SHREDnews

By: Jess Grenier

SHRED: Who makes up the Sophomore Beat and what do you play?

The Sophomore Beat: Daniel James: bass and lead vocals

Mike Prue: guitar and vocals

Andy Bohren: keyboard and vocals

Tom Davin: drums

SHRED: When and how did The Sophomore Beat become a band?

The Sophomore Beat: We had already known each other for a couple of years and were friends. We were all playing in different bands, but none of us were really happy with them. We got together in January 2007 to form a new band that we could all take really seriously and still have a good time doing what we love to do.

SHRED: Is there a story behind the name The Sophomore Beat?

The Sophomore Beat: Our singer Daniel James left college his sophomore year to pursue a full-time touring schedule and to really work on new music that would later become our debut EP “For The Time Being…”. Ever since then he jokingly refers to himself as “The Sophomore”. The death of his formal education was really the start of this band.

SHRED: How would you describe The Sophomore Beat’s genre of music?

The Sophomore Beat: In just a few words: indie/pop/rock. But that isn’t really that specific. We only play songs that we would want to hear. We’re all HUGE music fans, obviously, so we try to blend our own energetic pop/rock sensibilities with sounds that we learned from all of our favorite bands like The Cars, Weezer, Gin Blossoms, Ben Folds Five, Jimmy Eat World, The Get Up Kids. There are really too many bands to mention, we have many favorites.

SHRED: Have you always wanted to be musicians?

The Sophomore Beat: Definitely. Most of us have been playing in bands for about a decade, going back to the beginning of high school. The reason we’re all still doing this is because we love it more than anything else. Being in a band, traveling, recording, writing songs and rehearsing can be very difficult but being on stage, having fun together and meeting tons of new friends and fans really makes it all very worthwhile.

SHRED: The band has an EP released titled For The Time Being, how was the recording process?

The Sophomore Beat: The recording sessions were pretty relaxed. We all had a great time carefully crafting what would become our first release. We worked with producers Adam Jackson and Jim Begley at The Studio Portland in downtown Portland, Maine. We also did a lot of recording in our own home studio with Adam Jackson, who is currently touring doing live sound for Owl City. It was probably the first time that the whole band spent a couple solid weeks together. It was a great way to get to know our own personal dynamic better.

SHRED: Is there any main song writer in the band or is it more of a group process?

The Sophomore Beat: Daniel is the main songwriter, but many of the songs from our new record were written by Daniel and Andy together.

SHRED: Do you have any favorite song off the EP?

The Sophomore Beat: We all have different favorites. Probably Three Squares or Follow The Fall are the most popular within the band.

SHRED: Do you have any favorite song to play live?

The Sophomore Beat: Any song from the new record! Right now we’re all very excited about playing the new songs.

SHRED: The Sophomore Beat have a new record coming out in 2010 called Hi, Technology, can you talk a little bit about it? (plans for a release, recording with who and when, etc)

The Sophomore Beat: Yes! Our first full length record “Hi, Technology!” is definitely being released in March 2010. We recorded the record with our good friend TJ Swan at The Halo in Windham, Maine. It is currently being mixed by TJ Swan at Starfight Studios, his new place in Rumford, Maine. It has twelve tracks that we have all worked very hard on. If you liked our first record, you just simply have to have this one. Much of the record is the same style as “For The time Being…” but we also hope to show a lot of growth as a band with some of these new tracks too. It will be available to pre-order February 5th at thesophomorebeat.bigcartel.com.

SHRED: Is there a favorite venue you guys like to play at?

The Sophomore Beat: We are treated so well by many of the venues that we have played at. Knapps Underground in Bennington, VT, The Sad Cafe in Plaistow, NH, The Cup in Staten Island, NY, The Big Easy and the Deering Grange in Portland, Maine are among the most hospitable.

SHRED: What’s a random fact that your fans might not know about you?

The Sophomore Beat: Daniel can tap-dance, Mike builds and rides motorcycles and bmx bikes, Andy is easily the most heavily tattooed member of the band, Tom is an avid hiker.

SHRED: If you could create a dream tour with any four bands, dead or alive, who would they be and why?

The Sophomore Beat: That’s really tough. Maybe Jimmy Eat World, Thin Lizzy, 38 Special and The Beatles. That’d be a weird one.

SHRED: What do you do when you’re not playing shows or writing music?

The Sophomore Beat: If we have some free time with no shows or events scheduled: Tom will most definitely be hiking up some giant mountain. Mike will be skiing or riding. Andy will be writing or reading. Daniel will be at the mall. Or we’ll all be hanging out together watching the Celtics or maybe just some MTV Raps.

SHRED: What is in store for The Sophomore Beat in 2010?

The Sophomore Beat: We’re going to be heavily promoting our new record, playing as many shows as we possibly can, touring in the summer. It’s gonna be a fun and busy year for the beat no matter what.

SHRED: Is there anything else you’d like to add?

The Sophomore Beat: Andy gives great hugs. HAHA!

The Sophomore Beat, a four-piece band from Portland, Maine has been currently touring around New England. The band talks about how they came up with their name The Sophomore Beat and their dream tour. The biggest news coming up for TSB is the release of their full length album Hi, Technology which they also talk about.

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