Live Well are currently trying to convince everyone to watch their new video for “Neck Tattoos” which you should definitely do. It’s down the bottom there. But before that, find out a little more about the band…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
All over lower NY (Westchester County, Rockland County and NYC) but we call Yonkers “Home”.
How did you meet?
Paul (lead vocals and guitar) asked Max (guitar and backup vocals) to be on his podcast “Dear Stranger and Friend” where he has a simple conversation with people he has only met one or two times, or hasn’t spoken with in years. From there the two became closer friends and in late 2017 they set out in Max’s modded mini bus for a month long road trip where they did the podcast in person interviewing people all over the country. After returning the two started jamming; bringing in Neil (Max’s roommate) on drums, Matt on guitar who then invited Luis to come and jam on bass and the band was born.
How long have you been playing as a band?
It will be one year in April!
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
“Live well and have enough” is a phrase that Paul’s mother would always tell him. While on the road trip before the band was even a thing Paul and Max got road trip/best friend “Live Well” tattoos. Later, it seemed like a no brainer when coming to picking a band name.
What are your influences?
We all love lots of different types of music but find a lot of common love for Saves the Day, Blink 182, Joyce Manor, and Drake (Yes, we bump it hard to and from shows). Paul (lead vocals and guitar) loves a lot of emo, pop punk, hip hop, and is big into indie bands particularly from Australia. Matt (guitar and vocals) loves a lot of pop punk and hardcore. Luis (bass and vocals) also loves pop punk, hardcore as well as rap and Latin music (can’t go wrong with Drake, “free smoke”) Neil (drums) loves Thrice, Basement, the Chili Peppers, Blink and so on. Max (guitar and backup vocals) loves rap and RnB as well as techy alt rock, RX Bandits, SOAF, metalcore, hardcore, and classical… he pretty much listens to everything.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Our music is both nostalgic and mature. We feel like we approach the emo and punk genre unlike many bands. Max (like all of us) isn’t really a fan playing in a band that has the whiny vocals that defined our favourite teenagehood bands. Also some of us in the band have rough pasts and have been a part of experiences involving violence, guns, drugs, racism, and harsh living conditions. Because of this there are certain aspects of playing this genre of music that feel emotionally conflicting.
So, to combat that maybe whiny, white privileged male centric perspective we have tried to say more or at least carry ourselves with a “fuck it” attitude. In our song “Neck Tattoos” we had someone who plays in a very popular band give some feedback that the line “I slept with him but you give better head” was “cringe-worthy” and something we might regret putting out. We all almost instantly said “fuck that” as we don’t care about saying something that might rub you the wrong way or isn’t directly marketed at a specifically young demographic.
We feel unique because we are here to tell you a story and at this point in our lives they aren’t all pretty or ones that can be idealised. That’s why we call ourselves emo punk. The emo is obvious and yes we have some uptempo and some heavier songs but, the punk aspect is the unapologetic side of our lyrics and vibe. We are a gang, a family and you can get with it or not.
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
One of Paul’s big themes or patterns is to not use gender specific pronouns in his lyrics. Also talking about race, drug use, suicide, racism, or any other hard conversation in a straightforward way is what you’ll find in his lines.
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
They are super fun! Lots of people singing along. We all are always smiling on stage and react to each other and our audience. We’ve done a good 30+ shows in this short 10 months of being a band.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
Max runs up walls a lot and we all get super sweaty…
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
- Gretsch catalina mod kit, Zildjian cymbals
- Fender amps
- Ampge bass head
- Jaguar, Epiphone dot, custom Tele build and other fun stuff
- Lots of pedals on Max and Matt’s boards
What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
Our first official music video for our first single “Neck Tattoos”.
What are your plans for 2019?
The first one was achieved on the 15th of Jan with the release of our first official music video “Neck Tattoos”! Beyond that we have a lot planned for this year. We will be releasing our debut full length album titled Perfectly Temporary, we are going to release 4 more music videos, some singles, and go on a national tour in late Spring! The band will be a year old in April and we’ve just been having a blast creating, playing and hanging so we are just really happy to be able to put out so much content.
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!
It’s definitely a tie between opening for Joyce Manor or Pinegrove, and either our local dope homies in Maintenance or our good friends in CT Con Etiquette.
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