zine - Berlindsey

THESIS nIGHT
EDITION
PHILLY
BELOW
AVENUE
FEATURING:
LOCAL SPOTLIGHT
ARTISTS
Local Spotlight:
Count to four
Count to Four is a Progressive
Pop-Punk band from South Jersey/
Philadelphia whose sound flows along
the same lines of The Wonder Years.
Made up of members Pete Adams, Mike
Hayden, Jay Miller, and Neale DiMento,
they founded in 2010 they have released: two EPs Know Where You Come
From, an Acoustic EP, a fantastic Christmix single definitely worth a listen, and
their first full length album Between
Two Cities. Got to talk to Count to Four
about the inspiration behind their new
album and their thoughts on the Philadelphia music scene.
Where does the inspiration for Between Two Cities come from?
“Lyrically Mike was writing all of the
words. Between Two Cities refers directly to NYC and Philadelphia. Mike
was living in NY and driving home to
Philly almost every weekend to play
shows or write or do whatever with the
band. When you drive 4 hours to and
from two places every week, it gives
you a lot of time to reflect on one’s life
choices and who you are as a person
and where you are trying to get to in
your life. That essentially is what this
album is all about - Self reflection.”
What are you trying to get across
through your music?
“Over all we want a listener to see that
they aren’t the only ones who struggle
with the growing pains of growing up.
Musically we just want to make kick ass
songs that some one can really vibe out
too.”
How does the creative process work
for you?
“Most of the time Mike writes the lyrics
primarily and we’ll just tweak it.
Local Spotlight:
Count to four
Musically Mike will typically lay out a
structured rhythm to a song. Then Pete
will add the drums. Then the bass and
leads are brought in by Jay and Neale afterwards at which point the four
of us will take a step back and make
changes to the song in its entirety to
make it as best we can.”
Musical influences?
“August Burns Red, Jimmy Eat World,
Rufio and more currently Moving
Mountains. We really draw from their
styles when it comes to writing or looking for influence.”
How did you come up with the song
titles for Between Two Cities? My
personal favorite being ‘You Got Your
Woody Allen In My Gerard Butler’.
“A lot of that is explained in our album song-by-song commentaries on
our YouTube page, but that one in
particular is a pun…if you think hard
enough you’ll get it (laughs). But Plastic Dinosaurs came from a collection
of old toys Mike had as a child. Those
dinosaurs represent the nostalgia that
comes with looking back to years past.”
Though they have South Jersey/ Philadelphia roots Count to Four considers themselves part of the South Jersey scene.
“We NEVER play Philly. It’s been 4 times
in like 4 years. So definitely
South Jersey. Philly is a weird crowd –
there’s so much going on and unless
you’re a hipster band you really don’t
get much praise from college kids.”
“South Jersey has a great scene. Bands
like No Such Noise, Hold Your Own,
Tight Lungs, and a ton of other great
bands all come out of our area and they
all rock. Kids are loyal and go to shows
and everyone has a great time. It really
feels like a community here, and it’s
one of the best scenes anywhere in the
country.”
What’s the most memorable show
you’ve ever played?
“Aside from when we opened for All
Time Low, we’d probably have to go
with our home shows. Kids always have
a blast and crowd surf, wear costumes,
all while screaming our words back
in our faces. Nothing better than that.
They are are the reason we keep doing
this.”
Find out more about Count to Four
and their music online at
PhillyBelowAvenue.com
Local Spotlight:
The casual e
Started in the spring of 2012 by
Zach Anderson and Mike Donato, The
Casual E then brought on Chris Norton,
Kyle Montondo, and Jeff McKinnon to
fill out their sound. Their new EP Lust,
will be released on April 17th when
they play The Launch Music Festival
with headliners Panic! At The Disco. We
talked about their upcoming EP Lust
and the work behind it.
First, had to ask about the name and
what an answer.
“The Casual E. is short for the casual encounters. Casual encounters is
a category under craigslist personals.
It’s basically the No Strings Attached
requests. During a break in practice
last summer, we were surfing the web
on stumbleupon (an awesome random
site generator). It landed us on a casual
encounter page that was requesting a
man to have an intimate session with
a model toy train with 40 pounds
of imitation crab meat as payment.
We laughed for probably 5 minutes
straight. That was when we decided on
the name.”
Talking about the idea behind Lust
“Well, I looked at the name of the band
first. Then I looked at the songs that
are going to be on the EP. I realized
that everything I wrote was all about
lust. I also thought of lust from a societal standpoint. This is the lust generation. If there ever was a generation
that could be considered “hedonists” it
would be us. That’s why we settled on
Lust.”
Why a music video for “Princess”?
“When I recorded the rough version of
“Princess” at my house last summer, it
was a turning point in the band.
Local Spotlight:
The casual e
It showed new promise and a rebirth of
our sound. Plus we thought it was the
catchiest song on our roster.”
What goes into making your music?
“Believe it or not, I (Zach Anderson,
lead singer) write everything. All of the
music and the lyrics are mine. There
are some nuances in the way that each
instrumentalist plays of course. I collaborate with Chris, the drummer a
little. I give him an idea of what I want
the drums to sound like and he fills
in the rest. Some of the newer songs
have a bit more collaboration, but other
than that I write everything.”
When creating music are there any
artists that you try to emulate?
“That is such a tough question. I come
from a jazz/hard rock back ground.
When I write, I love using jazz chords
and ripping leads. Big influences are;
The Foo Fighters, Weezer, Paramore,
Panic! At The Disco, Fall Out Boy, Buddy Holly, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles,
Django Reinhardt, Irish folk music and
so many more.”
Best show you’ve ever played?
“Our most memorable show has yet to
be played. On April 17th, We will be
opening the entire LAUNCH music fest.
Panic! At The Disco is headlining our
show. It’s such an honor to be playing
with them. Brendon Urie has been
an idol of mine since Panic! came out
with “A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out.””
Of course I asked about the Philadelphia music scene and how playing in
Philly is for them.
“We haven’t even gotten play in Philly
yet, but we are in talks of a june show.
I really love The Troc. There’s just
something about the grunge and grit of
that place. It’s a REAL venue.”
“There are some serious venues and
some serious bands! We just played
a show with “Astronauts Really Fly”
last night and they’re definitely a band
to watch. There’s “Marathon” who is
lead by Zach Wagner. They’re music is
incredible. Then there are bands like
“Oxford” who are just starting off, but
have a tremendously promising future.
Philly has a lot of potential.”
Find out more about The Casual E and
their music online at
PhillyBelowAvenue.com
Local Spotlight:
Oxford
Oxford is a Philadelphia band
to watch, formed in North East Philadelphia in March 2014 (yes as in last
month) is already one of the Top 25 Local bands in the Tri-State area. Thanks
to the release of their debut single
“Smoke Signals”. PhillyBelowAvenue
got this up and coming band to answer
some questions about their new music
and how the Philadelphia scene plays
into their sound.
How does writing music work for
you?
“As a group we collectively write all of
our music. We have a nice little home
studio that we can work on our Pre Productions before the studio. Jost and Dyl
both record and we can usually get a
good understanding of what a song will
sound like before the studio. For Lyrics
and melodies; Jost comes up with all
the lyrics and melodies but we all
collaborate in the final product!”
Stylistically what do you draw on?
“Thats a huge range of styles. A lot of
us come from different backgrounds of
music. But, we all find a great creative
balance in writing our own styles. Just
to name some bands; The 1975, Bon
Iver, Led Zeplin, Michael Jackson, David
Bowie and Chvrches. We like to blend
modern pop with 80’s/90’s R&B.”
What are you currently working on to
follow up the success of “Smoke Signals”?
“As of now we are currently writing and
preparing our Live set. We have pretty
much finished our full length album!!
We have yet to stop writing and producing our own material. We have had
a couple ideas for a second single to
follow up “Smoke Signals”. We will be
Local Spotlight:
Oxford
releasing another Single in the next
couple weeks to follow up the debut
material! This songs great. It shows
that collectively we can write as a band.
Whether in “Smoke Signals”, it was very
synth and vocal driven. We’re beyond
excited to show/play our album for the
public.”
Future tours?
“YES!! We would love to tour. As for
now, we will be staying close and
branching out to local venues and
states surrounding us. We would love
to build up a solid fan base before
heading out on the road. Touring is
tough. Being as only one of us has
toured before, we want to be prepared
and ready than ever to show everyone
how beautiful music can be.”
What’s the story behind your name?
“Well, We have the name Oxford all
around our home in North Philly. We
were coming up with names left and
right and one day Jost and his girlfriend were out and she said “what
about Oxford?” We all agreed cause it
was so cool and kinda deep rooted to
the area too! Perfect fit!!”
music. Being that it’s such a diverse
city, it’s hard to really judge the scene.
There is great music scattered throughout the city. Without a doubt, one of
the best music scenes for a city! We
would not rather have any city than
Philadelphia to call our home.”
Best Philadelphia venues:
What do you think about Philadelphia’s music scene?
“As a band, we have all individually
played venues all over Philadelphia!
They’re all great! Some of the ones on
our hometown bucket list would probably be; The Electric Factory, The TLA,
Tower Theatre and Susquehanna Bank
Center.”
“The Philadelphia music scene is extremely diverse. It can range from
Hardcore, Indie, Jazz, Rap and Hipster
Find their new single “Smoke Signals”
and other music online at
PhillyBelowAvenue.com
Local Spotlight:
Kid felix
Kid Felix quickly made a name for
themselves after the release of their
first EP ‘Head Above Water’ in 2011.
Along with releasing another EP in 2012
‘Young Luck’ they also played Bamboozle and the Warped tour that summer.
‘Young Luck’ rocketed Kid Felix into
the Philadelphia music scene allowing
them to entertain huge crowds in venues such as TLA, World Cafe, Susquehanna Bank Center, Electric Factory,
House of Blues, and Starland Ballroom.
Their most recent EP ‘Rivals’ included
the track “I Am the River” featured in a
brand new music video. Currently Kid
Felix is touring up and down the East
Coast constantly playing music festivals and shows.
Guitarist Brett Hagen talks about
their recent tour, the Philadelphia music scene, and what goes into making a
music video for the six-piece band out
of Laurel springs.
How were the shows for your recent
tour along the East Coast?
“The shows were great. For some reason we seem to always get an unbelievable response in the New England
area. I can’t say enough about the
music scene up North. It’s not quite
as big as other places, but it’s such a
well-run scene. The venues are always
filled with people ready to hear music
and the energy was great. Everyone is
always welcoming, and they are always
open to new music and bands. And of
course New York is always a party and
a great time as well.”
What goes into making music for Kid
Felix?
“The process is very collaborative. It
usually starts with someone writing a
guitar riff and then bringing it to the
band. And then from there everyone
Local Spotlight:
kid felix
writes their own parts onto that including Jake adding lyrics and melodies
on top of it. So really everyone writes
their own parts to each song and each
of our songs has 6 songwriting credits.”
for it.”
‘Rivals’ features a music video for
the track “I Am The River” how was
shooting?
From your first EP ‘Head Above Water’ to ‘Rivals’ has your sound or the
creative process changed?
“I don’t think our sound has ever drastically changed from EP to EP, but I do
believe we’ve tried to do something
new with each release. I think with
Rivals we took everything that made
our sound in the first two Ep’s and just
tried to grow it into something a little
more complex and a little more mature. I do believe the tone is a little bit
darker than our earlier releases, but it’s
not necessarily something we did on
purpose. It could just be our anger and
frustration with today’s music industry
coming out in what we’re doing.”
Why the name ‘Rivals’?
“To me the name Rivals comes from the
everyday battle of trying to follow your
dreams and become what you always
wanted for yourself. Along that path
we’re always going to have Rivals that
we compete with in some way or another. But what the front cover of the EP is
trying to tell you is that maybe the only
true Rival you have is yourself. You
are the only thing standing in your way
from doing what you want to do. Forget all the other bullshit and just go
“I wish I could say some profound
thing about that shoot, but really it was
just a great time. We got together with
a bunch of friends, went out into the
middle of nowhere, got really drunk,
and then shot a video. Throwing bodies into that grave was really funny and
really painful. There was one guy on
a dirt bike that drove by as we were
dumping a body. He stopped his bike
and looked over, and then immediately
sped off. I assume he saw the camera,
but if not there’s probably some kind
of murder investigation still going on
out there.”
Does Kid Felix have an unforgettable
show?
“We’ve played some pretty memorable
Local Spotlight:
kid felix
shows. I absolutely loved playing with
Cold War Kids at the House of Blues
in AC, but I think the most memorable
would have to be last year’s MMRBQ.
It’s the biggest venue we’ve played to
date, and to be able to watch Soundgarden play to a packed house from the
side of the stage at the end of the night
was something I won’t forget.”
Catch Kid Felix May 3 at South Street
Fest. Listen to their music and find
out more at PhillyBelowAvenue.com
After touring the East Coast how does
Philadelphia’s scene compare?
“The Philadelphia scene is huge compared to the other local scenes on the
east coast. So it’s much more competitive and not quite as welcoming, but it’s
also filled with talent. I think the Philly
scene is only going to get bigger and
better as bands and venues continue to
get their name out there”
Best venues in Philadelphia.
“When it comes to playing a show I’d
have to say my favorite local venue
would have to be the TLA. It’s a place
with a great history and great sound.
When it comes to watching a show my
favorite venue is the Electric Factory.
Every show I’ve seen there has not only
had great sound and energy but great
visuals as well.”
Photo: SouthStreet.com
Local Spotlight:
colour & codeine
March of this year saw the release of Colour & Codeine’s debut EP
“If I Die Tomorrow”. Formally known
as No Regrets, this local Philadelphia
band is looking towards a possible
upcoming summer tour, local shows,
and constantly making more music. A
five piece band formally known as No
Regrets, currently Colour & Codeine
features a lineup of Paul Lerario - lead
guitar, Noah Coralnick - rhythm guitar,
Jordan Straub - bass, Tyler Samsel drums, and Justin Fava - vocals.
How was working on your debut EP
“If I Die Tomorrow”?
“Working on this release was very enjoyable and loads of fun. Collaborating
with Jon Kraft on recording the record
seemed to be a blast and was easy to
just be ourselves in the studio. Thus
making the recording process less
stressful and a more mellow working
environment. From start to finish the
recording, mixing, and mastering process took about 5 months to complete.
Not rushing art is key. No matter what
we as a band wanted to put the necessary time into making these songs perfect to our ears.”
Is this EP the musical debut for all of
you?
“In the past demos have been released
and are most likely floating around the
internet. Jordan “Squid” Straub, our
bassist, played in a few bands in the
past and has released songs with them.
Paul on guitar and Tyler our drummer
were both heavily involved in high
school Jazz Band and Chorale classes.
Lastly our lead vocalist Justin trained
for 11 years singing classical opera.
He’s got some pipes on him haha.”
Any music videos coming off this EP?
Local Spotlight:
colour & codeine
“Absolutely. We are hoping to start
shooting a video for one of the songs in
the near future.”
“The process for us is fairly simple.
Which is why it works. We all just come
together and play. One of us may come
up with a guitar riff or a vocal melody and then it’s like a snowball rolling
around getting bigger until the complete idea of a song is captured and we
have an obnoxiously large ball of snow
in our practice room haha. Another
song down.”
Do you have any musical influences?
Album Art for “If I Die Tomorrow”
How did Colour and Codeine start?
“It started as a “fun” project with Paul,
Tyler, and Noah in their middle school
years. Eventually deciding to take
things seriously, Justin joined them
along with their old bassist Colin forming a local band known as “No Regrets.”
After the departure of Colin we continued to play shows and grow as a band
until we picked up Squid to play bass.
Now the band has been doing better
than ever and released our EP “If I Die
Tomorrow” under Colour & Codeine as
a rebirth and new beginning.”
What goes into making Colour & Codeine’s sound?
“We absolutely have musical influences. Though none of us would attempt
to emulate another band. Having our
own sound and making our own music
is what keeps us going. Originality and
passion is key. Some of our collective
influences are: Emery, Fall Out Boy, and
Paramore.”
What’s on the horizon for Colour &
Codeine?
“Shows shows and more shows. Possibly a small summer tour through a
few neighboring states. We are always
trying to write more music. It’s in our
blood.”
What do you think of Philly’s scene?
“It’s fantastic. The Philly music scene is
great, large, and diverse. The shows are
always a blast and the food after the
show is just as good.”
Local Spotlight:
colour & codeine
Photos via
Colour & Codine Instagram
Any favorite Philadelphia venues?
“In our humble opinions, the best venue to play would be The World Cafe
Live and the best venue to attend a
show at would be The Electric Factory.”
Have you played any memorable
shows yet?
“Of course, we’ve played around 75
to 80 shows thus far and plan to keep
the number rising. The most memorable was probably this one show on the
main stage at World Cafe Live. There
was a large attendance of friends and
family there for support and got to
share a stage with some great acts
along with other local bands from our
home town.”
Find out more about Colour & Codeine
online at PhillyBelowAvenue.com
Local Spotlight:
ju-taun
First a five member R&B group
stared in the late 1990’s Ju-Taun has
transformed into a three piece multigenre group. The original lineup went
touring across the country and overseas, was featured on MTV, and played
shows all over the Philadelphia region.
Now reformed into a three piece group
with brothers Jake Evans, Jamie Evan,
and Samoeun Cheng they are starting
the process all over again. 2013 saw the
release of their latest video single “By
The River” a song with a deep south
feel. For a band once found listed in
the R&B genre their musical library now
boasts a sound one fan describes as
“Good music, but confused”. These Williamstown, New Jersey natives talked
about their sound, starting over as the
new lineup, and their experiences in the
Philadelphia scene.
Is Ju-Taun a real word?
“The name was just something we
made up one day years ago. We actually
started out as a five person, five part
harmony kind of R & B group when we
started making music.”
Their Google rating is fantastic.
“Your musical journey is an interesting
one, started as an R & B group and you
came out with a single with this Deep
South sound.”
“That’s where our journey lead us to.
We were really young kids when we
started singing together and we were
like oh let’s come up with something
that sounds different, something that
sounds cool. It really doesn’t mean
anything. Everyone always asks that.
We we’re thinking when you Google
it- that’s be us. And we kinda just kept
it. So our google Ranking is kind of
incredible. There are some people we
found that have that exact name in the
country.”
Local Spotlight:
ju-taun
The behind the scenes videos for “By
The River” show an extremely collaborative musical process. Is it always
like this?
“We were going over a song for some
show we had to do and it actually
came from my [Samoeun’s] mistake.
They were trying to get me to get the
rhythm and Jamie started clapping like
that and then Jake said oh that can be
a song. And that’s how the song came
about.”
“That’s how it’s been since we’ve started. We come from a really small town
in South NJ and we didn’t really have
access to a lot of other people to help
us you know make songs and put music together. So we started doing everything ourselves. That’s how we got
into producing and vocal arranging and
all that stuff. So you kind of can hear
some of that R & B stuff in our music
now. Especially as far as harmonies
and stuff like that, but that process has
always remained the same just from
years of doing it.”
“By The River” has such a Deep South
vibe, but you guys started out as an
R&B group. How do you classify yourselves now?
“I don’t know. We try not to classify
ourselves a anything, cause we don’t
know how to. We were an R & B group
for so long and it was like “hey we’re
an R& B group” now the stuff that we’re
doing even besides “By The River”
is so far away from that and it pulls
from so many different influences
that it’s kind of tough. I remember
one person at one of our recent shows
said that our music sounds confused,
but confused in a good way. It doesn’t
know what it wants to be but it becomes something.”
Who are your biggest musical influences?
“I don’t think you can help your influences just come out of your music. We
listen to a whole variety of things form
rock to I remember back in the day we
used to listen to a lot of R & B groups
we grew up listening to R&B as teenagers. But before that it was hip hop.
Before that, me and Jamie are brothers, and our father is a musician and
he used to tour with Chubby Checker.
He was our vocal coach. He helped us
begin. We wanted to do hip hop and be
cool and get girls but he was the one
that said no you need to really know
where it comes from. Where the music
comes from. So he had us listening to
everything. From the 50s, the 40s, all
kinds of music. If you want to be a musician you’ve got to appreciate all kinds
of music. Also besides that, my dad
was such a music fan; he didn’t listen
to a lot of country, some stuff. But he
was heavy into funk, jazz, and Latin
jazz, Motown, and rock, and 80s music.
He played music all day long. We grew
up with all those influences. Motown is
a huge influence , Marvin Gaye.
Local Spotlight:
ju-taun
Our music doesn’t emulate that stuff
but we do pull from it. I think like emotionally and subconsciously.”
Are you guys working on anything?
“We are working on an album right
now. We’ve been in the studio constantly. We’re trying to get a tour together.
Right now we’re just doing a lot of
shows locally in Philly and New York.
We’re trying to get a tour going we’ve
been in touch with a bunch of different
booking agencies, some colleges just
trying to get ourselves out there. Cause
when we were an R&B group we did all
that stuff. We toured the whole country, went to England, did an MTV show,
but the thing is now because it’s so different and were doing things with a live
band. And were doing things differently
it’s almost like starting over. It’s almost
like we’re back at square one. We’re
trying to build up a fan base, trying to
build another following with the sound
we have now.”
What do you think about the Philly
music scene right now?
“I think there’s a huge opportunity for
it to take on a life of its own again.
Cause there was a time when Philly
had an awesome music scene. Then it
kind of faded out and people started
leaving here to go become a star or go
find what they wanted to do. But I think
there are a lot of young bands now,
young artists coming up that are really
talented. And we’re starting to get some
new studios that have good sound and I
think that if the venues can line up with
that, if we can get some more venues
that are bringing in local artists, not
just big names. Then we can build that
momentum again. And show the people
that Philly does have a sound.”
What do you think about the Philadelphia venues?
“I like the small venues like Tin Angel.
I like the downstairs of World Café Live
umm we never played at Hard Rock but
we do have a show coming up May 5th.
We’ll be doing a lot of new stuff and of
course “By The River”.”
What’s the most memorable show
you’ve ever played?
“We’ve been doing this for a while so…
I think it would be back when we were
an R&B group. We did a show at the
Convention Center. We were on a tour
and Pantene and Procter & Gamble
was this whole campaign where they
would tour the country with R&B acts
and have this free expo. We would give
away stuff. And they would go to the
convention center of all the major cities. So we were on this tour. And we
knew ahead of time. This was how long
ago this was: Myspace was still at its
height. So we went on our Myspace with
some 60,000 friends, it was crazy we
told everybody we would be in Philly
and we have X number of free tickets.
Local Spotlight:
ju-taun
We had like 200 free tickets. And if
they get in touch with us ahead of time
we can get the tickets to you. We gave
all those tickets away. And then the
day of the show we went out there and
there were way more than 200 people. There were thousands of people
who came to see us. Which we were
surprised to see. Then they all started singing our songs and it was one
of those memorable moments. I don’t
think we’ve ever sang in front of that
many people who knew our music.”
Currently they’re working on a
new album and have shows coming up
on May 5 at The Hard Rock and May 31
at Tin Angle.
Find out more about Ju-Taun online at
PhillyBelowAvenue.com
Local Spotlight:
no such noise
Reworking the traditional boundaries of the pop-punk genre No Such
Noise infuses ska sounds into their
pop-punk verses. Definitely part of the
South Jersey music scene this six piece
band made up of Mitch Guedon, Joe
Fuscia, Tom Cruise, Mike Campanelli, Alex Dart, and Ben Schroeder hails
from Sicklerville, New Jersey. Their full
album ‘For Closure’ that debuted last
December is available on their bandcamp site.
How did you all start No Such Noise?
“No Such Noise was started in a Sicklerville basement by our lead singer/guitar player Mitch Guedon and bassist/
vocalist Joe Fuscia. Mitch and Joe were
in a previous band for a couple of years
before hand and the two decided it was
time to start playing Ska music. After
recording an EP as a band called the
“Ellemayos”, Guedon and Fuscia picked
up our current drummer Tom Crone.
Shortly after Crone joined the band
our ex-trumpet player, Vince Lacovara,
thought up the name No Such Noise. In
2010, I, Alex Dart, filled in for a show
on tenor sax and was asked to join the
band permanently that night. The current lineup finally was set by picking
up trombone player Ben Schroeder and
guitar player Mike Campanelli in the
spring of 2012. It took multiple member changes to get to finally get this
current lineup and after 2 years, we’re
still just six best friends playing music
together.”
In addition to the “Artists We Also
Like” section on your Facebook page
do you have any other musical or artistic influences?
“We all come from such a diverse background of music genres. Almost any
band you can think of probably has
Local Spotlight:
no such noise
influenced us in some way. Yes, even
GWAR. They had horns once.”
What went into creating ‘For Closure’?
“Creating “For Closure” was a learning
experience to say the least. It was our
first shot at writing a full-length album.
Lots of blood, sweat and Chipotle were
involved in the entire writing process.
After a year of writing an album, we
went into the studio and knew what
we had to do. Eventually lots of studio magic happened and we were able
to record 10 songs that we worked so
hard on. Stressful? Yes. Rewarding and
exciting? Absolutely.”
How does No Such Noise make music?
“It’s honestly a collaborative effort as
far as music goes. Everyone in the band
puts in his two cents and the ideas
keep constantly flowing. As for lyrics,
Mitch and Joe take the reins. Being the
two main singers of the band, they really make our songs come to life with
their lyrics.”
What other music do you have out
besides ‘For Closure’?
“Besides “For Closure”, we actually
have 2 five song EPs out. One is called
“Worst Birthday Ever” which was recorded before Mike, Ben and I were
in the band in 2010. We also released
another five song EP entitled “Life Goes
On” in 2012, which included Joe, Mitch,
Tom, our old trumpet player Vince and
me. We still play songs from “Life Goes
On” today and the EP is also available
on vinyl from Boshkung Records.”
Anything to follow up ‘For Closure’?
“This summer (end of July/August)
we’re actually set for a five-week full
U.S. tour that will take us to the west
coast for the first time and through
various new cities. As far as new music
goes, we’ve been taking it easy since
releasing “For Closure”, but we have
some new songs in the work for our
upcoming tour. Dates will be released
soon!”
Best show No Such Noise has ever
played.
“It’s honestly tough to pick just one because two come to mind instantly. First,
Local Spotlight:
no such noise
in December of 2012, we opened for
Badfish at The Electric Factory to a
packed house. Everything about that
night was great. The venue, fans and
everyone else in the other bands. The
second one would be Skanksgiving at
Starland Ballroom this past November.
We finally got a chance to open for Less
Than Jake & Mustard Plug, which have
been huge influences for us growing
up. It was amazing to play on such a
legendary stage in front of most of our
idols.”
Are you part of the South Jersey or
Philly music scene?
“Definitely the South Jersey music
scene. It has been our home since we
were kids and produced incredible
bands like Man Overboard, I Call Fives
& Crucial Dudes, just to name a few.
Our good friend Brad Kelsey has been
throwing amazing shows for years and
we definitely credit him with the ongoing success of the South Jersey music
scene.”
Thoughts on the Philly music scene?
“The Philadelphia music scene is great.
We play Philly every once in a while
since we only live ten minutes over the
bridge and it’s always a new, exciting
experience. Our favorite Philly venue to
play would have to be The Electric Factory. BUT, since we don’t always have
the opportunity to play there, I would
have to say The Barbary.”
Find out more about No Such Noise at
PhillyBelowAvenue.com
Local Spotlight:
the goaround
Since starting up in 2006 The
GoAround have weathered their fair
share of changes, now revolving around
two core members Alexander Saddic
and Anthony Saddic their debut album
‘Restating The Question’ is out. Self-described as a straight forward rock album, ‘Restating The Question’ has several videos in the works. Still in their
hometown of West Chester, Pennsylvania this band hopes their music will encourage people to love themselves and
approach life with grace and an open
mind.
than the instrumentation. Some have
compared our heavy usage of the piano
to The Fray and Coldplay, though most
of our songs present a much higher
energy level than is typical of either of
those bands. There are also hints of
blues influence in many of our songs,
which is something that will be a lot
more noticeable in the album that we
are currently recording.”
You describe ‘Restating The Question’
as straight forward rock, how does
your overall sound compare?
“TRY would be a strong word. We TRY
to be as original as possible, but the
influences of every musician will show
on some level through their music,
which we are totally okay with! We both
grew up with friends who listened to
pop stations and parents who listened
to Led Zeppelin and The Beatles. So our
influences range from Christina
“We have been described that way
mostly because our songs are very riff
oriented. However there is definitely
a pop element to our music as well,
though it is more in the songwriting
How do musical influences work for
you? Any artists or sounds you try
and emulate?
Local Spotlight:
the goaround
Photo:
Greg Rendell
Aguilera and the Backstreet Boys to Metallica and Nirvana, haha. We fall some
somewhere in the middle of those influences. I like to say that we write pop
songs that are made to be performed
by real musicians on real instruments.”
How do you create your music?
“I (Alex) typically write all of the lyrics
and the original music, but then Anthony takes it to the next level by adding riffs and intricacies on the piano,
as well as aiding in the writing of the
drum parts, bass parts and lead guitar
parts.”
You stand for everyone chasing the
same things: “love, acceptance and
happiness.” What do you want fans to
get from your music?
“We are huge believers in the cliché’
that life is a nonstop journey with no
real destination. With that principle in
mind, we believe that by treating each
other well we can all move forward on
our individual journeys, while simultaneously moving forward as the collaborative human race. Through music
we desire to encourage people to love
themselves and other people and to approach every situation with grace and
an open mind.”
‘Restating The Question’ is going to
feature two music videos; “Her Love
Is Like Glass” is already out. How’s
making a music video?
“We were really excited to make our
first music video. Working with David
Adeogun (director/producer) was truly
a delightful experience. It was a field
that we previously knew nothing about,
but with his help were able to dive into
it with ease and comfort. The original
idea for the video was ours, but with
David’s help as well as the help of our
lead actor and actress (Shaun Marron
and Koula Gregor), we were able to advance the story, making it really fun
Local Spotlight:
the goaround
represent our personalities in a whole
different way, as the last video was
based on a story but this one is based
on the band and our ability to perform
and connect with an audience.”
You lineup has changed quite a bit
since 2006 how was it finding those
who you musically clicked with?
Photo: Greg Rendell
and visually appealing. David also
helped us to shoot our live music video
for “When I Hit The Bottom,” which will
hopefully be released sometime in the
next 3-5 weeks.”
Anything you will change making the
video for “When I Hit Rock Bottom”?
“The video for “When I Hit The Bottom”
was recorded live. We really want to
give our online audience a feel for what
we sound like outside of the studio in
hopes that they might be inclined to
come out to a show. This video will
“It was most definitely NOT easy, haha.
It is also an ongoing process as we are
still on the hunt for another guitar
player. Our current drummer, Justin
Ruppert, was discovered on Craigslist and has been with us for over a
year now. We have a lot of chemistry
with him and hope that we are able
to continue working together in the
long term. Our current bass player is a
friend of ours from high school, Steve
Helmig, who is an incredibly talented
guitar player by trade that was able to
pick up the bass without a hitch! We
all listen to different music. Steve likes
prog/metal, Justin likes Pop/punk,
Anthony is into really theatrical classic rock like queen and Billy Joel and I
(Alex) have always really enjoyed pop
music. Our different musical preferences help us to collaborate in a really
unique manner.”
Any advice you’d give up and coming
musicians?
“Quite simply, don’t be an ass hole…
haha. Too many small time bands have
a fame/entitlement complex. If you are
Local Spotlight:
the goaround
nice to the sound guy and the booker,
they will invite you back. If you stay
and listen to ALL of the bands that perform instead of leaving early or hiding
in the green room you will make new
friends who will offer you many wonderful shows in cities all over the place.
The industry is all about networking,
and it is super easy to build yourself a
bad reputation by treating people poorly. On the same note, it is really easy to
move forward and build a large repertoire of supporters by going out of your
way to make everybody happy every
time you play…not to mention that it
should just feel good to love and be
loved!”
What’s next for The GoAround? Music,
shows, tour?
“All of the above, haha. We are planning a tour for the month of June, we
are recording a new album and we
are playing a ton of local shows in the
meantime! You can go to
www.thegoaround.com to check out
our list of upcoming shows. I would encourage people to support local music
and come out to a show sometime! It’s
always a ton of fun.”
Has The GoAround played any memorable shows?
“A few years back we played a show
at a little coffee club in Media, PA that
doesn’t exist anymore. It was such a
small room, but it was packed and the
audience was incredible! They sang
every word to every song, and everybody was so energetic that the walls
were literally dripping (is that gross?).
For some reason, that show has always
stuck out in both of our memories.
Those intimate gigs always take the
cake!”
What are your favorite Philadelphia
venues?
Local Spotlight:
the goaround
I definitely would recommend that
bands look into playing there and that
audiences try to catch a show there.”
Thoughts on the Philly scene?
“We love it. So many styles are represented by so many talented musicians
who work together so well regardless
of their differences. We have played
with such a huge variety of groups and
genres that all have been great to us
and put on stellar performances.”
“We love to see shows at the Troc and
the TLA because they’re not so huge
that you feel disconnected from the
bands and not so small that popular
bands sell out before you even get a
chance to grab tickets. As far as performing goes, we are both partial to a
little known venue on 9th street called
“Connies Ric Rac.” The owner, sound
guy and the bartenders are some of the
coolest people around, and the stage
isn’t as small and cramped as all of the
“dives” that we are all too familiar with.
They’ve got cool lights and a unique
decorative scheme and it’s the perfect
size where it’s easy to fill and comfortable to play at the same time. Also, they
somehow manage to only book awesome bands. Every time we’ve played
there it has been with bands that we
have never heard of who TOTALLY rule.
Catch The GoAround at:
M Room on May 3
Wilmington Flower Market on May 8
Connie’s Ric Rac on May 16
Find out more online at
PhillyBelowAvenue.com
Local Spotlight:
nobody yet
Lovers of Jurassic Park and eating
pizza with bullets on it, local band Nobody Yet is much more than pop-punk.
Following their 2008 debut EP ‘This
One’s Heading For a Photo Finnish’ recently released ‘Say Your Goodbyes’ is
their first full-length album. ‘Say Your
Goodbyes’ and their debut EP were
both self-produced. True artists writing
some songs with “vague/metaphorical”
lyrics and others inspired by Gwar this
Philly founded band has played shows
up and down the East Coast.
Your bio says Nobody Yet is more
than pop-punk, how would you describe your sound?
“When we describe it we really aren’t
sure what to say but we usually just go
with “alternative pop-punk.” We definitely think we have catchy choruses
reminiscent of pop-punk styles, but we
also think we have more guitar riffs
and a darker tone than some other pop
punk bands. We love pop punk, but we
think/hope we’ve added our own element to pop punk to make it us.”
How do you create music?
“As far as songwriting goes, Joe typically comes up with a progression and
riffs and then he shows them to the
guys. He will have a melody and possibly some lyrics to go with it to give an
idea of what the song will sound like.
Then we’ll sit in the basement and have
Matt try many different drum beats/
rhythms to see what best fits the songs.
Typically, Joe writes about life events
and often tries to be vague/metaphorical with his lyrics so no one knows
what the hell he is talking about.”
What are your artistic influences?
“Joe started playing guitar after hearing
Local Spotlight:
Nobudy yet
classic rock songs, but then he got sick
of those and got into new bands. Matt
has ranged from Dave Matthews to
Gwar to The Darkness, but luckily Joe
got him addicted to Green Day and Fall
Out Boy’s old records. In addition to
FOB and Green Day, we love the first
Panic! record, Bayside, Pierce The Veil,
and many others.”
Where did the old-timey feel behind
your come from?
“In practices we would literally talk
about what “style” we wanted with our
music and our record. Joe has always
worn ties and has always liked that
style, and we all embraced it and went
with it. It’s not for everyone/every
band, but we have always loved when
bands give a full production with everything that embodies their band. From
the music, the wardrobe, the artwork,
the stage set up, to everything.”
Do you self-produce your music videos?
“We have produced and recorded all
of our videos with help from Ryan’s
buddy and co-worker, Michael Russo.
Ryan and Michael have access to cameras and lighting which was obviously
very convenient. They take much longer than we ever thought, but the final
product is definitely worth it.”
2012 saw the release of your first
full-length album ‘Say Your Goodbyes’
any follow up music coming?
“We literally think about new material every single day. Joe is constantly
humming a riff or melody in the “voice
memos” app on his phone. Right now,
we’ve been busy booking tours and
playing as much as possible, so we haven’t had much time to concentrate on
completing a record, but we would love
to be in the studio by the end of the
year. Until then, perhaps we’ll come up
with some other cool shit.”
How is self-booking along the East
Coast?
“Fucking hard. No one responds. It’s
virtually impossible to play shows on
weeknights. I (Joe) literally spend hours
on my computer and phone just
Local Spotlight:
nobody yet
reaching out to fans, bands, venues,
and promoters hoping that someone
can help us find a show.”
Seeing as you’ve toured all over how
does Philadelphia’s music scene compare to other cities?
You’ve played a lot of benefit concerts, how do these compare to other
shows?
“To be honest, Philly gets tons of big
bands, and it’s a great city to see shows
on that level, but bands at our level
(that don’t play 5,000 capacity shows)
with our types of fans don’t have many
options in the city. Most venues want
to sell alcohol, making the show 21+,
and bands like us typically do better
with an all-ages audience. However,
just outside of Philly, just north of the
city and even in South Jersey, shows
are usually pretty awesome.”
“Typically benefit concerts are held in
larger areas at universities where there
are activities and food while normal,
self-booked shows are usually at smaller venues with 6 bands stacked on top
of each other. Both shows are equally
fun but the benefit concerts have a different meaning because we know that
we are helping a worthy cause that isn’t
just about us gaining fans and getting
our name out there.”
What do you think about Philadelphia
venues?
“In Philly, there are a lot of good spots
where we haven’t even played yet. The
Electric Factory is fun because it is big,
but not arena sized. The Troc and TLA
are more intimate to watch shows. We
were lucky enough to play on the Troc
Main Stage once and it was fucking
awesome. We’ve never played at any
of the other larger stages, but I’m sure
they’re fun as hell too. We play at the
Troc Balcony often and we always have
fun there. It’s smaller so the crowd gets
tight and nice and sweaty haha. One
day we’ll be playing at one of the stadiums and that’ll be pretty cool I guess.”
Best show you ever played.
“The best show(s) are probably when
we drive up to the Newtown, CT area
and every kid sings our songs. It’s
incredible. We have also been lucky
enough to play on a huge outdoor stage
with Cartel and that was a dream. One
of our favorite moments would definitely be the last time we played in
Newtown and not being able to hear Joe
singing over the audience. Best feeling
ever.”
Visit PhillyBelowAvenue.com for
news on Nobody Yet’s upcoming tour.
Local Spotlight:
modern suits
Modern Suits is a local five-piece
indie band made up of Keith Gibbons,
Adam Jessamine, Mikal Smith, and
Dean Hartley. Playing both full-band
and striped down shows to Modern
Suits good music is good music. 2012
saw their most recent release with
‘Promises’ EP. Currently working on
more music Modern Suits is lining up
shows all over the Philadelphia area.
You play stripped down and with a
full band, which do you prefer?
“We prefer the full band shows. We
work really hard on being a tight band
and take pride in being a strong musical collective. If there is an acoustic
performance, it’s nice to know that the
songs translate well because that is
where they all started. Just one person
sitting down with a guitar and an idea.”
How does your sound change from ‘In
Transition’ to ‘Promises’?
“We all listen to different types of
music and I think that shows in our
songwriting. It’s hard to pinpoint our
sound because we have so many varying influences. Each record has had its
own sort of sound, whether that was
intentional or otherwise. In Transition
was basically a record I wrote and had
my friends play on. I needed to get the
band off of the ground so it was a great
jumping-off point. Promises was written from more of a band perspective
where more input was coming in from
everybody. Going into that record, we
wanted it to feel like a “wall of sound.”
Even on this record, I was still unsure
of what I was doing as a vocalist.”
Any artistic influences?
“Our major influences include: Biffy
Local Spotlight:
Modern Suits
Clyro, Thrice, Queens of the Stone Age,
Death Cab for Cutie, Arcade Fire, The
Killers, Foo Fighters, Saves the Day,
Brand New, Copeland, U2, Deaf Havana,
Kings of Leon, and Pink Floyd.”
How was working with Fred Mascherino (Of Taking Back Sunday)?
“Working with Fred has been such an
eye-opener. He took us out on our first
little tour which was great. Beyond
producing the new record, he has been
increasing our musical knowledge and
making us a better band by pointing
out our flaws and strengths.”
Your first EP ‘In Transition’ came out
in 2011, followed by ‘Promises’ in
2012. Can we expect any new music
releases anytime soon?
“Currently, we’re recording a new EP
due out this year which we are all very
excited about. We’ve gone through a
lot of changes in the past year which
turned out for the better. It’s more mature. As a songwriter and vocalist, I’ve
come a long way since the last record,
and we have progressed naturally as a
musical entity.”
Any more shows after you play the
Milkboy on May 11?
“After the Milkboy show on May 11th,
we have a show in Harleysville, PA that
should be a lot of fun. Since we have
the new record being finished up, we’re
going to be searching out some touring opportunities and shooting a music
video or two”
You’ve played a ton of Philadelphia/
Philly area venues, which was the
best to play?
“As far as Philly venues we’ve played,
the TLA was the best. It’s nice to play
on such a big stage in front of a lot of
people. I will say however that Milkboy
is currently our favorite place to play.
It’s a great room, the sound is always
above and beyond, and they treat the
bands that play there well. The food is
excellent as well.”
Local Spotlight:
modern suits
What’s the best venue to see a show
at in Philadelphia?
“Union Transfer is hands down the
nicest venue in the city. The sound is
incredible and just the atmosphere of
the place is very warm and inviting. I’ve
seen The Dear Hunter there twice and
was blown away. They do seated and
standing room shows and both have
been very comfortable.”
As a band what is the most
memorable show you’ve played?
“The most memorable show Modern
Suits has played would be the TLA
show back in October. It was the biggest show we have played as a band. It
was also a huge turning point for us. It
sparked a lot of internal changes and
opened a few new doors for us.”
Check out PhillyBelowAvenue.com
for updates on Modern Suits
PHILLY
BELOW
AVENUE
lindsey berlin