Taking Back Sunday have seen it all. Finding success and respect from critics and fans alike both as an indie band and as part of a major label roster, they've seen the industry transitions and pitfalls firsthand since their formation in 1999 and have weathered more storms than a lesser band could've withstood.

Their newest album, New Again, arrived to massive critical acclaim on June 2nd, and many fans consider it to be the band’s best album to date. We caught up with bassist / backing vocalist Matt Rubano to talk about the album, their tour this summer with Weezer & Blink 182, and what it means to be a successful rock band when the heroes are dying (RIP Michael) and industry fatcats are sinking like stones.

 CraveOnline: Can we get ten words to describe the tour so far?

Matt Rubano: A tour so great, we tried to extend it indefinitely.

CraveOnline: I just caught a screening for It Might Get Loud - it's a film where Jimmy Page, Jack White and The Edge got together & discussed technique, style, songwriting & life. As a guitar player, it changed my perspective on approaching the instrument in a big way. If you could get together with a couple other musicians and dissect how they operate, who would it be?

Matt Rubano: I have heard about this movie and I’m very curious about it. I love the idea of people like that getting into the specifics about their genius. My list of people would be very long and would include everyone from Motown Bass Legend James Jamerson to Ian Mackaye, Questlove, Herbie Hancock, and Bjork.

CraveOnline: Do you guys do any writing on the road? Can you describe your writing process?

Matt Rubano: We usually have some type of demo recording gear on tour with us be it garage band or a small protools set up. The initial writing for New Again was done on the Projekt Revolution tour in 07 but I think we thrive when we're able to rehearse as a band and then take time away to refine ideas. Our writing process has many different paths - as a group all together, one of us with a nearly complete song, or combinations of us writing together. We're at the point now where we respect and admire each other’s strengths and love to contribute to each other’s ideas to make them into Taking Back Sunday songs.

CraveOnline: I've heard that there was a lot of extra material after the New Again sessions. Specifically, a song called Winter Passing that people have been talking about as "the perfect ending for an 8th grade dance". Are we talking Journey anthems here? Will we see a release for any of those, and when/how?

Matt Rubano: HAHAHAHA...that’s amazing/insulting. I would liken Winter Passing closer to something like a Hall and Oates b-side rather than an 8th grade dance. That’s a song that came about by really erasing all the lines and writing with your mind wide open. Something like that would never have been recorded in the past. While we chose to leave it off of New Again it is a song that we're proud. I’m not sure if there are any plans to release it.

CraveOnline: If you guys had to do a covers album, what are a few songs you'd like to get on there?

Matt Rubano: We've actually talked about doing something like that this year. We would each pick a few covers that would all sum up our influences and try to interpret them as TBS. I think I’m the one the other guys are worried about because I listen to a lot of jazz, r&b and Motown and also was a huge Chili Peppers fan when I was younger. Adam would definitely not like singing Anthony Keidis' lyrics. By that same token, Mark loves Metallica and I don’t have the time to learn any Cliff Burton solos so we'll see how it goes.