Interviews Archives - Page 7 of 23

Southern California outfit The New Varsity have been putting a modern twist on the classic pop punk formula since 2011. The bands sophomore release Reflections propels the group forward both muscly and stylistically through dynamic song progression and more extensive recording. By the Barricade caught up with The New Varsity at the Glasshouse in Pomona, California for their their CD release show to talk about the album and what makes them tick. Check out the full interview below! Kyle Feyk-Miney - Guitar/Lead Vox Eric Putnam - Lead Guitar/Back up Vox Diante' Thomas - Bass/Back up Vox Taz Reeves - Drums I did some research but couldn’t find how you guys came up with your band name. How did you come up with The New Varsity? Diante’ Thomas: It took a while. We spent some time bouncing around names. Eric Putnam: I threw out some names and after a few weeks we settled on The New Varsity. When we were younger we would watch other bands play and now that we are older we are the same age of the bands we were watching as kids. We’re kind of like the second wave carrying the torch through the scene. Kyle Feyk-Miney: If the bands we were watching were the varsity, we were the new varsity. Were any of you ever on varsity in school? Diante Thomas: Choir. Taz Reeves: Track. The New Varsity’s Facebook page says you officially started in early 2012 but if you were tossing around names when did you first get together? Kyle Feyk-Miney: At the end of 2011 Eric and I wanted to start a project together. We didn’t meet Taz until 2012 though. Eric Putnam: We all grew up together and were in different bands but never the same band. We were all stagnant and didn't like work life so we got a band together. After we met Taz he just fit and we’ve been going strong ever since. The New Versity’s debut album Running out of Time came out in 2013. If you were running out of time on this earth and tomorrow was a zombie apocalypse what would you do first? Eric Putnam: Cardio. Kyle Feyk-Miney: I always laugh when people say they will go to Walmart because that’s where everyone would go. You would get there and get beaten to death before you can get supplies. You’ve got to hunker down and stay put hiding in your basement for like three months. Today you are releasing your new EP Reflections. How did the recording process differ from your first release? Diante’ Thomas: We were actually in a studio this time. Kyle Feyk-Miney: We tracked almost everything for Running out of Time in a makeshift studio in my bedroom and sent it to our producer Mike Heart. With Reflections we sat down with Johnny Liu of Home Movies (formerly Stanley and the Search) and spent almost a month with him. Eric Putnam: We were touring in between and had a few out of state shows in the middle so it was different. We weren’t emailing demos and tracks back and forth this time. Instead we were all together in the studio so it was a lot more collaborative. This album is full of different keys and different melodies than we usually write. From day one we wanted everything to flow from start to finish. Kyle Feyk-Miney: Johnny Liu really helped us fill out the sound of the EP. I’d never had an experience where we would write a song and then get suggestions before working with him. What was the biggest challenge you guys faced while recording Reflections? Eric Putnam: We had a show in Arizona and had to be back to record the next afternoon to record. Kyle Feyk-Miney: We had a plan to stay in Flagstaff… Taz Reeves: I wanted to book a hotel room but everything was already sold out. Eric Putnam: We had an opportunity to stay with the promoter of that show as well but we wanted to party in Laughlin instead and everything was booked. We drove all the way home, slept for three hours, and then got up to lay down some vocal tracks at Johnny’s The tacks off Reflections sound a lot more upbeat and full compared to your first release. Was that something you set out to do or did it just evolve thorough the recording process? Eric Putnam: Usually Kyle starts writing skeletons of songs and we email them around. Next we’d pick through the demos and try rehearsing a few of them. Once we start jamming a song I’ll put a pinch here or a bend here. With Running out of Time we finished writing the album and then went straight to recording it and with Reflections we had a lot more time before we went into the studio. Kyle Feyk-Miney: The pre-production process was emphasized a lot more. I felt with Reflections I was able to explore all the different options before just belting out a melody. Eric Putnam: Johnny changed a lot of things on the spot as well. You released a music video for “Rosemount” last May and two lyric videos for “When It’s Over” and “Last Day Of November” soon after. Will this trend continue for the new album? Eric Putnam: Those were all done by Taz Reeves Productions and he’s got another one coming. We’ll be releasing a lyric video off the new EP by August 7th. Kyle Feyk-Miney: We’ve talked about doing a video for every song off this album. It would be cool to make them run together. What’s something you wish your fans knew about The New Varsity? Diante’ Thomas: If you’ve never seen a show form The New Varsity we promise it’ll be a good time. Eric Putnam: Even if it’s not your cup of tea we love to hang out with everyone and find out how you first heard about us. Also we are all poker players so the four of us play all the time. Kyle Feyk-Miney: We’re always up to challenge our fans whether it be poker, beer pong, table tennis, pool we’ll take them all on. Is there anything else you want to say to the readers of By the Barricade? Eric Putnam: As of August 4th the album will be available physically and worldwide online so check it out. Kyle Feyk-miney: Support the local scene! I’ve met so many great people though music over the last few years. You could come to ten local shows for the same price as Taylor Swift and I’m sure you’d have a great time. Keep it on Bythebarricade.com for more punk, rock and metal interviews, reviews, articles, and photos! Also, “Like” By the Barricade on Facebook to never miss a post. If you liked this article check out: Eye the Realist Interview Rise or Die Records is Unveiling the Underground Hideouts Interview Assuming We Survive Interview Get Busy Living Fest Review

Category: Interviews

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