Uncle Frank Says No – An Xperience Interview

Uncle Frank Says No – An Xperience Interview – by Liam Sweeny.

RRX: Different people in the band will like different songs. A drummer’s favorite song on the release will be different than the guitar player’s. What are each of your favorite songs from your most recent album?

Matt: “Cheesemurder.” It’s just so different from anything else I’ve ever heard or that we play. Also the concept is just so absurd, but something about it just hits me in the right way.

E.J.: “It’s Pizza Time!” Always gives me the feels every time we play it. And “The Way It Is” was always one I wanted to play, so I’m glad I get to play it with an awesome group of musicians.
And yeah, “Cheesemurder” was birthed from a moment in time when my wife and I ate cheeseburgers and cheese fries at Jack’s Drive-In in Wynantskill. Right when we left the lot she had to barf, so I pulled over on the side of the road and she let it all out. A year later it turned out it was her gall bladder, so that got removed. So I wrote a song about eating a plethora of cheeses till you die a delicious death. She always says she wanted me to write a song about her. “Cheesemurder” is not her favorite.

Nick: I don’t know about favorite overall, but I can say my favorite to sing, my favorite to listen to, and the song I’m most proud of when I listen to it:

My favorite song to sing is “It’s Pizza Time!” without a doubt. When EJ got sick and we had to play a show without him, I volunteered to sing it onstage. I learned all the words in a day and a half, and I love everything about it. It’s the song that I think encapsulates the band best.

Now my favorite song to listen to is “Moo Cow.” It’s the first song we learned as a group. When it was written, it didn’t have horn parts in mind. So the first time I showed up to practice, I just had to play what came to me and jam out and hope the rest of the guys liked it. And almost two years later, most of the notes I play are the ones I came up with that first practice. “Moo Cow,” to me, represents all of us just getting together and jamming, and hoping it all sounds good.

And, lastly, the song that I’m most proud of is our cover of “The Way it Is.” Because I had to figure out all the notes Bruce Hornsby plays on piano and write myself a solo that fits within that song.

It’s the song that I worked the hardest to get right.

Han: “Don’t Jerk My Heart Off.” The intro bass riff rocks. The gang vocal AHH! rocks. The breakdown into the trumpet outro rocks. Pop Rocks rocks. Glacial erratic rocks.

Petey: “Forever Vacation” sounds like a hit for me. It’s very dynamic, catchy, and easy to pour your soul into.

Amy: My favorite two to play are “Forever Vacation” and “It’s Pizza Time!,” purely for the groove in the horns.

Jake: It’s hard to pick, but I’m gonna say “Forever Vacation.” It’s so darn catchy!

Smit: I really love all of them, but I’ve got to be selfish and pick “Ninth Wonder In My World,” just because that’s the first song I’ve ever finished writing on my own and came up with the initial music for. And who doesn’t love a wrestling-themed love song?

But I can’t deny that “Forever Vacation” is a top favorite. Especially with Jake’s bass line. Not that I didn’t like it from the beginning, but once he added that bass line, it just makes me happy every time I hear it.

And I can’t argue with Nick’s logic on “Moo Cow” either, because that first practice was truly amazing when we first heard the horns play along with it. I think Nick put something out there first, then

Han jumped in, and Jacob, our original sax player, jumped in and it just meshed so perfectly that E.J., Jake, and myself all looked at each other with big ass smiles and head nods that were like, “Yup, this band is going to be amazing.”

RRX: We all get a little support from those around us. And we also can be impressed by our fellow performers. Who do you admire in your community, and why?

E.J.: Really, everyone in the community. The Capital Region is so saturated with musical talent so it’s great to see and listen to who’s playing, current and new.

Matt: We’ve only got a few shows under our collective belt so far, but we’ve already played with a lot of great bands. I could easily list like 100 bands I love, but I’ll highlight a few of the smaller ones we’ve played with. We’ve done a couple of shows with Girth Control and they’re absolutely fantastic. Another great one was Do It With Malice. You can really tell when a band is having fun on stage and it really shows with them. Last, and by far not the least, Hans Gruber and the Die Hards. In all my years of going to shows, I’ve never seen a band go so hard. If you get a chance, go see them!

Petey: I admire my bandmates mostly. Each of them brings their own flavor to the table, like one big musical potluck. As for people outside of the band, it was awesome hanging out in the green room with all of the different members from PWRUP, Girth Control, and Do It With Malice.

Han: As a fellow tromboner, I gotta shout out PWRUP. Their music style and stage presence are both exceptional.

Smit: I really just admire anyone that has ever had the intestinal fortitude to just say screw it, make some music, and put it out there for people to hear. Even more so if they can get up on a stage and play it to the people. It takes a lot of courage to put your art out there for some people, especially with the way the world tends to judge people now. Not everyone can handle the idea of criticism, let alone if they actually have to face it. But when someone, or multiple someones, can just not care about all of that and just go out and have fun, playing their creations, then that’s what’s truly admirable.

RRX: Love is a big part of music. We’re talking first loves here. Lots of cool stories about first loves and the things we do for those loves. Can you (or, in the case of a band, one member) talk about your first love, especially if you did something cool to express that love? (No names needed.)

E.J.: One of my first loves is for the group of friends I met and grew up with in my youth, where punk and ska made our bond so much stronger. Great times and memories. That’s what our song “It’s Pizza Time!” is all about, expressing the great times we all had with a sadness of never wanting to let it go, so let’s just live it up with rocking out, playing video games, and eating pizza! Again. And again. And again. Until there’s no more agains to give.

Smit: <exudes tears of joy and nostalgia>

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