Please introduce yourselves; what are your names?
Hello, Hello, Hello (in ascending keys, kind of difficult to convey in writing)
John Moss Guitar/Vocals, Erik Kops Bass/Vocals, Max Parker Drums.
Where did your name ‘The New ResistANTs’ come from?
We are countercultural, counter-pop, and counter-terrorism. There’s too much herd mentality nowadays, too much band-wagoning, we’re here to break the trend.
The accented ANTs, because ants are cool and we didn’t want “ance”.
Describe your music & genre.
Punk rock. Google it if you don’t know what that is.
Give us a little bio about yourself (as a band and individuals)
Formed in late 2014, TNRs have been marauding their way across the Eastern US and Canada one city at a time. Headquartering themselves in New York City, they make frequent excursions to the Hudson Valley where they record their high energy and no-nonsense music from the comfort of their own studio located in an abandoned high school.
“This is exactly what every band from NYC should sound like. punk meets 60s meets hard guitars. too good.” – Billy Thin, SongShooter.com (Dec 09, 2016)
What made you get in to music?
Conception. We have musical parents and are no good at anything else.
Are you signed?
Negative, Ghost Rider
You work with the Behind The Curtains Media, how did that come about?
They’re good people and care about music. There are many schmucks out there…watch out.
Tell us more about your single ‘Onny Swar’ / What was the writing process like?
We usually start a song with an idea…in this case I had heard the motto in French (from my Dad) of the Order of the Garter. “Honi soit qui mal y pense” It roughly translates to “Shame on those who think bad of it” and was uttered by Henry VIII when as king he noticed a broken article of clothing on one of the lovely ladies at his ball/feast. He stopped the dance and went to fix it for her. The court assumed the handsome king wanted to take a closer look at the lady’s undergarments and gasped. He assured them with the now famous quote that he was not, and fixed it for her. The motto and the “Order of the Garter” have now become symbols of chivalry. We’re not overly chivalrous or anything, although we are in favor of empowering women (punk rock is a great medium for that), we just thought the story was kind of cool, and it would be interesting to try to write a song in French.
What was the recording process like?
We recorded everything at Cassandra Studio in Beacon, NY. Many thanks to Robbie Kissner, our friend, without his contribution we’d not have the track.
You also have a music video to accompany the track, what was the process like of making it?
Filming was fun, just romped around the neighborhood. Editing was the bulk of the process. We tried our best not to scare anyone in the general public although received a few questionable looks. Thank God for NYC, people don’t give a shit for the most part.
Will you be releasing an EP or album?
We released an EP last fall – The Right to Remain Violent, available to purchase and stream everywhere you’d like. iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, Amazon, Bandcamp, etc.
https://thenewresistants.bandcamp.com/
https://soundcloud.com/thenewresistants/sets/the-right-to-remain-violent
https://open.spotify.com/artist/42Q2qxlWLyNLuuKq4CRiyK
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-right-to-remain-violent-ep/id1167508097
Do you have any gigs or tours coming up?
Thursday June 8th @The Well, Brooklyn (Northside Fest 2017)
Saturday June 10th @Fairfax Music Fest, Virginia
Thursday June 22nd @The Bitter End, Manhattan
What instruments do you all play?
In addition to a/m trumpet, French horn, piano
Who are your influences?
History, food, film, our favorite bands
How do you get inspiration to write songs?
Inspiration strikes where and when it pleases. The trick is identifying it and making something out of it.
Where do you see yourself now in 5 Years?
Wembley, packed house
When you’re not doing music, what do you do?
Shitty day jobs
What’s the best advice you have ever been given?
Don’t quit your day job.
What advice would you give to aspiring musicians not about the industry and just as an artist?
Simply, Don’t quit your day job
Less Simply,
A brief public service announcement from NYC rock and roll three piece The New ResistANTs,
If you’re reading this for some type of magical advice on how to make it big in the music industry, you are most certainly in the wrong place. We are no authority on the subject, far from it even. Chances are, if you’re in a band and take your craft seriously enough to get out there and make it happen, you will lose more money than you make and at the end of a long journey (if your band stays together for that long) you will have nothing to show for it. Success is hard to come by, competition is tight, the odds are overwhelmingly against you. What we can say is that there is no set path, there is no great “Answer,” there is no silver bullet to “Making it Big”. There are many ways to get to the Emerald City, f*ck the Yellow Brick Road, it’s not the only way…
One of the most refreshing things about the industry today is that it’s more dynamic than it’s ever been. Major labels, through their gluttony and greed, have become more or less obsolete. Indie labels (numbering in the tens of thousands) have picked up a lot of the hustle in terms of new music discovery. Online radio stations, podcasts, and mix-tapes have as many listeners as FM. Independent/digital streaming release is the new norm, YouTube, Spotify, iTunes, and Bandcamp are now more relevant than Sony, Atlantic, and Universal. Do it yourselves, have a backbone.
The only real advice we can feel comfortable giving to bands and musicians is to focus to the point of obsession on your music production. Writing good songs, recording them to a high quality, and most difficultly, playing them well for live audiences should be your M.O.s. This is the entertainment industry, if you’re not entertaining, you will sink. Great songs will work for you 24/7 once they’re in the right streams and they will find their way to the right ears, eventually. Great songs will never die and at the very least you will have something to show for your efforts, whenever the Fat Lady finally sings. If funds are tight, use crowd sourcing. Social media is a necessary evil; embrace it and make it work for you. Require every decision to be unanimous within the band (easier to say coming from a three-piece). Ask yourselves with every business decision “What am I getting out of this?,” “What is the other guy getting?”…always get more than the other guy, if not, RENEGOTIATE, or WALK AWAY! Surround yourselves with good honest people and avoid the schmucks, who are everywhere. Never pay sight unseen, or before the project is complete. Never give up the rights to your music. Never play drunk or high. Keep the stage sacred. Find a recording process that you are comfortable with, a good affordable studio, the right mixing engineers, the right sound. Stick with it and repeat methodologies. Constantly be writing new music and the next record.
Success in the music industry is whatever your idea of success is. For us, just making people dance is enough. Rock and roll is in our DNA, and we enjoy it when people have a good time with our music. That alone is enough to keep us going, for a little while longer at least. That being said, there’s a perfect spot on our mantel for that first Grammy. If you’re in the music biz to make money, you won’t. Plain and simple. If you have no talent, you won’t. If you’re not prepared to work hard at improving your craft and your brand every day, you won’t. Talent or hard work alone won’t get you there. You need both. And a shit load of luck on top. Do it because you love it. Do it for the music. If you have the right stuff, you’ll get noticed sooner or later.
Your Brothers in Arms,
The New ResistANTs
Johnny, Max, and Kops
What quote or saying do you always stick by?
Dream big, make big
Where in your hometown is a must go to visit?
We’re originally from Cold Spring , NY so hiking trails
When you are at a gig, what are 5 things you cannot forget?
You’re there to entertain, do that.
If you had to give your younger self advice, what would it be?
Think about the future before it’s here, enjoy the present, don’t forget the past.
Where fans can follow you on social media?
Everywhere really, with our biggest ones below.
Bandcamp
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
