Start At The End is back again this month at NYC’s oldest rock club The Bitter End in New York on April 27. The bands chosen to play are local ones that deserve a chance at creating more buzz and getting their names out there. This month’s lineup is made up of Modern Chemistry, American Lions, Semiotics and When Thieves Are About. We recently caught up with American Lions to talk about their background, sound, latest release, and more! Check it out below:
How long have you been a band and how did you get started?
In the summer of 2013, we started making music in Peru, Massachusetts, a small rural town in the Berkshire mountains. The isolation gave us freedom to shape our sound naturally. By fall, we knew we needed to move somewhere with a community of like-minded individuals and we found that in New Brunswick. We moved in with our friends at The Bomb Shelter, where Milkmen and The Blithedale Romance also live and practice. We also throw basement shows here, so it gets pretty rowdy.
Why did you choose your band name?
We got really zooted one night at our practice spot and stayed up all night. In the morning, I went to my sister’s high school graduation and the name sort of just popped into my head.
How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard you before?
We don’t necessarily go for a specific sound, we keep everything as natural as possible. We try to keep the spirit of rock and roll within our sound, but our music definitely comes from a wide variety of influences throughout the four of us.
What was your latest release of music and can you talk about that a bit?
We recently released a two-song acoustic effort titled “Soft.” It came out in February of 2015. Theres not much to it, being two songs and all. We all like softer music too, so it became a fun little project to work on.
Does one person write the lyrics or is it a collective effort?
Lyrics tend to be written by one person in the band, usually whoever comes up with the riff or song. We have yet to collectively write lyrics together but wouldn’t count it out.
What is your recording process like?
For “Peru,” we all jammed together at The Den in Massachusetts, finishing the process off in New Brunswick. We recorded some rough demos along the way. We recorded that EP at The Panda Studios with Sam Pura. Panda is a great vibe and we love a lot of the records that have come out of that studio.
What are current projects you are working on? (Tour plans? New music?)
We’re getting ready to release a brand new three-song EP recorded at Panda in February 2015. We’ve been sitting on this record for over a year now, so we’re eager to get it out there. As for future plans, we’re in the beginning stages of writing our first LP. No tour plans have been set in stone as of yet, but I’m sure we’ll be out on the road soon enough!
What are your thoughts about this Start At The End A New Sound Series event?
Start At The End seems like a cool project! We’ve never heard of it previously, but we’re happy to be a part of it. The Bitter End seems like a cool place for shows and this April bill is full of awesome bands.
Have you played with any of the other bands before that are part of this lineup?
We’ve known Semiotics a while now, they’re great dudes. Last summer, we went on a two-week tour with them and that was a blast. They basically live down the street from us. We’ve played at their house (The Banana Stand) a couple of times and they’ve played at ours. The guys in Modern Chemistry are really cool dudes too. It’s been quite an experience to watch them go from playing basements to touring nationally.
What are your goals for the future as a band?
In the immediate future we want to put out this new EP. Recently, we’ve been focusing our time on writing new material and experimenting with different sounds.
American Lions will be appearing at this month’s Start At The End showcase in New York City on April 27. For more on the band, go to americanlionsband.com, and for more on the event, go to facebook.com/startattheend.
