Jan 27, 2018
WHAT AN IMPORTANT SONG
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WHAT AN IMPORTANT SONG
Read Out by Options (Live at DZ Records)
Recorded live at DZ Records 6-19-2014
http://optionstheband.bandcamp.com
Seth Engel - Vocals and Guitar
Filmed by Mike Giannoni, Charlie Lunsford, and Ben Arguelles
Edited by Andrew Medina
Recorded, Mixed, and Mastered by Ben Arguelles at DZ Records
Weds. August 20th — Downwrite & Metro present: Music Trivia Night + Seth Engel Performance
Join the Downwrite crew for an evening full of musical knowledge and enjoy tunes from Downwrite artist Seth Engel (of the bands Lifted Bells, Options, Coaster, and Guillemet, to name a few).
Where: GMan Tavern [3740 N. Clark St, Chicago, Illinois 60613] (next to Metro) When: Weds August 20th, 7-9PM Who: Teams of 4. 21+. All sorts of prizes! Free to play!
* Sponsored by Shiner Beer & Metro Chicago
Downwrite Summer 04:
"Humboldt Summer" by Seth Engel.
13 Mondays of Summer, 13 original songs by Downwrite artists!
Stay tuned for a new song each Monday!
Options // Strike
Get to Know Coaster
by Sean Neumann, buzz Magazine, September 3, 2013
Used with permission by Coaster
Coaster is a four-piece band from Chicago that delivers rock ‘n’ roll with a punch. Whether it’s the enticing crack of frontman Matt Kissinger’s voice or the anthemic drive of “Chewy,” Coaster is simple, yet uniquely reminiscent of a Nashville-rock ‘n’ roll sound heard in bands like The Features. On Wednesday night at Thee Death Tower, Coaster will perform with local punks Kowabunga! Kid, Bookmobile and Los Assparados, on their second-to-last night of tour. We got the chance to talk with the band about how the death of a wiener dog caused Coaster’s genesis, the difficulties of touring on a budget and why they never want to go back to New Jersey (because, really, who does?).
buzz: How did the band start out?
Michael Byrnes: Well, it actually started because my wiener dog died. I was in a songwriting class with Matt and I really liked the music that he would perform in class, so I asked him if he would be interested in writing a song about my dog. We wrote the song “Chewy”and recorded it for the class. Eventually we got Seth on guitar and Tom on drums and started writing songs all together and played two shows last summer under the name Monster Truck, then we picked it back up in February after I got back from doing a semester abroad and got the name Coaster.
Used with permission by Coaster
buzz: Why the name Coaster?
Matt Kissinger: We wanted something short and sweet with multiple meanings left up to the listener to decide.
buzz: What are some of the main influences pour into Coaster’s rock ‘n’ roll styled sound?
MK: Since we decided on being a rock band, I’ve decided to pull from louder acts like Queens of the Stone Age and Pavement.
Seth Engel: I try not to think too much about influences as much as what comes out. This is pretty much the first band I’ve played guitar in that writes mostly in 4/4, so for me there’s definitely an emphasis on what’s fun and what feels good to play.
Tom Graham: I draw from bands that have heavy dynamic power, but I wouldn’t say we write the same as any particular influence. We constantly show each other new music, so I think it’s a collaboration between all of us.
buzz: You’ve got Fetch and a tour tape out, any plans for a full-length album or E.P. soon?
MK: As soon as we are done touring, we plan on releasing an E.P. in late fall, and we’ll be shooting to complete a full-length album by the beginning of summer.
buzz: And how is tour going?
MK: Tour has been a very invigorating experience. My favorite so far has been every sweaty, people-packed house show. Murfreesboro [Tennessee] stands out.
SE: Definitely Murfreesboro and Nashville were amazing. I had a great time in Philly, too. We got to play with this dude Alex G. who I’ve been wanting to see live for a while now and he kicked some serious ass. We also have become huge Jimmy Buffett fans over the course of the tour. Seriously.
TG: Tennessee has the most excited listeners I’ve ever experienced. They reignited the energy of hearing new music that is hard to find today.
Used with permission by Coaster
buzz: Have you played Champaign-Urbana as Coaster before or just in different projects?
MB: Seth and I both have played in Champaign with his solo project, Options. I filled in for the usual bassist for a small tour last summer.
SE: I’ve been to Champaign twice with my solo-project and once playing drums with Cage Match at Enta’s LP release show (at Error Records in Champaign). I always have a great time there, thanks to the ever-hospitable Dan Lee.
TG: I’m a first-timer. Looking forward to it!
buzz: For young bands on a budget, touring can be really difficult when it comes to finding places to stay at night and making it from city-to-city, how difficult has that part of tour been? Or have people been relatively good to you?
MK: People are genuinely nice. We reach out, talk to people and make friends. The amount of hospitality we’ve received has been unreal.
TG: The kindness of others has helped us through the journey. We couldn’t have done it without them. We always say to our hosts that if they ever end up in Chicago that they have a place to stay and we’re hoping we can host them in the future.
buzz: I saw you guys had trouble at The Meatlocker in New Jersey, what happened? Has there been any sort of reconciliation with the place?
SE: We got put on a show there super last minute, right before we left for tour. Of course, we were all super grateful. The girl who set up the show even gave me her number to contact her when we got to the venue and seemed cool. When we got there, we were informed we were playing last since we got added last, which is less than ideal for a touring band with no local draw. We wound up playing at one in the morning for a tiny handful of people who seemed pretty into it, but at the end of the show, I found out the girl who ran the show left while we were playing and took the money they made that night, which is super whack and disrespectful for a place that claims to be a part of DIY ethic. I definitely won’t be playing there again and wouldn’t recommend it to anyone in the world.
Used with permission by Coaster
buzz: Matt, you’ve got a unique control over your voice that drew me in as a listener, do you ever get any feedback about that at shows or anything?
MK: It’s actually been very difficult to hear my vocals on tour, because we haven’t dealt with the most ideal P.A speakers or sound in general. I have had people tell me my voice is unique, which I take as a compliment.
buzz: How do you go about recording?
MK: Seth engineered, mixed and mastered the tour demo in our practice space in Chicago. We are very fortunate to have such a knowledgeable individual in the band. He recently recorded a 17 track album for his solo project Options by himself too. He’s a freak of nature.
buzz: So, how helpful is his ability to record when you guys sit down to record a track? I imagine it saves on a lot of time and money?
TG: It definitely saves money, but it also reduces stress. We are on our own clock and can make our own decisions. All of my musical experiences before Coaster were professional recordings, as in booked studio time and budgets. It痴 pretty awesome to say we can do it all ourselves and still have a solid sounding recording.
buzz: What’s the future look like for Coaster?
TG: We have to stay motivated, rehearse consistently, write more, record when the time comes and be ready to tour again next summer, if not earlier. What I really like about this band is that fact that we are great friends and communicate really well. As long as we stay on track with our communication and motivation, things can only improve.
Coaster will perform at Thee Death Tower on Wednesday.
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