What are your names?
Dylan Garforth (Guitarist/Vocalist), Thomas Jay (Guitarist/Vocalist), Jonah Greenberg (Bass), Jake Siegel (Drums)
What is the band’s name?
The Things We Were
How did you come up with the band’s name?
We came up with the band name while analysing our first batch of songs that we recorded. We came to the realization that a main topic in our lyrics that always seems to tie in is nostalgia and we definitely wanted to have a name that represents our music well.
What is your genre of music?
Our primary genre is Pop Punk but we’re all so influenced by so many different artists and genres and love to bring them all into our writing process.
Give us a little bio about you as a band.
So a little bit about us, we established in July of 2018 with our debut single ‘With You’. Since then we’ve been given tremendous opportunities in the industry, having charted on Pop Punks Not Dead and New Punk Tracks on Spotify! One of the singles, “The Weight You Carried” just topped 40k on Spotify.
What made you go into music?
Music was always our therapy. It was a way to escape our everyday problems and a way to express our feelings. The opportunity to be able to do that and connect and relate with people is what really drove us into the industry.
Are you a signed band?
As of right now we are independent but we’re looking into different labels and talking to a bunch of different people to see what the right fit is going to be.
You have released your new single ‘Plaid Shoes and Tattoos’, tell us more about the single.
The demo for the single was originally recorded on thanksgiving night in 2019. Two of our songwriters were going through tough breakups and definitely wanted to capture that emotion in the song.
What is the meaning behind the single?
The meaning behind the song is to not always feel at fault when things go wrong. There are two sides to a story, in this case a breakup, and you don’t always have to feel like you’re the one who caused it.
Describe the track in two words.
Pop Punk 😉
What was the writing process like?
The writing process was fairly quick and smooth for this one. We were capturing emotions and feelings as we were going through them and it made the song feel so pure and relatable to us.
What was the recording process like?
The recording process is always an amazing time. Being from Philadelphia and recording in Florida is almost like a work-based vacation. We love the people we work with because we all understand each other so well.
Who did you work with on the single?
We worked with our producer Andrew Karpovck at the Audio Compound in Orlando. We all mesh so well together, and he really knows how to take all of our ideas and glue them together.
Will we see a music video for the tracks?
Yes! There will be a Plaid Shoes and Tattoos music video. We can’t announce a date YET but there will definitely be one!
Will we see an EP or Album and if so, what can we expect?
There will be a full length album, Cloudy Kids. You can expect a very personal record that means a lot to us, and hopefully to every listener. We put everything we could into every song lyrically and instrumentally to keep our sound as consistent as possible.
Do you have any online shows coming up?
We do have something in the works with a radio station in Philadelphian on July 31.
What else can we expect in 2020
In 2020 you can expect to see more single releases and eventually the release of the full length record. Also depending on how the world is, hopefully everyone will get to see us on the road.
Do you have any collaborations coming up with any upcoming artists?
Two actually! We have a collaboration with a band called 408 who we’re good friends with and also a collaboration with an alternative hip hop artist named Spills! Both can be expected in 2020/Early 2021
Would you be up for collaborations if other musicians wanted one with you? and who would they have to contact?
Our ears are always open. We love working with artists and are always up for a collaboration. Business inquiries can go to either of our two managers:
Mike Bacon (bacon at mx2media dot com)
Mike Parrish (parrish at mx2media dot com)
Do you play any instruments?
One of the amazing things about this band is that we’re all multi instrumentalists. I personally play guitar, drums, bass, piano and sing!
Who are your influences?
Our big influences come from the juggernauts of Pop Punk. Bands like blink-182, Neck Deep and A Day To Remember all helped inspire us to do what we do on a daily basis.
How do you get inspiration to write songs?
Our inspiration comes from personal experiences that we believe we can use to help others in a time of need. We love our music to feel real and relatable because that’s what helped us when we were feeling down about things. It was an escape for us and almost like therapy and we want to be that outlet for anyone we can.
Where do you see yourself now in 5 Years?
In 5 years, we see ourselves traveling the world and doing what we love. Hopefully, inspiring people just like we’ve been inspired.
When you’re not doing music, what do you do?
We all have various interests and hobbies. The main ones that we all enjoy are comedy, video games, sports, podcasts, movies and definitely binge-watching Netflix.
What was the song you listened to most that influenced you to go more into the music scene?
Me personally, After Midnight by blink-182 was a song that spoke to me so much and moved me to a point where I realized that music is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
What’s the best advice you have ever been given?
Not to take life too seriously. We have one chance to live, so make it worth it.
What advice would you give to aspiring musicians not about the industry and just as an artist?
An unpopular piece of advice that I personally followed, was to never have a plan B. If you have a backup plan or something to fall back on, you’re never going to chase your dream as much as you should be. Take time that you spend putting into “what if’s” and use it to push your craft or your gift a little harder. It’s never easy in the beginning, but if you keep pushing, you’ll adapt to the weight.
What quote or saying do you always stick by?
You don’t eat the fruit the same day you plant the seed.
Where in your hometown is a must go to visit?
The obvious touristy answer would be the King of Prussia mall, but to me, if you’re in Philadelphia, take a ride to Jim’s Steaks on south street. You’ll never regret it.
Your coming off tour;
1/ Where do you go first? First place to go would be straight to the studio to get back to work. We’re not big fans of days off
2/ Who do you see first? First people to see are definitely my girlfriend, parents, brother and grandmother
3/What do you eat first? First thing to eat is a Philly Cheesesteak. Nothing beats it!
When you are at a gig, what are 5 things you cannot forget?
The reason I’ve been given the opportunity to be there
Pre-Show band rituals
Grandfathers bracelet
Plenty of guitar picks
Vodka Red Bull
Do you have social media accounts so your fans can follow you?
Yes! We are on all social media @thethingswewere
All Link can be found here
