First, introduce yourselves, let us know a bit about each of you and your background!
Dane Granja - Lead singer. Dane is the voice of the band, as well as its visuals; he draws all the album art and promotional posters for the group. He went to high school in Warwick, RI with...
Matt
Haronian - Keyboardist. Matt is trained in piano and self-taught in
electronic music production. The initial concept behind the band came
from the application of both of those skills around Dane's vocals. He,
too, is a Warwick resident.
Sherry
Romanzi - Guitarist/Ukulele-ist. Although the latest in joining the
group, Sherry adds a new dimension, a rock band vibe, to its sound. She
came into the band by way of Matt, in a gesture that was simultaneously a
recognition of talent and an excuse to ask her out. Sherry resides in
Providence, RI.
Currently,
all three members attend different universities. Technology makes the
creative process feasible, which is appropriate considering that
technology is a prominent theme in Eat Crepes's output.A lot of creative talent here! Talking about creative, when did you start the band, and most importantly, what's the story behind the band's name? I'm sure we're all curious to find out!
The
name came from musings on the rockstar lifestyle. One day, after eating
crepes, and in homage to Notorious B.I.G, a spontaneous moment of
inspiration led us to conclude that the essential tenets of being a
rockstar were as follows: "f--k b-tches, eat crepes." But we're a family
friendly bunch, so we just used the second half.
Now we know! And who is the talent who writes the lyrics and composes the songs?
All three members of the band contribute songs. It usually happens that each individual will write a complete song, rather than all three members helping to create one together. This is a limitation imposed by the lack of physical proximity or a common schedule.
That's great for collaboration. Team work. And what genre do you consider yourselves and who is your greatest influence?
We have always had trouble classifying ourselves into a genre, as most of the labels that fit are loaded with connotations. Our music is pop, but not of the Britney Spears variety. It's "indie," but that's not really a genre per se. It's synthpop, but not all of it has the 80's style that the word connotes. Synthpop or alternative pop comes the closest.
Similarly,
we don't exactly have one greatest influence. We lovingly steal from
actual synthpop groups like Depeche Mode and The Cure as much as modern
groups like Owl City and Foster the People.
Great bands to be influenced by! Depeche Mode and The Cure are some of our 80's favorites, and we actually can feel the synthpop influence especially in your song Technophobic Ghost Boy. When was the first time you performed live and how did you feel?
Our
first ever performance was a high school talent show/music showcase. We
wish we had something juicier to say, but that was really it.
You have to start somewhere! And is there a specific performance you feel was your best ever? If so, where and why?
Our
best performance ever was very recent (January 2nd, 2015). It was our
first paid gig, at a Providence venue with some other local bands, one
of which Sherry and Matt had adored for a long time. It was fantastic to
see our friends and family come out, and even more fantastic to see
people who were there for the other bands enjoying our music.
Congratulations! That's great to hear! So what do you enjoy the most between the interaction with your fans?
Genuine enjoyment is the greatest thing to see in a fan. It’s about connecting with people. When people are actually feeling what we do, on more than just a cursory level, it’s satisfactory on such a fundamental level. It’s a huge part of being artists.
That's true, I hope you're having lots of fun! And what are your plans for this year?
This year we’re promoting our recently released EP, Amaroq. There is a possibility of performing in the summer. If not, we have plans for expanding our sound; we’re semi-constantly writing new music for the future.
Great, I'm sure you'll find lots of venues to perform, especially in the summer! So where can we buy your music?
We’re on iTunes here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/eat-crepes/id904544230
Spotify here: https://play.spotify.com/artist/2E1FQBgGoVN7Q3q31i7Gd5?play=true&utm_source=open.spotify.com&utm_medium=open
Is there anything else you'd like to tell
our readers?
If you haven’t had crepes or it’s been a while, seriously, they’re delicious.
They sure are! Thank you so much for your time participating in this interview, and we wish you a lot of success and sales!
