Interview with Jim Joanos of NEW SENSE:
Kim Rose, Vocals and Guitar.
Jim Joanos, Guitar and Loops.
Dan Roveto, Drums Percussion.
Matt Conti, Bass.
New York based New Sense may have only been together for a year, but
they are
not having any trouble making a name for themselves within the local
circuit.
Their music has a knack for bringing people deep into their world
and vibing
off their emotions. Songs like "Never a Time" and "Shine"
describe something
every single person has been through and it is that kind of pesonal
connection that has earned New Sense a core following.
Guitarist Jim Joanos and vocalist Kim Rose began their musical collaborations
in January 2000 when they would jam at local coffee houses and write
music.
They soon began experimenting with different sounds, styles and textures.
"Actually, we used to just sit around and Play Nintendo games,"
jokes Joanos,
"but every once in a while, the system broke, and we would take
a break and a
tune would just come out of nowhere. No, were more on the edge. But
not the
screaming Emo edge. What is Emo anyway? Are we Emo? Well, since I
don't
know what it is, I guess we're not Emo, but we definitely have a lot
of
emotion involved."
How do you come up with such emotional music and the lyrics?
JOANOS:Easy.
With a hook. A hook can start anywhere. If the hook starts
with the music, we write the vocals around that. If the hook starts
with the
vocals, well, you know.
What inspires your music?
JOANOS:People.
I love hearing criticism from people. Most of the time I
don't listen to it, but it definitely helps. When I'm playing, I usually
watch the audience's reaction to each song. It helps to decide if
we need
more of this type of song, or of this type of song. Red Bull also
has a lot
to do with it, but I can't get into that right now.
What is your opinion about the current Long Island music scene?
JOANOS:The
scene is good, but at the same time, not so good. There is not
enough room for original music in the LI scene. Every venue is overloaded
with cover bands and DJ's. Not that I don't like cover bands and DJ's,
because everyone wants to hear stuff that on the radio, that's why
its on the
radio. But, the original scene should be given more of a chance. Cover
bands get to play the good night (Thurs, Fri, Sat) and make all the
funds. I
mean, anyone can play other peoples music, but would I make a copy
of a
Picasso and sell it at an auction. No. Original music also gets shoved
into
a corner. Most club owners would be like "Yeah, we can book you
on Sunday,
November 33rd at 5AM" because we have a cover band coming in
on Saturday. I
think the time should be split up a little more, and there should
be more
room for bigger national acts to come through giving the chance for
smaller
locals to open. Man is it a drag when I think of bands that make $2000.00
a
night to play other peoples music. It not that I don't respect that
they
work hard, but it's just a drag. I know some nationals that don't
even make
that much!
Where do you think you guys fit in among the local music circuit?
JOANOS:Tough
question. We really don't. We are too hard for the followers
of "Chick rock" aka Liz Phair, Vanessa Carlton, etc. and
we are to mellow
for the hardcore rockers and Emo heads. (Emo - There's that word again!).
We
kind of have our own flavor. Lets put it this way, we are like coffee
ice
cream. It's still awesome, but compared to chocolate and vanilla which
are
also good, its just not as recognized.
What separates your band from other rock acts on the local scene
right now?
JOANOS:Oh
Wow! You know, I don't think I'm going to attempt to answer that
one. It's not that we're separated from anything, we just write really
good
songs. See!! That's why I didn't want to answer. Now every band is
going to
think I said that they don't write good songs. I hope I'm not getting
quizzed on this.
What other local bands do you think rock?
JOANOS:Hmm
... I really like Iridesense, good band. To name a few ... Infinite
Winter, SOS, The Shade, Kyoti, Shades of Gray, Marion's Basement,
oh and
Flytrap.
Why should someone go out and see you guys live?
JOANOS:Because
they have nothing better to do! That's it! No, honestly, if someone
wants to come out and hear really good songs that get the groove,
I would
definitely check it out. Most people leave a show humming something.
Sometimes I'll have something in my head and I'll be like, wow, that's
awesome!! Oh wait, I just played that 10 min ago. We have a lot of
fun at our
shows, with quite a few crazy mishaps, which I could avoid speaking
about
right now.
What can we expect to see at your live performance?
JOANOS:I'll
be there! At least I hope I will be. And you'll usually see a bar
and a
door, and some cars outside. :)
Any crazy club stories?
JOANOS:Ok,
I guess I can't avoid that question. There are quite a few of them.
I
guess the best story took place in April of this year. We had booked
a show
at the Wrong Way Inn in Amityville (why we did this, I don't know)
and we
walked in and it was loaded with about 50 kids that were no older
than 18. Of
course, this is a 21 and over bar. While were waiting to go on, (which
by the
way, was pushed back and hour) some little dork that looked like Harry
Potter
actually tried starting a fight with me. Of course a huge brawl broke
out and
it was the four of us versus about 40 16 - 18 year olds. I would actually
like to vouch for myself by saying that I got a lot of nice punches
in before
the cops showed up. All the little kiddies went running scared and
the bar
got a huge fine. Of course, who gets blamed for all of this, New Sense.
We
were actually the only ones in the bar that were over 21. Cops said
that
they we're going to shut the place down, but they never did. If that
happened in Queens or NYC, the place would have been shut down before
you can
say, "close the doors". That's long island for ya. I guess
that little
loser ran home to mommy and daddy. I would like to see someone start
with us
that are not backed up by 40 other people. Oh well. There is also
the time
that Dan vomited in his own shoes, but I won't get into that.
Any rituals before you go onstage?
JOANOS:
We try to start a huge fight so we don't actually
have to play. Just
kidding! I think the only ritual that we have is just to make sue
that we
are all in tune.
Whats next?
JOANOS: Immediately? We have a gig this
Tuesday night at the Dublin Pub,
(7/23). It should be a great show! In the long run, I think we should
just
gig, gig, gig, gig until we drop. What else can we do! As of now,
I have
some left over dominoes in the oven that I have to attend to. Peace
out, stay
cool, come check out New Sense at our website at www.newsensemusic.com.
Yes,
we have a website, doesn't everyone!?? Anyway, I have to stop typing
now
because massive typing = carpal tunnel syndrome = wrist hurts = no
guitar
playing. Peace. Love, Jim.
