If you had to describe yourself in three words, what would they be, and why?
Hmm..three words that describe me.. huh.. funny..I don't know, dude, that's a f*cking interesting question.
[Someone whistling in the stairwell]
This is a really awful place to do an interview.
[laughs]
I don't know.

How did you come up with the name, Smile Empty Soul?
It was a lyric in one of our old songs, like a few years ago. The song was basically about common human society, about how people walk around with smiles on their faces acting like everything is happy, but on the inside they're broken down, empty, angry people, who just do what they can to survive and not really live. So that's what that's about.

Where can fans find out more information about you?
You can go to www.smileemptysoul.com, there's lots of stuff. Also, www.streetwise.com has a link on us. That's the best I know of.

What is a typical day like for you?
Typical day is wake up around 10:30 or 11 o'clock, we're still driving on the bus to whatever town, go to the hotel, take a shower, go to the venue, load in all our equipment, do a sound check, do interviews and photo shoots, go to a radio station, come back, play, and then party, and then go to sleep again.

How would you describe your music?
I don't know. I think we're more or less like an alternative rock band. We play rock songs. Nothing - no brain surgery, no gimmicks. We just go out there, the three of us, and just rock. That's about it.

What is your song, "Bottom Of A Bottle," really about?
The song's about finding something you love in your life, and everybody kind of has a drug that helps them through life, through maybe just even one day. You know, maybe for some people it's music, or it's tattoos, or it's drugs and alcohol. It's different for everybody, but I think everybody has one thing. It's kind of what that song's about.

Your new single, "Nowhere Kids," has been deemed an electrifying new teen anthem. How does that feel?
That's pretty cool. I mean...
[Someone walks by with food]
Oh, sweet! But "Nowhere Kids".. it's exciting. It's our brand new single and it's like we're finally getting away from "Bottom of a Bottle" and moving into the new song, so maybe people get a different vibe off of Smile Empty Soul, and that we're not just like a party band.

You were just named "Emerging Artist" for October on LAUNCH Music. That's pretty big.
That's pretty sweet.

How does that feel?
That's awesome. We actually did the LAUNCH sessions. I don't know if you got to see it or not. Everyone at LAUNCH was just really, really cool, and we just went in there, did our thing. We played, and had a lot of fun. They're good to us, so we're good to them.

You're currently on tour with Fuel. How's that going?
[Brett of Fuel walks up the stairs]
Ryan: Fuel tour is great. I hate Brett, though [Says loudly, so Brett can hear]. He's mean.
Brett: [yells from up the stairs] He's an asshole.
Ryan: [laughs] No, it's been good. It's really cool. We get to play sold out shows almost every night. It's cool, because it's not exactly the same audience, when we were on tour with Trapt or Seether. It's a new crowd, so it's like we're winning over new fans, which is just totally the best for us. We're excited about that.

How have the fans been responding to you?
It's been mixed a little bit. It's a little bit different of a tour, but, all in all, it's been pretty positive.

What would your dream tour be?
Hmm. Us, the Deftones, and a band called Fractional. They're still unsigned, but they're from L.A., and they're f*ckin' awesome. And they're about to get a record deal. Hopefully, sooner rather than later, they can come on the road with us.

How would you describe your stage show?
There's not much to it. We're just 3 guys out here rockin', doin the best we can. The show is just simple. It's just bass, guitar, vocals, and drums. That's it.

If you weren't doing music, what do you think you'd be doing?
Dude, I don't even know how to answer that question, because this has been such a huge part of my life, since I can remember. So... I couldn't even imagine doing anything else other than that.

Do you have any tips or "tools of the trade" for aspiring singers, looking to make it in the music industry?
Focus on songs. Be able to take constructive criticism. Be able to compromise. Work really hard and that's all I can say. Do your best.

Last, but not least, do you have a message to your fans?
Yeah. Don't do drugs. That's about it.

Thanks for your time and good luck with your career!