By Brooke Larson
This Tuesday is the Battle of the Bands. The battle will be featuring The Rolling Coasters, a punk band with ska influences from Watertown, MA. Featuring Danny Austin-Manning on the drums, Zac Buchanan o the lead guitar and backup vocals, Calvin Cox on the bass guitar, and Patrick Dawson as the lead vocalist, The Rolling Coasters really know how to work. I asked The Rolling Coasters some questions via email and here are their responses:
Wax on Felt: How did your band form?:
The Rolling Coasters: The current vocalist was not always the vocalist. The Rolling Coasters existed for two years prior as 'Almost Exactly'. Other activities stepped in the way of Dan (the old lead singer) being able to regularly practice and perform with everyone else, so Pat (current lead singer) jumped in, and the rest is history.
Wax on Felt: What's the origin of your band's name, The Rolling Coasters?
The Rolling Coasters: We were going to perform in a Battle of the Bands when we were all freshmen in high school. The day rolled around where we were going to perform, and they didn't tell us we needed a name. Some quick brainstorming over some slices of pizza from the place around the corner from the school, and several horrible puns later, we decided on The Rolling Coasters. We just sort of, uh, rolled with it.
Wax On Felt: Who are some of your biggest influences?
The Rolling Coasters: Oh gosh. Justin Bieber is without a doubt our biggest influence. Miley Cyrus is another huge inspiration to us all. That guy who thinks he's very deep and introspective and interesting who just learned his first four chords playing guitar in Harvard Square I know strikes some chords in each and every one of our hearts. Seriously though, I think we all as individual musicians are influenced by a huge range of different bands, but when we all get together and try to create, what we think it boils down to are the likes of bands such as Joyce Manor, The Flatliners, Operation Ivy, Bomb the Music Industry and Against Me!.
Wax On Felt: What inspired your band to make music?
The Rolling Coasters: You ever just get an itch to do something? You ever just get the feeling like, hey, I want to go for a walk. Or hey, I feel like writing something down. Or hey, I feel like drawing something. Or hey, I wonder what some A-List celebrity is up to right now? Or hey, I that mosquito bite is really itchy. Our itch to make music is sorta like that, we just, we love making music, and we love playing music, so we all just got that itch to make some music.
Wax On Felt: Describe the best show you have played.
The best show we've played, experience wise, was probably our first one at the All Asia. We played with a lot of really awesome ska bands (Poor Jeremy, Hobo Chili, The Sea Bees) and made some permanent friends that we've played with on numerous occasions since then. Quality of our sound wise, we think every newest show is our best one yet, because we're always getting better.
Wax On Felt: Describe the worst show you have played.
The Rolling Coasters: We played at this little bar in Boston and it was on like a Thursday night. We were playing first and the headlining act was a man on the mandolin. No one showed up. We didn't play our best. It was weird.
Wax on Felt: What has been your biggest challenge as a band so far?
The Rolling Coasters: We are all still in high school (senior year). The biggest challenge, was at first, getting shows. We were all pretty young, but trying to get shows as 15 year olds was very difficult. We had our first big-ish show at the All Asia and from there getting shows got a lot easier. Now however, the biggest challenges are getting something professionally recorded, and finding time to practice. We all have school, sports, clubs, homework, social lives, and on top of it all, being in a band. Sometimes things get in the way, and it's super frustrating and aggravating, but so far we've been able to work around almost every issue, so it's all good. Biggest challenge as of right this instant is getting something recorded.
Wax on Felt: What are your hopes for the near future?
The Rolling Coasters: To put a full album out. We just want to get that done.
You can check out The Rolling Coasters live at Battle of the Bands this Tuesday. They are also playing this year’s annual Skalloween show on November 1st at Roggie’s Pizzeria in Brighton. Featuring A Guy Named Guy, Poor Jeremy, and Short Handed Goal, it is surely going to be an awesome show. Even more awesome, if you show up in a costume it is only one dollar to get in. RSVP to the event here on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/164666047069106/
You can like the The Rolling Coasters on Facebook here: facebook.com/therollingcoasters
You can watch live video of The Coasters here: www.youtube.com/therollingcoasters
And most importantly, check out some free mp3s that The Rolling Coasters recorded here: therollingcoasters.bandcamp.com
Skank On!