EP: What has been up with the band since Burning At Both Ends dropped back in June?

MW: We were on Warped all summer, then took a month at home to chill before heading out to Southeast Asia and straight to Australia for the Counter Revolution festival.  

EP: Overall, how was Warped Tour for you guys this summer?

MW: It was great! Better than 2010 and much better than we'd anticipated even. We didn't know what to think at first because there weren't many other bands on the lineup in our vein musically, but that didn't seem to matter because the crowds were bigger than last year, which surprised us. We had a great time despite not having as many friends' bands on the tour this time around.

EP: What are the pros and cons of doing Warped Tour vs. doing a club tour?

MW: Warped is way hotter, dirtier, longer, and a more grueling tour all around. However, with 50-70 bands all on one tour together, the potential to get crazy is greater so sometimes the parties at the end of the night get a lot wilder. 

EP: A lot of bands, Set Your Goals included, who end up on labels like Epitaph or on tours like Warped or Mayhem often get backlash from hardcore kids for achieving success, if you will. Is that the reality? What's really changed for the band since its inception, through the Eulogy years and now to the present?

MW: We caught some negative flack for moving to a bigger label when we signed with Epitaph, but for the most part, anyone who was familiar with our situation understood that it was the best thing for our future and supported us in our decision. I feel many of our longtime listeners trust our judgment, so backlash was minimal. I think "the kids" care less and less about commercial success as time goes on and see it as a crucial key to survival for a lot of bands. These days it seems easier for smaller bands to achieve success quickly. It's become commonplace to see a lot of up-and-coming young bands on huge festivals and even bands that have only been together for a year will end up playing main stage on festivals like Warped. Sometimes it's the first tour they've even done! Even if they haven’t embraced it, I think kids have learned to accept this being  how things work in this era. Due to the fast-paced nature of the current music industry, paying your dues is becoming a thing of the past. It's an undeniable fact, regardless of how many older, bitter bands and listeners resent it.

EP: There seems to be a lot of myth to what exactly comes with a record deal or management or a booking agent. As best as you can, what are the benefits of being able to work with those elements of the music industry? What do they actually help the band achieve? What sort of things aren't directly related to having those sorts of services at your band's disposal?

MW: They provide resources (i.e. $$$, distribution, promotion, technical know-how) that a band may not otherwise have access to. Though many bands can and do perform many of these functions themselves, building your band's name is a lot easier with a good team behind it. Alternately, if your band has an awful management or booking agent, it can end up hurting the band more than helping in the long run...so choose wisely!

EP: If you didn't have a booking agent or a manager or a label like Epitaph working with you, would it be possible to handle the "business" side of Set Your Goals in the same way that it is now? 

MW: Yes, but we would have to devote much more of our time to the band in our daily lives. Running a band (like any other business) at our level is a full-time job and would be a tremendous load for one individual to take on alone. We are also not as good at the things we hire our management to do, or capable of getting things done that our label takes care of, which is why we work with them.

EP: Why do you think there is this stigma or assumption that a band that works with a larger record label or management company that they have lost any and all convictions or that suddenly they are playing music for reasons other than making art?

MW: I think it's because in many cases (not all or even most), money is the motivating factor when signing a contract with a bigger label/company. Some bands will sign away all their rights because they're wowed by a massive signing bonus, then grow to achieve huge successes, reap none of the benefits, all while simultaneously losing control of their band in the process. To me, that's selling out.  Not necessarily growing as a band, but sacrificing control against your best interests in order to do so.

EP: What are some of the things Set Your Goals has been able to do as band that never would have been possible without utilizing the music industry?

MW: Some of the best shows we've played and exposure opportunities have been really cool events that wouldn't be possible without the aid of large companies like Vans, Mountain Dew, Monster Energy, Snickers, MTV, and Hurley. All of these shows were set up through our management or by networking with music reps for large companies whose resources are beyond our own reach as individuals. Doing this band has taught me that not all businesses are evil. There are many people in high places who care about music and are willing to use their resources to help out bands while asking for little or nothing in return.

EP: What are some specific examples of the industry going wrong for a band)?

MW: I think one of the more well-known horror stories was Hawthorne Heights blowing up off that one Victory release (I think it went gold?) and having to take Tony Brummel to court because he hadn't paid them a dime. No mechanicals, nothing. That would be the most frustrating thing knowing you've sold half a million records and all your friends wondering why you're still broke.

EP: Have you guys had any bad music industry experiences as a band?

MW: We had a similar situation on a much smaller scale. Eulogy Recordings (who are like a wannabe Victory, sans the whole, "spending money to promote their bands" thing) released our debut full length, Mutiny! To this day we have yet to receive a single royalty check from Eulogy. 

EP: How do bands end up losing the control of their band to the industry? Is this something bands are having to consciously work at not falling prey to or are they easy to avoid if you aren’t an idiot?

MW: It's an easier thing to fall into than some might think, especially for young bands. We learned a lot from making the wrong decisions. When we first signed with Eulogy, we signed a management contract with one of the label's employees without first consulting a lawyer. There are three huge problems with this:

1. A label employee should never manage a band on the label, as it is a huge conflict of interest.
2. A band should never sign a contract with a manager (at least not at that level in the band's career).
3. A band should never sign a contract without first consulting a lawyer, PERIOD. 

In order to not be an idiot in the music industry, it takes time to learn the ropes so that you can avoid situations that might compromise the control you maintain over your own band. If you don't get a lawyer to look over your contracts, you can very easily lose control over your band's revenue through music or merch sales. If you choose the wrong manager, they will make decisions without your approval. This is just the style of some managers. This can severely hurt your band if the management's judgment is poor. Signing a "360" deal with a label can help some younger bands, but can also compromise much of a band's control over what happens with their merch, their tours, their management, etc.

EP: What does the rest of 2011 look like for Set Your Goals? How about 2012?

MW: We just finished up the "Pop Punk's Not Dead" Tour with This Time Next Year, Man Overboard, The Wonder Years, and New Found Glory. PPND was easily our favorite tour this year. We're now relaxing at home before doing a few headlining shows in California in a couple of weeks with The Sheds, The Story So Far, and This Time Next Year. These will be a nice change for us because we chose tiny venues to give the shows a more intimate feel. After Christmas we're doing four shows with Diamond, Transit, Balance & Composure, and Four Year Strong on the East coast to finish out the year. As far as 2012, we plan on doing Mexico and possibly Central or South America in February. We're also currently putting together a headlining tour for the spring, which should be announced in the coming months. That's all for now!

10) Any last words, shout outs, disses, thank yous?

I launched a clothing line with our guitarist Jr. this May called Ethos. Check it out: 
www.ethos-brand.com. You can follow us on Twitter at @ethosbrand. Thanks!

Set Your Goals dropped Burning At Both Ends back in June on Epitaph Records. The CD would fit nicely in any stocking. Catch the band in California and the Northeast wrapping up 2011 with a few shows, or in Spring of 2012 on their upcoming headlining tour.