Lou Miceli, lead singer, formed Palisades in 2011 with Aaron Rosa, Xavier Adames, Matthew Marshall, Brandon Reese and Earl Halasan. Currently signed to Rise Records, Palisades has released two-studio albums and two-EP’s, becoming the rising stars of the post-hardcore genre.

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Sean Ritchie: You’re about to jump onto Our Last Night’s world tour starting in the United Kingdom. Describe the excitement leading up to the trip. Are you excited for the traveling?

Lou Miceli: Oh wow, yeah. We are super excited to be back going to Europe. Coming off the Take Action Tour on such a high felt so good. Especially just to move on, go back to Europe and to see a bunch of countries, some of which we’ve seen once before and some we’re seeing for the first time — it’s just awesome. It’s even better to go over there with our good friends Our Last Night — we love those dudes so much. We did one of our first tours ever with them. It’s just full-circle to be able to come back and go to a bunch of different countries with them. Not to mention to tap into markets and see fans that have never seen us before — people who’ve never heard us before. It’s going to be such an amazing experience.

SR: You’ve been around Europe once before. What are some of the destinations you visited last time?

LM: We saw a lot of Germany — little bit of London, then Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark, Austria. We saw a lot of Germany — definitely heavy on Germany. It’s going to be cool this time to see a lot more of the UK and especially because I’m Italian, I’m excited to see Italy for the first time. That’s something that my parents haven’t even done. That’s a pretty cool feeling for me.

Photo courtesy | Berit Watkin

SR: Are there any specific sights you’re looking to see on your down time?

LM: Honestly, I would just love to explore the towns. I would love to just go explore Milan and Italy for a little bit. Nothing too specific. I’m really interested to see the towns and eat a lot of cool foods that I’ve never eaten before. That’s always exciting. I remember last time we were in Germany we were there during Christmas time and we saw a bunch of winter festivals — that was cool. I’m definitely excited to see what they have more towards spring and summer.

SR: Has your prior experience in Europe changed your expectations this time around?

Miceli, an avid traveler, sees the cross-cultural impact music has first-hand — one of the many reasons he loves touring different countries.

LM: Not really. I’m just excited to get out there. The first time going to Europe we didn’t really know what to expect at all — we had no idea. It was cool, especially in places like Germany, because we were there with Silverstein and Silverstein draws insanely huge in Germany. It was just an awesome experience. Our Last Night draws really well in Europe too. So I think my expectations are just as high, if not higher.

When we were playing last time with Silverstein it was a little more of an older crowd, because they’re an older band than us. So I’m excited to see kids more around our normal fan-base’s age — get some younger kids out there. That will be pretty cool.

SR: When visiting a new city, what is the first thing you try and do? Does it differentiate from a city you’ve been to and know well?

LM: Yeah, whenever we go to new cities, no matter where it is, we always try to find a really good place to eat. I know Matt, Earl and some of the other guys in the band are pretty big on trying new foods in new places — stuff that’s been on TV before. In [New] Jersey we have grease trucks, which have been on food shows before. It’s cool to find the local spots that everybody digs and super about.

SR: Just get a feel of the local culture?

LM: Yeah, honestly that’s the best part. I feel like if you can blend into the local culture, you then really get to experience the town for what it is. All the touristy stuff is cool too, but if you get to really experience a local bar or food place, or even a local store, that’s really when you get to experience the city for what it is.

SR: I’m also from New Jersey too, is there something in our home state that you would encourage people to travel to?

LM: Oh, definitely the grease trucks. If you want to get a super unhealthy sandwich go to the grease trucks for sure. I went to Turtle Back Zoo with my girlfriend and that was pretty cool. There are a bunch of cool bars in New Brunswick to go to. There’s this place called Destination Dogs there too, which is pretty tight. They have a billion different types of hot dogs — definitely a good food spot.

I’m from Florida originally too. So there’s a whole bunch of awesome spots there as well.

SR: What are a few?

LM: Honestly, anywhere in downtown Orlando. They have such an awesome nightlife. If you’re ever in Tampa go to Ybor City. Obviously Universal [Studios] — stuff like that.

SR: How does music and travel fit together?

LM: Honestly, they go hand-in-hand. Just to think that this is my job, this is my career. I get paid to travel the world and play music for people that want to hear it. It’s the most incredible thing.

I was talking to my dad when we were on the Take Action Tour. It was St. Patrick’s Day and we were in New Orleans and I was telling him I had crawfish for the first time and we went down Bourbon Street. I was like, “have you ever been?” He responded, “bud, you’ve been to more places than I’ve ever dreamed of going.” It’s just crazy. To think about it I’m only 25 and I’ve already been to 14 different countries so far and I’m going to experience a whole bunch more. Not to mention I get to experience music from all different parts of the world. That’s something that’s really cool too.

Photo courtesy | Lars Plougmann

SR: Something that I really love about music is how it can blend cultures and people together. Is that something that is appeasing to you too?

LM: Of course. I’ve done guest vocals for bands that live in Germany and Russia. It’s really cool. There is definitely a bit of a language barrier, but music brought us together. Music allowed me to go see these kids in different countries that love our band. I may have never been able to go there otherwise. It’s definitely cool.

SR: When looking for a personal getaway are you looking to relax on a beach or are you looking more for a city with great nightlife?

LM: A little bit of both. I love California — our whole band loves California. It’s a really great place to stay. When we were there recording Mind Games last summer, we lived in NoHo, North Hollywood for a month and a half. It was the perfect mixture of everything. You have Venice Beach and Santa Monica, then at the same time you have the nightlife. It’s just that whole atmosphere of constantly having something to do whenever you want to do it.

Also, my girlfriend has family in Australia and they have a house on the Galápagos Islands. She was talking about taking me to go there on vacation. That’s going to be something amazing, because I could never even imagine seeing a scenery so beautiful.

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Catch Palisades on tour: tour dates.

Additional thanks to: The Catalyst Publicity Group