On April 13th in Miami, the entire TF.com Crew had a chance to hang out with Tony and ask him all the questions you sent in.  We had a blast and Tony was more than willing to answer all the things we had to ask. And also, for the record, Michelle had a horrible sore throat this day :)

Check out extras from the Interview!

Download Part 1 Below...

Tony: You gonna be able to hear me? Should I put it like this? *adjusts recorder*

Paula: Ok is it on?

Tony: Yeah it's on.

Paula: Awesome. If Third Eye Blind were ever to do a cover album, what songs would you hope to cover on it?

Tony: Me personally or the band?
Paula: You personally.

Tony: Me personally, I'd be more inclined to wanna cover some Beatles songs or maybe a random Pink Floyd song or something. I'm more the psychedelic guy in the band I think.

Michelle: In the past, you have mentioned Jimmy Page of Led Zepplin and Jimi Hendrix as influences while you were growing up, if you had to pick one single player, who would it be?

Tony: Jimi Hendrix. Just because he was the ultimate rock star of flashy guitar player I think.

Paula: How do you feel about the music for the new album?
Tony: I think it's truly inspired. I think that we've been taking our time on it. It's coming from uh-

Paula: I think you've been taking your time, that's for sure.

Michelle: *laughter*

Tony: I think that we're all pretty focused in, that's what I think.

Paula: How far along is it?
Tony: Right now we're at the stages where we're close to mixing songs.  Some songs still need more parts on them.  But the basics are done on all the songs.  Some songs still need the guitars.  Some songs need vocals.  Some songs just need to be mixed.

Michelle: But you guys have a lot though, right?

Tony: There's a lot of songs, we have something like 30 songs going.  So to get through the whole process of that, of having them reach their zenith, and then figuring out which ones shine the most.

Michelle: I have a question about one I heard in Vegas.

Tony: Oh it's good to take your time sometimes.

Michelle: There's one with… what is that one… "To Be With You"?
Tony: Yeah, yeah.

Michelle: That, I like that… you guys really…

Tony: Yeah that's one of mine and Stephan's.

Paula: I'm kinda liking…

Michelle: Even when I was listening, I was just like…

Tony: Yeah, I think that one makes the record.

Paula: Here Steve, you wanna ask one?
Michelle: It's Steve's turn, it's Steve's turn.

Steve: What am I asking?
Paula: The top one.

Steve: How would you define or describe the new music?
Paula: Well, I think we just did that.

Tony: Personally I think it's sort of a return to the roots of the band, the first album, but yet there's sort of a shift in the musicality as far as I think how the arrangements of the songs are a little bit different and I think it might be a little bit more of a rock album than the first.  A departure from the second album more towards the first.

Download Part 2 Below...

Paula: All your solo stuff, all that, is really different from Third Eye Blind, are you happy with the change in music that you have?
Tony: Well I made that transformation actually back when I was originally in Third Eye Blind.  Those early albums were kinda like my delving into more neo-classical heavy metal guitar.  So I kinda got lost in the desert, so to speak, one time, some psychedelic drugs.  I came back a different person…oh I don't mind, whatever.

Michelle: Can I slip a random question in here, because I just got this CD.  Andrew WK.  Working with him.  I just got his CD, what was it like working with him?

Tony: I wasn't actually there when he came in the studio.  Arion and Stephan went to his show and Arion's a really huge fan of his album.  So they just asked him to come down, and he came down, and sang on this song called "Messed Up Kid".

Paula: Is it gonna be "Messed Up Kid" or uh…
Michelle: "Fucked Up Kid".

Tony: You know I think it'll end up being "Messed Up Kid" even though, you know "Fucked Up…"
Paula: Didn't you write that one awhile ago?
Tony: That was actually the first song that as a band we wrote together when I rejoined.  Right at the beginning when I was rehearsing for the tour, the first one.

Paula: Because I remember I thought I read about that like, awhile ago.

Tony: Yeah yeah yeah.

Paula: What's your favorite new song?
Tony: I think the song called "Company" is on another level.

Michelle: Is that the one about…something about a shower…

Tony: No no no, that's "Friend Coming Over".  There's a lot of them…as a whole the record, as a whole, is just solid, it will be solid all the way through.  There won't be any filler.

Paula: Is it gonna be called "Crystal Baller"?
Tony: I think that's what Stephan wants to do.

Paula: Because that's been released on the Internet as the title.

Tony: Yeah, I'm thinking that's what, I don't know, that is gonna end up being Stephan's decision, I don't know if he's decided that or not.

Paula: Do you like that title?
Tony: Yeah, yeah I like it.

Paula: I like the song.  What equipment do you use in the studio?

Tony: We use a lot of organic sounds, like old Marshall plexy amps, we have old Fender tweed amps, basically older amps, stuff that has the kinda the old school sound, like Zepp sounds.  Nothing really on the new tip really.  We do use a mesa bogey for certain things.

Paula: Yeah I was talking to Mike awhile ago, from 12 Volt, he said…

Tony: His amp, yeah

Paula: Did you get that?

Tony: I bought a couple of those amps and then we AB-ed them and it turned out that mine were just the same.  I just always thought his was…because back then I really didn't have any good equipment.

Paula: One of the first things he ever told me was "Tony is so jealous of my amp".

Tony: I was, I totally was.

Paula: "Tony's in love with my amp".

Tony: I thought his amp was great, but then after being away from it and not realizing that the equipment I had before wasn't that good, and then the equipment I have now really actually is really good, so, it's sorta like a myth.

Michelle: What is your favorite type of music to listen to?
Tony: Nowadays I'm listening to classical music.  It's really challenging to the ear.  It stimulates my mind.

Paula: I'll ask this next one…How do you feel about your brother being part of the live band?  Do you have any sibling rivalry?
Tony: No, no…he's the first person, as soon the band asked me to rejoin the band, the first person I thought of was Chris, because he's a very talented guy and he fit the part perfectly.  There's really no, none of that, at least from my end.

Michelle: Tell us your thoughts on the current state of music

Tony: You know, it's just like it's always been, you know, bands all sound the same, then once in awhile a really good band will step out do something that's sorta different.

Michelle & Paula: 'NSync!, Yeah, 'NSync is the best!

Tony: And then a bunch of bands will try to sound like that band, and some will sell records and the rest will fall off and then only certain ones survive.

Michelle: Yeah it's like the Incubus and Hoobastank issue, that people like to say they sound the same.

Tony: Yeah it's the same, yeah.

Download Part 3 Below...

Paula: This is my favorite question, this was sent in by Doot, if Third Eye Blind was ever stranded on an island and one of the guys would have to be sacrificed in order for the others to survive, who would be the first to go?
Tony: Oh god, I don't know, that's tough.  That's a good question but it's a weird question.  If we were stranded?  Maybe Stephan?  Because he has the most meat on him?  If we couldn't get any food.  Do you mean…how stranded are we?
Paula: You're very stranded.  Horribly stranded.

Michelle: Your life depended on it.

Tony: I gotta leave that one alone, I don't know the answer to that.

Paula: Steve's gonna…

Steve: Now that you're a seasoned rock star, do you look forward to the next tour?  Pros and cons?   And summer tour, yes or no?

Tony: I look forward to touring because we haven't done it in awhile.  It's nice to have that exchange with people where you play and then it's like an immediate exchange.  The pros to it are being with my friends, hanging out with you guys, meeting people that are family to the band.  The cons are not being able to see my son that much, it's hard on the physical body to travel around a lot and you don't get much sleep and da da da da da.

Michelle: Any thoughts or comments about fans follow the band coast to coast to see shows?

Tony: You guys are dedicated.  You know, we appreciate you guys, that's why you know, we always try to do what we can to make sure you're always set up.  You guys are important to our band.

Paula: Do you promise to visit your new pet monkey at the zoo?
Tony: I promise to visit the pet monkey with MATT [from 12 Volt Sex].

Paula: With MATT.

Tony: I will go with MATT.

Paula: I told him to take you, I don't know if he will.

Steve: What is the one effect pedal you can't live without?
Tony: The wah pedal.  I think that that one is just…I think I could survive without any of the other ones.

Paula: What's the biggest part of fan interaction that would lead to a successful show? Like what part does that play to leading to a successful show?
Tony: Fan interaction? What do you mean with each other or with the band?

Michelle: I guess when you're playing…some crowds would just, like…

Tony: Yeah, I think a lot of that I leave up to Stephan because he's the guy that needs to know when the moment to really grab that energy and ride it through.  And that's what he does really good.  I let him sort of focus it out, then when I'm feeling it, it's such a weird thing, exchange of energy flow when you're playing a gig, I leave it up to Stephan to kind of guide it.

Paula: If you were a pancake, what kind of pancake would you be?
Tony:  Banana pancake.

Paula: Alright, alright.

Michelle: Do you carry anything meaningful with you on the road *Steve drops glass in background* And do you like to be a in a certain atmosphere when you write the lyrics?

Tony: Well, I don't write lyrics.  But uh, meaningful on the road…just pictures of my family.  That's the most important thing.  So at least I can remind myself of what life's all about.

Paula: What makes Tony Fredianelli, Tony Fredianelli?
Tony: I think ultimately, the ability not to take yourself too seriously, but yet, care about what you do.  Because there's fine balancing line there between ego and self-importance that could take you somewhere that makes you really lose yourself.  And I'm think I'm pretty good at seeing the clown in myself, and being able to accept that it's all just a big dance.