Interview with the Downtown Fiction

The Downtown Fiction is an American rock/alternative/pop band from Fairfax, Virginia with members consisting of lead singer Cameron Leahy, bassist David Pavluk, guitarist Wes Dimmond, and drummer Kyle Rodgers – just in case you’ve been living under a rock for all these years.

We recently got to interview lead singer, Cameron Leahy, and chat with him about their new EP “Alligator Tear”, how much their lives have changed throughout the years, touring and so much more!

So for those of you who don’t know this, The Downtown Fiction may be better recognized for having their song “I Just Wanna Run” featured on Jersey Shore throughout the seasons! That song is so popular that it just recently went gold! When asking Cameron about how it feels to have their song go gold he says, “This is an affirmation of what we do, we’re just happy that people are listening and like the music”. He also claimed that this was so unexpected and unpredictable; they had no idea of when “I Just Wanna Run” would go gold!

We also had to ask them what the writing process for the EP was like seeing as the band hadn’t released new music in quite some time. Cameron stated that the writing process for “Alligator Tear” was wildly strange and creative, just by default because of the hours operated. The EP was mostly produced in Cameron’s home studio and conducted at odd hours of the night.

They would produce songs for the EP in the home studio then they would transfer to the North Hollywood studio where they would track drums and bass. Cameron says they wanted each song to have its own little world within the world. The band tries to constantly redefine what the definition of “Downtown Fiction” is. “We want to keep proving that what we did last time is not all we can do,” Cameron said.

Seeing that this EP was a long time coming for the boys, we asked about the feedback they’ve been receiving from the fans. “The response has been similarly felt to how the band was feeling, which it was something different,” he said.

Naturally, with releasing new music comes touring…What’s in store for the guys? “We will be scheduling a tour soon as schedule permits, but we’re currently working on a music video for the last song on the EP,” says Cameron.

After spending so much time in the studio making music, the boys feel the best part about going on tour is getting to see the studio production and tweaking it to work in the live room and getting to hear that all the fans know what it’s supposed to sound like and everyone is on the same page, “…getting to hear the vision come to life after so much time wondering if it’ll work”.

Seeing that they’ve been on numerous tours, we asked Cameron which band has been their favorite to tour with and his response was oddly refreshing. He said he could never choose favorites, saying, “The people you spend the most time with ends up being those you didn’t even ever think would be on tour… Those that are affiliated with the touring circus, it’s very inspiring and opens your world perspective”.

Followed by that question we asked if he could tour with anyone dead or alive who would it be – Cameron said he feels incredibly honored to go on tour with their peers, and that he wouldn’t be too selective to whom they share the stage with! He did add a little note though, “If the Rolling Stones have an opening spot, let me know. I’d love to hop on, not even to be able to play, but just more so to be there!”

The Downtown Fiction has been around since 2008, tracking back to those MySpace days when music would be shared on the website’s playlists. Seeing that this was years ago, we wanted to know how much their lives have changed since. Cameron said that he feels as though his life hasn’t changed at all since 2008, although it looks that way due to the popularity of social media. He feels oddly the same!

There must have been a crazy fan encounter though, through all the touring and everything that comes with being in a band. According to Cameron, however, he says no. He says his fans are really sweet and that maybe once somebody might have given them a bra and  large red panties but they’ve never received anything dangerous nor find any packages shipped to them with a fan inside of them.

Well there you have it, this band is literally everything – Talented, funny, and extremely rare! All very humbled, and overall just extremely grateful to have such supportive fans who continue to be there for them and listen to their music!

For more, you can check out The Downtown Fiction on Spotify, or by visiting their Facebook page: TheDowntownFiction