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Q&A with the deli's Band of the Month: The Basement Beat
by Chrissy Prisco
deli: How did the band start?
The Basement Beat: We actually only knew each other vaguely beforehand. Originally, we were only going to play one show. We wanted to get a few songs together for our town’s annual music festival and we started practicing together a week before we performed. Somehow, we managed to get three songs together which ended up becoming "Vacation 1," "Wah-Oh!," and "You Say," which are all on the EP. Two of us were friends before and two of us were siblings, but we didn’t go to the same schools.
deli: Where did the band name, The Basement Beat, come from?
BB: We practiced in the basement of one of our houses, but we also liked the connection to the basement because we thought that it reflected our sound: a raw, unprocessed, high-energy sound that we kinda slapped together at the last minute.
deli: What are your biggest musical influences?
BB: The Strokes, The Arctic Monkeys, Okay Go, Jack White, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, the Wu-Tang Clan, and Vampire Weekend.
deli: What artists (local, national and/or international) are you currently listening to?
BB: Project Cardboard Unicorn, The Rural Alberta Advantage, Jack Conte, Awolnation, The Silversun Pickups, Arcade Fire, and Tally Hall.
deli: What's the first concert that you ever attended and first album that you ever bought?
Gabe (bass): Thrice at The Orpheum in Boston; Yellow Submarine.
Mikey (vocals/guitar): Ozma at the Middle East in Cambridge; The Doors Greatest Hits.
Ariel (drums): Lynyrd Skynyrd with the Doobie Brothers at the Comcast Center in Mansfield, MA; the first album was Britney Spears.
Andy (lead guitar): The same Lynyrd Skynyrd/Doobie Brothers concert; and a Backstreet Boys album.
deli: What do you love about New Englands music scene?
BB: It’s huge and incredibly diverse. We especially love the Boston music scene because it’s a great college town with lots of students and a youthful, enthusiastic spirit.
deli: What would you like to see change in the local music scene?
BB: Since all of us are under 21, we’d like to see more all ages shows!
deli: What are your plans for the upcoming year?
BB: We want to put out an album, play as many shows as we can, and maybe submit to some music festivals.
deli: Is there someone who has helped your band grow through support?
BB: Madi Silvers--who writes for the Musicstache music blog--has been incredibly encouraging and was the first one to help get our music to a much greater audience than just our friends.
deli: Is there a piece of equipment you couldn't live without and why?
BB: Andy’s car has really helped us through the hard times.
deli: Why do you read The Deli?
BB: It’s a great place to look if you want to find good local music.
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