(EDITOR’S NOTE – If the band gas station. is any barometer for the future of Buffalo’s indie music scene, it’s hard to be anything but optimistic. With a new EP, new video, and its live debut having just taken place at Timeless Babez on June 19, the band’s been going full-throttle. 1120 Press spoke with gas station.’s Joe Morganti, who was gracious enough to answer our questions… gas station. is comprised of Joe Morganti – guitar, John Vaughan - bass and vocals, and Robert Brennan – drums. — Photo by Greg McClure)
1120 Press: So, first, thank you for speaking with us. We’ve been listening to the band’s debut EP “Meshes of the Afternoon,” which has been out now for just over
two months. How does it feel to have your music out there, and how’s the
band feeling about all that’s happening?
JOE MORGANTI: Putting out music is a mixed bag of excitement and trepidation. No matter how much someone prides themselves on releasing something for their own effort, there’s always a little bit of wonder about how it’ll be received – or whatever you want to call the anticipation of a grander reaction.
Regardless, the three of us are proud of Meshes of the Afternoon, and that’s all that really matters. No one should go into music or another artistic effort without any intention other than to express themselves, as corny as it sounds.
We spent a few days with Jay Zubricky (of GCR Audio) to record the record last July and put it out this past March. Jay’s the best and makes the process fun and relaxing. I imagine we’ll be back recording tunes with him later this year. The reception’s been great, and we’re stoked to have another project involved with the Buffalo music scene.
1120: Can you tell us about the origin of the band? How did you guys get
together and when?
JM: The three of us have been pals forever, with John and I being in bands together since we were kids. I sprung the idea on them, whether they’d like to try something a little different than what we usually do, and they were into it.
So, we wrote some tunes last summer and got into the studio shortly after. John has a great voice and is perfect for fronting this sort of thing, and Rob is one of the most reliable/prepared drummers I know. It works well.
1120: One of the great things about the scene here is, besides the immense
talent, everyone seems to have their own sound. We’re not asking you to
categorize yourselves, but for the uninitiated, how would you guys describe
your sound?
JM: We’re definitely in that emo, twinkly-riff world, but maybe that’ll change a bit on the next release. I enjoy writing riffs in that space while adding elements of noise and shoegaze. John lays the melody over it, and Rob solidifies the core of each track. Collectively, we enjoy having an eclectic approach that’s somewhat grounded genre-wise. We’re just having fun.
1120: You have a video out for “Never Could Be Any Other Way,” which is really
well done and very engaging. What can you tell us about it in terms of how
that concept came together and your experience in doing it?
JM: John loves music videos more than the average person and teamed up with cinematographer Luke Haag and artist Joey Gierden for the vid. I went into it not knowing anything, and John pretty much explored whatever ideas he had going on in his noggin. It worked really well, and it’s nice to have such a well-done video for our first release.
1120: Your first show was Monday June 19 at Timeless Babez. How do you guys
fee?
JM: We feel great; nothing’s better than live music. The three of us like to be over-prepared for this sort of thing and enjoy developing a set that flows from track to track without real pauses. Timeless Babez is a great spot, and the lineup was real solid. It was a grand ole time.
1120: Is there anything else you want to add that we haven’t touched on?
JM: Nothing that hasn’t been said a million times. Buffalo rocks, and there’s a bunch of great bands — past and present — that deserve your attention. Shoutout to all the bands and gas station. will release more music sooner or later.