Steal the Air
Hillsborough, NJ
www.stealtheair.com
To be perfectly honest, I thought the pop-punk genre went the way of free geocities websites back in days of yore (don’t act like you didn’t have one in ’98). After all, my fondest memories of local shows include hyperactive pre-pubescents with funny haircuts screaming about their ex-girlfriends and ritalin habits (or, ex-girlfriends WITH ritalin habits). But apparently, pop-punk has grown up a lot since I was in high school. Steal the Air has effectively stolen my heart and proved me wrong.
The band officially labels themselves as “energetic indie rock”. Ok, so perhaps my “pop-punk” label is a bit outdated. This 5-piece band is comprised of Joe Wallace on bass, Ian Berkowitz on guitar and vocals, Eddie Patten on vocals, Chris Eaunucci on drums and Jahe Kiniecko on guitar and vocals. Their EP “Waiting for Something” won them a spot on Warped Tour this year at the Englishtown Raceway, so if you’re in the area it may be in your best interest to check out their set. This is the sort of music I’d throw on the CD player in my car whilst stuck in unbearable Jersey shore traffic with a car full of agitated comrades; an instant mood fixer, if you will, and without the whiny aftertaste that most bands these days have to offer. Speaking of Jersey traffic, these guys know all about it. The entire band hails from Hillsborough, the heart of the Garden State.
Read on to discover what they hate most about their state, what they’re listening to right this minute, and a bunch more.
Kristen: What’s with the band name?
Steal The Air: The band name came from some old song lyrics we were writing a while ago, when the band was still very new.
K: How did you guys get on Warped Tour?
STA: We entered two of our songs off of our EP “Waiting For Something” a while ago, and then they had judges select certain bands for each date of the tour to play. We were extremely happy to win.
K: Do you have any major tours (i.e., outside the tri-state area) coming up?
STA: Right now, we are working under the name Heatwave Records, and booking tours for bands that are friends of ours. However, we don’t have any tours schedule just yet. We are hopefully going to be ready to kick things off on the road by the winter break.
K: What’s the inspiration for your songs?
STA: They all come from experiences that we’ve had and from people we know.
K: Any favorite local bands?
STA: Yes, the Hillsborough, NJ underground scene is booming with a lot of talent right now, but there are also a few other NJ favorites…i.e. Dreading The Seasons, Clean Cut Kamikaze, Lexington Down, Flashlight Arcade, My Shining One and a bunch of others.
K: Since you’re all from NJ, what’s your favorite/least favorite thing about the garden state?
STA: Our favorite thing is the amount of people in NJ, there is so much opportunity here. At the same time, our least favorite thing is the amount of people in NJ; it makes it tough to make these opportunities work in your favor with so many people.
K: Were any of you in any other bands before this one?
STA: Yes, Chris (Drums) was in The Royalties for a little, Ian (Guitar) was in Luddite Clone, Joe (Bass) was in Wayne’s Basement, Jahe (Guitar) was in A dollar and a dream and Eddie (Vocals) was in off topic.
K: What are you guys listening to right now (i.e., what’s in your CD
player, ipod, whatever) ?
STA : Joe – Mew
Ian – Coldplay/Yellowcard
Chris – Mew/Coldplay
Eddie – Coldplay
Jahe – Elvis Costello
K: What’s your ultimate goal for the band?
STA: To keep writing music we find great sounding and fun to play. We also want to keep recording and tour full time. Hopefully in the end make the band into a career where we’re allowed to do what we love.
K: What do you guys typically do to get ready to play a show?
STA: It usually involves us messing around and playing spontaneous games out of random objects we find laying around Chris’ (drums) house while we’re loading our equipment up.
K: Do you guys have any other exciting hobbies aside from the band?
STA: We all are into collecting music and playing other forms of music besides rock, such as jazz and classical. However, we avidly collect stamps and play at our local bridge club three times a week as well.
K: How would one go about obtaining your CD (do you have them for sale at shows) ?
STA: You can get our CD at our shows or you can get it through Smartpunk.com or Interpunk.com!
K: Alcoholic beverage of choice?
STA: Fruity Nucci
K: Food of choice?
STA: French toast
K: How would you handle a crazed female groupie?
STA: Depends on how crazed she was.
So there you have it. Remember to check out their website at www.stealtheair.com for all of your Steal the Air tour information and AIM icon needs.