For Melbourne punk four-piece A Death In The Family, the ideal gig is “a smaller venue with a packed (drunken) crowd”. That’s pretty much exactly what awaits them this weekend when Blood Sweat and Beers takes over the Annandale Hotel. FL bails up the band to talk new music, touring the all-ages circuit in America and sweating it out in Sydney.

Given the song title Vodka and Balconies, do ADITF parties usually conclude with crash helmets and jaunts to the E.R.?
Atom has certainly had a few – œparty accidents’ while on tour…but no, that’s not the theme behind Vodka and Balconies. Basically this song is about the frustration of trying to piece together a song with meaningful lyrics and cohesive ideas. It was the last song written on the Small Town Stories album and Atom and Jamie came up with the lyrics out on Atom’s balcony – possibly over a few drinks.

The album title, Small Town Stories, sums up the theme for the record. What was the music scene like growing up in a rural area?
I grew up close to a small coastal town called Portland so I can only speak for that area. For the size of Portland we were actually lucky to have a decent little music scene. Growing up, there were always a couple of local metal, punk or otherwise bands that would play at parties, community halls or one of the local bars. Portland also had an annual – œMusic Festival’ that saw bands like Bodyjar, Frenzal Rhomb and so on playing in our town, which was good inspiration when you’re a 16-year-old jamming in the garage.

You’re also a part of Poison City Records. What was the reason for releasing the record on Resist?
I guess I just wanted to try and separate my role of playing in ADITF to the label side of things a little more. In the past few years Poison City has become a full time job for me and I felt that if we had another label involved with Small Town Stories, then I could focus more time on other Poison City bands and releases. It means I can enjoy playing in ADITF more without having to worry as much about booking tours, promo, distribution and what not. Graham at Resist has been a great supporter of ADITF since day one, so it only made sense to work with him on this album.

Sound-wise, there’s a stockpile of different dynamics here compared to your first release This Microscopic War. Is there a process you all follow when it comes to pitching ideas for tracks?
We don’t really have a set formula for writing. Although Atom and Jamie usually come up with the initial riffs, we tend to all be involved with the song structures (often leading to some slow-ass writing!). I think Small Town Stories was definitely more thought out in terms of song tempos, guitar dynamics and tones than This Micro War. I guess it can be nice to have an early release to compare to and analyse what we wanted to improve and change for this recording.

Favourite track to play?
For me, it’s probably Erasing The Maps or This Letters Proof.

You all clocked up some serious miles across the US touring with The Gaslight Anthem last year. How are American punters different from the locals back in Melbourne?
I think the main difference with this run of shows was that most venues were all-ages, meaning that we played to a bunch of different age groups. I don’t think the American punters are vastly different to Australian crowds with plenty of decent people at most shows – mixed with the odd idiot; just like here! We did notice that in the bigger theatre type venues we played, people would stand at the front even for the support bands, rather than lurking down the back until the headline band, as often happens in Australia.

If a divine power smites your house and you can only rescue one album from the flames, what would it be?
Shit, I hate these questions; it’s too hard to decide! What if I took one album cover and stuffed three records in there? I’d probably take Fugazi’s Repeater, Leatherface’s Mush and Seaweed’s Four.

Having played everything from smaller scale places like The Arthouse in Melbourne, to something like the enormity of The Fest in Gainesville; which gig venues do you feel most in the zone?
I think a smaller venue; with a packed (drunken) crowd is probably our preferred type of show. If it’s got a cranking P.A and reeks of stale beer, even better! Last year we were lucky enough to play some big venues like the Thebarton Theatre in Adelaide, Festival Hall in Melbourne and the Gothic Theatre in Denver, CO. It’s definitely a buzz to play bigger rooms with a few thousand people watching – but unless you’re the headline band, it can be hard to feel much of a connection with the crowd.

How long have you gone without showering while on tour?
Normally I’ve got a three day limit. After that I start getting itchy in odd places. There are a couple of other members of ADITF that would push it out to a week if need be.

You guys have a solid support slot with Rise Against etched in soon. What can we expect from A Death In The Family this year?
Yeah, we’re excited to be supporting Rise Against again this week – they were super cool to us last time we played and it’s always nice to team up with a band for a second time. We’re looking forward to playing the Enmore Theatre for the first time too!

Last week we started recording for a new EP/10”, so we’ll chip away at that during January and February and hope to have it released early May. We’re back in NSW on January 29 for a show at The Cambridge in Newcastle and then Blood, Sweat & Beers, which is gonna rule! In February, we’re doing a full band – œacoustic’ set for the first time, supporting Grant Hart (Husker Du). After that, who knows?

A Death In The Family headline Blood, Sweat & Beers at the Annandale Hotel on Saturday 30 January.