*The following interview is a condensed version of a sloppy, not well put together description/interview done at Dock Street(a local rock staple here on Staten Island) with new up-and-comers onto the New York rock scene: As You Were.
The band formed in early 2006 when two of the island’s most prominent hardcore acts (Quantice Never Crashed and The Broken) decided to call it quits. The decision to form another band quickly followed. Matt (19/guitar), Philly (19/vocals), Derek (19/guitar), Andrew (19/drums), and Cory (21/bass) got together and after agreeing on a name inspired by an Alkaline Trio song, and As You Were was up and running.
For the past month or so, As You Were hasn’t been playing as many shows in Staten Island as they normally would. When asked what they’ve been up to, Philly answers “We’ve basically been getting our shit together. We’ve been writing a lot of new songs, getting our merchandise together, our van situation, booking a tour for January and basically just really settling in to being a band.” “We’re stuck with each other now,” Matt says. “And this is the life we have chosen. This is it,” Andrew finished. He then went on to explain “We [also] don’t want to just play Staten Island all the time. We want to play for everyone and anyone who want to hear us.” The band has been doing a bunch of weekend shows in South Jersey and this past Saturday, they were asked to play in Williamsport, PA which Andrew says is “50 million hours a-fucking-way and we were like ‘let’s fucking do it’.
What was their favorite memory of 2006? They all unanimously agreed that the best part of ‘06 was deciding to start As You Were. (The show last month in Penns Grove when they played for 200 kids and were asked to sign autographs came in pretty close, though.) But starting the band and forming the friendships that mean so much to them right now wins hands-down because, as Philly puts it “I’m just lucky that there’s something that forces these people to spend time with me in my life, cause otherwise, I’d be lonely and dead.”
The boys also have a strong connection with their ever growing fans from all areas of the tri-state area. When asked about their fans and the venues that host them, Philly said: “Those kids have the right idea about shit. They come out and support every single band, they all have a good time and every show has a huge variation of styles of music. They have great spaces that are all ages and really organized and are not too much money”. And Derek adds: “They come out to any show and not just for one band.” “And they think so much higher of us than we are,” Matt said.
2006 was a busy year for As You Were. But it’s nothing compared to the way their 2007 is already shaping up. Their drummer is being sponsored by Shine Drums and they will be recording their full length for Downstar Records. Touring, new merchandise, “being fabulous” and “ballinnnnn’” are just some of the things they’re looking forward to in the coming year. In their own words, this is the life they have chosen and it looks like the boys in As You Were have no intentions of slowing down any time soon.
As for the new songs (which will be on As You Were’s first full length album due out by this summer), we can expect a heavier sound, “hopefully” better song writing and an overall progression. “The songs are being put together in a better form...like, in a ‘less is more’ kind of way, but it’s still As You Were,” says Andrew. Philly added “It still seems to be some angry fucking shit.” Their next album is going to be out on Downstar Records sometime this summer.
Check them out at www.myspace.com/asyouwereny.
