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Scott had the opportunity to ask Mike Kennerty of The All American Rejects a few questions about the new album and some weird fan moments.

M.I.N.: “Gives you Hell” has been #1 on the rock charts for the last 4 weeks. How does that feel, given your past success andknowing that everything The All American Rejects touches right now is doing so well?

Mike: It’s amazing because we are not a band with big egos and attitudes, so every time we succeed in something we are amazed and grateful.

M.I.N.: Off of your self titled Album you had “Swing Swing”... off of Move Along you had “It End’s Tonight”, “Move Along”, and Dirty Little Secret”...off of your current album you have “Give’s You Hell”...Is there any pressure on the band to keep putting out hits or does it just come naturally to you guys?

Mike: There’s pressure we put on ourselves, with this record especially. I mean each record is different. With Move Along, there was a lot of pressure from the label to follow up “Swing Swing.” But during recording of When the World Comes Out, the label was a little more relaxed and confident that we were going to get airplay based on our past success. This time the pressure was all on us. This time we were putting out stuff that we weren’t a 100% with and I think a lot of that was due to the fact that we didn’t have to fight to prove they were good. So we worked extremely hard on this record. It was the longest we have spent on writing and recording to date, and even up to the final day of mixing and production we were pulling our hair out trying to make sure everything was how we wanted it. In the end, now that we have had a chance to step back and look at it, we are extremely proud of how the record turned out and couldn’t be more stoked to bring it live to our fans.

M.I.N.: Speaking of playing it live, how has the reception been to the new album when playing it live?

Mike: It’s been great! Even before the album was released, we were doing a month long tour and even then the kids somehow knew the songs and since the release of the album, it has been even better.

M.I.N.: What has been your weirdest fan moment?

Mike: One in particular is a lady who worked for an airline company was able to look up our phone numbers through our frequent flyer information and she would call us up during delays and be like “How’s your delay going? Really weird.

M.I.N.: You are coming to Chicago April 15^th, how has Chicago treated you in the past?

Mike: Chicago has always been great to us! One of the first big shows we ever played was at the Chicago House of Blues opening for Lucky Boy’s Confusion. For us, at the time, just being in a venue that size was like, “This is crazy!” But ever since that show Chicago has been really really good to us.

M.I.N.: Now that you have played both types, do you prefer to play the more intimate smaller venues or the larger arenas?

Mike: It’s kind of a case-by-case thing. Some of the last shows on the Move Along tour were big arena shows but when we did the first leg of the tour for When the World Comes Out which was a month before the album was released, we did the smaller venues. There’s pros and cons to both. The smaller shows are always crazier, sweaty, and fun. So that’s always fun but its also really cool to look out and see a sea of people.

M.I.N.: What is your favorite song to play live?

Mike: For a while, it was “Move Along,” but after awhile it kind of sunk in and became normal. We’ve been playing a new song called “The Real World,” and that song has been really fun because it’s a rocker. It’s one of those songs that you can get up in a kids face whose not into the song and kind of make them get into it. I always enjoy that!

M.I.N.: Your new album...was it a collaboration on the writing?

Mike: It all begins with Tyson (Ritter), he builds melodies first and finds some chord structures around them.Then him and Nick (Wheeler) will get together and build the skeleton of the songand the restwill come in and flush out the whole song as a band.

M.I.N.: You guys have been going strong the last 5 or 6 years. Where do you see yourselves in the next 5 or 6 years?

Mike: Hopefully doing the same thing. We aren’t guys who have big pipe dreams or anything we just enjoy going out there and doing what we are doing. Our heads are screwed on pretty straight so all we can do is look forward.

M.I.N.: What would you like to tell your fans?

Mike: Thank you for sticking with us! It’s been 7 crazy years and it has all been because of the fans so we can’t thank you enough!

M.I.N.: One last question...I just have to know...where did the name come from?

Mike: There is actually not a cool story behind it. When we are usually in a group and we get asked this question we usually just make up something funny. Truth be told it was just Tyson and Nick driving around trying to come up with a name and it was a combination of a bunch of names that weren’t taken yet.