18th & Addison – Old Blues/Modern Love

By starrymag | October 24, 2019

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

Tom: I always say we’re a Pop-Rock band. Genres are so vague these days and I know pop-rock means something different to everyone, but I feel that title suits our current sound pretty well.

 

Kait: I agree. We definitely blend our pop, rock and punk influences in a way that we hope sounds fresh to people who listen to us. We always write with an open mind and whether it’s more in the pop realm or a good punk rock blend, if something we’re working on feels right, we go for it.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

Tom: I have so many and for all different reasons. I mostly look up to the guys who have stood the test of time. Green Day, Bad Religion, The Clash and The Rolling Stones. I love Mike Campbell’s guitar playing and writing style. Seeing him in Fleetwood Mac now is pretty awesome. Johnny Marr is still producing great solo records. Both of those guys’ approach to guitar is very influential to me. We’re both huge fans of Panic! At the Disco, Good Charlotte and The Replacements as well so the list goes on.

 

Kait: Yeah, our influences are all over the spectrum which always makes things fun. I’m a huge Elvis Presley fan, along with The Everly Brothers, Tom Petty, Shania Twain, Green Day, Good Charlotte and more recently Tom has really gotten me into the Stones as well.

 

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Leeches.”

 

Tom: “Leeches” is really about personal growth. It’s about not letting negative people and their own misery drag you down with them. You can’t grow into a brighter future if all you think about is the past. Gotta move on, stay the course.

 

Kait: Exactly. It’s really easy to let people get to you and affect your life in a negative way. It’s even worse when you let your own thoughts and your own battles within yourself get to you also. So, it’s really about letting all of that go, overcoming those paralyzing thoughts and moving on to a more positive place.

 

Tom: Almost all of our songs seem to take that direction, but that’s good. I feel like that’s a never-ending battle.

 

Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?

 

Tom: Probably just that. It’s pretty open for interpretation, so the leeches can be your parents, a sibling, a significant other, someone you work with and so on. It’s also got a really fun, danceable groove to it. It’s dark. It’s heavy, but it’s poppy and fun too.

 

Kait: Yeah, I agree with Tom. Lyrically it’s really relatable and it’s hard to not feel the emotion behind it when you sing along.

 

Q) How does the video for the track play into the message behind it?

 

Tom: We wanted to really make a statement with this video. This is our fourth release, the first with Wiretap Records. So, we’ve been taking it upon ourselves to treat that with a level of self improvement and self respect. For us, the growth of our band is just as significant as our personal growth. Out with the old version of us and in with the new. We also wanted it separate from the generic music video style. We wanted it to look and feel more cinematic like a short film or something exciting like that. Hopefully, people are with us on the ride!

 

Kait: Damn, I couldn’t have said that any better myself. What Tom said!

 

Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

 

Tom: More times than not the music comes first and that influences the melody which then influences the lyrics. It varies though. I love all aspects of writing, so I’m always messing with something. You can’t really dive into this sorta thing with a plan though. You’re lucky to catch an idea, even luckier if it sticks and even luckier if it makes someone feel something.

 

Kait: For us, the process usually isn’t the same. I think a majority of the time it starts with a guitar idea which then inspires some type of vocal melody. Then, sometimes a lyric idea can really push us to want to write around it. I prefer to have music first just so you can work the lyrics into the song in a way that makes the song cohesive instead of having to go back change so much from the start. But the great thing about music is there are no rules.

 

Q) How much of hand do you have in the production of your music?

 

Tom: I use two hands, but Kait and I write everything and we record everything on the records except drums. We leave those to Brian Dylla. We realized at a really young age, after seeing how producers work with your songs, that we didn’t really need that. We know how to structure a song. We know what we want to hear right away. We’ve always had some sort of co-producer on every release but none of them have been that instrumental with the songs until now. We worked with John Ferrara on our new EP and it was by far the most fun and creatively free studio experience we’ve had. Very collaborative and encouraging. He just gets our band. He gets us as musicians. We have a mutual love and respect for each other and what we do. It’s great. Collaborating with the right person never fails.

 

Kait: We’re extremely involved. We always know exactly what we want from our songs in the studio and what we need to do to get them where we want them to be, but we also love collaborating on ideas and having that extra set of ears. Like Tom said, when we have the right person in the room with us, it makes it even more fun.

 

Q) What can fans expect from a live 18th & Addison performance?

 

Tom: A lot of energy. A lot of crowd participation. Everyone in the venue is in the band when we play. We’re really loud, too. It’s a blast every time.

 

Kait: Yeah, exactly what Tom said. We strive to make our live show one you won’t forget no matter how big or small the venue is, how many songs we play or how well you know our band!

 

Q) What songs off your Old Blues/Modern Love EP are you looking forward to performing live?

 

Tom: We’ve played them all so far and, honestly, every one of them are fun as hell to play. Different vibe from our previous material live so it feels fresh. Almost like being in a whole new band. We’re loving it.

 

Kait: Yeah, all the songs are SO fun to play and it’s hard to pick just one, but if I HAD to, I’d say “When I’m Alone” is my favorite. It’s fast and fun to jump around to and I love singing that one!

 

Q) What do you hope listeners take away from listening to your new EP as a whole?

 

Tom: I don’t really have a specific hope for anything other than that they listen and it takes them to a new place and gets their minds off of whatever else is going on in life for a little bit. Music has always silenced the noise for me. I have a lot of gears turning at once in my head, so I hope it does the same for everyone else when they hear it. A lot of our fans have been starting to play instruments, write songs and paint more after interacting with us on social media and listening to the EP. To see your art, inspire others’ art, that’s a beautiful thing to me.

 

Kait: I hope they listen and think it’s a step up from anything we’ve ever done before, but even at that, I still really appreciate when people favor different albums because it means there’s something out there for everyone. I hope this new EP gives even one person the push they need to say that thing they’ve been needing to say to someone or the confidence they’ve needed to overcome something within themselves.

 

Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you?

 

Tom: Greenville, SC is always fun. The Radio Room is a great venue run by great people. Always a fun crowd as well and people have been traveling to be a part of the show with us. Same for The Brighton Bar in Long Branch, NJ. We throw all our special home state shows there.

 

Kait: Same for me. We recently went back to Greenville, SC and it reminded me again why I love it so much. It’s starting to feel like a home away from home. Not only do we have some family over there, but any show we play over there everyone is always extremely supportive. Nashville will always be one of my favorite spots too, so I’m looking forward to playing a few more shows over there.

 

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

 

Tom: I honestly don’t really ever think about it. We co-wrote “Mission to Mars” with Ace Frehley from KISS and that was a lot of fun to do. I like writing for other artists and collaborating, but I also have one of my favorite writers in the world in a band with me already so I don’t ask for much more.

 

Kait: Tom, stop, you’re making me blush! In all seriousness though, we’re extremely lucky to have found each other and to have clicked like we have. Writing with Tom over the past few years has definitely brought out more in myself than I knew existed. We both feed off one another and make each other better so I couldn’t ask for a better partner. If I had to choose a dream collaboration, I’d love to work with Green Day in some way. How badass would that be?

 

Q) What album/band are you currently listening to and why do you dig them?

 

Tom: We’re friends with another duo called The Underclassmen from California. They have a song out called “Former Life” that I always have stuck in my head. Catchy song and great guys. I also picked up the new Blink-182 record and cannot stop listening to it. I love how dark and weird it gets. I listen to so much through out the day though, I can’t pin point too many specifics. I love our new EP.

 

Kait: Right now, I’m super into the new Tegan & Sara record Hey, I’m Just Like You. It’s a little bit of a darker album and it’s basically a bunch of songs they wrote in high school that they reworked for this album and they’re incredible. It’s a little on the darker side, which I love and vocally I think it’s the best they’ve ever sounded. And more recently I’ve gotten into Orla Gartland. She’s a singer-songwriter from Dublin and her songs catch you right in the feels. I’ve had her on repeat for a few months now.

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

 

Tom: It’s so direct. It’s nice being a band that’s so easily accessible since we can’t tour internationally yet. We’ve met so many amazing people through Twitter and Instagram and they’re so supportive. All very sweet, respectful, creative and passionate.

 

Kait: Yeah social media keeps the interaction alive. It’s amazing to tour and meet people, but it’s great being able to keep in touch afterwards. It’s especially great to connect with someone who’s never heard of your band before and they give you a chance or you find out they’re from Brazil or Australia or somewhere so out there. It’s crazy to think your music is reaching people so far away.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

 

Tom: Just thank you so much for your love and respect. Thank you for making art and sharing it with us and we hope you’re having as great of a time as we are!

 

Kait: Thank you for the support! Enjoy the new music, and stay in touch with us on social media!