“The music industry is smaller than you think”-Craig Mabbitt & Telle Smith on unlikely friendships

Craig Mabbitt (Escape The Fate, the Dead Rabbitts) and Tyler “Telle” Smith (The Word Alive) take you through their extended intertwined history and talk about the unlikely friendships bands make on the road in part one of three in our latest artist-on-artist conversation.
“I remember being young and walking around and seeing the older bands that I was listening to when I was trying to get into music and being like, ‘How do they all know each other? This is crazy,” says Mabbitt. “And now I know why, because I’ve probably toured with a lot of these bands 15 times, it seems like.”
“The music industry is so much smaller than you think when you’re either not in it or just getting started,” says Smith. “You think that it’s impossible for you to ever become acquaintances or friends with or meet all these people.”
They express the importance of touring for young bands and how it acts as a natural tool that brings artists together as well as people they thought they would never have met in their lives, like Bert McCracken from the Used and Spencer Chamberlain of Underoath and Sleepwave.

[@KissesLeaveScars]

Knowing the music industry isn't as hectic as it appears is so reassuring, at least for me. Made the decision to seriously get into music again recently and listening to someone like Craig, who I definitely do look up to, settles my nerves about trying to break into the alternative and rock type "scene".

[@rabcfcuj]

how'd that go?

[@lmlBFMVlml]

That last quote though.

[@heroofjune5273]

i wish you had them talk about their bands more, like how craig left the word alive and how telle joined and how all that happened. but them saying the used and underoath was pretty sweet

[@Kelsey1309]

Basically, Craig got the offer to join Escape The Fate and took it, and then Telle stepped up into the vocalist position in The Word Alive. At least, that's how I understand it.

[@nilsgustafson6067]

Craig was playing with ETF and TWA at the same time. the rest of TWA replaced him at the time because they couldn't work with his split schedule. There was beef but it got squashed pretty early. Craig is good at squashing beef that he didn't even start. He's a real gentleman when handling stuff. I think him and Ronnie are still on good terms. Much Props.

[@Wescoast106]

I actually really needed this thanks

[@M3g4UBERn00b]

The way Americans say Craig will always baffle me

[@tashowen6993]

Ikr, it's like 'Creg' xD

[@altpress]

KREGxLIFE

[@BendyDH]

how do Europeans say it? O.o

[@M3g4UBERn00b]

***** Crayg, as opposed to Creg

[@BendyDH]

weird

[@kwamecoleman6550]

They should have kept Craig cause look at the word alive now 😂😂😂🗑

[@nilsgustafson6067]

TWA is incredibly successful. Not sure what you're about.