5 Questions
with...
1. If I knew absolutely nothing about Soundside,
how would you describe the group’s music to me?
-- I’d describe our music as a mix between
80’s and 90’s rock with a
modern flavor to it. However, we’re not afraid to venture into different
genres and add pieces of pop, reggae, latin, or other types of music to
keep things fun and fresh. There’s really no big secret way that
we have
or revolutionary music barrier we’re trying to break when we’re
writing a
song. We’re just trying to find ways to stay in the listener’s
head. I
think we accomplish that by having a lot of energy and feeling in our
songs so they’re fun and easy to relate to.
2. If I were to buy your new album Seconds From
Sunrise,
what songs should I pay particular attention to and why?
-- I’d have to say a couple, since a lot
of the songs are so different. “Loss For Words”,
the single on the album, is probably the most powerful
sounding song on the album with driving guitars and a really big chorus
that has dual vocals in it between Dan Reardon and I. It’s kind
of like
Evanescence meets Taking Back Sunday. “Mind Over Maria”,
I think is one of
the most fun on the album, cause it’s a mix of rock and reggae
and its
just simply a fun song to party to. It’s about a girl that drives
you
crazy, but makes you feel good. “Elixir”, is a powerful
rock ballad that’s
one of my favorites lyrically and it’s easy to find yourself
turning it up
and rocking out to the cool drum hooks by the end of the song.
3. When and where did the band form, and where did the
name come from? The band was formed in the winter of 2004,
in my basement in Glen Cove,
NY. Dan and I went to high school together back in the day, so I called
him up after I graduated college to see if he still played the guitar
because I wanted to start a band. We also went to high school with Matt,
and knew he was a great bassist from playing with him in different bands
around the circuit so we picked him up as well. Karina, we found at a big
drum competition in long island where she kicked ass and won 2nd place in
the advanced drum category. We gave her a CD of her stuff and she blew us
away in her auditions.
The name Soundside actually came from when I used to pick up Dan for
practice, I used to pass by a place called the “Soundside Café” on
the way
to his house. Since we all live right on the Long Island Sound, we just
went with Soundside. Plus, it has a musical connotation too.
4.
What was your worst on stage experience? What was your
best?
Our worst stage experience was when we did a big rock festival up in
New Hampshire called the Granite Rock Festival. The festival was set
up
with an awesome stage and all these cool tents and games, but no-one
anticipated there being 50 mph winds the day of the show so barely anyone
came. It was so freaking cold we had to play in full winter gear and
the
drum stands blew over like 5 billion times during the set. Fortunately,
there were a whole slew of hippie buses that managed to stay for the
event, they all really loved the show… haha.
Some of our best shows honestly have been in the smallest and darkest
night clubs in Manhattan and Long Island, on some nights where we packed
the place and the entire bar is dancing, jumping, and singing our songs
right into the microphones with us. When the atmosphere is more like a big
party than a performance it makes it that much more fun for us to play.
That’s one of the reasons we love playing colleges too, because the
energy
is so great.
5. Do you think that the Internet (whether it be Internet
radio, legal downloading, MySpace, streaming audio, etc.) is a good tool
for musicians or is it a bad thing because it hinders profits?
-- I totally do [think it's good]. I can quite easily
say that we’d
be nowhere without the
internet. Internet radio, downloading, sending files, and online communities
like Myspace have been just so tremendous in getting our music heard by thousands
who might have never heard us otherwise. Between Myspace and instant messengers,
we’ve been able to develop a ton of
fun
relationships with people who enjoy our music. We can communicate with
them easily and we get to become familiar with people at a personal level.
This is especially important as an indie band to build a loyal fanbase
since they’re the only mediums we have to reaching a lot of people.
For
example, I once had a 14 year-old boy ask me if I could help him write
a song to play for a girl he really liked in his school. I helped him with
his lyrics and he was so pumped that I didn’t mind doing it. The
girl loved the song and he’s been a diehard Soundside fan ever since.
I mean
how else besides the internet does a band get to relate to people so
easily? The internet has revolutionized band interaction with their fans
and new listeners. If you’re really a good band and develop a great
and
passionate fanbase, the profits will come eventually. The internet also
gives bands which don’t have major distribution ties to sell their
music
online, so new forms of profit are invented.
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