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Interviews for February 2003
Band Camp; Interview done by Dan
This four piece out of the great Long Island scene is making heads turn. They have catchy melodies and sincere, caring lyrics. Songs like "Same From You" and "Over and Done" shows the band energetic side. A song like "She’s not" shows the compassion of the band. This band is on the rise for great things. Dan recently got a chance to do an interview them. It includes how they got their start, school, music in general, and many other interesting stuff. If you’d like to find out more about Band Camp then please check out their website: bandcampmusic.com
1) Tell us all your names and what you do in the band. What are all of your ages and where are all of you from?
Rob-My name is Rob Guariglia, I am 24 years old and live on Long Island
Matt-I'm Matt- I play, write for the band, play guitar and sing. I'm 15 and from long island NY
Kris-Kris, I play drums. I'm from long island and am 24.
Mike-Mike Schwartz - 18 years old - Long Island
2) How did you guys meet?
Rob-Matt (the singer of Bandcamp) is a fan of another band that I play with named Forward. I was his first choice of lead guitar players and the rest is history.
Matt-The drummer is my brother so we've always been playing together. Rob and
Mike we met through mutual friends and started working together.
Kris-me and matt are brothers, rob and mike were both friends of ours.
Mike-I was filling in on bass for my brother's band, Kingston12, and Matt was at the show. He thought I was pretty good and a few days later he asked me to join the band.
3) When did you become a band?
All-We started playing together in late April of 2002 and our first show as a band was May 18th of 2002 in New Jersey at Great Adventure.
4) What's the one song that describes the band the
best?
All-The song that best describes Bandcamp would probably be "Same From You". I say this because it contains all of the elements that make up Bandcamp - high energy, excellent song writing, great musicianship, and most importantly a lot of fun! It shows how energetic we can be while still balancing it out with a laid back verse. The two compliment each other very nicely to show the diversity of styles we can utilize.
5) Where do you guys get your inspirations from?
Rob-I think that we all get our inspirations from different places. I grew up listening to things like Led Zeppelin, however I have always been very open minded to all different styles of music. I currently am listening to bands like Sugarcult, Jimmy Eat World,
and Tonic.
Matt-The biggest inspiration to me are my influences. I listen to a lot of different type of music so when I listen to something different and new, it inspires me to write something along those lines.
Kris- Everything from pop punk to emo to modern radio rock.
Mike-I'm personally influenced
by many artists. I first got into music when I was in elementary and junior high school, listening to rock groups like Pearl Jam and Bush. As I got older, punk was all I listened to. More recently, I've been listening to groups with wider ranges of styles such as Incubus and Coldplay.
6)What's the coolest thing about being in a band?
Rob- The coolest thing for me about being in a band is performing live. I love playing in front of an audience - the energy, the feeling that you are connecting with fans.
Matt-The coolest thing is definitely just getting to meet and hang out with all
the bands you really like
Kris- Getting to play at shows.
Mike- Just being able to go up on stage, put on a great show, and then walk around and have people tell you that they enjoyed your performance. It's such a rewarding experience.
7) Do you see your band lasting a long time?
Rob-I don't have any doubt that the band has the ability to last. Bandcamp has tons of substance in the material, which is a direct result of Matt's songwriting.
Matt- Definitely.
Kris- I see us last a long time because we stay current with our sound.
Mike- Yes. We're four guys that get along very well, and Matt's writing is so diverse that I don't see him getting trapped in a genre that will no longer be popular.
8) When is your next album due to be released?
All-We are currently working on some songs in Manhattan - the songs are taking on lives of their own and sound amazing - as far as a release date is concerned I think it that it is just too early to tell. It's a four song EP so we are trying to get a fan base first then record a full length CD.
9) How do you balance school work and your music life, if you are going to school?
Rob-I am not personally in school anymore, however being in a band certainly requires a large amount of dedication and time - so you really have to balance out education, a job, or just a personal life. Sometimes it is not so easy, but with all the hectic scheduling it is certainly well worth it!
Matt- 10th grade woohoo. You just have to get your work done during the day. Then at night you get to do what you love. It's kind of like the mullet, business in the front, party in the back.
Kris- it's hard to balance work and the band, but I make the time.
Mike-I'm a student at SUNY New Paltz, which is only a two hour drive from home. I practice when I'm up at school with our CD, and when we have shows I take the bus in to Long Island and am able to play.
10) What kind of message do you want to send out to your fans?
All-Keep spreading the word and supporting the music. If it wasn't for you we'd have nothing. We love seeing you come to our show, because it lets us know that people enjoy listening and seeing us.
11) How did you come up with the name "Band Camp"?
Matt-The producer of our CD came up with the name. He suggested it to us, and we
had a show like a week later and needed a name. So we all agreed it'd be a
cool name to run with.
12)How did it feel to be a featured band on AOL?
All-That was really cool. It was a nice way to be recognized. It always feels excellent to be a "featured band" - feels good to know that somebody is getting the music, but AOL is such a large entity - it is certainly an amazing honor!!! We are totally psyched!!!
13)What's the crowd been like at shows?
All-They've always been totally supportive and receptive. The fans have been absolutely amazing; the fans are so gracious and really get what the music is about. Crowd has been nothing short of amazing. Always making us feel welcomed and comfortable. Singing along, dancing around. Has been awesome.
14) Any final thoughts?
All-Check out www.bandcampmusic.com!!! Well seriously we think that we are going to continue our trend of creating the fan base and just take each day as it comes!
Mike-I'm Swiss, like the cheese.
Scott of Drive Faster; Interview done by Chris Monigle
Drive Faster has been together for a couple of years. They’ve had a couple of member changes, but are completely ready now. With their EP on the horizon and shows galore, I thought it would be nice to ask Scott a few questions. If you want to hear and know more about Drive Faster, please visit drivefasterrocks.com.
1)State your name and what you do in the band.
Scott-My name is Scott and I sing and play guitar.
2) How do you feel you’ve changed since the beginning, three years ago, and now?
Scott-Well, very basically we are a million times better. Since Drive Faster started two and a half years ago, we finally feel we have reached a level where we can make good things happen. I think a big part of it is me switching from bass to guitar and getting Sa and Rob on drums and bass...Those guys are awesome musicians and we get along really well...which is very important. I don't know...Being from West Chester (PA), we've seen alot of great bands start out with us, and now most of them are broken up. So I guess we are doing something right.
3) What is up with the new E.P.?
Scott-The new EP is called "The Dream Is Over". I know it's been delayed a bit, due to artwork complications, but it will definitely be out in early February. Bling Bling Records has been working hard with us and it's been great working with them. I think they are taking pre-orders for it. you can go to blingblingrex.com and check it out.
4) What song do you feel best describes the band?
Scott-Without a doubt, I personally feel "Anthem For The Bleeding Heart" (off the new EP) gets us wet. It's just a fucking rocking song that pumps us up to play live. I know Anthony (guitar) enjoys that one and would beat my ass if I didn't say it.
5)What are some of the bands inspirations?
Scott-We listen to alot of cool bands. We definitely don't like to keep our sound influenced to one particular band, but one good example is Saves The Day. Their album "Through Being Cool" is one of Anthony and my favorite albums. We loved it so much that we went and recorded our first full-length, "From This Second On" at Trax East, NJ....The same studio "Through Being Cool" was recorded. I know Rob digs AFI and CKY alot. Sa loves bands like Finch and Reggie And The Full Effect who have heavy, double bass drum styles.
6) What is the writing process like?
Scott-I generally will bring a song to practice. It's basically a very rough idea at first, but after Anthony starts helping to develop lead guitar parts and Sa and Rob bring the meat, the song comes to life. Songs I write on my own almost never end up the way I think they will, and thats so great. I love when we all come up with different and interesting ideas, it just makes the writing process so much more fun and effective.
7) What is currently spinning in your CD player?
Scott-Personally, I'm listening to alot of The Ataris right now. Kris Roe from The Ataris is one my favorite songwriters. He has the ability to write amazing lyrics with great melodies, and I think that's the shit. "End Is Forever" is one of my absolute favorite pop/punk albums of all time...But the new album, "So Long Astoria" is getting me excited (in more ways than one...can ya dig it?). Sum 41's new album is rocking too...I like how they managed to make a heavier album after their poppy/TRL favored last album.
8)What does the band want to get accomplished in the upcoming months?
Scott-Well, in the upcoming months, I simply want to make a name for ourselves around our local area to start. It seems like everytime we have been able to blow up and become bigger, shit happens and we are set back. With Sa and Rob in the band now, I feel like we are primed to break out. "Local Legend" is a status I would love to achieve. Plow United was a band that reached that status around here in the mid to late 90s. It's our time now. Taking our party on the road is also something else we have planned for the future. Especially with this new EP...I think the world is ready for Drive Faster...Word to your motha's.
9)Any final thoughts?
Scott-Party hard...Get drunk...Stay cool...Go to drivefasterrocks.com and see you at the shows. Thank you.
