Fred Mascherino has spent the last few years playing guitar and singing the secondary lead vocals for the emo/rock band Taking Back Sunday. Mascherino traveled the globe, playing numerous headlining shows, festivals and festival tours with the band, but has decided to scrap that success to start over and bang around the club circuit opening slots with his new band, The Color Fred. Mascherino has just released his first record, "Bend to Break" on Equal Vision Records.
From the outside looking in, this would seem like a rather unfortunate (Ok, really stupid) choice, however, I had a chance to talk to Fred about his new found freedom (Fred-om?), his view of the music business as he hits the restart button on his career and his current tour with Angels & Airwaves, which will hit Sonar in Baltimore Saturday and the 9:30 club in Washington, D.C. Sunday.

The tour is in Florida right now. How are things going out there with Angels & Airwaves, Ace Enders and Meg & Dia?
Good, good. We're enjoying the warm weather for a very short time. We've been out for about a week now, and it's been an amazing tour. Angels is taking good care of us, all the bands are awesome.
You and Ace Enders are kind of in the same situation, leaving bands with an impressive following to pursue a new project.
Yeah, I've talked about it with Tom (DeLonge, Angels & Airwaves frontman, formerly of Blink 182) and Ace. Tom was just doing this same thing a few years back. It's kind of a good thing. It's a new thing because there is this aura where we are all these bands, the three of us at least, that have this real like, hopeful thing. We are all very excited because we've been there and back and now we are all doing exactly what we wanted to do all along. And this tour has so much positivity going on because of it.
The Color Fred is a band, but "Bend to Break" was a solo record, right?
It is a solo record, but it sounds more like a band. Anyone that has liked my bands from the past would be familiar with the sound. The same producer from (Taking Back Sunday's) "Where You Want To Be" did the record with me, so the sound is familiar. It's not your average acoustic with a harmonica solo record. It's a rock album...it's, you know, it's somewhat eclectic, like an old (Led) Zepplin record. The main meat is a rock thing, because that's what I'm most comfortable writing for, with drums and loud guitars.
You mentioned Led Zepplin. Are there any other bands or songwriters that influence you as a songwriter?
Not really Led Zepplin, I mean, only as an example as far as acoustic songs next to rocker songs on an album. For me, it's more singer/songwriters, more of the classic ones like Springsteen, Dylan, Gabriel, Bjork. Listening to all of their records, especially their debut records, I was looking to them for inspiration. I like people that can really tell a story, like Springsteen. I wanted my songs to tell stories like that and I didn't want to be vague. I wanted people to know exactly what I'm talking about, with no hidden meanings or watering down.
How long was the record in the making?
A few of the songs on "Bend to Break" were songs I brought to the band(Taking Back Sunday) for the last record("Louder Now") and the rest were written more recently. I would write them on tour and demo in between tours. Even when recording the album, I got off a tour and went into the studio the next day, and then the day I got out of the studio, Taking Back Sunday went out on the Projekt Revolution tour. It was finished the day before and I was getting mixes of the songs the whole tour.
How did you band mates feel about this?
They were really cool about letting me do what I was trying to do on the side and I was originally planning to release the record in between things we were doing and continue being in Taking Back Sunday, but it was really difficult. And I did sort of on that last tour did feel like maybe I wasn't as happy as I could be doing something else. There were things I wanted to do and I couldn't do them in Taking Back Sunday. The other thing was, I just made this record that I was really happy with and I had written it during "in between" time. I thought, if I could put all of my time into this then it could be something that I would be really happy with.
It seems like songwriting, whether it was with Taking Back Sunday, Breaking Pangea or now with The Color Fred, is something you are always at the forefront of in your projects. Since you have been writing for so long, did you have a ton of stuff to pull from for the record?
You know, the purpose of the band is to continue to write the way I want to write, which is very continuous. When I went to record, I had over 40 songs. I'm not going to be a band that takes a couple of years to put out a record, I'm writing all the time. So I'll have the songs.
It seems to me you probably had a bunch of options in releasing this album because of Taking Back Sunday's success. Why did you pick Equal Vision?
I had worked with Equal Vision before and I had the opportunity to put this out with whoever I wanted. It's very much a...you save yourself a lot of headaches with indie labels. They let you do it how you want, they are very supportive. I wanted to make this environmentally better packaging for my record and they weren't as worried about the expenses of it. They were willing to do it because I believed in it and that's part of how I live. They respect those sorts of things.
As far as packaging goes, it doesn't look like we'll have to worry about that kind of stuff for much longer if the industry keeps leaning digital.
It seems like we are still a little bit away from that because the price of an ipod is still not affordable to everyone, but it's moving in that direction, which is great for me. I'm all for less packaging, and eventually no packaging. There are always going to be people that want the physical thing. It's all about perception. The fact that people are willing to $3 for a ten second ring tone, but not 99 cents for a whole song is crazy. I mainly feel bad for like, the dude that owned an indie record store...like the "High Fidelity" dudes. What's going to happen to them.
I went to Penn State. Freshman year we had four indie record stores and when I left there was one and I'm not even sure if it's still there.
I was just there in the fall. We played at Penn State. It's called "City Lights" right?
Yes!
I'm familiar with that one. He's still there. He's still kicking.
Cool. I spent a lot of time between...and during classes there. What is it about the songs on "Bend to Break" that distinguishes the material from what you did with Taking Back Sunday?
Well, the nice thing about starting a new band is that there are no expectations the way that there is with an established one. When I joined Taking Back Sunday, there was already a sound set up that we didn't necessarily adhere to, but we had to be aware of. With this one, there was none of that. I wrote what I felt like writing. "It Isn't Me" or some of the other mellower songs are especially different. The other thing is, like, the fact that I was doing it with just a drummer musically I didn't have to answer to anyone. I was able to work without confines. There was no arguing. That was good.
I think my expectation going in was that it was going to be a much mellower record, but there is some harder stuff on there as well.
I really don't intend this project to be a mellow thing. I've been playing this....whatever you call this kind of music since high school. I enjoy jumping around live and playing energetic music. On the other hand, I want this to progress from where it is now, but never something that would throw you off. Obviously I was in a band when I wrote this and it was written with a certain outlook, even different that I have even now. I'm hoping when I do the next record, my eyes will be open wider.
You talk about playing "this kind of music." It seems like "this kind of music" is really taking off lately, almost to its detriment. Are there any bands out there that you think are doing great things and what do you think of this whole collection of bands that is getting a lot of attention lately?
I've been listening to this band The Hold Steady. Lyrically, that guy is doing something really original that I really appreciate. Anything without fear, the fear of convention is great. I'd rather listen to that than anything else. There are obviously a lot of bands that are doing the same two or three things. Anything refreshing, I'll always check out. I'm trying to think of more. The new Say Anything record is really quite an effort. Everything in it, all the guest vocals...I was one of them. That was a dream because I love that first record so much. I was floored when I was asked to do that. Jimmy Eat World just put out a new one as well. Their records are consistently great.
I enjoy all three of the bands you have mentioned. Jimmy Eat World puts out another solid album, go figure.
Those are the bands that will still be around when the dust of the whole scene clears. A lot of people are waiting for the next Nirvana to come clean things out, but it might not be a band. It might be something else, and it will leave only the bands that deserve to be there. It's a tough scene right now. There are some people that seem to be getting in so easy. They follow steps 1-3 and they're in. I really do believe that the only people who end up sticking around, who are still here and were here 15 years ago, are the guys who write well and tell good stories. That's why Green Day is still around.
So what is on the band's agenda in the coming months?
After this we are doing some stuff overseas. We're going to Germany and England, so that's exciting. We're doing a few festivals, including both Bamboozles. This summer we've got Warped Tour. We're on the whole thing, so that will be very exciting and tiring.
I imagine that will be a bit different than when you were on it with Taking Back Sunday as a headliner.
It will be way different this time. I'll sweat a bit more this time. It's always a tough summer doing that tour. Some of my best memories are from the last time I did that tour with Taking Back Sunday.
It sounds like the road is your future.
Yeah, I just want to stay out on the road this year. I still feel like I need to get the word out about this thing. I still have people coming up to me at shows asking "What's up with Taking Back Sunday?"
Since you mentioned it, what is up with Taking Back Sunday? Have they replaced you? And do you think there is ever a chance you guys could do shows together?
There were rumors, but when those rumors came out they still hadn't found anyone at that point, it was just speculation.
We didn't have any fight or anything that made me leave. It was an amicable thing. We would definitely not do any touring like, tomorrow. But I would be open to it. Those guys were my best friends for five years and so I could see it in the future.