Latest / Stream of Consciousness with Dan: Stories from the Midwest / Stream of Consciousness #53 - Keith Gensure - Pine Creek Academy

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Stream of Consciousness #53 - Keith Gensure - Pine Creek Academy · Stream of Consciousness with Dan: Stories from the Midwest

• 0:24
  SPEAKER_03: Alright, everyone, we are live with Stream of Consciousness with Dan.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_03: Today I'm hanging out with Keith Gensher from Pine Creek Academy.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_03: A band that's been hitting my rotation really hard lately.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_03: They've got a raw, high energy sound.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_03: It just hits you in your chest in the best kind of way.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_03: Just, you know, throwing that CD in a friend's car and just the whole night feels different.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_03: So uh Keith is the vocalist and one of the guitarists and one of the main creative engines behind the project.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_03: So we'll get into their process, their energy.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_03: Uh hopefully some of the stories behind the songs, including my personal favorite, that punch you in the face intro on Dandelion that I can't get enough of.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_03: So uh settle in, let's get into it.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_03: Here's my conversation with Keith of Pine Creek Academy.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_03: How are you doing today, Keith?
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_02: Good, how are you?
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_03: I am doing uh very well.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_03: Um super stoked to have you on and just talk music, talk uh you know, kind of the Pennsylvania scene and yeah, I just couldn't be more excited and thankful to have you on.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_03: So let's have some fun today.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_03: Let's do it.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_03: So uh before we get into you know the band and music and all of that, I just kind of wanted to talk about what you looked like as a kid, uh just some of your hobbies, where you're from, um, you know, is it was it always music, was it sports, was it you know, reading, etc.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_03: What did you what'd you kind of look like as a kid?
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_02: Um as a kid, I would say I was more in like a sports background.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_02: Um I did baseball, street hockey, football, um, just yeah, a lot more on the sports end.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_02: Um I always enjoyed music too, but I don't think I really got into it from a musician standpoint until I want to say like towards the end of middle school, right at the beginning of high school.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_03: So was there a particular um album or track that really hit you as a kid that kind of sparked that, or where did you kind of have that shift from you know sports to music?
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_02: I don't want to age myself here, but I what got me into music is like hearing some of my favorite bands on the radio back then, because I you know radio isn't really big anymore, but uh back then that's all there really was.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_02: So like you had to wait to hear your favorite song come on the radio, and I used to have this little uh like tape recorder, and when my song came on, like I'll hit record, and that's how I would that's how I would build my playlist back then.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_02: So oh, I love that.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_02: Just radio.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_02: Radio was like the the start of gaining interest, and you know, that's something I want to do one day, you know.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_02: I want to write my own music and have it on the radio playing.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_03: So it's all it's awesome because I was thinking about that before our conversation, and I'm probably gonna age myself as well.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_03: Uh so I drove a crappy Honda Accord 1994 as a kid, and so so it didn't even have a CD player, and again, I wasn't really into radio at all, but like I would have I had this good Charlotte CD that was my favorite CD in the world, and so you'd have to get you know that cassette adapter and you know plug it into your cassette and then plug it into your Walkman, and that's how you'd have to do stuff.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_03: So it's just I think we kind of take for granted now, you know, with all just the streaming, and you can find any song you want in the world in one second.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, so but yeah, but I like I wore that CD out to death.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_03: It was yeah, Young and the Hopeless by Good Charlotte, and that's why I really fell in love with punk rock music.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_03: So that's just really cool to hear.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_03: So yeah, we we both aged ourselves, so that's okay.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_02: To answer that more direct, I would say like three that I really enjoy listening to was Sugar A, um, Blink 182, obviously, for pop punk, and then uh another one I always liked was Third Eye Blind.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_03: That was like where my little younger, so uh, we'll get into that later because Third Eye Blind, uh, what's that album?
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_03: Um was it their second one or their first one?
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, what's the one with the uh I'm not really good with album names.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_03: I'm not good with album names either.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_03: It's the one with the oh it's just third eye, it's just eponymous, the third eye blind.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_03: That was my just oh man.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_03: There's not a single song on that that I would skip.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, they have a lot of good ones.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I guess do you I know Philadelphia or not Philadelphia, sorry, uh Pennsylvania in general is kind of stereotyped as you know being very blue-collar and gritty, and uh they kind of have their own vibe.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_03: Would you agree with that growing up?
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_03: Or do you think that's a little um do we portray it a little too much than it actually is?
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_02: No, I I think that's one of those things that's like hitting the nose on the head.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_02: Is it's a bunch of small coal towns, farm towns, um, and it pretty much is the same throughout the state.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_02: So I would say those vibes are pretty accurate.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_03: Well, that's cool to know.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_03: So I grew up in the smack dab center of Kansas.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_03: Uh so very um well, I lived in a decently sized town, but I mean the rest of the state, I mean, it's all farmers, it's you know, things like that.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_03: So uh but yeah, so I just wanted to hear kind of what your childhood looked like because I remember just blasting it could have been a tray you, it could have been whoever, you know, rolling cracking the window down, smoking a black and mild, and then going home and hoping you don't uh smell like too much smoke when your your parents see you.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_01: In the bathroom, scrubbing your hands.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and you know they knew.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_03: Like you know they knew.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_03: Oh that's funny.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_03: Um so uh what was your first instrument?
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_03: Was it guitar, was it vocals, or did you play an instrument in high school like in band, or were you kind of just doing your own thing?
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_02: Uh the first instrument I got into was drumming.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_02: So I I did start I started my career as a drummer.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_02: Um you know, I was in a lot of bands growing up as a drummer, and then uh eventually I wanted to pick up the guitar and kind of expand my music knowledge.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_02: So but it all stemmed from drums.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_03: That's cool.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_03: That's that is an instrument I cannot play.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_03: I can I never can do the drums.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_03: I I I dabble with a lot of instruments, but that's one I cannot do.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_03: So kudos to you there.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_03: Um so who is your who is your uh did you have a favorite drummer growing up?
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_02: Um well actually what got me into it was Lars Ulrich from Metallica.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_02: I know he gets a lot of hate nowadays, but uh he's he's the one that kind of got me into it and is the first drummer that I kind of like looked up to and inspired me.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_02: Um other ones is like uh John Bonham, Neil Pert, uh Neil Purt.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_02: Uh Keith Moon.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_02: Um yeah, stuff like that.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_03: Uh Neil Pert's Rush, right?
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_03: Yep, yep.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_03: Oh yeah, I've got one of their records on vinyl.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_03: He's a yeah, he's a beast.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, he's a good drummer.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_03: Tidbit.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_03: I actually met Travis Barker.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, did you?
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_02: Oh yeah, he's obviously one too.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_03: Um very, very randomly.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_03: So in high school, uh, we went down to Disney World to do like one of like the parades, because I was in the band.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_03: So we like were in the parade.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_03: Anyways, Travis Barker and his family is at Disney World, and I'm just like.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_03: Wow.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_03: This is Travis Barker, are you kidding me?
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_03: Like, uh, so no, that was just hilarious, but yeah, Travis Barker really and he just collaborates with so many cool musicians now.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_03: I know he does a lot with Youngblood, who I really like.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know if you're familiar with Youngblood.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_03: Youngblood, yeah.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_03: But uh, so yeah, that's so that's cool.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_03: So uh so after high school, uh did you go to college?
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_03: Did you consider college, or just kind of kind of just kind of take me through the next steps?
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so um outside of high school, I did go to college.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_02: I got my degree in HVAC, and I actually I worked in the field for five years.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_02: So I was wow.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_02: And then one of my buddies, he uh he went full-time for music and he got picked up by RCA Records, which is you know one of the biggest record labels there is, and uh he asked me to drum for him, so I stepped away from the career, and uh that was where it all began.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_02: So I drummed for him.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_02: That was a project, it was uh a pop project called uh Kulik.
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_02: He was a solo act, so I was like more of a work for hired, like a hired gun musician, and we did a bunch of tours, and uh it was a lot of fun times.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_03: I was just gonna ask, what um courage does that take?
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_03: Because obviously HVAC is a very uh solid, always in demand, you know, career.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so what courage did that take to kind of step away from that and be like, I can do this?
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, um, it took a couple months.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_02: Like we'd always go back and forth on the phone and we were talking about it, and I didn't do it right away.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_02: I'd say it was like maybe a year into all the development that I finally pulled the trigger and did it.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_02: But uh yeah, it was it was scary at first, but I don't I don't regret it at all.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_03: Oh well that's great because it just gives um you know I'm I'm all about young musicians, you know, chasing their dreams, and uh obviously you're very talented and made the right decision, and yeah, so that's awesome.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_03: Um so yeah, we talked about kind of your first bands.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_03: So how did uh Pine Creek Academy get started?
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_02: So um once the cool thing kind of came to an end, I was in another band.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_02: Um it's a heavy metal band called Take the Name, which I'm actually currently still a part of.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_02: Um I was the drummer for seven years, but now I'm the guitar player, but still in the band.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_02: And uh Nick is also the bass player who's the Pine Creek bass player as well.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_02: So we met through that project and we were just talking about, you know, starting something fresh, different genre, and I had all these ideas on the backburner for Pine Creek, which was like my solo stuff I had in the backburner for years, and we we just decided to go for it.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_03: As an amateur guitarist, like I am, how do you practice and what is like the most efficient way to practice?
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_03: Because I feel like you know, sometimes you can get into a rut and you're just you know playing the same songs you always know, and you know, doing scales isn't always the most fun thing.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_03: But you need practice, and what kind of advice would you give to guitarists out there?
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_02: Um, well, I think one, you definitely have to want to do it.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_02: Um, it wasn't easy for me because I I took a couple lessons and you know, sitting there with the book, doing all the scales, going over music theory, which was always the hardest way to learn for me.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_02: But um I would say it's gotta be a mix of learning by ear and figuring things out yourself, but you do have to still have some sort of structure to it, um, theory-wise.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_02: Like you do need to still have music theory and you know, to be at a level that you want to be.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_02: So I think for me personally, it was a mix of both.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_02: Like I forced myself to do those books and you know, learn the theories, but I also kind of taught myself different techniques and skills on my own.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_02: So it's gonna be different for everybody, I think.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_03: No, yeah, absolutely.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_03: It's just interesting because I've I've interviewed several musicians now, and a almost every single one of them is like, I wish I would have known more musical theory earlier.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_03: Uh because I remember I I grew up playing the piano, that was my first instrument.
• 12:51
  unknown: Oh.
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_03: And I didn't I didn't really necessarily dislike piano lessons, but like I just wanted to play music.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_03: Like I just wanted to play the songs.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_02: Or rip songs, yeah.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_03: But uh, but having that that theory and you know those scales, it completely opens the door to every other instrument, in my opinion, because I see every instrument now through the piano.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_03: I can be like, oh, you know, that's an F sharp minor.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_03: That's you know, whatever.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, translating.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_03: And just simple things such as like transposing and and things like that.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_03: So um, so yeah, so I wanted to talk a little bit about your uh new EP out liminal, specifically dandelion.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_03: What um what tuning are you in on that song?
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_02: So that one was just uh E flat.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, okay.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, just half step tuning with drop drop in the E.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_02: Um we do we transpose it live one more step down, but it was written in half step.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, gotcha.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_03: Because you can really hear that.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_03: I was I was wondering if it was D or E flat, because it it's pretty it's pretty low on the on the on the top string.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_03: So okay.
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_03: Awesome.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_03: Um so I guess before we get into one of my favorite segments, which is the Mount Rushmore of bands, I wanted to talk about touring, because obviously there's probably nothing more powerful than you know playing in front of a live crowd, but that's one percent of what tutoring is.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it really is.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_03: So, yeah, can you just touch on that?
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_03: Because I don't think people appreciate the work that goes into that and the just emotional and physical toll it probably has.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, uh, there's there's a lot more than uh taking the stage.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, for us, that's like only 30 minutes a night of the whole thing.
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_02: So uh it's it's a lot of driving, so you gotta be prepared for that.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_02: Um, we sleep in the van, so that's something else that you gotta get used to.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_02: Um and I think the the most important thing about touring is trying to stay as healthy as possible.
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_02: So I try to eat healthy.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_02: Um if you have you know Taco Bell every night, it you it's gonna do you bad.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_02: Um it's gonna slow you down, you're gonna get sick, you're gonna be groggy, it's it's gonna be a tough time.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_02: So, yeah, staying healthy, um driving a lot, staying stretched out, trying to.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_02: I know you can't, you might not be able to run or work out every day, but I I try to do something to keep you know active and physical.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_02: Um yeah, uh there's a lot of other things too.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_02: Let's see, uh, but yeah, those are the most important things.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_02: Staying healthy.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_02: And um, that's great advice.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_02: Keeping your mind healthy as well.
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_03: And that, yeah, that's gotta also be because you're away from you know your friends or your family.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_03: And uh so I think so.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_03: My favorite part about going to shows, and I'm not a huge big concert goer, like I don't like to go to big venues or things like that.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_03: I just don't it's not my vibe.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_03: I love the intimacy of you know those smaller venues.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, my favorite part is at the end of the night, you know, when you guys are at the merch stand and just shooting the shit with you guys, and like that, even spending two minutes talking to a band that I might not even have known, but knowing how much work they put in, like that for me is really cool.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_03: So I I appreciate that.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_03: And because you're probably like, I'm exhausted, and then to top things all off, you gotta sit there and pack up all your gear, get up in the morning and do it right over again.
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_03: So yeah, but yeah, so I uh yeah, I just really wanted to mention how important that is to me as a concert goer for bands to you know take that time to interact with fans.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_02: And that's probably like one of the most enjoyable parts for us, too.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_02: Like we like to talk to people that came out to support us, you know, keeping the music scene alive.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_02: It's it's the most important part of it.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_03: So well, we're gonna have uh some fun here.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_03: So it's the Mount Rushmore segment.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_03: And uh it can be any, it can be a band, it can be an album, it could be uh uh singer, songwriter, doesn't matter, dead or alive.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_03: We're putting Mount Rushmore whatever we want.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_03: So um I'm gonna put you on the spot and start you off.
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_03: Who's the first uh person on your Mount Rushmore band?
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_02: And no uh specific genre or oh it can be what whatever you want.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_03: This is your Mount Rushmore.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_02: Alright, so yeah, maybe I'll take it from like the beginning and then stage it all the way to like my my current music taste.
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_02: So uh starting from number one, I'd probably say Metallica because that's the first band that got me into music.
• 18:08
  SPEAKER_02: That's what made me you know pick up the pair of drumsticks and get at it.
• 18:11
  SPEAKER_02: So I think I'd have to put Metallica as number one.
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_02: I don't listen to them as much anymore, but you know, that's what started it all.
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_02: So they got that spot.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_03: I don't think you can go wrong with that.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_03: I'm going to choose, and I I do this one every time just because I don't know if it's a cop out or not, but I have to go Bob Dylan.
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_03: That's a good one.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_03: I just his songwriting, the way he can paint the picture, and just the he proves that you don't have to sing like Celine Dion to make beautiful music.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_03: It's the power of his lyrics and his storytelling.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_03: And I remember that was my first vinyl that I purchased was Blood on the Tracks by Bob Dylan.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_03: And so yeah, I'm going Bob Dylan, and I think I'm gonna go chronologically.
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_03: I think that's what I'm gonna do.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_03: So yeah, I'm gonna go Bob Dylan.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_03: Cool.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_02: So number two, number two.
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_02: I think uh for me this one I listened to in high school a lot, and it kind of like developed my writing into like different avenues.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I'd probably have to say Pink Floyd, and specifically like The Wall.
• 19:29
  SPEAKER_02: I really love that album.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_02: And I I just like I just like the way all the songs sound.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_03: That brings me back to one of my uh my former co-worker or my former supervisor.
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_03: When it was you know past five o'clock and we were busy and we had to stay late, she would always blast that album.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_03: And so it brings me back to because I'm an accountant, so it brings me back to just late night accounting.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_03: So that's actually pretty funny that you mentioned that.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know if it's a good memory or not, because I'm like, I want to go home, but uh so I'm gonna go and we we touched on this earlier, I think, Third Eye Blind.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_03: I think that 1997 album is one of the best kind of emo alternative rock album out there, not a single skip.
• 20:23
  SPEAKER_03: Uh they can blast it, they can go real soft and acoustic, they just they just have it all, and I think he's another great songwriter as well.
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_03: So I'm going third eye blind.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_03: Cool.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, there I listened to them a lot growing up too, so that's a solid choice.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_02: Um man, number three.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_02: There's a lot of ways I could go.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_02: Um I think I might have to go Foo Fighters for number three, because I know coming out coming out of high school, I listened to them a lot, and uh Dave Grohl was someone that was inspiring to me because he also started off as a drummer, obviously with Nirvana, and then you know formed his own super group who became like one of the biggest bands at that time.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah.
• 21:15
  SPEAKER_02: Foo Fighters.
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_03: I can't argue with that whatsoever.
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_03: And I guess I I said I was going chronologically, but I completely skipped over.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_03: Uh I'm going Dave Matthews band.
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, yeah, I listen to them a lot too.
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, that was good times.
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_03: Just from a pure just musician standpoint, just his whole band.
• 21:37
  SPEAKER_03: Obviously, Dave's super talented, but I mean, they just all of the instruments they use and deep cuts, like you don't have to listen to Crash Into Me all the time, which is a great song.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_03: But um oh man, yeah, I love Dave Matthews' band, like number 41, Ants Marching, that intro is just sick.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, satellite's good.
• 22:03
  SPEAKER_03: That's a sweet guitar part.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_03: I can't really do it.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_02: A couple acoustic shows I did.
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_02: I would cover that song because it was really fun to do the guitar part.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I'm going Dave Matthews band.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_02: Cool.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_02: And then um, I guess number four for me to tie it all together, bring it back into the pop punk vein would be uh the story so far.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_02: I just think they have one of the uh I don't know.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_02: Every time I put one of their songs on, I'm just like in a good mood.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_03: That's my number one pop punk band, so I'm just going to my Spotify because I'm pretty sure I have quite a few of their stuff on some of my playlists.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_02: I'm sure you have something on there for them.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_03: I mean they got Point.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_02: Oh yeah, that's a good one.
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_03: Uh yeah, I definitely listened to them.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_03: I like that.
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_03: So I'm gonna go to your neck of the woods for my number four.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_03: And I'm actually going to do an honorable mention because it's one of the same uh members of the band.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_03: So I'm going the Wonder Years.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, yeah.
• 23:10
  SPEAKER_03: I think uh the greatest generation, the album is so sick.
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_03: And I also appreciate um Dan's uh project, Aaron West in the Roaring Twenties.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_03: Yep uh so yeah, the Wonder Years is is super it's just again one of those bands like you said where you just kind of feel good.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, what's that one song?
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_03: It's just like singer at smoke, dances back through the window, and I'm just like I'm ready to go.
• 23:43
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 23:43
  SPEAKER_02: So I'm gonna get I'm gonna go that all those bands from that time span was just like really, really awesome.
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_02: Like The Wonder Year, Stay Champs, Neck Deep, the story so far.
• 23:55
  SPEAKER_02: It was a good scene, still is a good scene, but you know, I would say like 2010 to 2014 was like the time for that kind of music, and it's coming back, it's coming back, but it was just a different vibe then.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_03: It was I kind of want to talk about, and again, thanks for sharing all that.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_03: That's always a lot of fun to kind of hear who you were inspired by because you can you know hear it in your music, but I just kind of wanted to talk about what being punk means in general.
• 24:30
  SPEAKER_03: Um, because obviously I you know, when it was first starting, you're talking like, I don't know, sex pistols and bands like that, kind of like rebel rebelling, but for me that's not what being punk is per se.
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_03: So I just kind of wanted to get your take on that.
• 24:47
  SPEAKER_02: Uh I guess for me, just being punk is just like being yourself, sharing your story and not caring what anyone has to say about it.
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_02: Like as long as you're you're staying you and you're you're being real and being honest, that's all that really matters.
• 25:03
  SPEAKER_02: You put it in the music, you go out, you play it, and whoever likes it, great.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_02: Whoever doesn't, that's okay too.
• 25:09
  SPEAKER_02: But you know, I'm not gonna shape myself either way to try to like, you know, like get this fan base or get this fan base.
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_02: Like, we are who we are.
• 25:20
  SPEAKER_02: We're gonna play, you know, everything that we are and what we stand for, and we'll stick by it.
• 25:26
  SPEAKER_02: So I guess that's kind of that's my definition of it anyway.
• 25:30
  SPEAKER_03: I think that's a great definition, and it uh I remember watching the music video.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_03: It's oh it's Blink182.
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_03: Where's the one where they're just like completely like naked running around?
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_02: Oh yeah, is that is that always?
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_02: Uh I don't know.
• 25:46
  SPEAKER_02: I feel like it might be always or something like that.
• 25:49
  SPEAKER_03: I know it's like I don't know, but like but it's just like I mean that might be a little extreme because that's illegal to do that, but uh but but it just like I'm gonna do this, and because that's who I am.
• 26:01
  SPEAKER_03: I'm you know, I'm kind I'm you know kind of crazy, a little, a little weird, but that's just who I am, and I'm not gonna apologize for it.
• 26:09
  SPEAKER_03: That's kind of my that's kind of my definition for for punk.
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, for sure.
• 26:15
  SPEAKER_03: Um let's see, what else we talked touring?
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_03: So I really wanted to get into liminal again because I think it's a really super incredible EP, just the inspiration behind it, kind of your in just your songwriting process in general.
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_03: Like, do you start with the lyrics?
• 26:38
  SPEAKER_03: Do you start with the music?
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_03: How does that how does that come about?
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I would say most of the time it stems from like a guitar idea or just a melody that I hear in my head, and I translate to a voice memo, and then I'll start, you know, building the song from there, and then that's when lyrics come into play.
• 26:58
  SPEAKER_02: So I would say nine out of ten times it comes from some kind of uh riff or just uh uh vocal thing that comes across my mind and kind of go from there.
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_02: Sometimes I do have a specific story, and I will start from the storyline, like the lyrics, but uh I would say that's more rare.
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_02: For me, it's more of a riff or a melody that begins everything.
• 27:24
  SPEAKER_03: Pardon the interruption, folks.
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_03: But I have a song I have to share with you today.
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_03: It is entitled Dandelion.
• 27:35
  SPEAKER_03: Obviously by Pine Creek Academy on their latest EP, Liminal.
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_03: It absolutely slaps.
• 27:44
  SPEAKER_03: And I'll let you just hear it for yourself.
• 29:18
  SPEAKER_03: Speaking of riff, riffing off of that, how important do you think it is?
• 29:23
  SPEAKER_03: Because when you're writing the lyrics to a song, you have a specific message that you were trying to portray, whether it's a a real life experience or maybe a a fictional experience, but I could hear it in a completely different way.
• 29:38
  SPEAKER_03: And I think that's what makes music so powerful.
• 29:41
  SPEAKER_03: So I just kind of wanted your thoughts on that.
• 29:44
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I think that's that's another really cool thing about music, is you can really take information and spin it into your own needs.
• 29:53
  SPEAKER_02: Like you can hear a song and you could take a meaning that's completely different from what the actual song meaning is, and for you that you know might get you through something, whether you're going through this or going through that, you know, that specific song can help you get through that and get over it.
• 30:12
  SPEAKER_03: So it's a really cool thing.
• 30:15
  SPEAKER_03: It is, and yeah, I wanted to get a little personal, like music literally saved my life.
• 30:20
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 30:21
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I mean, literally.
• 30:24
  SPEAKER_03: So that's I I just want everyone out there to you know just support bands like you and just appreciate music for what it is.
• 30:33
  SPEAKER_03: Don't get sucked into kind of soulless music.
• 30:38
  SPEAKER_03: Some of I I don't know.
• 30:40
  SPEAKER_03: Sometimes I I don't want to get down the rabbit hole too much, but I I can't listen to like pop radio.
• 30:46
  SPEAKER_03: Like I just can't do it.
• 30:47
  SPEAKER_03: It's just to me, it's so shallow.
• 30:49
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's it's well, it's the sellout, sell out culture there.
• 30:54
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, that's just I don't even know if they know what they're talking about in half of the songs.
• 30:59
  SPEAKER_02: It's just, you know, get it on the radio, make it stupid, make it simple, and just market it.
• 31:05
  SPEAKER_02: That's why I I kind of like, you know, the genre that we're in because I feel like it's it's still real.
• 31:10
  SPEAKER_02: The music is real, the lyrics are real.
• 31:12
  SPEAKER_02: It's not we're just trying to make a hit to get it on the radio and make a bunch of money from it.
• 31:16
  SPEAKER_02: You know, it's no, this is a story that I want to tell.
• 31:20
  SPEAKER_02: So, yeah.
• 31:22
  SPEAKER_02: There's a lot of dark avenues and music, and we're never gonna go down that road.
• 31:26
  SPEAKER_02: So also AI.
• 31:28
  SPEAKER_02: AI is just killing everything.
• 31:32
  SPEAKER_03: It's uh well, I I again I I think that's why I really wanted to have you on because just listening to your music, just your authenticity is is refreshing because the guests I want to bring on this podcast need to be authentic.
• 31:51
  SPEAKER_03: So I appreciate it so much.
• 31:53
  SPEAKER_03: Um let's talk about your gear.
• 31:57
  SPEAKER_03: What kind of guitar are you playing?
• 31:59
  SPEAKER_02: So I play uh a Fender, Fender Strat Player Series, I think it's a player series one.
• 32:05
  SPEAKER_02: I actually just got it last year.
• 32:08
  SPEAKER_02: Um yeah, I actually started this project just singing, and now I'm doing guitar.
• 32:12
  SPEAKER_02: So it's it's a lot, it's fun, it's very fun.
• 32:16
  SPEAKER_03: Well, I love that.
• 32:17
  SPEAKER_03: I've got a Dan Electro myself.
• 32:20
  SPEAKER_02: Oh yeah, I actually well before I started this project, I had one of those, um, it was orange.
• 32:26
  SPEAKER_02: It was it was a really cool guitar, but uh I didn't know what I was doing yet, so I act it too soon and sold it on eBay.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_03: We've all been there.
• 32:35
  SPEAKER_03: I had a sweet guitar and I sold it too in college.
• 32:39
  SPEAKER_03: Uh but no, that I have a Dan Electro and it's like baby blue.
• 32:43
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, it's just oh, there it is.
• 32:45
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, this is the strat.
• 32:46
  SPEAKER_02: I'm really into the color, so that one's lime green.
• 32:50
  SPEAKER_03: I like it.
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 32:53
  SPEAKER_03: Uh and I I really also want to talk about your music videos because I do feel like you guys put a lot of work into those.
• 33:01
  SPEAKER_03: And it it really makes it the song.
• 33:06
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, obviously I love the songs, but it it just makes it so much more fun when you have a you know a cool music video to watch because you know, we grew up, we're aging ourselves again, where there was actually music on MTV.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, good times.
• 33:23
  SPEAKER_03: And that that kind of has gone away a little bit, obviously.
• 33:28
  SPEAKER_03: I can't even watch MTV now, but uh so talk about why you put so much effort into those music videos because I feel like you do when it shows.
• 33:37
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, well, I think that's another one of those things where watching music videos on MTV when I was younger was like another inspiration of oh man, it'd be so cool to be in a band and you know have a music video on TV, and now we get to the point and there is no MTV, and some people say like music videos don't matter anymore.
• 33:59
  SPEAKER_02: So we like to do it as much as we can and you know just get them out there because they're always gonna be there for people to see and look back on, and it's it's kind of like a reflection thing for us as well, where you know, 20 years from now, like there's a music video to go back and watch, and I think that's like just so much, it's just a little bit better than going back and listening to your music, like oh, we can actually see ourselves performing it and the story that we had to tell behind it, and it's just I don't know, it's more nostalgic, I think, um, in the future to look back and see a video rather than just the the song itself.
• 34:37
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and I I'm sure it brings back memories of you know recording that music video, spending time with with your your best friends, and always having that there.
• 34:49
  SPEAKER_03: Um so I was watching a movie, I'm not sure if you've heard of it, it's called Sing Street.
• 34:56
  SPEAKER_03: Are you familiar with Sing Street?
• 34:59
  SPEAKER_02: No, I don't know, I don't think I've ever seen that one.
• 35:02
  SPEAKER_03: Well, it's about a a a young kid from Ireland who uh is kind of bullied, he's forced to go to this really strict Catholic school, and he kind of finds his way through music.
• 35:15
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 35:16
  SPEAKER_03: And but I just remember like he was watching the music video Oh, Take on Me by uh by Aha.
• 35:25
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 35:26
  SPEAKER_03: And oh was it Flock of Seagulls?
• 35:30
  SPEAKER_03: It doesn't matter, but like he would see this music video and it just like sparked something in him, and he got all his friends together and they made their own music video, and it's just a really cute, sweet movie.
• 35:41
  SPEAKER_03: So I'd recommend watching that for sure.
• 35:43
  SPEAKER_03: Uh what platform is that on?
• 35:45
  SPEAKER_03: Um yeah, it's on Netflix.
• 35:50
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I see it right here.
• 35:51
  SPEAKER_03: Yep.
• 35:52
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I'd recommend watching that.
• 35:54
  SPEAKER_03: It's it's a little sappy, but it's it's sometimes you need that.
• 35:59
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 36:00
  SPEAKER_02: I can appreciate it.
• 36:01
  SPEAKER_02: I'll put a star next to that, give that a watch.
• 36:06
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, so uh I I wanted to kind of ask if there are any bands, you know, in your area that I could also check out, because I'm always looking for bands like yours that are, you know, doing it the more authentic way, if you will, like we discussed, uh, that might not be, you know, as popular that I might not have heard of, because I'd love to, you know, just keep exploring and maybe if I can get in touch with them and promote their music as well, it's it's really important to me.
• 36:39
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I mean the PA scenes pretty good lately.
• 36:43
  SPEAKER_02: I could sit here for hours going over bands, but um, I guess groups that are more close to me and like of a similar genre genre, um there's Near Tragedy.
• 36:56
  SPEAKER_02: They're pretty cool.
• 36:57
  SPEAKER_02: He actually lives only about 15 minutes away from me.
• 37:02
  SPEAKER_02: They're a cool pop punk band.
• 37:04
  SPEAKER_02: Um Lynnhurst is a is a cool group near the Harrisburg area in Pennsylvania.
• 37:10
  SPEAKER_03: How do you spell that?
• 37:12
  SPEAKER_02: L-Y-N-D-H-U-R-S-T.
• 37:21
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, as far as pop punk, I can't really think of anyone else in like really close to me.
• 37:29
  SPEAKER_02: But uh, those are two great ones.
• 37:32
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, well definitely check those out.
• 37:34
  SPEAKER_03: Um so I guess what's on the horizon for you guys?
• 37:37
  SPEAKER_03: Obviously, you just released this to EP.
• 37:40
  SPEAKER_03: Will you be touring soon or kind of what's coming up next?
• 37:43
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so we just dropped that uh early January.
• 37:47
  SPEAKER_02: Um we're going back and forth to see what we're doing label-wise, and you know, going over what makes the most sense as far as that kind of stuff goes.
• 37:56
  SPEAKER_02: And we're just trying to book shows.
• 37:58
  SPEAKER_02: So our plans are a lot of shows, um, a lot of new music, and whatever else comes along with it.
• 38:07
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, well, I want to give again you the stage to tell my audience how they can support you specifically and bands like you, whether it's buying merch or uh obviously sometimes they may not be coming to your area for a show, but how do you or how do we support you?
• 38:28
  SPEAKER_03: Because I mean, I can listen on Spotify a thousand times, you might be seeing a third of a cent per stream.
• 38:33
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know what it is.
• 38:35
  SPEAKER_03: So, how can we really support you?
• 38:38
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I think um the number one thing is merch.
• 38:41
  SPEAKER_02: Merch really helps artists like us out, and then just giving us a follow on all platforms, you know.
• 38:49
  SPEAKER_02: Um, yeah, I would say merch following.
• 38:53
  SPEAKER_02: If you can make it out to a show, great.
• 38:56
  SPEAKER_02: But uh if not, that's okay too.
• 38:59
  SPEAKER_02: Just hit the follow button.
• 39:02
  SPEAKER_03: Well, we can do that.
• 39:03
  SPEAKER_03: So you heard it from the horse's mouth.
• 39:05
  SPEAKER_03: Keith said to hit the follow button.
• 39:07
  SPEAKER_03: So everyone listening out there, go out and hit that follow button.
• 39:10
  SPEAKER_03: Uh buy some merch.
• 39:12
  SPEAKER_03: Let me check out some of the merch right now.
• 39:14
  SPEAKER_03: I was on the website.
• 39:16
  SPEAKER_02: Yep.
• 39:16
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and then all our socials are also on that website too.
• 39:19
  SPEAKER_03: So okay, perfect.
• 39:23
  SPEAKER_03: And buy their uh do you do you have vinyl?
• 39:26
  SPEAKER_02: Yep.
• 39:27
  SPEAKER_02: We have three EPs out now, and on the website there's a little area that you could go to the vinyl section of it.
• 39:36
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and I'm I'm sure that would also help as well.
• 39:39
  SPEAKER_03: So, um, and trust me, everyone, there's something nostalgic.
• 39:46
  SPEAKER_02: That's the flying saucer vinyl that we have.
• 39:50
  SPEAKER_02: So it comes in like a little sleeve.
• 39:53
  SPEAKER_02: It's pretty cool.
• 39:54
  SPEAKER_02: That is sweet.
• 39:56
  SPEAKER_02: And yeah, as I was saying, not our most recent one, but that's the album we dropped before.
• 40:03
  SPEAKER_03: So yeah, as I was saying, go and buy the vinyl.
• 40:11
  SPEAKER_03: They will get so much more um monetary value from that than any any stream.
• 40:19
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 40:20
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I was talking to an artist, she actually lives about 45 minutes from me here in Nebraska, and she was saying I think they make, I don't know, it's like a third of a penny per thousand streams or something like that.
• 40:36
  SPEAKER_02: I don't know exactly what the Yeah, it doesn't really pay out much at all.
• 40:43
  SPEAKER_03: So I guess I didn't know if you wanted to expand on that at all because she had mentioned an initiative that they're trying to kind of improve that, or if you wanted to get into that at all, because it's like I don't know, it's kind of like you're between a rock and a hard place.
• 40:59
  SPEAKER_03: Like Spotify does get you exposed.
• 41:02
  SPEAKER_03: You know, that's how I how I found you was through Spotify.
• 41:06
  SPEAKER_03: But as many times as I listen, I've probably given you, like I said, like three cents.
• 41:12
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 41:13
  SPEAKER_03: What are your thoughts on that?
• 41:15
  SPEAKER_02: Um really just make sure you put your music on everything.
• 41:20
  SPEAKER_02: Because I think Spotify is still the number one uh tool that people use to find bands and kind of like see where they're at level-wise.
• 41:31
  SPEAKER_02: But you can do other things like we put all of our songs on bandcamp, and then people can buy it.
• 41:36
  SPEAKER_02: So, like you can you can make like a dollar or two if someone wants to buy your song, and that's like I don't know, 2,000 streams if it were on Spotify.
• 41:47
  SPEAKER_02: So I guess, yeah, my uh advice would be just get your music on everything that you possibly can, whether that's like SoundCloud, Bandcamp, you know, iTunes, they actually pay a lot better than Spotify.
• 42:04
  SPEAKER_02: Just just find find every possible way that you can get your music out there, and it'll pay itself off.
• 42:12
  SPEAKER_02: Also, ads.
• 42:13
  SPEAKER_02: Oh it sucks, but you gotta you gotta run ads these days.
• 42:17
  SPEAKER_02: So we do a lot of meta ads as well.
• 42:20
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, okay.
• 42:21
  SPEAKER_03: Well that's really good advice for everyone out there, and as I said, please everyone go out to their website, buy a t-shirt, buy a hat, buy buy a vinyl.
• 42:31
  SPEAKER_03: That will last forever.
• 42:33
  SPEAKER_01: Yep.
• 42:34
  SPEAKER_03: And there's something again nostalgic about it, and having to listen to the whole record.
• 42:41
  SPEAKER_03: You can't hold on to it.
• 42:44
  SPEAKER_03: You can touch it.
• 42:46
  SPEAKER_03: And it's beautiful.
• 42:48
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, it's artwork too.
• 42:50
  SPEAKER_03: So no, I couldn't agree.
• 42:52
  SPEAKER_03: I couldn't I couldn't agree anymore.
• 42:55
  SPEAKER_03: So well, Keith Man, this has been awesome.
• 42:59
  SPEAKER_03: Um I I appreciate so much you spending some time with us today, just your authenticity, your candidness, and again, your music just slaps.
• 43:12
  SPEAKER_03: I can't I can't even find another uh superlative to use.
• 43:16
  SPEAKER_03: So we appreciate it.
• 43:19
  SPEAKER_03: Uh so yeah, keep doing what you're doing.
• 43:22
  SPEAKER_03: And I'm excited to see what you guys do next.
• 43:26
  SPEAKER_03: I will always be in your corner cheering for you.
• 43:29
  SPEAKER_03: I will link all your social, your website, everything.
• 43:33
  SPEAKER_03: I will by I will be buying a copy of Liminal on vinyl today.
• 43:39
  SPEAKER_03: And uh so yeah, so this has been Stream of Consciousness with Dan.
• 43:44
  SPEAKER_03: We are going to sign off with Keith of Pine Creek Academy, and we'll see you next time.