Roll of the Dice is a short interview format with a variable amount of questions. A pair of dice is rolled and the total, between 2 and 12, is the amount of questions we can ask. All questions are given to the interviewee(s) at once, and no follow-ups are allowed. The interview may be lightly edited for content and clarity.
Have you checked out The Home That Procrastination Built, yet? The new EP from Long Island acoustic punk duo Bitters And Distractions is so damn good! TGEFM highly recommends you click this link to download, press play on the record and then check out our interview with Travis Johnides below.
Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview. Congrats on the recent EP: The Home That Procrastination Built. For the uninitiated, could you tell us a bit about yourself, your history and sound and how everything has come together for your career thus far?
Thank you! Bitters and Distractions is an acoustic punk duo from Long Island, NY. In our opinion, we are a straight-forward punk rock band, but we just so happen to be a duo and we just so happen to use a single acoustic guitar.
Jeremy worked at a summer camp teaching art with my wife. My wife knew we would hit it off. A chance conversation about Jeremy having song lyrics without music lead to me having the music for the first EP written quickly. What started as an experiment in 2017, became a band!
What album or band or significant singles made you go “Yeah, this is what I want to do” Not just an influence but who or what was the catalyst?
The Monkees were the first band that made me want to play music. In the 80’s, my Dad was watching an episode of their show and I was blown away! A few years later, I discovered Bon Jovi and I knew being in a band was where I needed to be.
What have been some of the most memorable moments or experiences within the scene so far? What’s been the most unexpected? The weirdest?
The most memorable moments involve the friendships we’ve created. Making music that people connect with is extremely rewarding, but the friendships mean the most! I feel we’ve befriended a lot of people that we’ll know for a very long time, and that’s a great feeling. I guess the same answer can be applied to the most unexpected and weirdest experiences! I think there’s part of us that never thought this band, which we started in our 40’s, would go in the great direction it has – and in turn, we’d have these new friendships.
Bitters and Distractions is from Long Island. It’s such an interesting, diverse and generally under-appreciated place that has bred so much amazing music. Why do you think the area churns out so many brilliant musicians and songwriters?
I really think we all influence each other. If you’re out there on Long Island and wanting to be in a band, you have so many bands around you already doing it, and that can be a big motivator for doing it yourself.
We are living in a “just deal with COVID” world and everything about this timeline is some level of completely fucked. What impact, if any, does the current cultural and political landscape have on the band and the scene in general? What’s the state of the live scene from your point of view?
I think there is too much causing division in the world, but I do hope music assists in pulling us all back together. I do know the political landscape influences our songwriting. Our new single “The Expression Left Your Face” is (in the words of my bandmate, Jeremy) “a reflection of all the dissent in the country. So much time is spent defending our own opinions and putting other’s opinions down. We have stopped listening to each other, which is hard to even do over all the noise.”
Let’s talk a little bit about “The Home That Procrastination Built” and how it came into existence. What was going on at the time that helped kickstart and inspire the songwriting process?
We are always writing music! It truly never stops on our end. “Rocky and The Other Guy” was one of our first songs we ever wrote as a band, whereas “The Expression Left Your Face” is the most recent song we wrote. We never say “let’s write a song for the upcoming album” and instead just write – and if we like the final product, we release it when it feels appropriate. Using the song “Rocky and The Other Guy” as an example, we always loved the song, but it didn’t make sense for us to release it until now.
We all have a few, what is your biggest regret? A gig you turned down, advice you didn’t take, what one thing do you wish you handled differently as a musician?
To be honest, I don’t have any regrets. If I ever do, I will let you know!
One of our obligatory questions in these interviews also tends to be the one I have found most important on a personal level. Who are some bands on your radar that TGEFM readers may not know about, but you think they should?
Long Island bands on our radar that everyone must check out include Gone Stereo, Half Dizzy, Clover’s Curfew, The Rook, and Playing Dead. Bands (not from Long Island) on our radar that everyone must check out include Neckscars, Early Riser, and every band on Sell The Heart Records.
What’s next for Bitters and Distractions?
More shows and more music! Also, a music video for our first single “The Expression Left Your Face.”
Was there anything I missed that you’d like to share or dive deeper into with our readers?
We’d love for everyone to check out our new album, “The Home That Procrastination Built,” which is out now digitally and on 7” vinyl via Sell The Heart Records. You can stream it on Spotify here and purchase the “7” vinyl and limited edition T-shirt” bundle here.
Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed’s musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he’s self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/
