FUCK YEAH THE SCENIC!

The Scenic Interview

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The Scenic are a Philadelphia, PA band who are signed to Victory Records. They are currently on tour with The Status and writing new songs for a 2010 release. Jake Sciscio, the band’s guitarist, was able to answer some questions I had for him.

Q. Who makes up The Scenic?
A. Jeremy Menard - Vocals, Jake Sciscio - Guitar, Zach Andresen - Guitar/Vocals, Frank Romantino - Bass, Shane Reynolds - Drums

Q. How old is everyone?
A. We’re all in our early to mid 20’s!

Q. Where did you get your band name?
A. We don’t really remember who came up with the name. I think we just had a list of names that sounded cool (laughs). I mean, who wouldn’t love something ‘Scenic’?

Q. What can we expect from the new songs you’ve been writing?
A. You can expect more energy and power in the new songs compared to the songs on our debut album, Find Yourself Here. We definitely know what type of songs deliver the best live, and that’s what we’re trying to accomplish with the new album. We want them to be feel good, fun, and hooky songs all around.

Q. Who are the bands you would do anything to tour with?
A. We’re big fans of Weezer, Third Eye Blind, Everclear, etc. Basically any 90’s alternative/rock band that have had that staying power.

Q. Where does The Scenic reside in today’s music scene?
A. Somewhere between the asshole and the balls.

Q. Given the chance, what would you tell your fans to do in order to keep The Scenic alive and making music?
A. Just do your best to come out to shows and support touring bands. It boosts moral and is a lot of fun interacting with all the fans in-person.  Make sure to pick up our new album when we release it in 2010!

Q. What bands did you listen to growing up?
A. We all have a very wide variety of inspirations. Anything from The Smashing Pumpkins, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin to Weezer, Blink-182, Midtown, and NoFX. Basically everything and anything.

Q. What got you your start in music? When did you know it was what you wanted to do with your life?
A. My dad bought me my first guitar when I was 9 years old. I took lessons for a few years and eventually started playing with friends in high school. It grew from there, and I helped start The Scenic.

Q. What are your thoughts on illegal downloading, and what is the effect of it on The Scenic?
A. For smaller touring bands, illegal downloading obviously hurts them the most. Still, everyone does it no matter what genre or form of media. Just like every other band, it hurts The Scenic just as much. It is great that people can access our music, but it would just be more helpful if people purchased our album through us or other legal transactions (laughs).

Q. What are your thoughts on the music industry in its current state?
A. The music industry is definitely hurting as of right now, but it is finding ways to stay afloat. Since CD sales are down, labels try to find other opportunities to make up for their loses. Either through taking cuts of other sales or cutting down spending all together. It also sucks how many kids actually go to shows now a days. It’s not just the music industry. It’s the economy in general.

Q. Has the music industry changed for you even though you have been a part of it for a relatively short time?
A. As far as the local scene, yes. I remember when I was in high school, there would be a show about every two weeks or so around my area. It would be packed out and so much fun! Shows today are still a blast, but not as many kids come out to support. It sucks to see our local scene go downhill.

Q. What are your favorite records, movies, and books?
A. I love anything 90’s alternative/rock. Weezer (Blue/Pinkerton), Everclear (So Much For The Afterglow), and Third Eye Blind (Self Titled) are some of my favorite bands/records. I still love other genres: anything from classic rock like Black Sabbath, Jimi Hendrix, to pop/rock music like Michael Jackson, New Found Glory, and Valencia. I haven’t been much of the reading type (laughs), but I do usually read books about Ninjas or Martial Arts (laughs). I’m a dork.

Q. If you could have wrote any song in existence, which one would it be?
A. Boheman Rhapsody is obviously an amazing song. It is beyond my musical capabilities, but it would have been awesome if I came up with it (laughs).

Q. With Twitter becoming the new way to interact online, what has it done for your band?
A. It definitely touches base with fans and keeps them updated on what we are doing. It is crazy how many people have and follow Twitter.

Q. If you could co-write with anyone dead or a live, who would it be and why?
A. Rivers Cuomo from Weezer, Stephan Jenkins from Third Eye Blind, or Art Alexakis because they are my heroes, my inspirations, and are the reasons why I play music.

Q. How does The Scenic go about song writing?
A. Jeremy or Jake usually has an idea. The two of them and/or Zach jam on it. Usually something pretty decent comes out, if not, we scrap it and move on (laughs).

Q. Who has produced your records, and how have they influenced your writing process?
A. Mike Watts, owner of VuDu studios in Long Island New York, produced, recorded, and mixed our debut album, Find Yourself Here. We have definitely learned a lot from playing with him. Our songwriting, musicianship, and attitude has progressed since spending time with Mike. We plan on recording demos for our next album sometime in late October of ‘09.

Q. Who would you want to do to guest vocals on the next The Scenic album?
A. If any of my heroes did it, it  would make my life (laughs). It would be sweet if someone like Kenny Vasoli from The Starting Line or Aaron Marsh from Copeland would do it.

Q. What are some bands you want people to know about?
A. Obviously, I would want more people to know The Scenic, but there are so many good bands out there: The Status, Go Radio, Sparks The Rescue,

Q. Where would you have to go for you to say you “made it”?
A. Selling out 10,000 capacity venues across the nation would just about do it for me (laughs).

Q. Are there any shout outs?  Last words?
A. SWAP MEET! DOB SHEE! and LEMME LICK DAT BUTT JAN!

iTunes: Download
Myspace: myspace.com/thescenic