Ask lead guitarist Josh Partington of Something Corporate what the best part about playing colleges is and you won’t get the obligatory answer about great fans. Oh no, this man is all about the parties afterward.

Something Corporate burst onto the rock-pop scene in 2002 with a summer hit. Shortly after releasing an EP that laid the foundation for its first album late last October, the band released its second album, North, which has already reached higher levels of popularity than its first album, Leaving Through the Window. As part of a short, two-week tour to promote their new album, the guys will be stopping at several universities, and on Friday night they will play the Marvin Center with fellow southern California rockers The Red West.

Leaving Through the Window generated the smash radio hit, “If You C Jordan.” After months of touring, So-Co began building a national fan base and reputation. Last summer, the band was lucky enough to open for 311 and Good Charlotte on two large arena tours.

The Hatchet was able to catch up with Partington while he and the rest of the band were on the road.

Hatchet: You guys are headlining this tour and playing a few colleges. How does that affect your mindset?

Josh Partington: Well we’ve built up enough of a fan base so that we can go out and headline a tour. It’s at the point where we know that 1,000 to 2,000 kids will be there, and we’re pretty happy with that. Getting to do these tours where we get to play colleges are so awesome. It’s what a lot of the guys in this band missed out on because I only went for two years. Playing colleges is always the best because the parties after are the best.

H: You guys were out with 311 on a summer tour and I heard about a particularly rough show at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. How hard was it to open on that tour?

JP: That was the kind of tour where every night was a different story. That night was a little rough, but that’s the reason we took that tour – to try to convert a few people every night. It was kind of like, ‘Let’s just go out there and play,’ and we sort of had to white-knuckle it. We didn’t have any of our fans there, so it was more of a job.

H: So far, how does the band feel about the success of the new record, or is it too early to tell?

JP: We are all pretty happy with it. The sales are going off – I think they are about at the same level as Leaving through the Window in a lot less time than it took for the last album o sell. It shows we have converted people into fans, and not just the people who bought the last CD.

H: What reactions have you gotten from the fans on your new album, North?

JP: Most reactions have been very positive. I think a lot of people are noticing that it’s a little bit more mature and a lot different from Leaving through the Window. That was kind of our goal – not necessarily to depart from our sound but to show growth in the band.

H: So do you think the band and the music have gotten more mature since the last album?

JP: The word “mature” is always kind of touchy. You don’t want to grow up and become Michael Bolton. I still think there is a lot of youth in our music.

H: It seems like North is less “pop-y” than Leaving through the Window.

JP: I would probably agree with that. I think it’s a different kind of thing. When Andrew (McMahon) and I sat down to write the record, we tried to keep our pop sensibility about us. But it’s not necessarily a pop-y album. That’s what we were going for.

H: What are the band’s influences?

JP: It’s definitely different for all of us. Personally, I’m the rock guy. I listened to Pantera, Metallica and Hendrix in high school, and I was into Nirvana from the beginning. I know Andrew was really into Billy Joel. We both share the love for Counting Crows and Weezer.

H: If there is one thing you could tell the fans, what would it be?

JP: It would totally be “thank you.” I think we have the most awesome fan base. They are totally what makes everything possible.