NR: How did you sign with The Militia Group?

Daniel: Militia Group had heard of us through an album we had released independently before Versus. We recorded Versus on our own and then signed with Militia after which they released Versus again.

NR: How long did it take to record Versus?

Daniel: The album was recorded over the span of about 6-8 months, a few days a week. Some of the songs on it are older songs that we re-worked a little bit, some dating back 2 years or so.

NR: What was it like to do a video for "Versus?" Also how did you get www.AOL.com to host it?

Daniel: The video for "Versus" was a lot of fun. Daniel Isaac, the director, is a good friend of ours and he also did a video for "Sweet Devotion" that we filmed in one night outside of the studio we basically live at. Militia got us the AOL hosting for the video. It was an the kinda thing where AOL was the only place you could see it for a little bit, although now it is everywhere.

NR: You are on the road a lot. What's the best part of being out on the road?

Daniel: My favorite part of being on the road is seeing all the scenery and all the different towns and people and all that. We have friends all over the country now and it seems like, in the very least, touring is just an excuse to see all of our buddies. But we are having more and more fun at the shows as well, and we have some big ideas for the upcoming tours that will make them more interesting.

NR: There was a lot of problems on Warped Tour this year with some of the bands. You guys did play a couple of dates on the tour, how did that work out for you?

Daniel: Warped tour was awesome for us. We got to hang with all of our friends in other bands and we played some awesome shows so we couldn't;t really ask for more...except for an Xbox.

NR: Do you think bands should be signed by their talent or how long they have been a struggling artist?

Daniel: I don't think that anyone should get signed solely on the fact that they are struggling...if they are talented they should be signed, whether they have struggled or not.

NR: What makes playing a live show good for you guys?

Daniel: Most importantly for us is the crowd. We know that we aren't a hardcore band or anything so we don't expect crazy mosh pits, but you can feel the energy when the crowd is into it. Aside from that, good sound on stage is always appreciated and maybe a few beers before hand to get a little loosened up.

NR: What are some items you like to take with you on the road?

Daniel: I always take as many national geographic's as i can, a few new cds, my laptop so that i can make beats on the road, and as much vitamin water as I can fit in our van without people complaining.

NR: For people who haven't heard The Panic Division, how would you describe your sound to them?

Daniel: Well right now our sound is really changing a bit. On Versus we were like a big wall with spikes on it that was moving at about a million miles an hour. With our new stuff its more like a big wave that comes over and crushes everything in its path. Literally Versus was a fast upbeat rock album with a fair amount of electronic samples and a healthy dose of 80's production. Our new stuff is a little slower and groove oriented with big swells of sound and a LOT more electronics and guitars. It's going to be pretty interesting.

NR: What next for you guys?

Daniel: We are at home right now recording some of our new songs and playing around Texas a little bit, but it is about time for us to get back on the road and start playing the new stuff for people.

NR: How's the writing process been going on the new material?

Daniel: Writing the new songs has really been interesting this time around. We decided before we started the writing for the album that we were going to go out to different places and write all the songs this time, not just our practice space. So now we will spend a week or so at a ranch house or lakehouse or something like that....move in and set up all our gear and live there and play stuff all day and night. It's a lot of fun and really gets everyone in tune with the songs.

NR: Going from Versus to the new material what can fans expect?

Daniel: It is definitely going to be a different thing than Versus. There are going to be a lot more electronics and more melody in general. At the same time though, the songs feel like they breathe better because there is more space right now. Hopefully that makes sense. We are still going to bring the rock though, some parts of these new songs are more intense than anything on versus.
NR: You guys recently parted ways with your drummer and held auditions, how did that turn out?

Daniel: Lots of people from all over the U.S. wanting to come try out for us, some people even posted videos online and sent them us links! We were flattered by the response we got but in the end though we decided to go with a drummer that we have known for a while from San Antonio and keep it close to home. We wanted to be able to keep on writing and playing shows as often as we can so it made a lot of sense.

NR: Is there a date pending on a new release from you guys?

Daniel: We are hoping to release it in the 1st quarter of next year, but we are still talking to different producers about doing it. I think that by the holidays we will be recording it, but in the meantime we are going to be playing some of the new material on the road so people will get a chance to check it out before then.