Kennett Square, PA pop-punk outfit Grayscale have been performing for years, but as of late the band seems to be adding some color to their palette. With a brand new EP on the horizon, new shows, and new music, the band is entering a new chapter in life. Scattered to the corners of the United States, the band had a chance to come together and sit down with us and chat about the future, struggles, and how they’re on top of that ever-sliding Grayscale.
Where do you draw your primary influences?
We have influences anywhere from R.E.M. and Third Eye Blind to Brand New and Basement.
Talk about your experiences with writing and recording the new record. What were some of the highlights?
We stayed in Boston for two weeks straight with our producer and good friend, Gary Cioffi. Waking up and recording/writing music together was a great time. This is where we also hung out with/got to know Transit and became good friends with those dudes. Each day after recording ended for the night, us five would be pent up in the studio by ourselves overnight. Each night was different. Some nights we went bowling, some nights we went to arcades, sometimes we slept, and sometimes we would harass the McDonald’s down the street. It was fun as shit during the day making music, and fun as shit at night being idiots.
As a band, what do you want to accomplish? What is your benchmark for success?
Touring internationally would be a huge accomplishment for us. We would love the opportunity to be able to go abroad and play our music for a bunch of rowdy kids over in a place like England or Japan. The thought of connecting with people from the other side of the world through our music is incredible to us, so to accomplish something like that with Grayscale would no doubt be considered a huge success to all five of us.
Out of the band, which one is the leader, the brains, the brawn, the looks and the wildcard? (Insert It’s Always sunny In Philadelphia joke here)
Leader – Collin
Brains – Nick
Brawn – Dallas
Looks – Andy
Wildcard (brake cutter) – Derek
The release of your new EP is the start to some great things; do you have any other big plans fans can look forward to for the future?
We will be releasing a full-length later this year that we feel really showcases the maturity of the band, especially from our last album, Leaving. We are incredibly excited to release the EP and we feel that those songs accurately convey how we have matured as musicians and songwriters since Leaving, but it is only a part of the picture that the full-length will illustrate.
We also plan on touring later this year. We can’t wait to get back out on the road and talk to fans, eat Taco Bell, and play some badass fucking rock shows.
In a genre that is saturated with tons of similar artists, what makes Grayscale stand out?
We think we bring a unique blend of alternative rock and pop punk into one sound. We hope fans like the differentiation and specificity of our music. We also strive to write songs that individually have different feelings to them.
What is your songwriting process? Have you collaborated with outside songwriters?
We write all of our own stuff. Most of our songs start with a basic guitar and drum idea, which we then build upon at practice together. There isn’t a strict process that we follow every time we write songs, and we think that’s why we’ve been able to write a variety of songs that sound different from one another, in a good way. It’s fun whenever we work on new ideas because it means we each get to contribute in our own way to shaping this new song and we each bring our own set of influences to the table. That’s the Grayscale formula.
What would you say has been the most difficult part of your career for you all personally and collectively?
Spending the last four years scattered across the country for eight months out of the year because of school has definitely been difficult for us collectively as a band. Collin spent two years at San Diego State out in California and Nick is finally finishing his degree at Belmont University in Nashville. Collin transferred to Drexel in Philadelphia this past year, though, so it has basically been a waiting game for Nick to finish at Belmont and come back home. So many things will become easier once all five of us are together in Philadelphia again.
Also, Collin’s house burned to the ground when we were up in Boston recording the full-length…
How did you, or do you continue to, overcome these struggles?
We’re very fortunate to live in the day and age that we do. Technology has basically allowed us to survive as a band for the last four years. We can communicate with one another at any given moment, and we can share ideas and demos through email. It really makes being in a band together possible for us. We are still excited to all get together again this year though and collaborate in a local setting. We would obviously much rather write music together in one room rather than tab out our ideas on a computer and send them back and forth.
What is the ‘highlight’ of your career so far?
Just getting the feedback and building relationships with our fans. The amount of support has been unreal, no show could ever top the ongoing relationships we’ve founded with people. Receiving Facebook messages about how our music helps people through hard times or has helped give someone motivation; that is really what hits us the hardest. Andrew winning the “Morton Monster” breakfast sandwich challenge at the Coffee Station in Garnet Valley was also a huge accomplishment for the band.
What is the one dream the moment at which point either personally or collectively you would be able to say yes I’ve achieved this, I’m living my dreams?
I think meeting the cast of Seinfeld would be the end all be all dream moment for all of us.
Grayscale’s brand new EP Change is available today. You can check it out here.
