All-American Rejects guitarist shares story of how 'Move Along' came to be

In the latest issue of AP, contributing writer Colin McQuire  catches up with All-American Rejects guitarist Nick Wheeler to look back on 10 years of the band’s seminal album, Move Along. “During the writing, we were kind of trying to figure out what our band was,” he admits. “Was it just me and Tyson or what is a band? We couldn’t do [what we wanted] with any peace in our small hometown of Stillwater, Oklahoma, so we just closed our eyes, pointed at the map, and picked another small town, somewhere else where we didn’t know anybody in Florida.” 

Read more: Remember how cool it was hearing the All-American Rejects’ “Move Along” in that Bionicle commercial?

You can check out an excerpt from the interview below. Read the entire piece in AP 326, which is on sale now.

What was it like recording these songs?During the writing, we were kind of trying to figure out what our band was. Was it just me and Tyson or was it a band? We couldn’t do [what we wanted] with any peace in our small hometown of Stillwater, Oklahoma, so we just closed our eyes, pointed at the map, and picked another small town, somewhere else where we didn’t know anybody in Florida. About nine months into writing, we had 20, 25 songs and thought we were ready to make a record. Fortunately, our A&R guy thought it would be a good idea for us to relocate and see what happens. We piled into my Honda and drove up to Atlanta, where we lived for about two months in Virginia-Highland. The hotel we stayed in was $30 a night and Tyson ended up getting bedbugs. We found a great rehearsal space, went there every day and just played. It was during this time that “Move Along” and “It Ends Tonight” were written, and that’s what everybody was waiting for.