Armor for Sleep's Ben Jorgensen on new album

Ben Jorgensen is the lead singer and guitarist for Armor for Sleep, an alternative rock band hailing from New Jersey.Armor for Sleep came to Omaha on Sept. 8, performing with The Academy Is., Sherwood and The Rocket Summer at Sokol Auditorium. Armor for Sleep's third album, Smile for Them, hit stores today.

The Gateway sat down with Jorgensen while the band was in Omaha to talk about the tour, the new album and the band's return to the metro.



Armor for Sleep has experienced a lot of success lately. Your band has had songs featured in The Transformers and Snakes on a Plane soundtracks, two summer blockbuster movies, but it's been two years since you've released a full-length album. What are your predictions for this compellation?

We are hoping that the record is going to bring us to a new place. I feel like we've been plotting along on this certain path. The songs we wrote on this new record hopefully will give us the momentum to go to a new place.

I think it will kind of break us out of certain boundaries that have been around our band since we first started. [At] least that's what I hope will happen.



How long has it taken you to compile this new album?

It took a really long time to make. We actually went to Los Angeles for three or four months and we ended up scrapping everything we did, going home and switching producers. Even before then, we were writing for a really long time, so it's definitely been something that we've worked really hard on.



What's the new concept for the new album? How does it differ from your 2005 album, What to Do When You Are Dead?

Well, the concept is that there really isn't a concept. This is us writing songs that are as different from each other as possible. In contrast to the last record where everything was following a story, this one is more of a bunch of different stories. I think that there is an umbrella theme over everything, but that's going to be less obvious than it was on our last album.



What's the most exciting thing about being on tour?

I guess the most exciting thing is being in a different city every night and getting to meet the kids that are excited about our band. We get to interact with them slightly on the internet but to see them in real life is a different thing.



What's your least favorite part about being on tour?

I don't know, I guess being away from family. You kind of feel like you miss out on important birthdays and stuff like that. But it's only a phone call away.



In 2006, you guys signed with Warner Brothers/Sire Records. Has that influenced your music at all?

I don't think it's changed our music. The guy who signed us saw a lot of potential in us and he pushed us to make a really good record. I don't think that's attributed to the difference between being on a major and being on an indie [label]. It just happened to be that he works there and helped push us along.

The real difference is just that it's a bigger company with more people and more money. More people want to chime in and give their opinion, which is okay to a certain extent, but there is a time to tell them all to just kind of sit back and relax. At a certain point, it's good to have people who care enough to want to voice those opinions.



I know you guys have been to Omaha several times. When was the last time you came to Omaha?

I think last time we were here, it was with the All-American Rejects, which was probably last summer, maybe a year and a half ago.



What's your favorite part about visiting Omaha?

Actually, today's really the first day I've ever really explored Omaha. I took a bus downtown, went to a little record store, and to a little sandwich place. It's interesting; much different than New York City. That's what I compare everything to. There's no more Ranch Bowl though, right?



Yes, the Ranch Bowl was demolished in August to make way for a Wal-Mart. That's a sore subject with a lot of music fans here.

Wal-Mart bought it? Really? Wow, that sucks.



Any other pieces of information you'd like to share with your fans?

Oct. 30: Buy the record and enjoy!