An Interview With The DC-Based Pop-Rock Band, SUB-RADIO!

DC-based pop-rock band Sub-Radio recently released their latest single “Flashback” via Substream Magazine who commended the band for “[blending] sky-high cinematic pop stylings of acts like Train with songwriting chops of Walk The Moon to create a sound that is both familiar and distinctly their own.” Check out the track here: http://spoti.fi/2DI25s7.

They will be putting out their “Headfirst” EP on April 18th.

Sub-Radio’s high-energy live performances and variety of outstanding vocalists have put them on the map up and down the East Coast. The band’s clean guitars, dance floor rhythms, and powerful vocals have garnered comparisons to established pop-rock acts like Walk The Moon and Two Door Cinema Club. Multiple songs have been recognized in national songwriting competitions, and Sub-Radio has gigged heavily across the region, playing at the Cherry Blossom Festival, Celebrate Fairfax, Firefly 2017, and more. Following the success of their 2016 debut ‘Same Train//Different Station’, the band has been unveiling content steadily for fans.

Connect With Sub-Radio Here:

https://www.facebook.com/subradioband

https://twitter.com/subradioband

https://www.instagram.com/subradioband

Learn more about Sub-Radio in the following All Access interview:

So what is one song that you are all loving right now? What is a song that you all disagree about loving right now?

Matt: We’ve all been really into the new WALK THE MOON album especially the song “Lost in the Wild”. It’s the bop you weren’t expecting at the end of “What If Nothing”.  Some of us dig a lot of Macklemore’s stuff, but others just don’t feel it. Barry especially loves the song “Neon Cathedral” off of “The Heist”. Even though I’m not the biggest fan you definitely have to respect the fact that he’s clearly spent time honing his craft and hustles for his music.

How has 2018 been treating you all so far? What is one musical goal that you have for this year?

Chinen: 2018 has been great for all of us. We are all really excited to release our EP this month titled “Headfirst,” which we all believe is our best work to date and it’s also been exciting to work with WMA (Weller Media Agency) who has been doing an excellent job of running our PR campaign this year.

Can you recall the moment when you all thought you could be in this band together? Was it hard to come up with a name that you all thought fit your sound and who you are?

Matt: I’m not sure if there was ever a defining moment because we’ve all been playing music with one another since high school. There was definitely a shift in mentality when we released our first album. All of started to think we could really do this. Finding a name for the specific brand of music we play was actually pretty tough! The name went through a few iterations before we finally landed on Sub-Radio.

How much do you think you all have grown as a band since you first formed? What has remained the same about your dynamics?

Chinen: We have all grown tremendously. All of us have become better players, songwriters and friends as a band over the years and although we have all changed in many ways, we are also all the same funny, open and nerdy people we were back in high-school. That makes the whole writing process easier because we can communicate well with each other.

What was the inspiration for your latest single, “Flashback”? How do you think it prepares listeners for your new EP “Headfirst”?

Matt: Flashback gives you all the excitement you could hope for in a song. The body percussion and the nostalgic, party-driven lyrics will make you want to move! I think the optimism in Flashback sets a nice tone for how the rest of the EP.  It’s all pretty upbeat, lively stuff.

How did you all go about putting together this EP? Did anything surprise you about the overall process? Were there any unexpected challenges?

Chinen: We all originally back in 2017 wanted to put out a single a month for an entire year but after putting out 6 of the 12 planned singles, we decided to go for a different approach. We found that releasing a single every month was an exhausting process and instead opted to release an EP that allowed us more time to create a cohesive piece of work that we felt we didn’t have to rush to release like with the singles. Overall the process of creating the EP ran very smoothly but we did have run into a few challenges such as writing “Emotional,” one of our tracks off the upcoming EP. It took us a little while longer to write that song compared to the other songs on the EP because we couldn’t figure out as a group what song we wanted to take the song in initially but luckily after a couple weeks we managed to agree on a direction and the song turned out great in our opinion.

How would you describe your shows? What can people expect from them?

Matt: I’d describe them as high-energy and full of floral prints.  We just want to dance with everyone and anyone who comes to our shows.

Where do you think you are all happiest- in the studio recording new music, on stage performing or elsewhere? Where can people see you perform at next?

Chinen: All of us are happy with both writing and performing. It’s great to get together and write songs but it’s also great to be able to showcase those songs to others and perform and see the reaction of people in the crowd. You can find us performing at Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2 in New York City on Friday, April 20th or you can catch us at Jammin’ Java on Friday, April 27th for our EP release show for “Headfirst.”

How do you think being a musician and in this band gives you all the most joy in life today? With everything going on in the world today, how do you think your music is a reflection of these times?

Matt: Being involved in music and being in this band is what I live for.  I don’t know what I’d do if I wasn’t doing this. I think that there’s a lot of negativity in the world right now and this music specifically spreads some much needed positivity.

Who are you all listening to these days? What artists have continued to inspire you and your music? Who would you absolutely love to work with in the future?

Chinen: We all listen to a ton of artists but some that we particularly really like as a group are Smallpools, MisterWives, Walk the Moon and Two Door Cinema Club. All four of those groups are bands that we look up to as a group and strive to be like and if the opportunity presented itself, we would love to work with any of those groups whether it be going on tour with one of them or working with them through a collaborated piece of work.

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 all?

Matt: I think social media is a great tool for any artist to connect with their fans. It’s great for bands like us who don’t tour across the world extensively yet. We want to be able to talk to fans in all areas. We manage our all of our social media accounts.

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

Matt: We always hope people take what they need from the music.  Sometimes you just need a song to jam out to. Other times you’re having an off day and you need a pick me up. I always want people to walk out of a show feeling happier and more energized than when they walked in!