Exclusive: Storm The Bay Interview

Co-headlining our upcoming tour with No Tide and Junes Not Faking, Storm The Bay have been keeping busy lately, constantly on the road and recording new music. I recently caught up with guitarist, Jordan Foehner, to discuss the band's origins, signing with Anchor Eighty Four Records and Streaker Records, and their upcoming EP. Storm The Bay released Hit The Ground Running in August, 2011 via Anchor Eighty Four Records.

First of all, can you state your name and role in Storm The Bay?

Jordan: My name is Jordan Foehner & I play guitar for Storm The Bay.

You guys have been around for a few years now, but tell us how the band originally came together and where the name comes from.

Jordan: The band started in the fall of 2008 while we were in college at FLCC in Canandaigua, New York. It was there where I met Mike Till (Bass) and our former drummer Evan Ambrosio. The three of us started jamming in Mike's apartment, writing riffs and what not but it wasn't until we recruited our old vocalist and Joslin and my previous bandmate/high school friend Trevor Darrah (guitar) that we started taking the band more seriously and started playing shows. The band name came out of desperation in a way; we were stumped for the longest time on what to call ourselves, everyone had ideas but none that all of us could agree upon. Finally one day, our old vocalist Andy suggested Storm The Bay, a reference to the Irondequoit Bay which runs of Lake Ontario and sits on the edge of the town Trevor and I live in here in New York. It was the first idea that all of us thought was somewhat decent and it stuck. I'm personally still not a big fan on the name but we run the band democratically and I lost to a 4/5 vote, haha.

After the release of the By All Means EP in 2010, Nate was introduced as the new vocalist - what was the search for a new vocalist and transition like?

Jordan: To be honest, we were all a little worried. At the time, none of us knew anyone else who could sing. It wasn't until our old drummer Steve posted an ad on Craig's List that we received a call from this guy from Buffalo named Nate who himself had posted a similar ad for a dedicated vocalist looking for a band. Nate was the only vocalist we tried out because we knew from the first note he hit that he was our man for the job.

Without the original vocalist, did the thought of ending the band ever come to mind or was it only a small obstacle to overcome?

Jordan: When Andy left it was a little difficult because not only was he our vocalist, but a good friend as well. Although we were down a singer, we knew the chemistry the remaining four of us had musically was too solid to let go. We didn't tour much to support By All Means so to us the band was still new and fresh, we wanted to keep on keepin' on.

2011 then saw the release of the band's new EP, Hit The Ground Running, which maintains a very similar sound while also making solid progress. What has the general response to the record been like?

Jordan: The general response has been great. We've had a lot of fans come up to us before and after shows expressing to us how much the EP means to them, which is why we make music in the first place, to help people relate and have an outlet for their emotions.



What are some of the main themes or topics that the songs explore? Tell us about any messages the EP holds and what the songs mean to you.

Jordan: If I had one word to describe the themes of Hit The Ground Running it would be perseverance. Songs like Tell Dan K I'm Looking For Him and Yeah I Like Dogs, But I Like Caravans Better are about overcoming your small town, your nay-saying friends and family or whatever sources of discouragement are out there that keep you from following your dreams. In this world there is only one person who can make your decisions for you and that's yourself. I know Nate felt a lot of this when he packed up his belongings and moved an hour or so east to join the band. Leaving a well paying job, friends, and family to follow your dream isn't easy at all and everyone's reaction to his decision to leave is where the majority of the lyrical content really stems from. I remember him telling me "How can I be a role model to my daughter… telling her to follow her dreams if I myself, gave up?". It's a really powerful statement that says a lot, and to me the songs off Hit The Ground Running are just a man's journal to everyone back home saying "Fuck you, I'll do it with out without you".

Prior to the release, the band also signed with California's Anchor Eighty Four Records, and more recently with Streaker Records. How did you guys get involved with the two and what is it like being signed with different labels?
We signed with Anchor Eighty Four about 6 months prior to the release of Hit The Ground Running. They actually reached out to us because they believed in in our band and what we did. Being based out of LA, they were looking to expand their name to the east coast and we were looking for a way to expand our music out west, it was a great connection. We actually met Cody from Anchor in person on our last tour when we played in LA, it was nice to finally meet the man behind the emails. As far a Streaker goes, they reached out to us expressing their interest in the band not too long ago. They've worked with a few other bands from our hometown of Rochester so we decided "why not"? We could always use the extra support. Working with both labels has been great, despite our natural fears of record label greed and the music industry in general. Both Rob (Streaker) and Cody (A84) have been great supporters of the band and have done a lot, they're the ones in it for the right reasons.

I understand you guys have also been working on another EP as of late. Does the EP have a title yet and when could we possibly expect a release?

Jordan: We've been in the studio over the past few months slowly but surely recording a new 5 song EP with our producer/drummer Josh Swagler at S&S studios in Auburn, New York. The working title we have is Never Forget, a saying that came about on our last tour. It's simple but says a lot to us. We're hoping for a June or July release date on Streaker Records.

Can you describe the upcoming EP's sound so far? How has it compared to working on the previous releases?

Jordan: Recording this EP has been a hell of a lot different than recording the previous releases because we've been pretty much doing it ourselves. We haven't had week blocks where we go in and spend all day/every day recording. We've been going in here and there on our own time recording at our own pace, this way if we feel like a guitar lead or a vocal melody need to be changed we can do it without the pressure of time and money. As far as the sound of the new EP goes it is slightly different. It's a little more laid back I guess, I'm not saying it's a Stoner Rock record by any means, but its got more of an eclectic sound to it. One of the first things a person who has listened to our previous releases might notice about the new EP is the presence of acoustic guitars here and there, an influence we derive from bands such as Jimmy Eat World and Transit. The faster tempos are still present though and the aggression and angst still shine through. The listener will just have to make his or her own judgement when it comes out.

The band also recently finished up a hefty tour with A Step Ahead - did any particular shows stand out? Did it make for any good tour stories?

Jordan: Not only was the tour with A Step Ahead our first US tour, but it was the first tour we shared with another band. We had a little under a week to drive across the country to meet up with the ASA gentlemen (playing a few shows on the way) to start touring back east. We were all a little nervous before meeting up with the ASA guys because we've never toured with another band and were a little worried about how it would go. As it turns out though, they are the coolest most level headed guys we've ever met and great band as well, we couldn't imagine sharing our first nation tour with anyone other than those guys. We had a blast at every show we played and as far as the tour stories go...let's just say the guys in A Step Ahead made every Walmart parking lot night interesting and fun. Party on gentlemen!

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions, is there anything else you'd like to add?

Jordan: Nothing in particular, just wanted tho thank you guys for doing what you do and giving me the opportunity to answer your questions. Oh yeah, be sure to check out the dates for the Easycore tour featuring us and our Anchor Eighty Four Label mates No Tide (facebook.com/notide) this June!


Interview by Mario Parra

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