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.
I Call Fives is a pop-punk band from Washington Township, New Jersey formed in 2006. The band
has released four EPs through No Sleep Records, and one self-titled full length in July 2012 through Pure Noise
Records and are back with the new single “Honest & Only” off the upcoming EP Not For Everyone. Bassist and founding member Drew Conte took a few minutes out of his day to join us for a Roll of the Dice.
Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview. Congrats on the release of the “Honest & Only” single. What can you tell us about the re-formation of I Call Fives and why 2023 is the year for you to finally come back around after the 7 year hiatus?
Thank you! The reformation is absolutely not how we envisioned it. We actually got together back in the old days, you know, before the pandemic. So our initial batch of practices and communicating again began in late 2019 but early the following winter came COVID, lockdowns, and it put a serious delay in the process. All that aside, we realized that this was one of the last opportunities for us collectively to get together and write music and maybe play some shows. We are now in our mid 30s and live much different lives than when we were full time active musicians so it kind of felt like the last time that might make sense for a while.
What stood out most to you with this recording compared to your previous trips to the studio and what changes, if any, were made in the songwriting process?
I was never, by any means, a great bass player..but I’ve found that if you don’t use it, you lose it..at least when it comes to playing music. Luckily, working with our producer/engineer Casey Cavaliere, we were able to take our time and get stuff right. Outside of just getting back into the flow of playing, the hardest part was formulating the songs over the pandemic. We didn’t sit down and just sort of jam like we did in previous releases to get the songs sorted out. This was a lot more calculated and we worked on stuff remotely.
Being a Jersey band, the world needs to know where you stand on the Taylor Ham/Pork Roll debate, and why is that debate so ingrained into the geographic identity of NJ?
New Jersey really should be 2 separate states. There is the North, home to taylor ham, the NY Giants, and the cast of the Jersey Shore TV show..but South Jersey, particularly where most of us are originally from, is more like a suburb of Philadelphia. Most of us grew up less than a half hour from the city. It is pork roll..and candidly, my least favorite breakfast meat.
Speaking of Jersey, the music scene in NJ is arguably the most influential across genres and decades. I’m sure you’re aware of the old adage “Jersey (Trenton) makes the world takes,” but what exactly is it about the Garden State that puts us ahead of even the cutting edge of musical trends?
For the record: Trenton falls into a no-mans land regarding my North vs South NJ divide. Trenton is an hour away from my hometown on paper but I am convinced it is as north as Canada. To answer the question – I think it’s just the fact that NJ is one of the most highly dense areas per square mile in the country. I think it was or is the highest at least. I am not here to cite statistics and demographics, so, uh, there must be something in the NJ water. I do feel that our locale was an advantage to meeting some great bands and being able to travel to a bunch of different cities early on in our touring career though.
What affect, if any, have the cultural and political landscapes of the last few years had on your music?
I mean, we don’t really reach anywhere into those types of topics in our lyrical approach. I’d like to think that we are all inclusive, welcoming guys that are very disappointed with the political landscape and blatant attack on folks of color, different sexual orientation, or just the amount of sheer hate that is very clear from one political side now more than ever..but it is not something at the forefront of our musical approach.
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 know about?
I may be one of the worst to answer this but I listen to alot of basketball podcasts..so any of you basketball fans out there..I really like Nate Duncan and his Dunc’d on features. But you did specifically ask for bands so I welcome folks to enjoy Texas’ own Nominee or some of our NJ/Philly favorites: Goalkeeper and Cheer Up Dusty.
After the world has its hands on “Honest & Only”, what’s next for I Call Fives?
I always used to call us the cockroaches of pop punk. When we started in 2006, I didn’t think I would have been overseas to play music with I Call Fives by 2011. 17 years since our inception and I definitely didn’t expect to be releasing a new EP on Smartpunk.. so we are going to release this EP Not For Everyone and see where the wind takes us.
Was there anything I missed that you’d like to share or dive deeper into with our readers?
Be Kind! Xo
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/
