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Photo courtesy of Caitlyn Willard<\/p><\/div>\n

The Weekend Classic is putting Indiana on the pop-punk map<\/span><\/h5>\n

Words by Maggie Dickman<\/em><\/p>\n

Guitarist Ryan Wells probably never imagined that being in a band would involve cuddling. But that\u2019s \u00a0what happened the first time the <\/span>Weekend Classic<\/span><\/a> hit the road. \u201cWe slept in the van a lot,\u201d Wells said. \u201cOur first tour, we didn\u2019t have a trailer. All our gear was in the van, and then we\u2019d sleep in the van. Like five people deep.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, touring\u2014and the accompanying band snuggles\u2014is second nature for the group of pop punkers. The Indiana-based quartet <\/span>started out with weekend runs to Louisville, Cincinnati and Indianapolis. Now <\/span>the group has branched<\/span> out, booking more expansive Midwestern and East Coast tours.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnymore, it\u2019s not even, \u2018Okay, how long are we going on tour for?\u2019 It\u2019s, \u2018Okay, how long am I home for?\u2019\u201d said bassist Matt White. \u201cIt changed my perspective completely.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The tour life is something that stemmed naturally from their year of successful EPs. <\/span>After releasing <\/span>Forever Is Irrelevant<\/span><\/i> in March, the group \u00a0toured and toured and then toured some more. But their September release, <\/span>When You Had Nothing<\/span><\/i>, propelled the group forward with a sharper sound that\u2019s distinctly their own. The Weekend Classic didn\u2019t simply want to have a <\/span>\u201c<\/span>cliche pop-punk\u201d sound. <\/span>When You Had Nothing<\/span><\/i> sets out to prove <\/span>the band is something more<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

And you can hear it in the music. Deep, snarling guitar riffs. Rhythms that hit as hard as a car crash. Hooks big enough to catch a whale. The group name-drops Mayday Parade and All Time Low as early influencers, and their riff-heavy anthems and ardent vocals are an emo concoction of the Wonder Years and Taking Back Sunday.<\/span><\/p>\n

Part of the credit for that mash-up of sounds goes to Seth Henderson. A producer at the Indiana-based <\/span>Always Be Genius Recording Studio<\/span><\/a>,<\/span> Henderson was a major part of the Weekend Classic\u2019s game-changing step forward. Henderson has worked with some of the biggest influencers in the hardcore and pop-punk genres today, including the Devil Wears Prada, Rarity, and Real Friends, to name a few. The entire process, from writing to recording, helped solidify the group\u2019s sound.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou learn a lot working with a real producer and having that third opinion,\u201d drummer Christian Richards said. \u201cI think that definitely taught us a lot about how to write a song.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n