Looking back now, its difficult to believe that A Rocket To Moon all started in Nick Santinos bedroom three years ago when he harmlessly posted a few songs on the Internet. However what began as an electro-tinged sonic experiment quickly snowballed into a full-fledged band thats toured with acts like 3OH!3 and Cobra Starship, played festivals like the Vans Warped Tour and Bamboozle and gained fans all over the world. I never actually intended for A Rocket To The Moon to get this far, Santino admits, adding he couldnt be more thrilled about the current incarnation of the band. I always wanted to take it to the next level and put a couple of guys in the act instead of having all the focus on me, so after Bamboozle 08 we started performing as a full band and right now the sound is perfect.The current incarnation of A Rocket To The MoonSantino, guitarist Justin Richards, bassist Eric Halvorsen and former The Receiving End Of Sirens drummer Andrew Cookhave put their collective experiences into the bands full-length debut On Your Side, an instantly infectious collection of upbeat pop music that was produced by Matt Squire (Panic! At The Disco, Boys Like Girls). We had never recorded a full-length before and we learned so much from working with Matt, Santino explains, adding that On Your Side was recorded in a scant seventeen daysa fact that only adds to the albums sense of urgency. We did it really quickly but we didnt feel any pressure because we spent so much time preparing before we went into the studio, he continues. Justin and I are big country fans, so its got that feel to it mixed with a 90s pop-rock kind of vibe; its just an all-round fun album that doesnt fit into one genre.From heartfelt piano ballads such as Like We Used To to energized radio-friendly rockers like Dakota and electronica-inflected tracks like Sometimes, On Your Side is an exercise in versatility that shows how much the band have evolved as musicians and songwriters over the past few years. There are so many different styles of music on this record, but I think Matt Squire helped us pull it off tastefully so it definitely all still sounds like A Rocket To The Moon, Santino says. One of my favorite songs is Like We Used To because it has a lot of pedal steel and banjo on it, which is something thats totally new for us, he beams. What can I say? Im a sucker for a good love song.Lyrically On Your Side is a concept album of sorts that pits the characters of Dakotathe protagonist of the bands breakthrough singleagainst Annabelle (the new albums opening track). We kind of developed this theme that all the negative songs are about this character Annabelle and all the love songs are about Dakotaand that concept just came together when we were in the studio, Santino explains, I think the album is a good balance of those two dueling feelings. While On Your Side is rooted in personal experience, the band were careful not too make the songs too literal in order to allow each listener the opportunity to have his or her own unique interpretation. A lot of the time Justin and I will find ourselves making up stories or writing from other peoples points of view and I really think thats the beauty of writing songs, Santino explains. You can do whatever you want, so why limit yourself?This attitude carries over into the bands mission statementand from their inception A Rocket To The Moon have never had any interest in pigeonholing themselves into one style. I think its pretty awesome that were able to tap a couple of genres instead of getting stuck in just one, Santino says. Your options are pretty much unlimited if you can do a radio tour with a band like the Fray and then come back and tour with Boys Like Girls and Cobra Starship and have all different types of listeners embrace your music, he continues, adding that the restless band are already working on songs for their next album. We just want to try new things and crossover into different places; one of the most validating things you can experience as a musician is to turn listeners on to something they wouldnt normally be exposed to on their own.Speaking of which, the bands connection with their fans runs deep, a fact that has helped separate the act from their peers and forge lasting relationships. A lot of bands have different onstage and offstage personalities, but we are always true to ourselves and try to get the fans as involved in the band as possible, Santino says, adding that he personally mailed out copies of his debut EP to fans who supported him when A Rocket To The Moon was just starting out. We go up there and be ourselves and dont pretend to be rockstars; our job is to bring music to our fans, not to act like were better than them and thats something I think people can really sense.I just cant wait to get these songs into peoples hands, Santino responds when asked how he feels for the album to finally be completed after all the work thats gone into the On Your Side. We got the masters back the other day and I was sitting there with a big smile on my face as I listened to it. I was thinking, You just recorded with one of the best producers around and youre about to release a real recordand a couple of years ago you were just sitting in your bedroom at your parents house not doing anything, he explains, taking a moment to reflect on the bands whirlwind success that is looking to only grow more dizzying upon On Your Sides release. Its been an amazing ride so far and I cant wait to see what happens next.