J-14 caught up with The Summer Set at this year's Bamboozle Festival in East Rutherford, NJ, where we chatted with singer Brian Dales and drummer Jess Bowen backstage about their brand new album, Love Like This, the song "Chelsea" (it was inspired by Brian's ex, JONAS' Chelsea Staub), and a possible battle with the Jonas Brothers! Brian and Jess were also game to play J-14's Truth or Dare: Bamboozle Edition, and Allstar Weekend even got in on the game — check it out below.

J-14: How would you describe your sound for new listeners?
Brian Dales:
Good times.
Jess Bowen: We're just a pop-rock band.

J-14: What's your fave song off Love Like This?
Brian:
Toss-up between "Young" — it's fun to play, it's fun to sing, and I love the lyrics behind it — and the last song off the record, which is "Where Are You Now?"
Jess: "Passenger Seat" is my favorite. It's a little more laid-back.

J-14: Jess, do you get treated like one of the guys when you're on the road?
Jess:
I'm definitely more of a guy than any of the people in the band. I'm the girl that's playing the drums and these are the guys that are in the mirror straightening their hair. I couldn't imagine being on tour with all girls. I think that would be very stressful. I don't want to deal with all that girl drama.

J-14: What made you want to start drumming?
Jess:
I got forced! My dad and my brother played drums and in 7th grade I wanted to play guitar and my dad literally sat me down and said, "No, you're playing those drums."

J-14: What's a secret that you think your fans would be surprised to find out?
Jess:
We are all completely different people as individuals, and if we weren't in this band together, I don't think any of us would have hung out in high school.

J-14: What's the story behind your song "Chelsea"?
Brian:
It's about Chelsea Staub. She's from Arizona, and our guitar player Josh went to middle school with her. Josh invited her to one of our shows in California, and it was kind of like a first sight thing. We were working on this song about a guy singing about a girl who's completely out of his league, because that's how I felt, and we started hanging out and dated for a while, and she's still one of my best friends.

J-14: How were you and Chelsea able to stay friends after the break-up?
Brian:
It took a long time. There was a few months after where we didn't talk that much, but in February she hosted a charity event for Haiti called Harmonies for Haiti. She emailed me and said, "I'd love for you to play." It was the first time we had really hung out since the break-up and since then we talk all the time.

J-14: If they ever asked you to sing on JONAS would you do it?
Brian:
Only if it could be a Battle of the Bands scenario with us versus the JoBros!

Photo: Courtesy of Razor & Tie

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