A father, a successful musician and a respected member of the music industry. One would think these adjectives would describe someone clocking in at an age of about 35-40 years old. But this time the words fall on a young man at the strapping age of 28. That name, Anthony Green. His role with Circa Survive has taken him to whole new levels in his career. But most recently it took him to Kansas City.

With a pen and paper in hand, Anthony sketched a piece of art that would soon be auctioned off that night to a lucky fan. And while the creative juices flowed we started on the most recent news to hit the Circa waves, the Appendage EP. With the newest album Blue Sky Noise having been on the digital shelves less than a year, it was surprising to hear another set of songs being promoted. But it turns out the EP was in the plans all along, "When we went into the studio we thought it would be a good idea to record a whole bunch of songs and we had the idea that we wanted to do this EP. We've always just done the albums. And we really wanted to release some new music halfway through the new album. So we went to the label and we're like 'Hey, we wanna just release this. We wanna not say anything about it for a long time, we wanna just put it out'." Now normally a label can't turn an album as fast as musicians would like. "Usually they need about 3 months to set up something like that. But they were like 'Sure, we'll see if it works'. So they gave us 3 weeks instead." This all begged the question - what does a Circa album sound like that was put out in 3 weeks? Well according to Anthony, "It's a lot like a shorter version of Blue Sky Noise in my mind. It's weird, there are a couple songs that aren't weird, but there's a lot on there that are weird."

Alright, so Appendage was more of a slam-bam-thank-you-ma'am album, but Blue Sky Noise, from the beginning, was a well thought out, expertly timed piece of work. However, with the success of On Letting Go, curiosity perked on how the newbie compared to its predecessor. "I don't think it really does. We did a lot of things different with it; we took a lot more time writing it. We got a producer that was different. I took more time writing lyrics and songs." With the lack of effort it takes a band to fall into the same routine with albums, it made this one that much more important to Anthony, "It makes me really proud that we're able to be a band that does stuff that's versatile."

We've established that Blue Sky Noise is the band taking a new look at their writing and level as musicians. But while doing research on the recent release, one might come across its current seat on the charts - #11. This is the highest a Circa Survive album has ever ranked. Is this album the result of the band finally figuring themselves out? Or is it the maturity coming through in their talent? With this question, I seemed to stump the lead singer. "That's a really good question, 'cause I don't know. I really don't know whether it's the label or I think it's just that the album's really good in my opinion. We've been doing this for a long time and we've been touring for a long time and building a fanbase on our own, without relying on songs on the radio or videos on MTV or anything like that. I think when you do that you take 5 or 6 years to tour and talk to people and at the same time you're creatively staying true to yourself by playing and writing the songs that you love, or trying to be something you're not. I think it just ends up working out."

So what if it means that this is the equation coming together for Circa? Again, stumped... "Maybe, I think these days with the way the record industry is, there isn't really much of an equation behind things anymore, so it's hard to figure out what works and what doesn't. Back in the day, I think it used to be, get a single, put a video on MTV, get a bunch of radio stations to play a song and then boom, you sell a million records. I think everyone wants to feel like they're a part of some exclusive thing with the music they love and it kinda sucks for the artist sometimes, who wants to break out of any kind of exclusivity and touch as many people as possible. Touch their butts." Yes, he did just say that.

Part of the equation has to at least be the chance to do things not normally part of a band's persona. For Anthony this means kicking the live shows up a notch with things flying through the air and assorted costumes. But more specifically it seems to be a means of escape for the musician. Escape in the form of a dress? "I used to just love Nirvana a lot and I loved when Kurt Cobain used to come out wearing a dress. It changes the dynamic of 'Oh, you're supposed to be some tough guy', I don't like that. I like the idea of changing the whole gender relationship between what you're expecting and what's actually going to happen." The dresses are just a little window into Anthony and how being on stage has changed him. "I have very little in common with the person who goes on stage and sings songs and myself. It's almost like an alter-ego."

Now alas, for the KC show there was no dress. The weather was not very forgiving for bare legs. However there were things flying through the air. These additions took the show to that next level. They also seemed to turn each fan into a joyful child. Now for those fans of Anthony specifically, they would know he has recently been exploring a solo gig or two. But rest assured, his main focus remains with Circa Survive. "I don't know how it's going to work this time, but I know I want to spend a lot more time with Circa. My next solo record is essentially done. It's going to be really fun. But then Circa is going to hit right after it's released." With the huge response Blue Sky Noise is getting, it's comforting to hear the words "a lot more time with Circa".

Anthony Green is quickly becoming a household name. His talents as a vocalist and all around musician have gained him great respect and the incredible music he works with Circa Survive to create will keep fans flowing in from all directions for a long time.

-Rachel Fredrickson

photo by BaylieMarie Photography

More Music Features

Talk Back
e-mail the chief

Like this article?
e-mail it to a friend!