Idle Wave - "Party Guy" Album Release. Interview with Guy Battaglia

By Deaglan Howlett | Posted Wednesday, February 24, 2021

After their self-titled debut in 2018, Idle Wave are back with their latest release, aptly titled “Party Guy.” While the project remains spearheaded by singer-songwriter Guy Battaglia, he enlisted a new cast of fantastic musicians to help bring his ideas to fruition. This record includes the catchy melodies listeners will remember from their first release, adding a focus on Battaglia’s lyrics and vocals with the track's sometimes sparse instrumentation.  After a delay with the original release date due to the pandemic, “Party Guy” was officially released to the world February 19th, after much anticipation. I recently reached out to Guy to ask him about the creation of this new record and releasing music during a time where live shows are unfeasible.  

When did you first start writing for “Party Guy”? Are these all new songs?

“Party Guy” first began with the song “Home.”

In the Spring of 2019, I’d go for regular walks around my neighborhood, that of which were often accompanied by my own voice, humming along to the spontaneous melodies crafted in my mind. Sometimes these melodies would follow me all the way home, so I’d repeat them out loud and then store them as voice memos in my cell phone. Curating these melodies not only became as habitual as my daily walks, but a way to process my life experience during that time.

Having recently left a suffocating job, I was without a doubt relieved, yet perplexed by what was to come; the next chapter of my life dawned on me as an unsettling and haunting mystery. Through these revelations, I gathered my senses, sat myself down on my bed and pressed record on my phone. Beginning with a two-chord progression and an improvisation of lyrics, one of the spontaneous melodies came adrift. This voice memo would ironically be saved as “Home 44”, as it was one of the many drafts that my voice memo app would default the title name as my phone’s location.

After recording a raw acoustic version of “Home”, I sent the “Home 44” memo to Erik Kase Romero (The Front Bottoms, Stillhungry) and asked him to cut the track with me. Since we were overdue to work on a record together, Erik kindly accepted the project and I began gathering new material. Throughout the Summer, Erik and I reworked the two most Pop-Punk influenced tracks on the record (“Happy” and “Stay”) which were first demoed with Idle Wave’s former band members and respected friends — Joseph Enright, Matthew Herman, Kevin Houston, and Chris Russo. Even though these two songs were originally demoed elsewhere, they needed to be completely reconstructed with Erik to the styles of “Home” and the new Indie-Alternative genre that we were naturally gravitating towards. (You can hear the original demos of “Happy” and “Stay” when you download the deluxe version of “Party Guy,” only on Bandcamp).

By the Fall, most of “Diet”, “All Night”, “My End”, “Sex/Tape”, and “Space” were mapped out or tracked with Erik, and it only took a few more sessions into the Winter to finalize the album. In the several months that carried the recording process from Fall to Winter, we experimented with tape loops, shuffled between guest musicians, and even changed studio locations. Anyhow, as  “Happy” and “Stay” constitute as new songs, despite of their original format, “Sex/Tape” does not. “Sex/Tape” was borrowed from my former Alternative project “Flammable Animals” and was instrumentally reimagined to create a darker and deeper experience then it’s original counterpart, “American Counterpoint.”

For those who are interested, “My End” was the last song to be written for the album. Beginning as just another melody on the acoustic guitar, “My End” startled my own thoughts with feelings of nostalgia. I foresaw “the sounds of my childhood”, and reflected on the sounds of Indie-Rock bands from the 90’s. After listening to the final instrumentation back for the first time, I felt something indescribably large about the song; I knew I’d make it “track 7” on the album from that moment on.

Who did you work with when recording “Party Guy”? Have you worked with these people before? How did that affect the music?

This was my first time collaborating with Erik on my own music. For years I have sat in on sessions with him during college classes or when I was just hanging out at his studio and playing shows with him.

Erik and I were both determined to enter a realm of sounds I’ve never been a part of before. I was particularly inspired by Neutral Milk Hotel’s “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea” and how it was an acoustic driven record with distorted bass and raw drums that just took you away lyrically to a bizarre fantasy land. Although I went in not knowing what to expect, one thing was for certain; I wanted this to be a full-length record.

Featured musicians included either close friends of mine or other talented musicians that I had crossed paths with in the Asbury Park scene. Not only did Erik produce this record with me, but he helped craft bass lines, piano embellishments, and drum machines. I hired two incredibly talented drummers (one of which is a longtime friend of mine), and even did a vocal feature with my friend Brittany Byrne (singer of Skyeline). My long-term friend Samir Bunty Tawalare played drums on the latter half of the record while Chris Donofrio (formerly of Deal Casino), was commissioned during the early Summer sessions. 

How has the pandemic affected your songwriting process?

I’ve spoken to a number of songwriters I look up to who have been cursed with “writer’s block” this year. I am happy to say that has not happened to me (knock on wood). In fact, once we were given a go on proper public safety precautions, my friend Connor Hanson and I began meeting up to work on a follow up record over the summer.  

What has it been like setting up a virtual release show opposed to one in person? Any benefits/drawbacks you feel strongly about?

Honestly, nothing will ever beat a live show. In this Black Mirror era of civilization, live shows are where I meet the people that see the world eye to eye with me; the ones who don’t mind being alone on a Friday night and aren’t afraid to scream their heart out to their favorite songs.

I feel eternally grateful to all who have tuned in to our previous livestreams, and we are making a point to deliver this time; four 4K cameras, a new studio space, a full five-piece band, and some of the most exceptional musicians and engineers I have ever worked with.

Nobody is satisfied with the current state of things, but I’m beyond lucky and thankful for being able to get in a room with people and track 11 songs in one day for this supportive community to experience. I am not exaggerating when I say it blows away some of our previous streams.

Who will be joining you/playing with Idle Wave at the release shows?

For the upcoming ”Party Guy” release show, my extraordinary band will feature:

Connor Hanson (Cloud Hands)

Jon Chang-Soon (J C Soon)

Samir Tawalare (Talk to Plants)                                                            

Brittany Byrne (Skyeline)

Erik Kase Romero (Stillhungry, The Front Bottoms)

Personal favorite part of the record to you? 

I do love all eight of the songs, but “Diet” and “Space” are the ones I’m most excited for people to hear.

You can purchase “Party Guy” by Idle Wave here!

Interview with The Bummers

By Sonia Schnee | Posted Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Emo punk indie band The Bummers may be based out of New Orleans, but they also have a New Jersey connection. Guitarist/Vocalist Ben Shooter grew up in Little Falls NJ and, back in July, the band performed at The Meatlocker in Montclair as part of their summer 2019 "Mass Consumption Party" tour to promote their new EP Dairy Beach. The guys recently released a new single ("Animal Familiar") as well as a music video ("NHL 2002"). If you’d like to support The Bummers, they currently have a GoFundMe campaign up to help them record their sophomore album and organize a 2020 West Coast tour. Check out our interview with band, below, to learn more about their musical roots and plans for the future.

What's your name, where are you from, where are you based now?

Guitarist/vocalists Ben Shooter and Sean Doyle, bassist Clay Hakes, and drummer Fox Capone comprise The Bummers.  The band is currently based in New Orleans, but Ben, Sean and Clay are originally from Little Falls NJ, Philly, and Buffalo NY, while Fox is originally from Nashville.  

How would you describe your sound?  Who are your musical influences?

Our sound is most easily described as emo punk with some other diverse influences (metal/grunge/post-punk/goth/hip-hop/etc.) mixed in.  But we don’t really care about fitting too easily into any specific genre.  

Bands we like include Violent Soho, Car Seat Headrest, MCR, Coheed and Cambria, The Toadies, Donovan Wolfington, and Deal Casino (who we played with earlier this year for their New Orleans show).  

If we’re doing classic rock covers, though, our go-to is always David Bowie.  

Congratulations on the release of your newest single, "Animal Familiar."  What can you tell us about the inspiration behind this song?  

We wrote “Animal Familiar” while on our summer 2019 east coast tour.  On the way to Buffalo, we stopped in at Nada Recording Studios in Montgomery, NY to record some songs with John Naclerio (known for his work with MCR, Brand New, etc.).  We more or less put together the lyrics and music in the studio. John’s space is deep in the woods and he had mentioned that he’s also near the “UFO capital” of NY, which made for a spooky atmosphere.  We had the intro riff already worked out but in the studio Sean came up with the lead guitar melody which is very minor key and eerie. So we ended up feeling like the lyrics should be about magic and witchcraft.  We ended up releasing “Animal Familiar” right before Halloween and made it the opener for our Halloween night show in New Orleans.

"NHL 2002" by The Bummers - from their summer 2019 EP "Dairy Beach.”

You released a music video not too long ago (which is a blast to watch!) for the song "NHL 2002." What was the music-video-making process like? 

For the “NHL 2002” video, we worked with a group called Pixel Collective.  They had us drive out to their location in Baton Rouge and we filmed the entire thing in one all-day session.  The song is all about nostalgia and longing for the simpler joys of early 2000s childhood, so naturally we based the music video on one of the classic video games we played as kids.  The actual process involved a lot of jumping around in front of a green screen - they recorded us one at a time and then edited it all together. You can see some of that in the behind the scenes shots at the very end of the video.  The studio was also great and reached out to a bunch of their friends to find someone willing to let us borrow a Nintendo 64 to use in the video.   Dairy Beach

Your EP Dairy Beach also premiered back in June of this year. Tell us a bit about your creative process.  Which comes first for you, the melody or the lyrics?

We started working on Dairy Beach in early 2019 as a follow up to our 2018 debut album A Very Exciting Life.  We recorded the EP at the Music Shed in New Orleans with engineer Ben Lorio.  On this EP we had a couple of songs we’d been sitting on for a while and songs we more or less put together in the studio.  We also had a little bit more time and freedom to do new things we’ve wanted to try. With our first album it was mostly very bare bones - 2 guitars, bass, drums, vocals with maybe one additional harmony.  With Dairy Beach we did a bunch more vocal layering than we’ve done in the past and we also got to use some additional instruments - for example we used a B3 organ on “Kill Yourself”, and a cool sequencer that Ben Lorio had for parts of “Pile of Little Arms”.

As we went along we started to notice common themes in the lyrics of our songs and we put together a sort of concept for the Dairy Beach EP.   A lot of the tracks on Dairy Beach have a very bleak and nihilistic attitude about them, so we kind of packaged the EP as a bunch of anti-summer bops.  

The Bummers outside First Wok in Little Falls, NJ.

There’s also a track on the EP about growing up in New Jersey which is called “First Wok.”  It’s kind of a tribute to Ben’s favorite Chinese restaurant in Little Falls. When we came through NJ this summer on tour we stopped at the real First Wok for lunch.

We almost always come up with music first.  Lyrics usually take us a bit longer although we usually have a concept for what the song should be about.  Sometimes for lyrics we end up needing the pressure of the studio situation to get anything done and we’re still working on them until right before its time to record vocals.

Is there anyone who you actively collaborate with, or would like to collaborate with in the future?

We’ve been sending John Naclerio our songs to mix and master since A Very Exciting Life, but this summer recording “Animal Familiar” and “Fists” was the first time we’ve gotten to meet him in person and work in his studio.  So we’d really like to do a full album at Nada Recordings with him.  

Recently we’ve had our friend Davey Ginger joining us on trombone for select shows in New Orleans and we’d love to have him do some horns on the next record. We’d also love to incorporate some rap influence and we were thinking of collaborating with the NJ group Melting Mindset, who played at our Meatlocker show this summer.  

Do you have any tour dates coming up, or any shows planned for New Jersey specifically? 

We are currently planning a January 2020 tour in California.  However we’ll likely be back in New Jersey sooner than you think.  Our show at the Meatlocker this summer went really well - we had a lot of friends and family come out but we also got a lot of new people who were interested in the music.  We’d love to come back to the Meatlocker and also try some Asbury Park/Jersey shore venues, maybe in summer 2020.  

What has you personal journey been like so far?  How’d you get to this point?

All 4 of us have been in various bands for most of our lives and are really avid music lovers, so we each bring a slightly different musical perspective to The Bummers. It sort of becomes a bit of a musical stew at times, with a lot of different influences converging. We started in 2014, and I think in our stuff from back then you can hear those differences isolated in different songs. In our more recent stuff, those different sounds have really started to blend together and make a sound that feels a little more unique to ourselves. 

We’ve been a band for 5 years now which feels like a big accomplishment.  We all work full time jobs and put a lot of time and a lot of our own money into this.  We work hard to make time for this, to make the best music and recordings we can, and to put on the best live shows we can with the resources we have.  In this past year we’ve started to see our work pay off and we’ve gotten to do some great things. Dairy Beach was our first release to get some real press.  We got to do our first TV performance in New Orleans.  We’re getting bigger and better shows and also doing a lot more shows outside New Orleans.  And this summer we had our tour and it was great to see that people were into our music in places like NJ and Philly.  

Being a band certainly isn’t easy in 2019, it can be pretty expensive and everybody has to really be on the same page to maintain a constant schedule. I think because of that, you really have to genuinely love it. 

Do you have any words of advice for people who share a similar passion or have maybe faced similar obstacles/challenges?

Play music that makes you excited. Don’t worry about how the crowd will react or what music other people are making and don’t compare your progress to other peoples’ progress.  

Find other bands you like and help each other out - share your resources so you can build a community around all of your music.  

Finally, what are some ways that fans can connect with you online?  (Website? Facebook? Spotify? Etc.?)

Our music is on all major streaming platforms including Spotify/Apple Music/Bandcamp/Soundcloud/etc.  Here are a couple of relevant links:

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/441IiUTM9Sy6tb6wqaF2PK?si=7d8lGw0vROWMzIOwcANWHg

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thebummersband/

YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAffos5hV9OP09QQXBMxtJw

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/thebummersband

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/thebummers

We’re not on TikTok though because we’re not really sure what that is.

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Be on the lookout for new music. We like the momentum that we have so we’re going to keep putting out new music constantly until long after everyone asks us to stop.

Hopper Pond - “Cutting Ties” (Interview)

By Deaglan Howlett | Posted Sunday, October 13, 2019

Hopper Pond is a pop punk/emo group based out of Forked River, New Jersey. Earlier this year, the group released their debut EP, Cutting Ties. Since the release, Hopper Pond has been playing numerous shows throughout the state and beyond in support of the release. Cutting Ties is a high energy, ripper of a first release, and bassist/vocalist Steve Scholey was kind enough to answer some questions about the group and Cutting Ties. Thanks again, Steve!  

Where are you based out of? 

Hopper Pond is based out of Nicky's (vocals/guitar) house in Forked River NJ. We're all pretty much from close, surrounding towns. Chris's house is now our home venue, the calzone zone, so we're finally able to do stuff SUPER close to home, makes everything so easy, and I love bringing the scene to our small town to throw down!

How did you meet?

So Hopper Pond was formed in January of this year, actually. We started as a 3-piece, until we had the pleasure of adding Evan and Ry to the mix.  We've all been in previous bands with each other before. Ryan (lead guitar) has been in almost every band of mine since middle school, and I've known Nicky since I started taking bass lessons in 5th grade. Honestly we're all best friends and the dynamic between us really shows it, on and off stage. 

Who are your biggest influences?

Oof, we take influence from a pretty wide spectrum. Obviously, we all have a soft spot for the emo revival period. I feel like there was a point where I owned every piece of Modern Baseball merch available. Though, I do like to take a lot of influence from pop music. I just love it. T Swift? Amazing. We listen to everything we can. We just love finding new shit and showing each other, whether it be emo, rap, or hardcore.

How has your music evolved since you first formed Hopper Pond?

Well, the first song I wrote for us was “41-33.” Since then, I feel like we bounce around. We write a LOT of music in our free time. I feel like multiple days, I'll get a voice memo from Nick or Ryan with a new riff, or I'll send them a "banger one liner" or something. It's very obvious when I get on kicks of pop punk, or screamo. You can hear it in our music, like a timeline of what we've been listening to, who we've been taking influence from. From here, I don't know what we're gonna write. It's gonna be fun though.  

What was the process like writing and recording Cutting Ties?

Writing Cutting Ties was honestly the most fun I've ever had with my friends. Every time we wrote a new song, we'd come up with an idea for it and scream about it for an hour, texting each other after how this is "our new best song, holy shit this is our new best song." We collaborate really nicely, because we're so comfortable and real with each other. On the recording side, Jacob Fishman should get an award. He fucking killed it, from start to finish. I've never worked with someone with so much knowledge, and I can't wait to work with him again. He does hate Bayside tho, which I do have a problem with. 

Favorite song on Cutting Ties, and why? 

“You Wouldn't Love Me in the Summer” is my favorite track on that record. It's just so energetic and fun to play live, and the lyrics are some of my favorites that we have released. One of my favorite parts of the set, definitely. 

What can you expect at a Hopper Pond show?

A Hopper Pond show is definitely different. We may have a few things to say about Tom Brady, or stories from Nick's dishwashing job. We love to have fun and joke around on stage. I grew up a huge fan of Blink-182, and I always loved how you could have fun with them at shows. They acted like best friends, because they were. Our fans, to be honest, are fucking insane. They're what makes it fun. There's nothing like the feeling of someone screaming your lyrics back at you. Whether it's in a sweaty basement or a coffee shop, HP shows always pop off. 

We have a BIG winter tour planned and just a lot happening coming up. New merch, new music, lots of shows, a lot of fun. We love our scene more than anything, it's like a big ol' friend group. Every band is so supportive and helped us come so far in such a short time, we appreciate it more than we could ever explain.

Idle Wave - "Calm" (Interview)

By Deaglan Howlett | Posted Friday, September 6, 2019

Idle Wave is a project fronted by Guy Battaglia based out of Asbury Park, New Jersey. Since releasing their self-titled EP last December, Idle Wave is back with a music video for their third single, “Calm.” Guy was kind enough to give a behind the scenes look of what went into this raucous track. Thanks again, Guy!

When did Idle Wave form? When did you start releasing music?

Idle Wave is a continuation of a project I started with my friends in college in 2014. However, the first single “Alpern” under the new name was released in December 2018.

Who are your biggest influences?

Originally started out with bands like Green Day and Weezer, but recently [I] have been inspired by DIY bands breaking ground such as Prince Daddy and the Hyena, Mom Jeans, Just Friends, Oso Oso, Remo Drive, etc.

Who is in Idle Wave?

I (Guy) am the primary songwriter, and my friends play shows and record with me sometimes.

How has your music evolved since you first formed Idle Wave?

More honest and to the point.

What was the process like writing and recording "Calm" compared to previous releases?

“Calm” was originally a slow ballad and had a whole other section originally written to it that would have been the climax to the song. Joe Enright (drums) suggested we kick the BPM past 200 since we’ve never written a song that fast before. We cut that last section to try the song without and we were satisfied with the shortened version.

What does this track mean to you? How did you go about writing it?

This song was inspired by that feeling you get when you’re trying to enjoy something and your mind gets dark and all your stresses resurface. Every song on the EP is written around the idea of familiar feelings. This was a song where certain lyrics came to me at different times. Whether winter was fading to spring or I was watching an Avengers movie, these thoughts wouldn’t leave me alone.

The speed of this song along with my exhausted lyrics and vocals has been a great coping mechanism for me as of late. 

Kris Khunachak executed a wonderful visual for this song (which can be found on our YouTube channel). We shot the video back in March in his garage where we also shot our music video for “Smoke (Bad Dreams)”. Kris has been carrying the scene on his back, and I can speak for the both of us when we tell you we cannot wait for you to see the latest project we tackled. 

I am working on my first full length record and I am self financing it. There are T-shirt’s for sale on our website (idlewaveband.com) and our Self Titled EP is available on Spotify, Bandcamp, YouTube and Apple Music. We hope you enjoy and share with your friends. Hope to see y’all at the next show!

VIDEO PREMIERE: Idle Wave - "Heaven Knows" ft. David Ross Lawn (Live in Studio)

Live Music Video screenshots by Kris Khunachak; Headshots by Elizabeth Kaminski.

Guy Battaglia - Voice and lyrics (Idle Wave)
David Ross Lawn - Piano arrangement
Produced by Idle Wave and Connor Hanson
Engineered/Mixed/Mastered by Connor Hanson
Directed, filmed and edited by Kris Khunachak Media

By Sonia Schnee | Posted by Sunday, September 15, 2019

TODAY marks the premiere of Idle Wave’s new music video, a live recorded studio session of their song “Heaven Knows.” Watch their music video (above) as well as take a listen on Spotify.

Idle Wave is a pop-punk/alternative band hailing from Asbury Park, NJ. We were fortunate to be able to interview Idle Wave’s Guy Battaglia (Voice/Lyrics) to learn more about the inspiration behind this song and the music video. For more information about Idle Wave, visit their official website, grab some merch, and of course, there’s nothing like a live and in-person performance, so follow Idle Wave on social media to find out where they’ll be performing next.

Congratulations on the release of your new music video, which is a live recorded session of “Heaven Knows.” (For those who don't know, “Heaven Knows” was originally featured on your self-titled EP that was released back in Dec. 2018.) . This new rendition of the song has quite a different feel to it. What inspired you to release an alternate, stripped down version?  

GUY BATTAGLIA: My good friend David Ross Lawn (who is responsible for a good chunk of our press photos) has a YouTube  channel where he covers Emo/Pop Punk bands such as The Wonder Years, Tigers Jaw, and Real Friends on piano. Once I saw his Wonder Years cover I immediately messaged him and it was a resounding “yes!” on his behalf. I’ve always wanted to do a music video for each song on the EP so this also helped fulfill that goal as well. Many if not all of the Idle Wave songs are written with the intention of first sounding good and full with just an acoustic guitar and vocals. Nothing captured the vibe better for Heaven Knows than when I ran through it in a voice lesson with Bryan Haring (Ernest). Bryan played piano to help provide a background to focus in on my vocals and it felt beautiful and natural. This version is also set to provide a nice glimpse into the future for the current Idle Wave fans. 

What can you tell us about the inspiration behind “Heaven Knows”? Which came first for you, the melody or the lyrics? 

I picked up my acoustic guitar in my living room one day and started playing open chords in E major. Once I honed in on a chord progression I began mumbling some odd melodies to fit over it. I want to say the melody came first but normally the melody and lyrics arrive simultaneously. The song is about the feeling of wanting to do more for someone you care about. It was one of the first complete songs I was able to write after my grandfather passed away. The juxtaposition of major and minor chords took me back to moments in the hospital waiting room and watching other families anxiously await updates regarding their loved ones. It’s difficult dealing with someone that like being out of your control, and I feel I succeeded in honing that emotion through the music and melodies of this song. 

Your voice on this version has a very raw and honest and yet calming quality to it. Are you classically trained, vocally? Are there any singers or songwriters who you look up to and wish to emulate? Is there anyone who you'd love to collaborate with one day? 

I am far from classically trained! I covered rock and screaming songs out of my range all through high school until I joined choir towards the end, and I earned a place in the bass section to hear my actual voice for the first time. I joined choir in college as well as took private voice lessons as much as I could to work on my form and longevity. After college I taught at private music academies where I was giving voice lessons to middle schoolers, and I have to say running through warmups with them and helping them perfect dynamics and form really helped me view myself as a vocalist better. Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day) provided a good foundation for me growing up; he has a voice that sings fluently with character, that is just so easy on the ears. I took a lot of influence in my approach from that. Also, Soupy from the Wonder Years roars with emotion in every lyric and is one of the best lyricists in my opinion; so I learned a lot from singers in that genre on how to execute balancing lyrics and control. I’d actually love to collab with writer Danny Brown one day, despite him being an opposite of mine musically, I love every song he has ever created. He finds these drug-induced beats and is able to come up with the most perfect delivery to every line. I feel like he would help me step out of my comfort zone and look at music from a different perspective.  

The music video itself is beautiful filmed. Who’s the filmmaker that you worked with? Where can we see other works of his? Where did you film the video, and what was the filming process like?

Kris Khunachak! He has done the majority of music video for this EP (“Calm”, “Smoke”) and we are actually working on some new content as well. We filmed this video in Lakehouse Recording Studios (Asbury Park, NJ) with the help of engineer Connor Hanson (Cloud Hands, Ella Ross) and David Ross Lawn in a 2-hour session. I described this team of people as “the avengers” because everything was so natural and productive. We did cut five or six live takes of one-shot video and audio and then we chose the best take as they matched up. Connor mixed and mastered the audio while Kris color corrected and cleaned up the shot, and the final product was done in barely a week’s time.  

What can you tell us about the talented pianist who’s featured in the video?  

David Ross Lawn is a renaissance man who composes, teaches voice and piano, takes beautiful photographs and much more. He’s one of the sweetest people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing, and he is well loved by much of Asbury Park as well. I sent David the song and he immediately provided a brilliant, natural rendition complete with dynamics and unique chord voicings. His playing perfectly accompanied the raw emotion and attitude of my vocal performance. 

Have you been playing, or do you plan on playing, this alternate version of “Heaven Knows” during your live shows?  

I have mostly with myself playing acoustic guitar. It is not the same as David’s piano playing, but it gets the job done in situations where it is needed, and I have to say it is a crowd favorite most if not all of the time.

How do you hope listeners will react to the song? What do you hope they walk away with? 

Ideally, I hope it helps someone through their day. Belting along to other songs in this genre helped me deal with many of the stresses of being an anxious teenager transitioning into adulthood.  

Do you have any words of advice for individuals who may have had similar experiences to you or faced similar obstacles/challenges? Also, what words of advice would you give to up and coming musicians/performers who are trying to find their way? 

Find what you love and do it. Don’t be afraid to do something out of your comfort zone despite what everyone tells you. Any path you take will bring you obstacles and reward so find the reward that suits you best and is all you think about.

Finally, what are some ways that fans can connect with Idle Wave online? (Website? Facebook? Spotify? Etc.?) 

Fans can connect the MOST with us through our official website at idlewaveband.com.

We HIGHLY encourage you to check out our website and join our mailing list; you’ll receive exclusive access to sneak peaks, downloadable content, release dates, personal messages, casting opportunities, and giveaways.  

You can find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Bandcamp, Spotify, and Apple Music. @idlewavenj