An Interview With Brooklyn-Based Indie-Pop Retro Group, THE CLASSIC KIDS!

Meet The Classic Kids! They are a supremely infectious foursome with the most appropriate name. Formed in 2013 in Brooklyn New York, The Classic Kids is comprised of Eric James (Bass/Vocals), Matty Boy (Guitar/Vocals), Max Dean (Guitar) and Mikey G (Drums). The band have quickly been making waves with their authentic and meaningful lyricism and indie pop/ retro rock’n’roll sound.

With the success of their previous releases, The Classic Kids are back with their highly anticipated single ‘Better Days’. Teaming up with famed producers Shep Goodman & Aaron Accetta of Dirty Canvas (American Authors, Young Rising Sons), together they have successfully created an indie pop anthem with retro sensibilities. ‘Better Days’ is an electrifying and uplifting song conveying a message of hope and positivity even in today’s society.

“During these hard times of political differences, we wanted to create lyrics that can just take your mind away from all that and give you something to feel good about. These are our better days” explains Boy.

The video follows the band doing good deeds and bringing joy to the people they come across on their journey throughout New York City. Featuring jangly guitars, contagious melodies and a soaring chorus, ‘Better Days’ is sure to bring a smile to your face.

Connect With The Classic Kids Here:

http://theclassickids.com

https://www.facebook.com/TheClassicKids/

https://twitter.com/theclassickids?lang=en

https://www.instagram.com/Theclassickids/

Learn more about The Classic Kids in the following All Access interview:

So how has 2018 been treating you all? What is one musical goal that you have had for this year and how close are you to reaching it?

First off, thank you so much for the interview. 2018 has been great so far! Better Days has been really well received and we couldn’t be more grateful. Our goal for this year has really been to get our music out to as many people as possible. So far we have definitely made some major headway between radio play and exposure through various different blogs.

Can you recall the moment when you thought you could be in this band together? Has anything surprised you about it all so far?

We really hit it off from the start, I don’t think there was one single moment where it all clicked but just a series of great moments where we all knew we worked well together. I think when you’re able to get along and work together for as long as we have, that alone is pretty amazing.

How difficult was it to come up with your band name? What other names were you considering?

We were on our way to the studio to record the first song for this project and we kept throwing out ideas for a good band name that would fit the style we were going for. The word “Classic” stuck but it took a bit of time to get the full name worked out. I think one of our ideas was just “The Classic”.

How do you think this group’s hometowns have influenced the sound and how you all carry yourselves in this group? If you don’t think that it has, why is that?

Growing up on Long Island, we all listened to a lot of Pop/Rock, Pop/alternative styles of music. It was something we all shared a passion for and is basically what brought us together. However it wasn’t until we started venturing out of our hometowns into Brooklyn and NYC, that we started to feel a new connection towards music. We had several friends that were living in Brooklyn at the time, that were in bands of a similar style to what we were trying to achieve.

How would you say this band has grown since first forming in 2013?

There’s definitely a few ways the band has grown since its start. First of all, our bond as a band has become unbreakable. We view each other as family. We’ve been through plenty of ups and downs together over the years so the bond just has been getting stronger.

Let’s talk about your newest song, “Better Days.” What was the inspiration for this song? How do you think it is different or similar to anything else that you have released before? What was it like working with your producers Shep Goodman and Aaron Accetta of Dirty Canvas on this new music?

The inspiration for this song came from us thinking of a way to spread positivity through our creativity. This is something a little different from our early EP, “Forever Strong,” which is more like an 80’s alternative sound as opposed to something on the pop spectrum. Working with Shep and Aaron was fun but also serious at the same time, setting the mood for a productive environment.

What was it like shooting the music video for “Better Days”? How creatively involved were you with the overall process?

The idea for the video was to spread positivity in a time when our country needs it the most. We just wanted to show that it doesn’t take much to do something nice for someone. So the actual shooting of the video was exactly that: We all took part in doing small, yet fun and nice deeds for people. Whether it was giving away some jackets and spending time with the homeless, or giving a balloon to a kid.

If you had an unlimited budget and all the time you wanted, what would your dream music video look like and which one of your songs would you make it for?

If we had an unlimited budget and huge time frame we would find a way to gather four jeep wranglers together with the top and doors off of the trucks and make a super fun music video of us doing a “road trip” type of video where we pack the jeeps out with our closest friends and venture through the open roads, backroads and dirt roads, and driving on different beaches and terrains with our closest friends! We would have a multiple drones to follow us overhead through the travels and the camera crew would also have their own wranglers!

When do you hope to release more new music and a full collection of songs?

We like to stay active and release new songs every few months if we can. We’ve discussed an EP and a full length album but haven’t yet come to a definite conclusion on that. We feel a single every few months will at least slowly grow our song collection.

Where do you think you are all happiest- in the studio recording new music, on stage performing or elsewhere? Do you have any upcoming shows this summer that you would like to tell our readers about?

We’re probably happiest in the studio, recording new music. Only because this is when we get to be our creative selves. There’s nothing better than creating something new that everyone can enjoy. Performing on stage is a blast, but it’s also when we have to be at our best. Sometimes we can get hard on ourselves if we’re not at our best. There are no current shows scheduled but we plan on booking something soon!

How do you think being a musician and in this band gives you all the most joy in life today?

Being a musician allows us to be creative and spread happiness. We are able to write songs, and tell stories, that people can relate to. We feel it’s our job to be there for our fans and that alone brings us joy.

We are currently living through a very trying and politically charged time right now so I am curious to know how your own music is reflecting this time period? If you don’t think it is, why is that? Would you say that other musicians are making music that has been influenced by this climate?

I’d say that our music can have many meanings to many people. As far as today’s political climate we certainly wanted our video to show that good deeds and just setting the right tone can bring us closer to one another. Certainly today we see that many have lost that connection and we wanted to prove that whats lost can be found. We love the art that’s coming from this climate. Even more recently Childish Gambino’s “This is America” video really resonated with us.

How important do you think social media has been to this band? Do all you help to maintain all your sites or is one of you more into it all? Or do you rely on your PR/management team to handle it?

Social Media might be the most important tool these days because its where everyone is. We maintain our socials but we definitely get a lot of help from our amazing PR Kershona.

Who would you love to work with in the future? Who are some of your favorite artists right now? What do you think would be a dream collaboration for this group?

Working with some legendary songwriters such as Max Martin or Billy Joel to even Bruno Mars and Bruce Springsteen would probably be a very surreal yet amazing writing session just because of the fact that almost every song you hear from them is a hit with instrumentals and lyrics! As of right now our favorite artists have a very wide range… as an alternative band we get influences from various artists and bands such as St. Lucia, Bleachers, The Night Game to even Dan & Shay, Hunter Hayes, and also major pop artists such as Charlie Puth and Shawn Mendes! I think a dream collaboration for all of us would be The Classic Kids & The 1975 because WHO DOESN’T like The 1975?!

What do you hope is the message of your music? What do you hope people continue to take away from your songs?

We just hope that people really enjoy our music whether it be that they can relate or that they just find it pleasant to listen to. We want to bring a unique sound to peoples ears and we hope that we inspire people as well as lift them up.

If you guys were all going to be stranded on a deserted island, what musical item would you want to take with you and why?

Definitely an acoustic guitar. The main reason being, we’ve written some of our best songs by just jamming on some guitars. So we would be able to write a song about being stuck on the island. We’ll just have to find some sticks for Mikey to keep the tempo!

Would you like to share anything else about your music or this band with our readers?

Thank you very much for having us! We want to say we hope that everyone that listens to our music truly enjoys our work. When we write we truly put our hearts and souls into what we do. We consider how our music effects people as well as our actions. If we can lift someone up, inspire someone, or just make someone happy then we are satisfied. This is a marathon not a sprint and so far its been a wild ride. We have nothing but optimism for the future!