. We chose Playtime Revenue simply because it comes off the tongue well.

Q: How long have you been playing guitar and singing for?
I picked up my first guitar when I was around 11. Played in a few “bands” growing up. I was always a terrible vocalist, and heard about how bad I was all the time, but I worked at it, and I started singing for a band in high school when I was about 16.

Q: The new record is a great step up to previous material, what influenced the band’s progression?
The first record was really to see what we could do with the sound we had. PR started as just Nick [Overfelt] (drummer) and me. We went into the studio with half ideas for songs, and recorded what we could. Then, we got Matt [Campion] (bass) and Aaron [Sheperd] (guitar). The chemistry was there with the four of us, and we drew from a large array of bands, old and new.

Q: Can you tell us about the writing and recording process of the release?
The writing process was pretty straight forward. Guitarist, Aaron, and I met up at his apartment every Thursday for a few months writing out ideas. We’d think of a lot of ideas on our own, and then when Thursday came around, we would hash them out and see where we could go. Then we would show the ideas to Matt and Nick, and tinker with them in a full band setting, and we all put our own spins on the basic structures Aaron and I had come up with. I couldn’t ask for a better group of dudes to work with.

Q: What’s your favorite song on Revolving and why?
I’ve been contemplating this a lot recently, and it honestly changes from day to day. Currently, I’m thinking “Worlds” is my favorite. I think I got my point across lyrically, and I think it’s the most complex song on the album musically. I love playing it live, and I think it reflects the theme of the entire album the best.

Q: How was the response to the album?
Response has been great thus far! During our first week, we were the 10th highest seller of the week on Bandcamp. People have been really supportive and everything, and we couldn’t be more thankful.

Q: Obviously being in a band isn’t the easiest of ‘hobbies’, why do you do it?
It’s starting to feel more and more like a necessity than a hobby. Some call it a creative outlet, but it’s becoming more than that. Personally, music’s the only thing that keeps me motivated. School, work, and other things are just a let down most of the time, being in a band has never failed to make me feel good.   

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