An Interview With NJ Based Pop Punk Band SET INTO MOTION!

The NJ-based pop punk band Set Into Motion’s recently put out their EP, “Something Exciting” (5/7). The lead single from this collection is “Only a Sith Deals in Absolutes.”

Consisting of Hunter Rich (Vocals/Guitar), Jesse Hickman (Vocals/Guitar), and Jake Vanko (Drums), Set Into Motion have a bold “plug-in, play, and go have fun” approach. With this brand new EP, Set Into Motion sets out to be the most fun and energetic band out there, in both songs and live shows, while also proving that it is super important to have a strong connection with your fans. 

Connect With Set Into Motion Online Here:

Linktree: http://linktr.ee/setintomotion

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/setintomotion/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SetIntoMotionNJ

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/setintomotion

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3wqNVIK

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3m7JQ7k

Learn more about Set Into Motion in the following All Access interview:

Thanks for your time! So first things first, how did you all start this band? What made you all think that you could work together? How difficult was it to come up with a band name that you all agreed on?

Hey thank you for having us! Well, this band originally started back in late 2017 by Jesse and Hunter, but it had a little bit of a different lineup. After a few lineup changes over the course of the years, we finally landed on our new drummer, Jake, in the fall of 2019. I think what makes us all work together really well is that we all just have really good chemistry together both onstage and offstage, which I feel like is a thing a lot of bands overlook. Our name was actually super easy to come up with. Honestly, it was probably the first thing we came up with. It’s just a line from All Time Low’s song “Time Bomb”.

How are you all feeling at this point about the pandemic and the recent openings?

At this point, we are all just hella tired, trying to stay financially stable AS WELL as not fail college, and also not trying to get a deadly virus. But, with things seemingly opening up, we are just excited to finally get to play shows soon and sweat with people in basements.

Let’s talk about your newest track, “Only A Sith Deals in Absolutes.” What was the inspiration for this song? How is this song different or similar to anything else you have put out before?

Well this song is much different stylistically than stuff we’ve done before. We took inspiration from other bands like Bearings and Remo Drive, writing these cool chugging chord progressions and funky drum patterns that we haven’t really tried before. The song also is a lot more explicit lyrically than other songs we’ve written, which was a little bit risky for us because we were always afraid before of getting a little risque with our lyrics.

How do you think the song prepares listeners for your EP, “Something Exciting”? What was it like putting this collection together during the crazy past year? Were there any surprises/unexpected challenges?

This single, as well as the other singles “My Back Hurts” and “A Call Away”,  I feel perfectly encapsulates what the EP is all about, which is the strains of a failing/failed relationship and how it affects you, all set with the backdrop of fun and energetic instrumentals. It was honestly a lot of fun working on this during the lockdown, because it gave us all an outlet and something to do. It was also fun because we kept the recording process kind of secret from our fans, so when we dropped an announcement out of nowhere, it was really fun to see the reactions. One surprising thing honestly was that we all felt the most creative that we have ever felt during the pandemic, which is strange because we were locked in our houses for months on end.

How excited are you all about getting back out there to perform live? Do you have future dates already scheduled yet?

There is nothing we want more than to be able to play all these new songs to people live. Nothing could make us happier. And we definitely have some dates lined up in the future, so all of y’all better look out for us!

What do you think makes for an ideal show for this band? What have been some of your favorite shows and venues?

I don’t want to come off as pretentious or bragging, but I honestly do think that we put on a great performance live and are just super entertaining to watch. We always have lots of banter with our own band members as well as the crowd. We aren’t afraid to make goofs of ourselves in front of a bunch of people as well. Our favorite venue to play at as a band has always been the Voltage Lounge in Philadelphia because every single time we play there, it’s our best show yet. I don’t know what it is about it, but every single time we play there, it is absolutely amazing. So I guess that also answers our favorite shows question too.

How do you think your hometown has influenced the sound and how you all carry yourselves in this group? If not, why do you think that is?

Our hometown has not influenced our sound at all. We have almost no pop-punk bands in our music scene where we live. But we also all kind of like where we live, so we can’t write all of those “I hate this town” songs like other pop-punk bands can, unfortunately.

How would you say that this group has grown as musicians over the years? How has your sound matured and developed? What has remained the same?

Well for one, me (Hunter) and Jesse have taught ourselves how to sing over the last couple years so we can sing in the band when we lost our lead vocalist, so that’s one thing. But our songwriting has definitely tightened a whole lot as we’ve kept writing and releasing songs. Even after our previous EP “Hey, I’m Bored” we learned so much that we applied to “Something Exciting”, and those were only months apart. One thing that’s remained the same is our personalities and energy and love for putting on a show. This isn’t as much about writing the most perfect songs as it is about being entertaining and putting on great performances. That’s what this band has always been about and always will be about.

Where do you think you are all happiest- in the studio recording new music, on stage performing or elsewhere? With all the negativity out there today, what else in life truly makes you all happy?

There is absolutely no better feeling than being on stage. The rush of adrenaline when people sing back your lyrics is like no other. Seeing people mosh to your music is like nothing else you’ll ever feel. That’s where we’re all happiest. And you’re right, the world is a super negative place right now, but just having great friends and relationships with people will always make things feel like they’re okay.

With all the different social media platforms out there, how do you balance it all? How do you think that social media has impacted this band? How often are you all on your different sites interacting with fans? How have you been able to utilize them through the years? Which of you handles them mostly?

I will not be afraid to admit that we are a social media band. I don’t think enough people realize how important social media can be for a band. A strong social media presence can absolutely blow up a band. Without social media, we would not have nearly as many fans as we do now. That connection we share with the people that enjoy us wouldn’t be there. We are always trying to interact with fans in some way, whether that be on Instagram or TikTok or Twitter or even in person at a show. We take advantage of social media as much as possible, whether that’s making stupid skits or doing livestreams etc. It’s super super important to always be active and in front of your fans. Hunter handles basically all of the social media because he thinks it is very fun, which it is.

What musicians have really been inspiring you all since you first started making music? Who would you all love to work with in the future?

The other musicians that have been inspiring us are all the other local and small bands that are grinding just as hard as us and maybe even more. Us smaller artists are a community, and we all got to push each other to help each other grow. In the future we’d love to get a chance to tour with All Time Low or Neck Deep who are also some of our biggest influences when we started music.

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

We don’t want to tell anyone what to take away from our music. It should be up to the listener to decide what they take away from our music. We want everyone to make their own interpretations and feel how they want to feel. But we always hope that people at least have fun with our music. That’s all we can ask for.