Can We Listen to Something Else?: An Interview with Something Else
Long car rides as a
child can mean anything from an hour long trip to visit grandma to a family
vacation from the Midwest down to Florida. Regardless of the distance, there
tends to be two major questions children will ask during the drive: “Are we
there yet?” and “Can we listen to something else?” For Aidan Hall, Landen
Gruszewski, Colin McMillen and Alex Dooley, they are hoping to be that
something else.
Gruszewski and Hall
originally met through former girlfriends and say that the band first formed on
a front porch. They both played guitar and had jammed a few times together, but
once both of their relationships ended, Hall had a song written that he asked
Gruszewski to add to that would complement it.
Despite just the two of
them playing together, they never really considered themselves an acoustic duo.
“It all just started by
kind of hanging out together,” Hall said. “After we wrote our first song we
knew we had something, and started looking for the missing pieces.”
Hall is the main
songwriter of the band, typically bringing a blueprint of a song with lyrics,
melody and a rough set of chords to his bandmates before everyone adds in their
own taste. Their songwriting process has taken them anywhere from a night to a
week, including their recently released self-titled EP.
The experience they had
creating the EP was hands down the best they’ve ever had. They worked with
Mooney Recordings engineer Jakob Mooney and built up a relationship with him
that brought out their best.
“He pushed us to be the
best we could be on these songs, and has become a great friend,” Hall said.
Something Else’s
self-titled EP shows off a variety of sounds that give them that introspective,
post/pop vibe. They hope that the EP spreads a message that it is ok and
important to be honest with yourself, and once you’re able to do that, anything
is possible.
“Sometimes
no one can tell you the truth better than you; you know yourself better than anyone
so why not be true to you,” Hall said.
Whether it’s a car ride to work, a visit to a
family member’s house or a cross-country road trip, Something Else are hoping
that their music will be the answer to the inevitable question: “Can we listen
to something else?”
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