With the release of my favorite band’s newest album, I decided that more people need to know about this incredibly talented group of guys. The Maine is a rock band from Tempe, Arizona made up of Patrick Kirch, John O’Callaghan, Kennedy Brock, Jared Monaco, and Garrett Nickelsen. They made their start in 2008, making music that fit in at a Hot Topic, with that long emo kid hair that some of us used to go crazy over (Guilty).
However, I’ve been listening to this group since eighth grade and have only fallen more in love with their music as they’ve grown. If you really want to hear their growth, listen to “The Way We Talk” and then listen to “Tears Won’t Cry.” Each of their albums is always different from the last but still manages to be just as fantastic. Plus they treat each album as an artistic era. My favorite description of them is “emo music for grown-ups.”
They never fail to put on a great show, their fanbase (the 8123 family) is an awesome thing to be a part of, and their music? Well, here’s some songs to start your addiction:
Am I Pretty? (One of my personal favorites)
Their newest album You are Ok focuses on mental health, telling their listeners that you will survive your problems. “We’ve avoided [the topic of mental health] so much as a society that I think it’s not only an affirmation but also a question. The answer doesn’t have to be that you are okay right now. The answer can be no. But it’s sort of me telling myself that, even though I might not be [okay] right now, I will be one day,” John O’Callaghan said in an interview.
Aside from recording music, the band has released three books. This Is Real Life is composed of photos taken by the band’s friend Dirk Mai as well as journal entries written by the band members during the 2009 Vans Warped Tour. Their Black & White Keepsake Book consists of photos and journals from the band members. Roads contains behind-the-scenes photos that Dirk Mai captured as well as pieces of writing from the band members.
In 2010, John O’Callaghan collaborated with Dirk Mai in the creation of Exaltation, a book containing 15 poems written by John with nine accompanying photographs by Mai. John also released a book of poetry entitled Sincerely, John The Ghost in 2016 to accompany his solo EP of the same name.
Pat Kirch and Garrett Nickelsen started hosting The 8123 Podcast in 2018, where they sit down with friends, fans, and musical guests to talk about music and life. It’s pretty interesting and definitely always manages to make me laugh.
Seeing them live at the last Warped Tour was probably one of the best concerts of my life. I’ve also had the pleasure of meeting both Pat and John, (for free! They never charge for meet & greets!) who were both relaxed, nice, and easy going guys, making it the least awkward meet & greet of my life.
Did I intrigue you enough for a live show? Check out their upcoming tour dates here.
Sources:
https://www.thepostathens.com/article/2019/03/the-maine-you-are-ok-review