Image Courtesy of Eagle Daddy Facebook Page
Eagle Daddy is a band of madmen. They steal kids, nurse them, and raise them. And say, “I am your dad now.” Nobody knows where they came from. South Jersey, apparently, but now they stalk the basements of New Brunswick, “playing” to raucous crowds. Their debut EP “Rock n’ Roll Is Dead and I Wish I Were Too,” available on bandcamp, is Post-Punk, at its raw and finest. And their new single, “Repeating,” makes you want to say, available on bandcamp, all over, again (because it is). It’s that righteous. The single is also accompanied by the most incredible music video, filled with hats and smoking bananas. It can be found, here. I sat down with Eagle Daddy: Shawn Fitzgerald on vocals and bass; Brian Seidman on guitar and vocals, as well; Shannon Moore on drums; and Andrew Gerber on guitar. I asked them a few questions about their humble origins, and their rapid rise to being known as “[one of] the best dads in town,”
Image courtesy of Eagle Daddy Facebook page
Rutgers Review: How did you all start out, as a band?
Andrew Gerber: Shannon and I have been in a band, since eighth grade. Shannon, Shawn, and I have been in a band with Shawn since sophomore year of highschool.Then we came to Rutgers, and met Brian.
Shannon Moore: Yeah, we started in high school, as a band called “bay bay bay.” Shawn was singing, and eventually, our keyboardist at the time, went to UMD and had to leave the band. So it was just the three of us, myself, Shannon, and Shawn, when we came to Rutgers. We met Brian from hanging around Rutgers.
Shawn Fitzgerald: We met him through the Candy-Barrel [the band’s practice space, also a showhouse], and started jamming about a year ago.
RR: So Eagle Daddy, in its current incarnation, has been around for about a year, then?
All: Yup
RR: Otherwise, how long have you guys been playing your respective instruments?
AG: Like seventh grade
SM: I started playing drum sets in around seventh grade.
Brian Seidman: Sophomore year of high school.
SF: Eighth grade.
RR: How did you guys decide upon the name, “Eagle Daddy?”
AG: We were just brainstorming name, and it got mentioned. I had an image of my grandfather with an eagle’s head wearing American flag suspenders, and I was like, that’s hilarious.
SF:We just thought that was funny
RR: It’s a fantastic name. Now, your lyrics are more complex than typical Punk songs; For one point, you guys actually use metaphors, as opposed to just similes.
*All laugh
RR: What’s your songwriting process?
SF: All three of us write differently: Andrew, Brian, and I. I think we have three distinct lyrical styles. As for me, I write down my feelings in a very literal way, and say, “that sounds really lame,” and find different ways to say it. I wrote “Heaven Said No,” and’ “Escape the tides.” We don’t have anything recorded that Brian wrote. But that one, catchy, song we have: “Don’t look at me” — Brian wrote that. And Andrew wrote “Repeating.”
RR: Alright, brilliant. You guys are also very charismatic
SF: Thank you
RR: When performing, do you guys have a particular philosophy behind your “carefree mentality?”
BS: For me,personally, it took me a while to like loosen up during performances. Because i was very concerned with specific, technical parts of our performing. But after coming to New Brunswick, playing in some basements, and getting more comfortable playing the Band, I just decided it’s not about everything being perfect. It’s about making sure we’re but having fun, and that everyone else is, as well. And I can’t speak for all of us, but I feel like we all want people to have fun
SF: I hear that a lot. People see us [jumping around, energized] and i think that makes them enjoy it more. I used to be really nervous when I was younger. But then i started playing with these guys, and i felt really comfortable. And, also, the basement scene itself is such that you don’t have to worry about playing perfectly. So that also, allows us to loosen up and have fun.
AG: it’s also just really fun to jump around and dance.
RR: Especially when your music is not terrible, while jumping around.
*all laugh
RR: Your video for your new single, “Repeating,” is quite entertaining. Some very good hats–
SM: That’s actually the number one comment we got on the video. All the number of hats that were involved in there.
RR: I remember one, in particular, a hat, that I can’t really describe, though it had a microphone taped on with electrical tape: a true fashion statement. That and good deal of other eccentricities. How did you guys come up with this stuff?
SM: I think that just came out of a brainstorming sessions. We were looking for things to do in the video to spice it up a bit;.
SG: Yeah, it was just like, “let’s keep it entertaining and fast-paced.”
AG: There’s a part in the song–there’s a line that says, “I”m doing just fine.” Up to that part, we recorded ourselves playing normal, and what not. After that line then we just switched everything up, and stopped playing instruments. From then on, Brian’s playing a prosthetic leg, in the video. I have my guitar backwards. And we taped shannon’s drumset to the ceiling. Or at least, parts of it. The hi-hat
RR: I also remember, at one point, in the video, you had bananas in a ice-cooler — one of which, Shannon takes out, and smokes. How do you guys come up with this stuff?
SM: It’s not easy to smoke a banana. Smoking a banana on the beach is all spur of the moment.
*All laugh
SM: That, alongside a lot of the stuff we did, was all spur of the moment, The guy shooting it was a friend of ours, as well.
RR: Where did you guys shoot it all?
Shannon: We shot it in a few places: Long Beach Island; Philadelphia; the Candy Barrel’s basement; and Washington Rock, up in North Jersey. It’s all very scenic up there.
RR: subgenres:
SM: That’s tough.
SF: I’d say Indie / Emo / Post-Punk.
AG: I’d go for Indie-Post-Punk.
SF: I like the Post-Punk label, as we all love punk, but we’re definitely not a punk band. We don’t stick to that. So I’d say Post-Punk most captures what we write.
RR: Would you say that the distinctions between punk and post-punk, and emo are somewhat arbitrary?
BS: It’s always tough because genre tags are always a little bit arbitrary. But I think some of all of our influences definitely go back to those Post-Punk guys. Especially like Joy-Division.
AG: I think a lot of those labels are more time-specific, as opposed to sound. Probably, in like ten years, we’ll probably say we were a “Nu-Emo band.” Or whatever the new genre of Emo is. Simply because that’s what all of the bands that sound like us will be called. I feel like our influences and what not are more in the Post-Punk realm, but the scene we’re a part of will really define what genre we’re called by. The “scene” precedes the tile.
BS: And no matter what genre you tell someone, you are, you’ll always end up getting a confused look, from them, at some point.
AG: And when we’re talking to people like our parents, we just say “alternative rock.” It really depends on who we’re talking to
RR: I’ve seen you guys listed as several subgenres. Do you have a particular sub-genre you might view your music as?
SF: I’d say my major influences are “Interpol”– I’ve recently been getting inspired by “Modest Mouse,” and “Hop Along.”
AG: “Hop Along” is great.
BS: I guess I’ve been listening a lot to of this band, “Teen Suicide.” It’s weird, because they’re very much Emo, and I don’t think I write in that particular vein, or style. They still, however, inspire me, lyrically, a lot. I’m really into lyrics. I also like “Joyce Manor” a lot, as they’re heavier, and I love that style. But I don’t exactly want to sound like them either. So I guess they inspire me toward a sound which is somewhat of a combination of between them both.
SM: One of my biggest influences for drumming was “Bloc Party,” and their album “Silent Alarm.” That meant a lot to me, back in the day.
AG: I feel like Joy Division, they were a big influence for me, early on. That is, when we started finding our style. But not so much anymore. I feel like “Joyce Manor” is more of an influence. Also, the band, “Cymbals Eat Guitars.”
RR: Shawn, your vocal style is unique, compared to your contemporaries, do you have any vocalists you pattern yourself after?
SF: No, but when I grew up, I listened to a lot of My Chemical Romance. So when I sing pop-like melodies, I kind of draw from that genre of Emo.
RR: Opinion of the DIY scene, in general?
BS: I think it’s really, really important. As for us, especially when it was just the three of us. We definitely had a lot of things to learn. And I think that a DIY scene, like New Brunswick’s or anywhere is a perfect and necessary place for young bands to grow learn, grow, and find their footing.
SF: The best thing is the sense of community — everyone’s just trying to help each other out. I get you a show, you get me a show, like we support each other and that’s the whole beauty of it. We just help each other out
AG: It’s frantic. Yeah, it’s just about playing music. It’s not necessarily about making money, as much as it is about making enough money so you can keep playing. That is, for like gas money to make it to the next show. And everyone has fun and supports each other’s music and shows their friends.
BS: I think the scene is really cool. People have a lot of respect for it. I’ve met so many people since I moved up here. Where I was from in South Jersey–where these guys are from too–they didn’t really have shows. New Brunswick’s shows happen so frequently, and they’re so strongly supported. pretty much everyone will donate, it’s great.
RR: Do you guys have any favorite basements to perform in?
AG: “The Candy Barrel.”
*All laugh
Shannon: We really enjoy every place we go to: “Circuit City,” “The Cooler Ranch,” “The Banana Stand,” every place has their own personality.
AG: “The Empire” was fun
Brian: That one was probably one of the best shows we’ve had in a while.
Shawn: That one’s the sickest basement.
Brian: That’s a really great open basement, There were a lot of people we hadn’t seen before, and people were really interested.
AG: It’s cool, every basement around here has a different feel to it. All of them around here are great
Brian: In Montclair, there’s the “Christian Science Reading Room.”
Shannon: Pretty much any place that opens their basement to you, is gonna be a great time
RR: Now, lastly, would you have any advice you’d give to young and aspiring bands?
Shannon: Never give up.
AG: Be open, welcoming, play whatever you can. Do whatever you can to help others.
Shawn: Gotta show up at shows and talk to people.
RR: Brilliant, thank you very much for your time.
Image Courtesy of http://eagledaddy.bandcamp.com
If you want to check out more of Eagle Daddy’s music, you can find their EP on Bandcamp. You can also find them in your nearest basement. Ask a dad (punk) for directions.
Radcliffe Bent