There are bands that define an era: for the ’60s, it was The Beatles and The Rolling Stones; for the ’70s, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd; for the ’80s, Duran Duran and The Cure.
But for the late ’90s and early 2000s, pop-punk dominated, and Wichita Falls, Texas’s own Bowling For Soup could be heard repeatedly with classic hits like “1985” and their rendition of “Stacy’s Mom”—certified bangers that people of all generations blasted in their cars.
Now out with a new single, "Holding On To That Hate," and gearing up for their Warped or Bust Fall Tour 2025, the band’s lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter, Jaret Reddick, discusses the band’s evolution, inspirations, and what’s next as they prepare to release their upcoming album, A Hangover You Definitely Deserve (Live), on October 24th.
You’ve been in the band since 1994 — how has your creative process evolved as you’ve grown both personally and musically?
Yeah, mainly creative-wise, things are about the same.
I mean, the ideas come the same way. It's just, I guess, from a more mature individual. I'm a dad and a husband, and I've been around the world several times, so I have that to draw from now, but as far as actually creating the music, it's changed.
I mean, it's not even remotely similar anymore. It went from using a guitar and a spiral notebook and writing down the chords and trying to remember the rhythms to now when I'm writing a song, I'm usually writing it at the computer and building it as I go, so by the time I'm done writing it, it already sounds like a song, and with technology, too, even the way that we record has changed.
We can take a demo that's really fleshed out into the studio and just replace those sounds, and with sounds in the studio, or even at our own houses, in our own home studios now, and it's just, night and day, but again, as far as, like, where the inspiration comes from–it's pretty much the same.
Which song in your catalog do you feel is most underrated, and why do you wish more people knew it?
You know, the one that really bothers me the most that wasn't a hit is “High School Never Ends.” I think it's our second or third biggest streaming song, and it's just unfortunate that the label at the time didn't see it as being as massive as I think it could have been.
Yeah, there's so many–because we have so many albums and there's just so many songs.
But I think the answer to your question is–the entire Sorry for Partying album.
We actually just recently listened to it. We recorded that in 2009, and that's the album that came out right before we got dropped from JIVE, so it really never got a real chance.
It’s a shame, because it's a really good collection of songs, and I just absolutely love that album so much.
How do you balance the humor and fun in your music with deeper themes (such as anxiety, personal struggles, etc.)?
I mean, that's an interesting question because, you know, at first, in writing songs, I was very wary of putting my heart out there. That's really sort of the reason why the songs were funny to begin with.
Then I got to where I would sing a little bit about real stuff, but then I would put a funny twist on it, so I'd be like, “Oh, but don't think that you're hearing anything from my heart!” so to speak.
But yeah, I got way more comfortable with it right around 2000 to 2003 and started really writing songs from the heart.
I just feel like it sort of balances itself, you know? When we put together a collection of songs—an album—it’s always sort of like one kind of serious song, then one that’s kind of both, then the silly ones, and then the ones that are straight down the middle. It’s just a really organic thing, I think, for us.
With changes in band lineup (such as Chris Burney’s retirement), how has that impacted the dynamics of the band and your live shows?
Sure. Well, it’s really put a lot more pressure on Rob and me—I mean, really all three of us.
You know, Chris’s contribution—you can’t even really measure it, because he was such a force on his instrument, but he was also visually such a big part of the show. And then the banter is a big part of our show, too, so we lost a whole person. Rob and I have had to step up and sort of change the way we play some of the songs, filling in that gap.
Gary has a mic now, and it really calls for the two of them to be on their toes. There’s no real break anymore with just three people up there. But, you know, I feel we’ve really settled into it, and we’re enjoying it.
Obviously, we miss Chris every day—both as a friend and as a bandmate and on stage—but I think the show sounds incredible, and it’s fun.
I think everything worked out in the best way it possibly could, and the main thing is that the fans are happy—and they certainly seem to be.
We’ve been doing this for almost 30 years, and to still have crowds that sing every word back at us—it’s unbelievable.
Especially now that we’ve got multiple generations coming to shows. We’ll see parents bringing their kids, and sometimes even their grandkids. It’s wild.
Are there any artists, genres, or even unexpected sources that are really inspiring Bowling For Soup at the moment?
I really draw from everything. Really, what the younger artists are doing for me, from a musical standpoint, is just breathing energy into it, and that’s something that Rob did when he joined the band.
Being a little younger than us, there’s been a new energy again since Chris left the band that we’ve sort of had to adapt to because of having to fill that space.
But I just love the energy of some of the newer pop-punk bands—The Paradox—and they’re just so happy to be doing what they’re doing. Don’t Panic is another one of those bands.
So yeah, that’s really where I’m getting the majority of my inspiration.
But musically, I just sort of feel like Bowling For Soup—we kind of just do what we do. We have our thing locked in, where I think a lot of bands went out and changed their sound, and, you know, thank God, because the music that they made was amazing.
It’s just that it wasn’t really something that we ever strived to do. We’re a pop-punk band. This is what we sound like. This is what we sing about.
I feel like—I jokingly say all the time—had Bowling For Soup put out a political album, people would have just literally laughed at us. And they should, because we are not your source. We are not your source for your political stance in music.
You know, we’re your band that you come and listen to after a bad day, and we make you smile. We make you laugh. We might make you cry a little bit.
We let you know that you’re not alone with your mental health issues, and you know, that’s who we are. And we definitely know that.
Can you talk about a time when a song you wrote surprised you by how people interpreted it or connected with it?
Yeah, for sure. I can just say “Turbulence” is the big one for me. I knew that song was special, but really, until the pandemic, it didn’t take on its full life.
During that time, I was doing a lot of shows online—because what else was there to do? I was trying to keep them all upbeat and happy, and one day, I just played “Turbulence.”
It was crazy–because there were around 250 people watching from their houses, and everyone seemed to collectively say, “Oh my god, I needed that.” That’s when I realized it doesn’t always have to be upbeat.
Sometimes we need to feel those emotions and be reminded that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.
That song has since taken on a whole new life—we even play it at festivals now, and it’s been really special seeing how much it resonates.
When it comes to performing, is there a particular tour or show moment that still stands out to you as especially memorable?
Definitely. I have a hundred of them, but one that really stands out was this past February during our biggest UK tour ever.
We played a few arenas, and I’ll never forget walking out in Nottingham to a packed hockey arena full of people just there to see our band.
Standing on that stage after seeing the room empty earlier—it was a total pinch-me moment. After 31 years in the band, those moments are rare, and thinking about it still gives me chills.
Let’s talk about your newest single–“Holding On to the Hate.” How did the lyrics for that one come together?
It’s a crazy story. Rob sent me this bed of music — he’s not a lyric guy — and I woke up in the middle of the night and wrote down the first verse. It fit perfectly, like it was meant to be.
It’s one of those things that makes you think there’s a force at play beyond our understanding.
I’ve written a lot of lyrics in the middle of the night that go nowhere, but this one just clicked.
Does that happen to you often — waking up in the middle of the night with an idea?
Yeah, all the time. If it’s a melody, I’ll go into the bathroom and sing it into my phone so I don’t wake my wife.
If it’s lyrics, I’ll write them down in my notes. I try to do it every time because I’ve lost some of my best ideas by not getting up. It really just depends on how tired I am.
When I first heard the song, I interpreted it as being connected to social media, and the hate people spread online — was that part of your inspiration?
Absolutely spot on. It’s about those profiles with no posts, following eight people, just spewing hate.
Some are bots, but others are just people who feel terrible about themselves and want to spread that energy around. I actually talk about this stuff in therapy — it’s something I struggle with.
You can get hundreds of thousands of positive comments, but it’s that one mean one that sticks. I’ve been trying to “post and ghost” lately because it’s healthier.
My fans are great about shutting that stuff down, but it still gets to you sometimes.
Your upcoming release, A Hangover You Definitely Deserve (Live), celebrates 20 years of the original record. How does it feel to revisit those songs on such a big scale?
It’s been magical. The best part was hearing fans sing along to the deeper cuts like “Next Ex-Girlfriend” and “Last Call Casualty” just as loud as the hits.
Playing that album front to back was a journey—18 songs, a long set, but so worth it.
It reminded us why that album was so special in the first place.
We recorded the live show in Manchester, UK, completely untouched—no fixing, no polishing.
All the mistakes are there. It’s raw, real Bowling for Soup, just like being in the room with us.
Do you have a favorite venue from that tour?
Manchester Academy, hands down. There’s just something about that place and our connection with that crowd.
We’ve got Wembley Arena coming up too, which will be amazing — we’ve played there before, but never as headliners.
In the U.S., we have tons of favorites too, like The Norva in Norfolk or spots in Denver. But Manchester has a special place in my heart.
Looking ahead, is there anything new you want to try — musically or creatively?
Honestly, I’ve done a lot of side projects — a country band, Jaret and Kelly, Gerhinus, and People on Vacation–I've really always had an outlet for whatever it was that I wanted to do creatively.
I actually, just in the last few months, I’ve put the brakes on everything except Bowling for Soup, my voice work, and social media—just the day-to-day stuff.
I am full-on Bowling for Soup. I want to make the best Bowling for Soup album that we've ever made, and I understand from a fan's perspective—because I'm a fan of music—that's going to be impossible for some fans out there who are going to go to the grave saying Drunk Enough to Dance is the best pop-punk album ever.
But I want to make the best record we've ever made and continue this touring stuff that we're doing right now, because I've never been happier.
I feel that way about the band. I feel that way about our crew, our families, and our fans. It's a high tide right now, and the plan for the future is to ride that.
Last one — what advice would you give to artists trying to make it right now, especially those struggling with doubt or fear of putting themselves out there?
It's all about persistence and perseverance, and just being happy. My advice to anybody right now doing anything creatively is—do it.
Do it to your best ability, and do it, but do it because you love it.
If you do this because you want to make it a career or whatever, there's just so much disappointment out there. I'm saying that as someone who obviously made a career out of what I love.
But that wasn't my plan. I went to college. I had started my own business when I was younger.
But I played music because I loved it, and that's what led us here. I just say, you do these things, you create that content because you love it.
When you do that, people can see the passion behind it. They can tell when you're faking it. When bands are out there, and they try and just make this unorganic thing or whatever—it never works.
People feel it, and it's just those who make it in this industry.
You look at the kid right now on TikTok—he is just absolutely blowing up. Davis (@davis_big_dog on TikTok) just gets on there and he reviews his school lunch, and he's gotten, like, a million followers in three weeks.
Because he's just being himself, getting on there, talking about his school lunch or whatever. He's not trying to play it up. The videos are exactly the same now as they were three weeks ago, and I'd never miss one.
You just gotta love what you do.
Connect with Jaret Reddick: Instagram
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