IF YOU GOWhat: The Academy Is…Where: Goldstein AuditoriumWhen: Nov. 17, 8 p.m.How much: $6 with SU id, $12 for the general public

Hot Chelle Rae, a four-man band named after a girl who falsely told the band she could get them a record deal, is coming to Syracuse University Nov.17 to open up for The Academy Is… Tuesday, Nov. 17. Lead singer Ryan Follese, known as ‘RK,’ tells The Daily Orange what it’s like to be a start-up band with an incomparable sound.

How did you get started?I met Nash, the lead guitarist, about five years ago at a music store after a mutual friend introduced us. We started writing songs together, and had so many we knew we needed to get a band behind it. Nash’s best friend, Ian, became our bassist, and the drummer is my little brother Jamie.

How has it been to have your first record out in stores and on iTunes?Well we are pretty new – our first record came out Oct. 26. It’s been a little over a week and it’s, so far, so good. We’re really excited and hoping for a lot more touring at the beginning of next year. We worked really hard on the record, and we hope anyone who buys it enjoys it as much as we did making it.

Who have you been on tour with in the past?We just got off tour with Third Eye Blind. It was awesome. Every night I had to pinch myself to make sure it was really happening. We played a few shows with OneRepublic and a few with Paramore as well. Last fall was the first time we went on tour.

What is the coolest venue you have played at?We played at the Stanley Theatre in upstate New York. It was maybe the coolest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. The whole place was painted in gold leaves. It was unbelievable and very inspiring.

Is your show at SU going to be the first time you have played with The Academy Is…?Yeah, this is going to be the first show we play with them, and we are hoping for the best. We have about five shows total with them and we are hoping for some more, too.

Have you been doing a lot of college shows?Our tour with Third Eye Blind was pretty much an all-college tour. We played some venues, too, but the college students have been a good crowd, and we have had a good response from them, and it has been awesome. I definitely felt good at the shows.

Are you planning for a solo tour next year?I think we are a ways away from a solo tour, but I hope we get to go out with All-American Rejects or someone like them in January or February.

Who is your sound comparable to?That’s a tough question. Our sound is a little like Duran Duran. That’s the only comparison we have ever figured out. But one of our producers says our sound is straight-ahead pop rock with dance beat elements.

Who are some of your musical inspirations?My biggest inspiration is Queen as a vocalist. As for the band, we are inspired by Nuse, Metric, Jimmy Eat World, Michael Jackson, Prince, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Hall and Oates. We love a lot of stuff from Jay-Z to stuff just all over the place.

What is the significance of the name of the band?Chelle Rae was a girl who befriended us over the Internet. She supposedly worked at Universal Records and was friends with Pete Wentz. It was totally a lie, though. She had all these pictures online that she showed us that she actually stole from the Internet. They were of a model that had a picture with Pete Wentz. She was a big part of our musical lives. We didn’t really have much going for us at the time, and when you’re trying to make it in the music industry you start to believe everything. It just turned out that she was not telling the truth.

rltoback@syr.edu

Published on November 11, 2009 at 12:00 pm