Soundoff ***New Interview***

Soundoff is an awesome punk band from Rhode Island. They have released several awesome EPs. They also have an awesome live set and have shared the stage with some great bands. Due to college they have not been able to tour, but you never know. I got the band to tell their story...

Introduce yourself…
(Eric) - Hey I'm Eric Macksoud. I'm the guitarist, lead vocals, and band flirt/balloon-animal artist in SoundOff!
(Jeff) - Hey how’s it goin? My name’s Jeff Peloquin and I’m the drummer and “stupid introduction guy” for SoundOff (our fans get that one).
(Jarrod) - Hi I'm Jarrod Peloquin. I'm the Bassits of SoundOff and I'm 16 years old. About 90% of the time I'll be the youngest person you'll see at one of our shows besides some guy's kid but I still know how to have fun.

How did the band start?
(Jeff) - We started in eighth grade when Eric and I were starting to get serious with our instruments. We would ask all of our other friends from band class if they wanted to start a band with us, which is every kids’ dream at one point. But we had asked too many friends and we ended up having a band of about eight people, and all of them either knew how to play guitar or drums, and that was about it. Nobody wanted to play bass and Eric and I had decided to just call it off for a while.
(Eric) - It wouldn't really be until our sophmore year of high school until we truly started being a band. It was originally gonna be a White Stripes cover band (since it was just me on guitar and Jeff on drums) but we were able to find a bass player and start as a full band. Over the years we went through a bunch of lineup changes, even having Jeff take a break from the band at one point, but after our first year of college we tried to truly form up again.
(Jarrod) - Yeah, in 2010 they were thinking of starting the band up again but needed to find a new bassist. I heard them discussing this in the other room of my house and I poked my head around the corner and smiled at them. About 2 minutes later I was in my basement learning some of the songs for a show that was scheduled in 2 weeks and I've been playing with them ever since.

How did you come up with the name?
(Jeff) - I came up with the name hanging out at home after school one day when Eric told me, “First thing’s first, we need to come up with a name.” So I thought about it on the bus ride home and I’m pretty sure I called Eric as soon as I came up with the idea of SoundOff. At the time, I was really into an alternative punk band from Orange County, New York called Autopilot Off. I was listening to Soundgarden, and that’s when I came up with the idea of mashing the two names together. We had a list of other options, but as soon as I called Eric, we both just decided on the name.
(Eric) - After names like "Otis Crashes In", "Car Krash", and "Robotic Murder Machine", "SoundOff was just the best name. I'm very glad we stuck with it because it's just a nice unique name that plenty of people can remember.

Who would you say are your influences?
(Eric) - For the band itself I would say we're heavily influenced by most 90's punk/ska bands such as Sublime, Green Day and Blink 182. We've also been compared to other punk bands such as Black Flag and Less Than Jake. Personally I'm influenced by 70's punk bands such as The Sex Pistols and The Stooges as well as rock bands like The Beatles and Led Zeppelin.
(Jarrod) - I have many bands that have influenced myself like Breaking Benjamin, Green Day, Rise Against, Blink 182, White Stripes, and many more. However my main personal influence would have to be Incubus which is my favorite band of all time.
(Jeff) - For my personal influences Autopilot Off most definitely got me into learning how to play a full drum set in the first place. As for the band I'd say we're also influenced by a lot of alternative rock and punk bands like The White Stripes and even the Arctic Monkeys.

What is the punk scene like in Rhode Island?
(Eric) - The punk scene in RI is a very close-knit community. A lot of the punk and ska bands are friends with each other and always make it out to each other's shows if they aren't sharing the stage for the night. Also the punk fans in RI are very loyal and dedicated to the bands, usually going to as many shows as they can afford and making their own t-shirts to wear! I swear I've seen so many of the same faces at our shows and it's always heart-warming since it truly shows how much these fans care about the music and social scene. I'm pretty sure a lot of our close friends are members of other punk bands we've played with or are the cool fans we've met. It's pretty much one big family where everyone has each other's back no matter what.
(Jarrod) - Basically the scene is full of fun loving punk bands and fans who are a bunch of cool guys and gals who love to play music and have fun!

Describe the song writing process...
(Eric) - When it comes to writing the songs I usually write the lyrics and the guitar parts first. The lyrics always range from either personal feelings, witty remarks on society, or just plain references to subjects such as A Clockwork Orange or The Joker. Then I'll bring the songs to a band practice and tell Jeff how fast or slow the song is. From there he'll usually create his own beat and fills. I also show Jarrod a basic bass progression for the song that he'll take and work with, usually elaborating and twisting it around to fit his own unique style and make the song sound even more full.
(Jeff) - Aside from some of Eric's pre-written stuff we can usually write and put a song together in as little as three takes, which may take around a half hour. Of course, that doesn’t mean the song is already perfected and ready for recording. In the following weeks, we usually change a few pieces and transitions in a song here and there, even an hour or two before we leave for a show. We’re usually pretty good when it comes to changing songs and fixing them at the last minute.

What have you released?
(Jarrod) - We have released an 8 song EP called "Outta the Basement" as well as a 5 song EP entitled "Shut up and Smile". "Outta the Basement" includes 8 of our own songs (Ultraviolence, No Feelings For You, New Wave, I've Lost my Mind, 401 Pride, Slave to the Grind, Straight Up, and Why so Serious?) while our 5 song EP "Shut up and Smile" contains 3 of our own songs (Shut up and Smile, Wasted and Overdose) and 2 covers (Saw her Standing There by the Beatles and Under the Sea from Disney's The Little Mermaid). Both have been well-received by our fans and friends and some songs have even been featured on the local music section of our favorite alternative radio station in Rhode Island: 95.5 WBRU!

Who are some of the bands you have done shows with?
(Jeff) - We’ve played a lot of shows with a ska band everyone knows as Short-Handed Goal. They actually played with us during our first big gig in Providence. We must have played with them at least four or five times since then. They’re one of the bands we really hit it off with and we try to get each other into our shows or at least go see each other play. The same goes for our pals in Eisenfront, who we've become very close to over the years after going to each other's shows and playing various gigs with them!
(Jarrod) - Some of the bigger bands we've played with are Caddywhompus and A Billion Ernies, both signed to Community Records, local RI punk legends Senior Discount, and the national touring humor-core band Psychostick!
(Eric) - We've also played with a bunch of great local punk bands who we've become very close to such as Smile Pretty, The Bitchin' Aardvarks, and Perfect Static while some great out-of-state bands we've shared the stage with include Survay Says, Threat Level Burgundy, and Alongside a War.

Do you prefer to do shows at large venues or small clubs?
(Jarrod) - Both have their perks to us in a way. Large venues of course have a large crowd of people that we can sell a lot of our merchandise to and introduce ourselves to while small crowds are mostly friends of ours who we love to have fun with. I love playing either venue just as much because I love playing for our well known fans, and also gaining new friends and fans at larger shows while getting our name out more.
(Jeff) - I’m the kind of guy that prefers playing for smaller groups. You get a chance to hang around and talk to literally everybody before and after your set, and it’s a great way to make new connections. Weinerfest, a local basement show held each year, is definitely the perfect example to me. We met a ton of people old and new, and we got a chance to play with a bunch of bands and we hung out with all of them afterwards, and now we all play shows together. To me, the best feeling isn’t just playing a show and everyone loves you. It’s when you meet another band and exchange info and they tell you, “Hey man, you guys were awesome, etc. We’ll call you guys and set up a show.” It’s just really good to know you’re finding more people to do shows with because you don’t want to book a gig with bands that aren’t your style.
(Eric) - Over the years I've come to love playing local shows at small venues. As a punk-trio it can sometimes be a bit daunting to play on a huge stage when all we have is our regular sized amps and just three guys onstage, especially if it's an out-of-state show where only a few people know who you are. Smaller venues in RI offer the chance for us to get to know our fans better and form relationships with them, rather than just playing a 30 minute set and leaving immediately after. They've basically helped us get closer to other bands and fans as well as make our shows events to remember, such as our hiatus show at Firehouse 13 in Providence; it was us, our friends and fans, and a bunch of bands we love and it was a total blast!

Have you toured?
(Jarrod) - We have not toured nor do I believe we will be touring any time soon. Eric and Jeff are both Juniors in college and I am still a Junior in highschool so there is some trouble there.
(Jeff) - As much as we want to and plan on it, we haven’t had the time or the money yet to do so. Eric and I are still in college, Jarrod is still in high school, plus we work and all of these other factors that are stopping us from letting us go out to more states and play. We also don’t have money or a big enough van yet to travel in. We usually go to our shows in two separate cars. Eric and Jarrod go in his Honda Civic with the amps and guitars and I found a way to pack my full set into my two-door Pontiac Sunfire without ruining the seats.
(Eric) - All I can say is, unless we win the lottery or somehow acquire a bigger van, we won't be touring for a while.

Is there a favorite band you like to do shows with?
(Eric) - There's so many great bands we've played with over the years it's hard to choose one. One of my favorite bands that we've played with is definitely Senior Discount; they are one of our big influences when it comes to being a punk band from RI and they've been so supportive of us since the day we met them. We got to play with them at our hiatus show and it was a dream come true! I also love playing with our "brother bands" The Bitchin' Aardvarks, Smile Pretty, and Perfect Static.
(Jarrod) - My favorite band that we've played with is definitely Psychostick. They really know how to put on a show and they are some really cool guys who we loved and who loved us back so it was lots of fun!
(Jeff) - Yeah, opening for Psychostick was probably the only night in a long time where I actually felt tense on a stage. But the guys loved us and they thought we were funny and they liked our orc masks and Mexican hats and they said they want to play with us again once they're back on the east coast!

Is there a favorite place you like to do shows at?
(Eric) - My personal favorites are AS220 and Firehouse 13. Both are close-knit clubs that take pride in local music, plus some of our best shows have been at both venues. It also helps that both venues are some of the few that actually pays us.
(Jarrod) - I love playing shows in Providence venues because they are close to home and lots of our friends and family are able to attend the shows with ease. Some of these venues that are my favorite are Firehouse 13, AS220, and The Ruins.

What do you see is the future of Soundoff?
(Eric) - Currently I'm studying abroad in London, England and will return around mid-December. Upon my arrival there will definitely be a return/Christmas show on December 23rd in Providence! After that we're gonna focus on playing a couple shows here and there while writing enough material for a debut album. The summer is when we're the most active so we'll definitely have a bunch of shows lined up for then. I don't see us getting famous or signed anytime soon, but there could be a chance that we can become a big force in the RI punk community, something that we'd be more than happy to gain.
(Jarrod) - I see us playing more local shows, possibly once a month until the summer. Once school is over for all of us we will be playing more shows over the summer and become a lot more active, hopefully playing bigger and better shows and even playing onstage at Lupos Heartbreak Hotel (a very big venue in RI).
(Jeff) - Right now while Eric is away  we sit around on the weekends and talk long distance over Skype and talk about new song ideas for when we're off hiatus. Hopefully we can just go back to playing shows every few weeks and our name can spread through word of mouth. That’s how we got ourselves to where we are now – six years of hard work, gigs, and people spreading the word. We're all hoping one day the word will spread to the right person.

How can people contact the band?
We can be contacted by email at evmacksoud@yahoo.com or on our facebook page at the following link: www.facebook.com/123soundoff