Interview with Sean Tobin

By Deaglan Howlett | Posted Sunday, May 22, 2022

Sean Tobin has been writing invigorating Irish folk rock for the past few years and is back with a new full-length June 10th titled Ghost of The Arcade. Following up 2020’s East Coast Artifacts, Tobin’s latest singles showcase his shore town storytelling with his solid backing band. Sean’s music fits in Asbury Park bars just as well as pubs in Galway. Combining traditional Irish instruments with punk ferocity, his music remains exciting and at times nostalgic. I reached out to Sean to talk about his band and their upcoming album just a few weeks away. Thanks again, Sean!

When did you first start releasing your own music?

I released my first single in the winter of 2018, “Winter (In an Ocean Town).” That was one of the first songs I thought might be worthy of putting out into the universe. The other was “This Midnight”, which was the title track to my first album that came out later that same year. Safe to say, production quality and base-knowledge of songwriting has grown since then, but I still put many of those songs into my setlists.

Who is in your current lineup? How do these players influence your sound compared to when you first started?

Drums - David Patiño

Bass - Jack Breslin/Backing Vox

Lead Guitar/Mandolin/Accordion - Jake Garbe

Fiddle (When We Can Lock him Down!) - Sean-David Cunningham

These guys were a hodge-podge of connections that I'd made over the years.

Dave grounds us in the punk-rock beat that I always gravitate toward, but has no problem holding back when the song calls for it. He's also the gear guy. Thank god for that.

Jack is arguably the most "professional" musician we have in the group. He's classically trained and incredibly talented as a jazz bassist. He has his own jazz trio and plays in a bunch of other ensembles around NJ and beyond. He and I do a few duo/trio sets here and there, so we have great chemistry when it comes to banter on the mic and performing live.

Jake is the most recent addition to the group. I tapped him when we were putting out “St. Patrick's Day Forever”, as I'd heard he could play a ton of different instruments. I heard correctly. His diversity instrumentally helps flesh out each song in whatever way it needs, from mandolin to accordion to ripping leads on electric. Jake even learned each guitar solo from before he was in the band note for note overnight. Kid's an animal. He also helps add that Celtic, Americana twang to tracks in a way that I've been searching for for a while.

Sean-David Cunningham is one of the most (if not the most) sought after violinist in New Jersey. Classically trained like Jack, he started playing in rock and folk bands a while back and hasn't stopped since. He's one of those guys that only needs to hear the key of the song to play along.

Basically, I surrounded myself with musicians far more talented than me. I think it's working.

Your latest two singles “Memorial Drive” and “On the Corner of Sunset” are real rockers. How did these songs come together? What is your songwriting process like?

These two were serendipitous. I wrote “Memorial Drive” sitting on my VOX in my old Asbury apartment, trying not to wake the neighbors after a night out. Lucky for them, I wrote the song in under an hour. The best ones always happen that way. I'd already written “Sunset” months prior, but I never really put the two together till much later.

When I was tracking out the album, I wanted to make it flow in a way that all my favorite records do. I love the way one song blends into the next in records like American Idiot, Abbey Road, Kick by Spanish Love Songs... When I was going through the track listing, I paired tracks up by the chord they ended on, and when “Memorial Drive” and “Sunset” matched up, it made too much sense.

I love the Irish influence in your music. Who are some of your favorite Irish artists? What is unique about Irish music to you?

First off, thank you! I grew up on The Wolfe Tones. My mom's family is from Northern Ireland, so rebel music was always on repeat at parties. I joke that my dad had three CDs in his car growing up: Let the People Sing, Born to Run, and Beach House on the Moon. 

RIght now, though, I've gotten into a bunch of up-and-coming Irish rock acts. The Scratch is my favorite at the moment. Palpable high-energy acoustic punk, check them out when you can. I also steer toward Dubliners, Pogues, Clancy Brothers and the rest depending on my mood. But right now, The Scratch, Junior Brother, New Pagans, the list goes on...

The lyricism of Irish music has always resonated with me, as even the most serious of songs often have a few quips inside. I love the Irish sense of humor. Dry as hell. I try to add that to my songs whenever I can.

Your full-length Ghost of The Arcade comes out 6/10. Who did you work with for this album? What can fans and first-time listeners expect?

We worked with Rob Freeman up at Audio Pilot Studio for this one. Rob is a veteran producer, as well as a well-known pop-punk musician of Hidden in Plain View. His studio is decked out with tons of state-of-the-art equipment, instruments, and even analog gear. Most importantly for me, though, it has an apartment upstairs, a fire pit outside the listening room, and tons of acreage to explore. We stayed up there for a week and fully engulfed ourselves in the process. It was a dream.

Do you have a favorite track off the new record? What makes this one special?

The album is so diverse, it's too hard to pick just one. I'd also be lying if I said I had a favorite, but there are a few that have yet to be released that I'm very excited about. "I'll Be Alright," for one, is an absolute foot tapper, and the piano on the track drives the album home. "Unfinished Business" is a love song, one that I sang to my wife on our wedding day, so it'll always have a special spot in my heart. "Eugene" is a song for my grandfather.. that importance goes without saying. So do I have a favorite song? No, but I can absolutely say that this is the best, most enjoyable record I've worked on to date. 

We've got shows coming up to support this album at the end of June.

6/24 in New Hope, PA at John & Peter's

6/25 in Asbury Park, NJ at The Saint

6/26 in Jersey City, NJ at JC American Festival

and a late-summer tour to be announced!

~

You can keep up with all things Sean here and make sure you see him and the band this summer!

Interview with Grin & Bear

By Deaglan Howlett | Posted Friday, May 13, 2022

Grin & Bear has evolved quite a bit since their initial entrance to the scene with 2015’s Range Wars. Following their first release, the project has been spearheaded by singer and guitarist Brian Perrino. He has gone on to release two more records and a handful of singles and EPs under Grin & Bear, as well as appearing on other bands’ records. While lineups have changed, Brian being at the core has kept their self-reflective and self-love messages at the forefront. Their latest release, Naturally Goes, is no exception, and possibly the most heartfelt yet (in my opinion). I reached out to Brian to tell me a bit more about how this record came together and the smattering of talent (including himself) that played throughout the album. Thanks again, Brian!

Before the release of Naturally Goes this year you released the “Forgotten EP.” What did those songs mean to you when you wrote them compared to releasing them? Anything in particular drive you to release them this year?

The “Forgotten EP” consists of two songs that I wrote in/around 2015 and one song I wrote in 2017. The songs “Tree” and “Dead Deer” are very, very similar. Before I get into this: these are very dark and depressing songs from a very dark and depressed time. Although they were true and possibly still remain true, I no longer focus on them because spending too much time in that space can be unhelpful. At some point, it’s very important to look at the darkness and it can be beneficial, but I don’t want to live there or forget that this isn’t the whole story. That’s why we took so long to decide if and when we wanted to release these.

Their theme is: what is the point of destroying everything around me (the environment, crossing deer, marginalized groups of people, etc.) so that I can have a life I’m not even happy with? They were written specifically about me, but I think it’s very weird to realize how much harm a lot of us do just to prolong unfulfilled and depressed lives. This is a very dark way to start the interview haha so I apologize.

“Karate Kid” is a fun and funny song that I just wanted to throw in there to add some lightheartedness to the EP. We recorded it with Connor Hanson and I think it sounds super cool, and I’m glad we put it out. If you listen, just take it with a grain of salt haha.

How did the writing for your newest record differ from 2020's Be Gentle, if at all?

In a lot of ways it remained the same and in a lot of ways we experimented more on this one. If anything, this one was more collaborative. My friend Connor (Sentient Moss) and I booked an Airbnb at a lake and each had our own room to write demos in. In that lake house, I fleshed out and wrote a significant chunk of this album, which is something I’ve never done before. I wrote the basic demos as usual but gave a lot more creative freedom to my friends! On “Grip”, Faye Fadem (Trust Fund Ozu) took my original demo that had no electronics and completely added her own take. On “Make Everyone Feel Bad”, Stephen Kelly (ManDancing) and I wrote letters back and forth to help us figure out what we were trying to say and we even wrote the music together, which was difficult and scary and very fun. Another friend and collaborator Matt Baker took on a huge role on this album: he wrote and recorded a lot of the synths (“I Move Slowly” and “Porch”, to name two) and was there along the way for production help and general support, in addition to playing bass on several songs and playing the “coin flip” on the song “Naturally Goes.” This album wouldn’t be the same without him. The whole album is a giant collaboration and includes 4 different drummers, which we have never done before.

Brian Perrino. Photography by @littlegreen_pill.

I love that your last two records have been a collaborative effort in the studio. Who did you have play on this record, and how do you choose who plays what on your songs when recording?

Okay, I have

Chris Calabrese: drums

Matt Baker: synth/guitar/bass/backup vocals

Gavin Fischer: bass/backup vocals

Will Avon: bass/guitar

Connor McArthur (Sentient Moss): guitar/vocals

George Saives (Halogens): drums

Faye Fadem (Trust Fund Ozu): drums/synth/production/vocals

Kyle Donavan (Halogens): bass

Stephen Kelly (ManDancing): vocals

Nigel Whitley (Sentient Moss): bass

Nick Timoniere (Nameling): vocals

Alex Brumel: pedal steel

Christina (Orion Lake): vocals

Emily, Chris, Tsian, Janaki: voices on “I Can Handle Anything”

"Put Me in the Back of the Line" was the first single. What is special to you about this song?

This song is special because it outlines an extremely important breakthrough that I had a few years ago: seemingly contradictory things can BOTH be true.

It feels so good to be selfless AND sometimes it makes me resentful.

This is the one from the song but also:

I want to meditate and work on myself AND a lot of days I don’t want to do it.

I care about my health AND I enjoy doing things that are bad for my health.

The album cover rules. Who did the art?

Ahh thank you!

This one was by Courtney Burke and I love it so much! It was the original concept for Be Gentle, but with color. Be Gentle felt very two-dimensional to me (which is why it’s black and white): you are either being gentle, or failing (haha). Now I see it’s not that simple. There’s a lot more depth and color and growth and decay going on (that’s also why it’s so cool that it was burnt into part of a tree trunk). I hope that comes through on the album.

What is your favorite song on the album?

I think it’s the last song: “Thinkin of U”

You're hosting a release show for the record on June 4th at The Saint in Asbury Park. Can you tell us about the bands playing with you?

This show kind of fell into our lap. George Saives (Halogens) (basically our free manager) told us the show was booked and we could hop on and use it as our release show if we wanted. We are playing with our absolute best friends in Halogens, and hopefully some new friends in Carpool and Palamino! The show is 6/4 and I leave for a 4-month meditation retreat on 6/6, so it’s also kind of a great way to see a bunch of friends before I leave!

Brian Perrino

You can keep up with Grin & Bear here and make sure you catch them at The Saint, June 4th!

Interview with hollowboy

By Deaglan Howlett | Posted Saturday, May 7, 2022

Matthew Kessig has been releasing his fuzzed-out and introspective rock and roll under the name hollowboy since his first single under the name in August 2019. Since then, Matthew has released a handful of more tunes, ranging from early-era Weezer to modern bedroom pop. Throughout these releases there has been a constant with which hollowboy gets its unique sound; that constant being Matthew writing and performing all the instruments on his recordings. His latest single “something in the air” was self-produced and part of the Voices of Freedom: Artists in Support of Ukraine put together by local NJ artists Luke Lenczuk and Nicolas Palermo (Have a Good Season). I reached out to Matthew to tell me more about hollowboy and his songwriting/recording process. Thanks again, Matt! 

Who were your influences when first starting hollowboy? How have they changed over the years?

Honestly, there are a million bands that I could say I have taken inspiration from, but my friends have been my biggest influence. So many of my friends are incredibly talented creatives and push me to be a better musician at all times. There's almost a sort of mushy-competitiveness about it where we all are trying to achieve our own versions of 'success' while also supporting each other. I'm really, really lucky to be surrounded by so many great people that also happen to make great art, so it feels like my music has been shaped by those relationships. But also 1994-2001 era Weezer.

How does hollowboy differ from any of your past projects and bands?

hollowboy essentially began because I was sitting on a stockpile of unreleased songs. I have been in a few bands in my life and loved all of those experiences, but I was never the core songwriter for any of them. I just wanted to have an outlet where I'd have 100% creative control over the music and not have to try and fit my pieces into somebody else's puzzle. It's a blessing and a curse. Sometimes it's nice to have another mind to keep yours in check, but I find myself more attached to these songs than anything else I've done because of it.

You play all the instruments for your own songs. Which instrument do you start with first? What usually follows?

I would say almost all of my songs are written on acoustic guitar. I am an enigma in that I am a musician that gets anxious about being too loud, so if I'm playing at home it's almost always acoustic. That being said, drums are lowkey the most important thing to me. I spent so many years playing drums that it's just a part of my soul now, can't be separated, so while I'm writing the guitar parts I'm envisioning what the drums will be in my head. It's not until I lay down the guitar and drums in GarageBand that I start to figure out any additional parts, which there are typically many of. 

Your latest release "something in the air" was part of the Voices of Freedom: Artists in Support of Ukraine compilation. Can you tell us about that track and how you got involved with this compilation?

Two of my very close friends Nic and Luke put together this compilation. Luke approached me with the details and asked about possibly contributing a song and obviously there was no other answer than yes. 'something in the air' was one of those previously mentioned stockpiled songs that I had written at a time when the world just wasn't feeling right to me. It, unfortunately, felt relevant again, so I sent it over to Luke. They did such an incredible job putting this compilation together and got so many great artists to be a part of it. I recommend everybody please go check it out and donate to the cause. It would mean a lot to us.

"something in the air" is also self-produced and sounds amazing. What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of self-produced recording?

The advantages/disadvantages are essentially the same as the band vs solo question. Working by myself is nice because I have complete creative control and unlimited time to be able to tinker it to how I hear it in my head. Explaining the sound in your head to someone is not easy. The downsides are that I have no idea what I'm doing and nobody can help me. 

All of your songs have a distinct feel since you are the sole instrumentalist. Any plans to record a hollowboy release with other musicians? And how do you think that would change the sound, if at all, to you? 

I've always tried to make hollowboy at least somewhat collaborative throughout. I always send my music to friends and encourage them to give me feedback or even contribute some parts if they have ideas. Speak of the devil, you've ripped a few guitar solos and bass lines on hollowboy tunes. It would be a massive waste for me not to utilize all of the talent I'm surrounded by, so whenever I get the chance I try and get my friends to add their own touch to my songs. 

The thing is that I don't have any plans at all. I pretty much have been operating on my own out of necessity. I sadly don't have unlimited time to dedicate to music even though I wish I could drop everything to do it, so gathering members and regularly practicing is not easy. hollowboy may be a 5-piece one day, who knows, I'm honestly just here to have fun. The second it stops feeling fun is when it'll be over.

Who have you been listening to lately that you can see influencing hollowboy music going forward?

I'm always trying to listen to new bands. Fast, slow, light, heavy, whatever. As long as it's catchy or makes me feel something, it's going to make me want to write a song of my own. “Baby Bye Bye” by Beauty is a hell of a song, though.

You can keep up with all things hollowboy here and support Voices of Freedom here!