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Caity vs. 4 Point 0
Ladies and Gents, I have been chomping at the bit to get this interview up and posted. Come on, you know me by now... I love crawling MySpace for brand new underground artists to expose you all to... and sometimes it is just so frustrating I could scream, long hours of turning up nothing at all. However, the day that I found Syracuse Ska band 4 Point 0, I found MySpace GOLD.
As soon as I loaded up their MySpace I played the first song they had to offer, a seriously catchy little tune named "Satellite" that sounded like the horns from early Aquabats on a hot date with Lord Mike's Dirty Calypsonians, but somewhere along the date they met up with Lord Mike's Ex (clearly played in this scene by Buck-O-Nine) and they all three have a crazy wild night in a seedy hotel room which ends up producing siamese twins who quite resemble The Pietasters and The Planet Smashers. Are ya with me still? You know what, you're just going to have to listen to it and draw your own conclusions. I seriously recommend Satellite, Question Mark and Rat Race as my top three favourite on their MySpace page, but all of them are amazing! But before you do that, why not read a little about 4 Point 0.
Now: who is coming to New York with me to see them play?
"Getting all eight of us together is a herculean endeavor." - Mike Noll: 4 Point 0
First and foremost, we like to start our interviews with introductions, so could you tell our readers who you are and what you do?
Audra: I play guitar and have Mike Noll fill in my survey responses when I’m not actually present.
Tom (is a pimp): I’m a pimp.
Chris: I play trumpet and do backup vocals!
Jon: I play drums.
Garrett: I play saxophone and compose most of the music. Like the horn riffs. Yeah, that’s me.
Eddie: I play trombone and I act as the band’s de facto manager. For example, this interview. Yeah, that was me.
Mike Nave: I play trombone and do the screamo stuff. I usually am in charge of yelling at people to dance during shows, and making sure everybody has a good time man!
Mike Noll: I play bass and write maybe 75% of the lyrics, I think? Hi!
Tom (is a pimp): I’m a pimp.
Chris: I play trumpet and do backup vocals!
Jon: I play drums.
Garrett: I play saxophone and compose most of the music. Like the horn riffs. Yeah, that’s me.
Eddie: I play trombone and I act as the band’s de facto manager. For example, this interview. Yeah, that was me.
Mike Nave: I play trombone and do the screamo stuff. I usually am in charge of yelling at people to dance during shows, and making sure everybody has a good time man!
Mike Noll: I play bass and write maybe 75% of the lyrics, I think? Hi!
Now give us a little history of 4 point 0? How the did the band form?
Mike Noll: We had a smaller project going back from 2005, but the whole ska band thing started around when Jon joined as our drummer in spring 2008. We started playing benefit shows and figuring out our general direction over that year or so. We’re always trying out new directions and new ideas, so we like to think of the band as continually forming and improving.
Your band is based out of Syracuse, New York. How is the local scene there, and as a ska band, do you think your sound gives you an edge to crack into the scene?
Jon: The scene is pretty decent! I do think we have an edge because we can appeal to a large group of people-
Tom: or a group of large people!
Jon: because we’re not JUST a ska band; we can adjust to harder shows, bar shows, and shows for the elderly.
Eddie: Really, that last one happened.
Tom: or a group of large people!
Jon: because we’re not JUST a ska band; we can adjust to harder shows, bar shows, and shows for the elderly.
Eddie: Really, that last one happened.
How would you describe your live show to someone who had never seen 4 Point 0 play before?
Tom: Orgasms
Jon: Majestic.
Chris: Straight up!
Garrett: Circle-pits! Exclamation points!
Eddie: Bumpin’.
Mike Nave: Sweaty
Mike Noll: Good times.
Garrett: All kidding aside, our shows are usually in a dark medium-sized room with a bunch of different people running around in different directions, with a whole lot of sound hitting you in the face. And, it’s a lot of fun.
Jon: Majestic.
Chris: Straight up!
Garrett: Circle-pits! Exclamation points!
Eddie: Bumpin’.
Mike Nave: Sweaty
Mike Noll: Good times.
Garrett: All kidding aside, our shows are usually in a dark medium-sized room with a bunch of different people running around in different directions, with a whole lot of sound hitting you in the face. And, it’s a lot of fun.
What do you do to pump yourselves up for a show? Any pre or post show rituals?
Eddie: We plead the fifth.
According to your MySpace page, you've played shows with some pretty big Ska legends. Are there any Ska bands (or any bands in general) that influence your music?
Everybody at once is all like: STREETLIGHT MANIFESTO
Chris: we have the same horn line setup and general sound as streetlight, but we also try to incorporate mine and Mike’s love of hardcore.
Mike Noll: When you add to that the fact that all of us like to go in different directions musically, you get a bunch of different sounds finding their way in unexpected places.
Mike Nave: I love Underoath.
Chris: we have the same horn line setup and general sound as streetlight, but we also try to incorporate mine and Mike’s love of hardcore.
Mike Noll: When you add to that the fact that all of us like to go in different directions musically, you get a bunch of different sounds finding their way in unexpected places.
Mike Nave: I love Underoath.
What has been the biggest moment for you as a band so far? Conversely, what has been the biggest challenge?
Tom: Playing Ska Prom with Tip the Van last year was a big moment for me.
Garrett: The Ithaca scooter rally was awesome; we had a circle pit of scooters around a huge bonfire while fireworks went off. Our stage was this improvised thing made from a tractor trailer bed.
Chris: Playing the St. Patrick’s parade was a lot of fun this past March! We were in a pickup truck float with a local hockey team playing through the streets of downtown Syracuse for thousands of partying people.
Mike Noll: As far as challenges, actually physically getting together can be really difficult. I’m down in New York for college at Fordham, Audra is in Plattsburgh, NY most of the year, the horn players are all in the Ithaca area, and Jon and Tom are in the Syracuse area. Getting all eight of us together is a herculean endeavor.
Garrett: The Ithaca scooter rally was awesome; we had a circle pit of scooters around a huge bonfire while fireworks went off. Our stage was this improvised thing made from a tractor trailer bed.
Chris: Playing the St. Patrick’s parade was a lot of fun this past March! We were in a pickup truck float with a local hockey team playing through the streets of downtown Syracuse for thousands of partying people.
Mike Noll: As far as challenges, actually physically getting together can be really difficult. I’m down in New York for college at Fordham, Audra is in Plattsburgh, NY most of the year, the horn players are all in the Ithaca area, and Jon and Tom are in the Syracuse area. Getting all eight of us together is a herculean endeavor.
The music industry can be tough to be a part of, what fuels your passion to keep going?
Garrett: Playing shows is really fun, especially for those of us playing classical music all day (me, Eddie, Nave, and Chris).
Mike Noll: I’m motivated mostly by a soulless greed and boundless ambition.
Jon: Being able to play fast is all I really ask.
Mike Nave: Going nuts on stage
Chris: I like to share the music with people who don’t really go beyond their boundaries. A lot of people don’t know what ska is, and we like to be a good first impression
Tom: The womens.
Mike Noll: I’m motivated mostly by a soulless greed and boundless ambition.
Jon: Being able to play fast is all I really ask.
Mike Nave: Going nuts on stage
Chris: I like to share the music with people who don’t really go beyond their boundaries. A lot of people don’t know what ska is, and we like to be a good first impression
Tom: The womens.
You have two releases out so far, "Making The Grade EP" in 2008, and "The College Try" in 2009. What's next for 4 point 0?
Eddie: We’re planning on playing as many shows as possible this summer, fitting in an eleven day tour, and recording another album in August at Subcat Studios.
Now, The Sound Faction staff is comprised of six girls, and we are completely random at best. We like to end all of our interviews with five random questions to finish it all up on a light note. Here goes:
If you could be any old-school rock god for a day, who would you be?
Audra: Joan Jett.
Jon: Elvis. The later years.
Garrett: Paul McCartney
Chris: Zach de la Roche
Tom: Eric Clapton.
Nave: Simon or Garfunkel
Noll: Hephaestus.
Eddie: Stevie Wonder
Jon: Elvis. The later years.
Garrett: Paul McCartney
Chris: Zach de la Roche
Tom: Eric Clapton.
Nave: Simon or Garfunkel
Noll: Hephaestus.
Eddie: Stevie Wonder
Which is worse, cheeto fingers or juice moustaches?
All (minus Tom): Cheeto fingers.
Tom: Juice moustaches. I want to beat people up when they have them.
Tom: Juice moustaches. I want to beat people up when they have them.
What is your favourite and least favourite dance craze?
Eddie: We all agreed that Cotton-eyed joe is the worst corn-tootinest gob-stompinest fangled invention e’er.
If you could be the champion of anything, what would it be and why?
Tom: I want to be the champion of my fate and the captain of my soul. You see, I work at a movie theatre.
Garrett: Everything, man.
Noll: Foosball.
Jon: Food.
Chris: I want to beat Michael Phelps.
Eddie: Gardening.
Nave: Taylor Swift.
Audra: Speaking
Garrett: Everything, man.
Noll: Foosball.
Jon: Food.
Chris: I want to beat Michael Phelps.
Eddie: Gardening.
Nave: Taylor Swift.
Audra: Speaking
If you could have any non-standard super power, what would it be?
Tom: I want my ponytail to connect to trees.
Garrett: Teleportation.
Eddie: Apparation. (like Harry Potter)
Chris: Cloning myself. Also, to never be full. Of food.
Noll: The power to…melt.
Nave: Breasts. 3 of ‘em.
Audra: Time Travel
Garrett: Teleportation.
Eddie: Apparation. (like Harry Potter)
Chris: Cloning myself. Also, to never be full. Of food.
Noll: The power to…melt.
Nave: Breasts. 3 of ‘em.
Audra: Time Travel
And finally, this is your shameless self-promo spot: anything you'd like to say to our readers, or touch on something we missed... this is the place!
Thanks so much for interviewing us! We feel special now! But yeah you can check out our music at www.myspace.com/4point0ny. And you can also buy our CD on iTunes! And if you really like us, or hate us, or anywhere in between, you can vote for us to play Warped Tour 2010 at www.battleofthebands.com/4point0. Finally, if you check our myspace in about a month, we should have the dates up for our summer tour (as well as all of our other shows)! We’d love to see you at any of the shows if you we’re coming near you! Thanks!
Love,
4 Point 0
Love,
4 Point 0
Huge thanks to 4 Point 0 for taking time out of their lives to answer our questions and chat with us! If you'd like to check out their music (and I know you do), head over to their MySpace Page and give it a listen! And if you're in the New York area, be sure to check out their show schedule there and catch a show!
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