Connecticut alternative rockers MOVING BROOKLYN recently released their debut EP “Intervals”. The record has received much acclaim since its release a few weeks ago and has picked up a number of excellent reviews since its release. Think ANBERLIN meets NORTHSTAR and TAKING BACK SUNDAY sort of sound. I caught up with the band and fired a few questions their way! Read their official bio below and scroll down to unveil a lot more.
The band entered Nada Studios in New York on October 11th to record an EP, which features six impressive driving rock tracks produced by John Naclerio (MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, BRAND NEW, WE ARE THE IN CROWD)
MOVING BROOKLYN as it is today, was formed in 2012. Having collaborated previously on a number of musical projects, Kevin Tiernan (vocals), Kris Kilgore (guitar), Paul LaBosky (guitar), Antonio Mastroianni (drums) & Bill Laudenslager (bass) came together after a whimsical spark of frustration-turned-inspiration. The band’s inaugural show came by way of the 2012 Vans Warped Tour Battle of the Bands which they duly won, securing a slot on the Connecticut date of the tour. A spot on the prestigious tour began turning heads in the Connecticut scene and they quickly secured a number of notable support slots.
Heading into the studio in 2013 to record EP Intervals, the band tell a story of love, loss and observe the art of growing up with their debut release. Hitting the ground running in 2014, MOVING BROOKLYN are sure to be a must-see band for fans of the genre and beyond.
Hey guys! Thanks for your time! How are you? How’s Connecticut?
Kris Kilgore: Hello there! Things in Connecticut are pretty quiet, but we are trying to change that with the release of our début album, Intervals and some up coming events around the corner.
Being a fan of TAKING BACK SUNDAY, I really enjoyed your début EP. Why did it take you so long to release it? Tell me about the road you’ve travelled since the birth of this project.
Kris Kilgore: Believe it or not, it took a long road travelled to get to this point. Being in different bands at different stages in our lives, we all came together as one in 2010 and worked from there. We finally put together a good set of songs to play out at shows, and things started to build from there. We entered a Battle of the Bands for a chance to play Warped Tour ’11, and this was our first show together as a group. We ended up being the victor of that Battle of the Bands and things started to spin in the right direction for us soon after that. We played a lot, wrote even more, and soon after started talking about laying down 6 of our most appealing tracks at Nada Studios.
How do you keep your work challenging for yourselves and for the audiences so far?
I think being in a successful band is challenging enough, and there is not much we can do to make our jobs harder than it already is. We are constantly trying to network ourselves to new bodies of people and really hammering down on getting our music out there in hopes to start a fire, figuratively speaking. When writing, we try our best to stay true to ourselves as well as our fans by playing songs that we love to play and writing songs we know our fans want to hear.
What do you think is the key to the chemistry you guys share, being able to keep things going much longer and still be a band after 10 more years?
Well to start, we all love to hang out together aside from the work we do in the band. Sometimes we find ourselves hanging out on a Friday night, which I believe keeps our chemistry striving. Each and every one of us listens to the same bands and genres of music, so we all have similar ideas when it comes to writing. Not being too far apart in age, and all sharing the same ultimate goal of pushing our music across the country, I can see us lasting throughout the years.
Alright guys, let’s discuss your newest EP a bit. How did you choose Nada Studios to produce this piece?
On one of those “Friday nights” of hanging out together – our guitar player, Paul, was doing some research on his laptop of possible places to record shortly after we discussed recording 6 of our songs at a studio. He had heard great things about John Naclerio, and his track record of bands attending his studio (BRAND NEW, JUST SURRENDER, MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, WE ARE THE IN CROWD). Being in a similar genre as those listed, we felt that working with John at Nada would be beneficial to us.
What’s the thing you loved most about New York?
Not only did we all have a blast watching and hearing our songs come to life exactly how we imagined, but I can speak for everyone and say that we greatly enjoyed the atmosphere. For some of us, this was the first time we had ever been at a professional studio for multiple days in a row, watching and experiencing the recording process. The fact that we rose every morning, grabbed some coffee and breakfast, then headed to the studio to work on our songs spoiled us in a sense, painting the idea in our heads that this could be a reality some day, and not just a six day vacation. It’s almost like from there on out we knew that we wanted to keep this thing going, and try our best to head in the right direction with this band.
What was the recording and writing process like for the new record?
For the most part, it was very relaxed and enjoyable. John Naclerio was a tremendous help to us with some great ideas that we chose to pursue. We entered the studio with 5 songs which were complete from start to finish, lyrically and musically. our sixth and newest song, “We Would Make Sense,” was probably the most stressful of the 6 songs because we only had a working title and an etched out progression for the song. Musically, things were pieced together at the last minute. Being as honest as I possibly can, I wrote some of the lead guitar parts for the song the night before, and Kev was working on the lyrics as we were recording. But hey, I guess that’s part of the studio experience. I’m a firm believer that being in the the studio atmosphere and with everything on the line, you can produce some of the greatest ideas and works of art.
What was your main inspiration for the creation of this record? How much of the band’s direct influence are we hearing on the EP?
You are hearing 100% of this band’s direct influence on this EP. When we all sat down and put a track list together for this record, we all picked the 6 songs out of our repertoire that were not only appealing to the listener, but true to the genre that we want to pursue.
As musicians, what makes you want to write music?
I can’t speak for all musicians, but when MOVING BROOKLYN sits down to write music, we not only think about what we will enjoy playing but what will inspire listeners to make music and make their heads turn like some of our influences have done to us. When I listen to some of my favourite artists, its not envy that I’m feeling, its inspiration to compose something as beautiful as some of my favourite songs. After all, each and every one of us listens to music because of that great feeling that we get when listening to it.
Concerning all the reviews of Intervals you’ve received, there’s a lot of comparisons to alternative rock / emo rock bands like TAKING BACK SUNDAY and ANBERLIN. How do you feel about being compared to such bands?
Personally, I think it’s spot on! It’s funny because one of Paul’s favourite bands is TAKING BACK SUNDAY, and I am a huge fan of ANBERLIN. It’s nice to see that when Paul and I sit down to write music, we are following the footsteps of our idols. I’m also aware that Kevin and Ant love those groups too, so I really believe we are heading in the right direction with the music we are making.
What was the biggest challenge when creating this album?
I think the biggest challenge of creating this album was to have no regrets when we reach the finish line. We have all been in situations where we would record a song, whether it be in another band or just something we go through together on garage band, and once finished we would roll our eyes or say, “I wish I had done this better.” I believe that was in the back of our minds when laying down each track at the studio. We all had such tremendous ideas, and each and every one of us wanted to make sure we didn’t leave anything out. John worked us very hard to make sure we were nitpicking every single note and every rhythm on this album, and it paid off. Now the only regret we have is not having the funds to make a longer record.
How excited are you to get out there and play some new material in front of fans? What are your touring plans?
Being excited is an understatement; each and every one of us are stoked to play these songs in front of our fans and new listeners, especially the new songs in which we have done such a great job of keeping to ourselves. We have already begun lining up some shows for the spring time, contacting and getting contacted by venues in the area, as well as around New England. We are taking the release of this record very seriously, and want to branch out to various locations around the area and even out of state.
What can we expect from MOVING BROOKLYN in 2014?
MOVING BROOKLYN has a lot of neat and exciting plans creeping around the corner. There has been talk of recording a few underground/forgotten tracks in the late spring as a follow up to the EP, a shooting of a music video, and various spring tour dates which will all be announced very soon. And without skipping a beat, we have already begun to work on some new material that we are hoping to display in the summer.
Alright fellas, why MOVING BROOKLYN?
Well, as silly as it sounds, there was talk about MOVING TO BROOKLYN. Alas, there came the name. Kevin and our old bassist, Bill, were joking one night about packing their things and MOVING TO BROOKLYN to pursue secondary dreams, and that’s when the name struck them. From there on out, it kind of stuck with the group, turning into a name that everyone mutually liked.
Is there any explanation for the title of the EP?
Yes, there is. Kevin (being the lyricist and story teller of the band, singing and chanting words of love lost, growing up, and moving on, all of which are experiences that each and every one of us endured) told the band that we had to come up with a name that insinuated “time elapsed.” After presenting ideas that went from “Seasons,” to “Duration,” we stumbled upon the word Intervals, which had a friendly ring to it, as well as displaying the underlying meaning which we wanted.
Thanks a lot! Take care!
Thank you so much for your interest in MOVING BROOKLYN and Intervals. Take care! – Kris, Rhythm/lead guitar in MOVING BROOKLYN.
Promo pic by Sean Michael’s Photography.
Band pic by Mark Loper.
