From “Girl All The Bad Guys Want” to the theme song of “Phineas and Ferb,” Jaret Reddick and the rest of Bowling for Soup won’t stop rocking. With a continually growing fan base, the pop-punk group has stayed strong after 23 years of performing and creating music. 

Known predominantly among millennials for its 2004 single “1985,” the band has released more than 10 albums since 1994 and was nominated for a Grammy in 2003 for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for the hit “Girl All The Bad Guys Want.” The group created their 11th album Drunk Dynasty in October 2016, following their Songs People Actually Liked Vol. 1  album in January 2015, and is scheduled to perform at the Bottom Lounge, 1375 W. Lake St., March 31. 

The Chronicle spoke to Reddick about the band and their Drunk Dynasty tour.

THE CHRONICLE:  How has the way you perform and write changed since you started?

JARET REDDICK: In 1994, [we had] no rules and were just trying to figure out who and what Bowling for Soup really was. We definitely found our niche as far as how we sound and what our live show is. We found that after four years, we really continued to hone in on that; whereas, a lot of bands—especially in our genre—have gone on to do different things.

Why did you come back into the music scene with Drunk Dynasty?

Drunk Dynasty was one of those things where it was time for us to do something [again] musically. It had been a while since we’ve done an album, so we planned [to do] an EP. We went in [the studio], and the songs just flowed out and we were in such a good spot, everything just lined up perfectly. We recorded about six songs, and I thought, “We need to just make this a whole album,” so we went back and created a whole album. 

What motivates the band to continue to make music?

We always had one rule: Once it is not fun anymore, we will stop. It just continues to be fun; it’s what we do and we still enjoy it. We had to take breaks because of adulthood and we needed to take a step back. We didn’t want to be the guys that burn it out. It is a matter of pacing ourselves and we are still best friends. 

How do you keep up with the stylistic changes in your genre over the years?

I don’t think any of us make an effort to [keep up.] The other three guys are pretty out of touch as far as “hip” music and what is popular. They listen to music of course, but I don’t really think they are in tune with what is going on. I have [young] kids, so I definitely get what is popular and what the hits are. I think as far as our genre, it is pretty easy because we stay up with what our friends are doing.

 

How do your kids feel about your performing and going on tour? 

To them, it has just always been like this. [When] my daughter was born, I was in the delivery room the day we got nominated for a Grammy. We had been together nine years, but that was when everything blew up. Shortly after that was [when we made the]“Jimmy Neutron” and “Phineas and Ferb” [theme songs], so [my kids] heard us on the radio [and] saw us on TV, so really they just grew up with it. They think that it is cool, but my son has played the “my dad is famous” card a few times. They pretty much take it all in strides. 

Do you think “1985” is relevant in today’s time?

I think most kids [still] think that their mom is uncool. Back in the day, that is all we heard; our audience was so young that all we heard about was how uncool parents were. I think “1985” is really similar to “High School Never Ends,” it continues to grow with the audience and remain true to form. 

What made you decide to do solo work?

When we backed off on touring several years ago, it was not only to refocus on personal stuff, but it was also to be able to go and do some other things. My solo stuff is less about me wanting to be out there by myself and presenting a different show. My solo shows are very much more of a storyteller theme, where you can break down the songs and hear something that is way different than the four of us out there. It is intimate having a smaller audience; it is something I am really excited about. I think its cool that [the band] roots for each other. Some of us do things that are completely outside of music and some of us stay in. Either way we are each other’s biggest fans.

In the 2007 Yahoo ad, why was “London Bridge” by Fergie your top choice to cover?

We had gone in to do that song for Yahoo, and their idea was to get bands to come in and do current covers that are outside of their genre. We knew that we were going to do a cover, but we didn’t realize that it needed to be something that was on the radio at the time. When we went in, they gave us a list of songs that they thought they were good. To be honest, we were super hungover from the night before, which is why I was wearing the sunglasses in the video. We went through the song twice and the next time I told the guys, “Alright, it is not going to get any better than this.” It ended up being one of those fun things that just worked so well.We got to hear that [Fergie] really liked it.