All Over the Place is a band that is, um… all over the place. So what do they sound like? Read that band name again. But seriously, this eight piece (!!!) has some serious mileage under their belt in their five years of existence and they plan on bringing these vibes to Worst Kept Secret Fest VII. They list their musical influences as Brand New, Bomb the Music Industry!, Arcade Fire, Cursive, Neutral Milk Hotel, and Cake. It just doesn’t get much more eclectic than that, folks. Their newest EP is called “Nowhere We Won’t Go” and is out on Flowerpot Records.

The band graciously agreed to be in one of previews of the festival in the form of an interview. Read and enjoy:

Q: What is the best beverage to enjoy at one of your shows? Likewise, what usually keeps you going onstage?

A: If we have money, local beers are our choice wherever we go. but if we don’t have money (which is pretty often) it’s usually jugs of water or lukewarm beers from the van. If it gives us any bonus points, it’s usually PBR.

You have a task of getting a person to one of your shows, but they will not hear your music before you go onstage. What do you say?

I usually say something like big band indie rock, party punk, or indie music played by a ska band. We try to distance ourselves from any mention of ska, since we feel like it’s a limiting genre and we love to play so many genres between the 8 of us, it’s not fair to choose only one.

What’s most encouraging about the current state of the music industry?

The most encouraging thing is probably that it is totally possible to ‘do it yourself’ from beginning to end. The industry is at a place where the dream of getting signed to a major label and getting your millions is never going to ever happen to you ever, but the bright side of this is that there are so many resources for DIY bands now, it is totally possible to make a living doing what you want if you are willing to work really hard for it.

What have been some favorite releases of the band so far this year?

Oh man, we were all excited (but slightly underwhelmed) with the new Modest Mouse. Playing To Vapors is killing it on the Columbus scene right now, and their new EP is solid gold. Basic Cable Preachers’ debut album dropped and it’s wonderful as well. The new Sufjan Stevens made us cry. But our favorite album this year so far, as a band, is probably Jeff Rosenstock’s “We Cool?”.

Who from Columbus definitely needs to be heard more in the outside of Ohio (other than you, of course!)?

the rest of the Flowerpot Records gang of course (Ladyblazer, Turtle Island, Prosper, 10nine8, Suitcase Runaway), as well as Gelatinus Cube, Playing To Vapors, Dog Breeds, Delay, and Friendly Faux. They’re all totally slaying right now.

Name the best live band you’ve seen: what made it memorable?

We went as a band to see Streetlight Manifesto on their ‘farewell’ tour a year or so ago and it was probably one of the best shows we’ve been to. They always play 2-hour sets of fantastically complex horn work, and they totally blow us away.

What is the most memorable venue you’ve played and why?

Most memorable venue would probably be The Talent Farm in Pembroke Pines FL. Huge stage, wonderful sound quality, a great all-ages venue that was always packed even for local shows because the scene there is amazing. Closed down a while back, but made a big difference to a lot of bands for a long time.

Who inspires you? Doesn’t have to be a musician.

We are inspired by bands that are better than us. Every once in a while, a band comes along that is so good live, we’re blown away, and we try to be as good as them when we play that night.

Since we’ve already discussed your live show, tell us what it is about your upcoming records that you are most excited about.

We’re doing a new fell-length for the first time in 3 years, and it’s a big step in song evolution for us! It’s going to be 10 songs that we have written in the last 3 years that really embody what we sound like now, and we’re super proud of it. It should be out in late July!

What’s your favorite method of discovering new music?

We love trading CDs with bands on the road, and we get a lot of weird cool stuff that way. It’s probably the most interesting way to find new stuff.

Star Wars Ep 7 – yay or nay? Why?

It’s a tentative yay. we really want to like it, and hope that we won’t be disappointed with another set of bad actors like the prequels. Fingers crossed!