Stay The Course is a pop punk/easycore band out of Wichita, Kansas. 2025 saw the release of their album Red Flag on Punkerton. BareBones Ent got the chance to chat with Joseph Meador, vocalist, about all things Stay The Course, Red Flag, emotional single “Post Traumatic”, and much more. Check out what all Joseph had to say when he sat down with us.
BBE: What do you think it is about Stay The Course, that helps you to stand out?
JM: I think our songwriting. We don’t like a ton of repetition in our songs, no one needs to hear a chorus 4-5 times haha, so as the story in the song goes along, the music will start changing with it too, usually.
BBE: Is this always the type of music that you wanted to make or did your sound change over time?
JM: We have always played pop punk and punk adjacent music, but we play around and mix in other genres for sure. Sometimes we throw in some hardcore and sometimes a little country!
BBE: Now I cannot wait to get into your song, “Post Traumatic”. This song is right up my alley of what I’m in to. I understand this is a little different than your usual music. Was there any concern about how your fans would respond?
JM: Nah, most everyone loves a good sad acoustic song. I’m more surprised we didn’t release one sooner! But really, we just put out what we like. If people like it, cool. If not, cool.
BBE: What type of a response have you been seeing?
JM: It’s been really good. A lot of people say it puts them back in their emo heyday feels. It may be our only song that my mom genuinely likes…
BBE: How did this song come together? Why did you feel it had to be on the tracklist?
JM: So Colby wrote this song after we had finished principal tracking for the record, and he sent me a phone recording of it one night. After hearing it, I immediately told him we have to record it for the LP, and he had to do lead vocals on it. The way he sang it absolutely blew me away. It took a little convincing, but we ultimately scrapped a different song and put this one in its place. It was the right move. Now if we could just get Taylor Swift or someone of that caliber to do a cover of it….cha-ching!
BBE: I hear that this song became a bit of a family affair. Can you share what led to that and how special that makes this song?
JM: When we finished recording the guitar and the vocal, we liked it fine, but we felt that it could have a little extra oomph. Strings always sound good with acoustic guitar, and thankfully, my wife and oldest daughter play cello and violin. First I had to beg my daughter, Londyn, to do it because she is a little bashful, but eventually she gave in and laid down the violin. Then of course, I asked my wife to put cello on it to hit the lower register and round it all out. This was the second song Kylie recorded on for us, and she’s always happy to contribute. I wasn’t even originally going to sing on this song at all, but after my family put pieces of themselves into it, I wanted to get in on it too. It means a lot to me that I have something we are all on together, forever.
BBE: This is on your album Red Flag, what can you share with us about the album?
JM: It is a wild ride. And if you love Tony Hawk and Warped Tour, you’re gonna love Red Flag. Pinky promise.
BBE: This album was released on Punkerton. What has working with them been like?
JM: This album 100% definitely WOULD NOT exist without them. Brandon (owner) is the hardest working guy we know. I don’t know how he does it all, but working with him and Punkerton has been awesome. They take really good care of us, and most importantly they care about our art. Punkerton is a great family to be a part of.
BBE: What is the best way for fans to keep up with news on this release?
JM: Follow us on all the socials (Insta)! And by following Punkerton Records too!
BBE: Anything else you would like to add?
JM: First, thank YOU for interviewing us and giving us a platform! We appreciate you! Anywho, you can find a link to pre-save our next couple of singles, and the full album on our social media pages (one link to save them all)! And we would say go check out the Punkerton roster! Theres so many great bands there for people to discover! And a big huge thank you to anyone who’s been keeping up with us and listening to our music! It means more than you’ll ever know!
