Time to give you all another band to keep an eye on. Today’s offering are from the other side of the Atlantic – Best Foot Back…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We are from Columbus, OH. Go Bucks!
How did you meet?
Andrew and I are brothers. We met Ben in high school, and I guess we technically knew John then too. However, we didn’t connect with him until a few years later.
How long have you been playing as a band?
Best Foot Back started jamming in 2015, but we took things slow. 2017 was our first big year. We released our debut self-titled EP in July!
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
We thought it sounded cool! Which is obviously important, right? But it also expresses a counter-cultural attitude, you know, doing things a little differently.
What are your influences?
The music we started writing first is influenced by bands like Relient K, Jimmy Eat World, Switchfoot, etc.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Pop with a punk edge. We miss the rock sound that used to be in pop music in the early-mid 2000s. Pop punk is such a cool sound and there’s a lot of new directions you can go with the genre. Songwriting and song structure is very important to us too.
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
Girls, God, life, being human. Personally, I try to put my feelings into words, and most of the songs on our self-titled EP started with that approach.
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
2017 was a decent year for us. We played about 7 or 8 shows, including The Columbus Arts Festival last summer, which was awesome!
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
Jon Foreman from Switchfoot usually plays a secret aftershow somewhere near the venue. Getting to hear him sing to a crowd of 30 people at 1am on a Wednesday night, is hands down my favorite concert experience. It was incredibly intimate and beautiful.
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
We started with very little money and gear, so we’re starting to collectively level up our gear roster. I play an electric Epiphone Dot, and am currently shopping around for a unique overdrive sound. Fender amps sound pretty great to me and I’m testing out some pedals. We just added piano to our set, so I’m enjoying a semi weighted Yamaha electric piano that I purchased this fall.
Andrew’s got a sweet maple finish Fender telecaster.
John uses a sound percussion 4 piece kit, with Zildjian 14 inch hats, a 16 inch crash and a 20 inch ride.
Ben rocks a Yamaha bass with an MXR pre-amp and a powered speaker as an amp (we get a lot of comments about the speaker, it does a good job!)
What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
We’re tracking acoustic songs this month, so watch out for that!
What are your plans for 2018?
We are super stoked to work with Dave Douglas from Relient K on new material this year. Also, our first tour.
If you were second on a three-band bill, which band would you love to be supporting and which band would you choose to open for you? A chance to plug someone you’ve toured with, or a mate’s band we’ve not heard of before!
Relient K is my musical hero, so opening for them would be amazing. Trevor Daniel from Columbus, OH is a great musician and even better friend. Check out his stuff on Spotify.
From previous Band of the Day King Bison (UK): If you could join any band on stage for one song, who would it be and what track would you play?
“Smile” by Uncle Kracker. Cuz really, is there a better song?
From another BotD, Project 86: Who is your musical man crush? Your Mr. Holland’s Bropus?
Russ Freeman is an amazing guitarist for the jazz/rock group The Rippingtons. He was my favorite musician as a child and teenager. Seeing him live was a dream come true.
And from Laser Flames on the Great Big News: What’s the deal with trains?
I’ve got nuthin’.
Best Foot Back: facebook | bandcamp | reverbnation | spotify | youtube
