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 Forget Me Nots, yet? The new EP from Connecticut’s Melodic hardcore upstarts Sunday Morning 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 the band below.
Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview! Congrats on joining the Open Your Ears Records roster and the new “Forget Me Nots” EP. Let’s talk a little bit about how the record came into existence and came together. What was going on at the time that helped kickstart the writing and recording process?
Thank you so much for having us on here, we really appreciate it! The record was recorded in the winter of 2022 at Vudu Studios on Long Island. All of the songs were written from 2020-2022. We had the songs in a pretty good spot structurally before we got into the studio, but really made them what they were in the studio. Our producer Frank Mitaritonna was a big part of making these songs what they are tonally. We tried to set out of our usual comfort zone in terms of guitar and bass tone. We used a bunch of pedals and an instrument called a Theremin on a few tracks which was really cool. All of these songs usually start as just a rhythm guitar riff and a melody that I’ll hum. Then everyone else adds their own tastes to the songs.
You’ve toured with Microwave,The Plot In You and Can’t Swim. What impact have those bands had on your sound? What did you pick up from watching those bands and their growing fanbases from the inside?
We’ve played with those bands a few times and they’ve certainly had an influence on our sound and how we go about being a band. I think, specifically, Microwave does a lot with pedals and different guitar tones that certainly impacted how we recorded the EP. All of those bands have really good singers that have great range, which is something we’ve always tried to incorporate in our songs. It’s been really cool to see how much those bands have grown over the past few years, they certainly deserve it.
Sunday Morning is from New Haven. It’s such an interesting, diverse and generally inspiring place that has bred so much amazing music. Why do you think the area churns out so many brilliant musicians and songwriters? How does the area feed into the music you are writing, if at all?
New Haven is a really cool place, I love it. I think there is something to say about how diverse it is, and how that affects the scene. There’s a ton of really good bands and musicians from the New Haven area and I think the fact that a lot of these bands play shows together and collaborate gives the opportunity to draw influences from each other. The pizza is also the best in the world so that might have something to do with it too…
The world has been going through some shit over the last few years. What effect, if any, have the cultural landscapes of the country and the world over the last few years have on your music or the live scene in general?
Yeah, that’s certainly been tough for the scene and everything surrounding music. I think it just comes down to the fact that people should just be kind to each other. Treat people the way you want to be treated and don’t be an asshole.
What have been some of the most memorable moments or experiences with the band so far? What’s been the most unexpected? The weirdest?
There’s honestly been so many amazing moments we’ve shared together, and I am super thankful for that. I love the guys in my band more than anything. One that comes to mind was when we were recording Forget Me Nots…Dom, our guitarist, came to the studio a day later than Erik and I and he walked in with like three giant bags of frozen shrimp. So we had shrimp cocktails for like eight days straight. It was amazing. The memories I think of the most though are just the times where we’re hanging out before shows, after shows, or in the car.
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?
I think Dookie by Green Day was the first album I listened to that made me really want to start a band. I grew up on classic rock and stuff like that, but that was always difficult for me to play as a kid. Once I learned power chords and could play along to Dookie, I think I realized “Okay, maybe I can kind of do this”. I eventually got into different punk bands, hardcore, and 90s alternative music which really inspired me to start writing songs.
We’ve all got 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?
I can’t really think of a big one off the top of my head. I feel like when things don’t necessarily go your way, you have to just take the experience as it is and learn from it. I try to stay optimistic about stuff like that. There’s some times where I wish I played a riff differently or added a layer or something in the studio, but like I said, I try to not get too hung up on that stuff.
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?
I really like the band Kerosene Heights, they just put out a really good EP. House & Home from Virginia, who are also on Open Your Ears, are an unbelievably talented and great band. Also have to shout out our homies in the band Waiver. from Long Island.
What’s next for Sunday Morning?
We have a bunch of shows lined up for the month of July that we’re really excited for. We’ll be traveling to some places we’ve never been before so that’ll be cool. Then we’ll be recording our first full length at some point!
Was there anything I missed that you’d like to share or dive deeper into with our readers?
Nothing I can think of, thank you again so much!
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/
