To say that Bob Nanna is a legend within his scene, would not be an exaggeration. Hailing from two of the most influential bands of the emo movement, Braid and Hey Mercedes, this prolific musician is also the co-founder of Downwrite, an instrumental service in connecting musicians and songwriters across the country. If you've had the chance to hear Braid or Hey Mercedes, it's easy to hear why there's such a reverence for the acts, full of intense emotion with varied and often dynamic ranges both in terms of lyrical themes and of course actual instrumentation, the influence of both bands can be felt readily in the current scene of music.

It's always difficult to know what to ask someone who's had a tremendous influence on both your own life and the lives of so many others, so I went with the tried and true approach of asking about the subtle arguments between Chicago and New York style pizza and tips for keeping a crazy amount of energy on stage.

Hey Mercedes plays with special guests Microwave and Pohgoh at New World Brewery 1313 E 8th Ave, Tampa, Florida 33605, August 11th, show starts at 7:30 pm, tickets are $15.00, show is 18 and up. More information is available at local.cltampa.com.

BR: So far what's the weirdest thing that's happened to you on tour? It can range from hilarity to X-Files levels, your choice!

Bob Nanna: In L.A., the hotel ran out of rooms before we arrived and the only one they had open was the presidential suite and they gave it to us for the price of a regular room! So Andy, our tour manager, and I stayed in it on the last night of the west coast leg of the store. It was pretty nuts. Way bigger than my apartment, haha. I was expecting a little more luxury, but aside from the big bath, it had more of a business vibe to it, with a big conference room and such. Also, they had made a towel into the shape of a dog on the bed. Apparently presidents get a kick out of that.

Is there any venue you would never go back to?

I can’t say there is. Sure, I like some way more than others but I definitely haven’t banned any.

What's your favorite way to spend any downtime while on tour?

I listen to a lot of new music and podcasts. I used to read books and watch movies but it gets tougher for me to do in a moving vehicle.

The Braid reunion shows were absolutely amazing, did that in some fashion influence the Hey Mercedes reunion tour? Did you feel it was time to revisit that portion of your career as well?

It may have influenced it in that we were all staying together and in touch as we reached the 15 year anniversary. We also had people talk to us about how much they liked the album or that the vinyl was impossible to find. So it helped. But we may have done it anyway if Braid hadn’t done the shows.

It's a weird time to be an American, an even weirder time to be a citizen of the world if you could rewrite the soundtrack to either the DNC or the RNC, who would play for each show and why? I was thinking Cannibal Corpse for Trump, but that's just me.

I didn’t watch either – just read the recaps. Seems like the DNC had some decent music, if somewhat a little too on-the-nose, pop-wise. As for the RNC, maybe some real life versions of the “shreds” videos you find on YouTube.

What's been your favorite album of 2016 so far? Or any memorable tracks that really caught your ear?

I love the song “Embody” by Frankie Cosmos. Might be my favorite song of the year. I like the new Descendents a lot. Looking forward to the Against Me! record too.

Are there any possibilities of a new Hey Mercedes album? Or has the time passed?

Anything is possible but nothing is planned.

What do you think helps in creating a timelessness for the themes of your work in Hey Mercedes? How does it feel knowing that new fans are just discovering your work and still identifying with it?

I think there is a constant cycle of new fans growing up and getting into our style of music. It helps that Braid is in a different cycle than Hey Mercedes. So when one is out, people can find out about the other.

Do/did you ever read any "professional" reviews of Hey Mercedes albums? As an artist how do you deal with criticism, and can it have a profound effect on how you view your work?

I don’t. I decided not to seek them out a long long time ago. I just don’t want it sticking with me in a good or a bad way. I’m old enough now that I can take criticism and have developed a thicker skin so that’s nice.

Your work in Braid and Hey Mercedes has been instrumental to the development of Emo as a genre, what are your thoughts on the "Emo Revival" that's occurring right now? Are there any bands you're really impressed with?

I love seeing new bands that take inspiration from the older ones and then take it further. I love Prawn, The World is a Beautiful Place, Options, and many more I can’t think of right now.

So music formats are always an interesting thing, what are your thoughts about the rise of cassette tapes?

Baffling. I have fond memories of cassettes just like everyone else but they are just so clunky, unreliable, and lo-fi. As something you want to display, go for it. As for playing it, you can’t be asking for much payoff.

Hey Mercedes will be at the Wrecking Ball ATL this year, which is super amazing, any bands you look forward to seeing there? Any bands you feel honored to play with?

Yes, many. I’ve seen most of the bands already so it’ll be good to see them all again. The one I’m excited to see that i haven’t yet seen is Drive Like Jehu. Bully, too.

To call your work prolific would be an understatement, what motivates you to be involved with so many different projects and bands?

I’ve always been super aware of time wasted AND I’m notoriously bad at saying no to things AND I have this obsessive need to start crazy projects so all of those things keep my head buzzing 24/7. In terms of music, being in this new band Lifted Bells with younger musicians is a complete thrill because they approach songwriting in a new way. I don’t want to get stuck, so I’m glad I said yes to being a part of that band.

Everynight Fireworks is getting a rather beautiful repress on vinyl soon which is something that fans are definitely excited for. During the recording of the album were there any tracks that were particularly difficult to record? Any memorable stories regarding the recording of that record?

The only track that I recall being an issue, for me at least, was “What You’re Up Against” – I had a completely different vocal melody and set of lyrics on the demo but just wasn’t feeling it 100% so I rewrote the whole thing in the days before actually recording it. The studio we used, Pachyderm, was an amazing complex in rural Minnesota – a large house with rooms for all of us and a POOL, and the studio was a short walk down a path to a separate facility. We have some footage of the recording that we hope to release very soon!

Can you speak a little bit about what influenced both Hey Mercedes albums on a lyrical and thematic level? There's this sensitivity in the lyrics that are a tad melancholy, but also refreshingly optimistic at points. I've always found contrasts like this unique.

It all came from a very transitional time in my life and in all of our lives. Braid was over and we were thrust into a big operation at Vagrant and we had to make the decision to commit. Part of what drove Braid apart initially was the relentless touring and here we were getting back into it. These were factors that played into the themes on the record for sure. There’s optimism but so much uncertainty – in personal relationships, band relationships, business relationships, world concerns… it was a crazy, prolific time. We recorded 17 songs for the first album! Madness.

On Facebook, you list "Infinite Jest" by David Foster Wallace as one of your favorite books, did this or any other literary influences bleed into your lyrics or any music you've worked on? Any reason why you dig DF?

Ha! I forget I even have that on my Facebook page. I was into DFW for a long time and that is still one of my favorite books. It’s so dense, I feel it’s almost a detriment to songwriting – I tend to be verbose so I found comfort in all of the footnotes, etc. Leave no thought unspoken, I suppose. I could stand to be more succinct. I think my favorite book of all time is Cats Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut.

As a Chicago native, the question has to be asked, Chicago Pizza or New York Pizza. This is a trick question Bob, I'm sorry it's always New York pizza. If you feel otherwise show your work. Side Note: I'm betraying my own blood by saying this, as my folks are from Chicago!

I refuse to get to riled up about pizza just like i don’t get riled up about Cubs v Sox here. Pizza is pizza. I enjoy both styles. I prefer the Chicago deep dish but that’s because it’s what I grew up on. There is a place down the street from me that does NY style and that’s delicious as well if i’m in the mood for it. I need to choose my battles. Ha!

I had a chance to see you with Braid the last time you came through Florida, is there any venue in particular here that really stands out to you? Or is associated with any fond memories?

In terms of Florida, I have such fond memories of Gainesville and all of its venues. So glad that they do Fest there now and the scene is still thriving. Not to say Tampa, Orlando, even Pensacola hasn’t been great, but I really enjoy Gainesville. The very VERY first time Braid played Gainesville in 1995, we pulled into town at 9 a.m. and were eating at Denny's and a dude comes up to us and says, "hey you’re Braid, I’m Chris from Hot Water Music, wanna go drink some beers down at the railroad trestles? It was 9 a.m.. I have fond memories.

Where do you find the energy on stage man? I get winded watching you, it's absolutely incredible! Tips or tricks are appreciated.

Ha! Thanks. Three tips: Don’t eat four hours before the show. Don’t eat dairy on tour. Try not to talk too much before the set. After, you’re golden, Before, take care, preserve it and do some warmups. I have a whole routine. As for energy though, the first two are key. Also I don't drink until the band before us is done playing.

Craft breweries are in, any particular favorites? Recommendations?

I’m more of a wine person lately, but there are some good craft breweries here in Chicago. A friend started one called Arcade that does great stuff. There’s also one called Surly that I enjoy when I can.

This article appears in Aug 4-11, 2016.