It Goes On
Homepage: http://www.myspace.com/itgoesonband
Feature By: Jonathan Earley
C-buz: What's the band's history? How did you guys all meet up and start making music?
Rex Sharpe: We’ve
all been playing music together in some form for years. I first
started playing in a band with Stu around 2000 or so in a band called
Role Reversal. Our only goal with that band was to infuriate as many
people as possible, which usually involved dead animals and fire. In
2008, Stu, Ryan, and myself all did a short lived summer band called the
Inhumanoids that played a few shows and recorded a demo, but didn’t
make it to the Fall. The three of us all wanted to start a new band
ever since that, and when Vert Rambis essentially broke up, J-Boy and
Scritney joined us in It Goes On. Or you can just say we all met at a
tractor pull. Either story works. Mike joined when J-Boy decided to
turn his back on our pro-Indiana ethics and move to Texas. Leaving
Indiana is essentially the same as actually dying in the eyes of It Goes
On. RIP Justin.
CB: How many shows have you done so far?
RS: We’ve
played around 15-20 shows so far, which doesn’t sound like many for a
band that has existed a year, but we took a fairly sizable break in that
year to all study abroad and find ourselves. Those experiences have
led to an influx of ouds and quanons into our music. We’ve already
played more shows this year than we did all of last year, so we’re
heading in the right direction.
CB: Will you be touring or just playing locally?
RS: We’re
planning on starting to play more out of state. We’ve got shows coming
up in Ohio and are planning small, three days trips. Touring
extensively is basically out of our range because we aren’t 18 anymore.
Well, Scritney basically still lives like he is, regardless of his
actual age. I respect that.
CB: What are some of your influences?
RS: Joose
and Cool Ranch Doritos. Musically, we all like such different styles
of music and bring in so many types of influences. However, I think
our biggest influence overall would be Jan Terri. She’s a real
underground singer/songwriter from Chicago that most people don’t know
about. Look her up. She’s life-changing.
CB: What are your lyrics generally about?
RS: We
usually write about our lives, in one way or another. A song like “A
Bottle of Mad Dog Bought at a Gas Station on Christmas Eve,” is about
our addictive natures and the way we self-medicate to get through the
day, at the expense of health, friendships, relationships, and jobs.
“Nightmare World” is about the terrible state our “scene” was in, with
people more excited to go to karaoke than watch local bands and
ridiculous cover bands ruling the Columbus musical landscape. Stu tends
to write lyrics that are introspective while still humorous and tongue
in cheek, where I lean more towards depressing and miserable lyrics.
CB: Where / how did you record your album? Studio? At home? What kind of recording setup?
RS: We
recorded this new demo with our friend, Norton. He has a wide array of
equipment and experience doing this stuff. He was the singer for the
Inhumanoids, and the stuff he recorded for that project turned out
incredible, so we want to go with the devil we know. This stuff is
probably going to turn up on a split release with Comfort. The next
goal will be to get into a real studio and record stuff for vinyl sorts
of releases.
CB: How does this band compare with some of your past projects?
RS: This
band is the “pinnacle” of what we have all been working together on for
a few years. It is finally what we were trying to accomplish as a band
when we were doing all our other crappy projects over the years. I’m
still in the Post Teens, a pop punk band in Indianapolis, but this band
hits the mark closest to what I want to do with any musical endeavors.
CB: This is a pretty broad question, but how do feel about how things are going with the local music scene?
RS: It
feels like Columbus is starting to finally turn a corner, in regards to
supporting local music. First off, there are actually a lot of great
bands and people making music, like Born Mountaineer, Comfort, Tilford
Sellers, Mylets, and more I’m sure I am forgetting. The first component
of building a strong, local scene is having good bands to build it on.
Without that, no one will care in the least bit. Adding in the Fork
After Dark shows should help considerably, too. Cover bands will not be
welcome at these shows. The idea is to support local and regional
original music of all genres, not watch some goofball with an acoustic
play Grateful Dead and Bob Dylan covers. If you want that, go to Fourth
Street and have a blast. Watching that first show start with a line
down the street was so encouraging. There are people here that care and
want more, but it takes a lot more work and determination. Sure, you
can give up and move to Austin and watch hundreds of bands every single
night, but it means a little more to me when you stick to your beliefs
and make something happen in a place desperate for something more. The
goal is that more shows will start happening, more bands will form,
more people will get interested in this little scene, and it will
continue to grow.
CB: Any other thoughts?
RS: In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.
-Robert Frost-
Posts: 3
Reply #3 on : Sat August 27, 2011, 11:31:23