Remember when I mentioned I was going to go check out an amazing NYC based band called “Ambassadors”? Sadly, I wasn’t able to make it out to that show, but I did get a chance to ask the guys a few questions about the show via email. Covertly, I tried to find out about all the good stuff I (and anyone else who didn’t make it to the show that night) missed out on but apparently, it’s nothing that can be mentioned in an interview! :) The aforementioned show was the bands first in 3 months; they had to take the time off to “tackle adversity” in 2009. I wanted to find out from them how it felt to finally be back on stage after such a long time.

1. How did it feel to be back on stage after so long?
It felt really, really good to be up there again.  We have been, and always
will be, a band that is all about performing live.  We work so hard to get our
live sound as perfect as it can be, so it’s always a pleasure to show people the
kind of sound we can make on that stage in real time with just the four of us. 
This last show was particularly great not only because we haven’t played for an
audience of more than one or two people in over 3 months, but we also got to
debut some of the new material we’ve been working on which we’re really stoked
about.

2. Did you try to deliver a totally different show than what the fans
were used to, or did you try to give them the show that they remember as
a classic Ambassadors show?
As any musician or performer will tell you, with every show you always try to
bring something to the stage that people haven’t seen before.  Funnily enough,
this last gig was so great because for the first time in a very long time none
of us felt that pressure.  We hadn’t done a show in three months so simply
getting back in front of an audience was enough to create that freshness that
you always strive to re-create playing show after show on the road.  Our set was
pretty much the same with the exception of a new track called “Lay Me Down” that
has some really interesting stuff going on in it instrumentally.  That may have
been the highlight of the show for us; its a relief to play a new song in front
of people that they haven’t heard before and see reactions on their faces that
aren’t necessarily volatile :)

3. What was the vibe like from the crowd?
We love our fans, and we love our friends, and that’s what the crowd was made
up of on Thursday.  The place was packed and people were really getting into it. 
You can usually tell how good you’re doing if you see girls in the audience
dancing and smiling—if the girls are moving, the rest will follow. And that’s a
beautiful sight to see.

4. For upcoming shows will there be new music?
Yes.  We are currently working on a bunch of new material that we’ll be
wanting to add to our set and try out on the road.  Our next show is Friday
March 5th in Philly and we’ve already got two new songs we’re going to debut
there.  Otherwise, we will keep playing stuff from our EP that’s coming out in
early June.

5. For anyone who missed the show, what was your favorite part, the
thing they should regret missing out on the most! :)
Other than the concert itself, all the things anyone would regret missing
that night I probably shouldn’t talk about in an interview :)

6. Did you have to overcome any fear or uncertainty of returning to the
stage?
An Ambassador is never scared.  Ever.  Initiation into the band requires a
series of mental and physical tests that are very rigorous and last for about 3 
days straight.  The details of those tests I also probably shouldn’t talk about
in an interview, but your readers should know that onstage we are like four
Jason Bourne’s.  But much better looking.

Check out the Ambassadors on MySpace for more info including tour dates.

-The Spotlight
(special thanks to Ambassadors and Lauren.)