Q&A with Hellogoodbye

How the band got started:

"Me and Jesse went to high school together, and we had a band, and we just kind of started recording stuff on the computer, and that was cool. I recorded some stuff of my own, and then Jesse and I started making a few more songs on top of that, so once we had some songs, we got some shows. ... And it was so cool just to be performing. We just started playing a bunch of shows in Orange County, and it just snowballed from there."

Where they play:

All over, especially in the U.S., Europe and Australia.

Favorite place Forrest has played:

A city in Australia that reminds Forrest of a British San Diego.

Most memorable occurrence at a concert:

Getting pantsed.

What inspires the band's groove:

"I don't know because [our music is] so abstract, but I like the Beach Boys, I like the Beatles, I like "Yellow," Mandy Moore's album. ... I grew up listening to Blink 182 and Weezer and stuff."

How they came up with the band name (no, it's not because of the Beatles song):

"It's not really from anything in particular, and it doesn't actually say anything. It's just, you know, coming and going, hellogoodbye."

What inspired the music video "Here in Your Arms":

"Wet Hot American Summer"

What is it like creating a music video:

"I try to have everything that we do, down to the small detail, something that I came up with or am into - more that I am into since we have to come up with it all. So it's really cool to do a music video that you came up with the idea."

Who is the CD art designer:

Jesse Ladue.

What was the intended design:

A coloring book.

Why they wanted a coloring book:

"It has to do with that it was interactive, sort of. The idea was that it would come with a crayon packaged in the side of the CD. ... They couldn't get the crayon to fit in the side, you know how it is. ... We should have manufactured our own crayons."

Future plans for the band:

"I built a studio here at my house, and so just kind of taking it slow and hanging out and recording stuff and just kind of letting it, you know, go slow ... and not having the whole, like, 'Aw, you gotta do it right now,' kind of thing. So it's kind of cool to do it in a way that feels natural. So we're going to record for a while and get a record out by the end of the year."

Have you ever been to the Midwest?

Yes.

Have you heard of Truman before this concert?

No.

Have you been to small schools before?

"Yeah, I mean, we usually don't play at a lot of colleges right now. We kind of play at colleges occasionally on the weekends and stuff. ... Some of them have been, you know, like you said, there's, like, a puny city, there's no airport and you fly in four hours away and drive in."

Have you played anywhere else in Missouri?

"Not at colleges, I don't think, but yeah, we've played in St. Louis a bunch of times, and I think a few other places in Missouri."

Random instruments at the concert:

"We got some stuff. Although because, like, when you're flying in and all that, you can't bring the whole caboodle, you can only bring things you can check."

Are you excited about playing at Truman?

"Yeah!"

Concert expectations:

"If the whole crowd could just be groping at each other the whole time, that would be great. Get that going."