 Ritter and Wheeler, who were subsequently joined by guitarist Mike Kennerty, 25, and drummer Chris Gaylor, 26, toured the world behind the chart-topping success of their debut single Swing Swing, initially released on Ohio independent label Doghouse Records in October 2002, followed by a release on major DreamWorks Records in February 2003. With Move Along, Ritter and Wheeler spent 10 months writing in their makeshift writing rooms (Ritter: the beach. Wheeler: his tidy home studio) in Destin, Florida. I used the Brian Wilson approach to songwriting, Ritter says, where you sit with your feet in the sand and guitar on your lapexcept I was actually at the beach! The bands seemingly long hiatus kept fans wondering, but when they listen to the All-American Rejects new album Move Along, theyll know whyRitter and the band took the time to craft 12 great pop/rock songs. We were gone for a year and a half, says Ritter. We were petrified. But now we feel like everything happened on this record, but so much more. |
