A Reject Interviews Def Leppard
All-American Reject Nick Wheeler Goes Face To Face With One Of His Favorite Bands.
At first listen, it might be easy to lump The All-American Rejects atop the pile of sugar-coated, power-pop acts dominating the charts as of late, but not so fast. While the Oklahoma quartet are characterized by every bit of seemingly superficial bounce that platinum-peers Good Charlotte, Sum 41 and Green Day have played unapologetically guilty to, more than a cursory listen displays a depth of songwriting character that few of their contemporaries can rival. In fact, after even a few spins through their self-titled Dreamworks Records debut, it becomes all too apparent that there's more to the band than just a few radio-ready jingles. Barely removed from their teenage years, The All-American Rejects transcend songwriting simplicity with orchestrations that are as rich as they are infectious, bringing to mind a bevy of influences including punk rock, glam rock, and a healthy dose of arena rock.
Nick Wheeler: Pretty much everything I know about you guys I learned from digging through my sister's tape collection when I was about seven-years-old and found Hysteria. Was there any band that got you guys into music in the first place, and got you into what you do?