Previous Story
Q&A with New York bred band – THE HEYDAZE
Posted On 28 Jul 2015
Comment: 0
Tag: 103.5, 103.5 KISS, 103.5 KISS FM, 2001, ABC, Alex Da Kid, Alexander Glantz, Andrew Spelman, Arnold Palmer, Blink 182, Charlie Chaplin, City Girl, Don Juan, Dr. Dre, DUMB, Enema of the State, Habits, Harry Styles, Headlights, Jesse Fink, Jesse McCartney, Jon Bellion, KISS, KISS FM, Little Bandit, Now That's What I Call Music, Now That's What I Call Music 7, One Direction, Pharrell, Pharrell Williams, Pop, Pop Music, prog rock, progressive rock, Punk, punk music, Ryan Tedder, Side Effects, Soundcloud, Style, Subterranean, Subterranean Media, Taylor Swift, The Heydaze, The Heydaze EP, Timeflies, Tove Lo, Twenty One Pilots, Tyler Matte, UPenn, Van Gogh, Vincent van Gogh, whiskey, YouTube
New York bred band The HEYDAZE continue to cultivate their tongue-in-cheek pop brand, with the release of their debut self-titled, EP, out now!
Comprised of college friends, Jesse Fink (vocals, guitar), Andrew Spelman (guitar) and Alexander Glantz (bass), The HEYDAZE formed in 2013 when they began churning out catchy pop tracks like “Little Bandit,” “Arnold Palmer” and “City Girl,” attracting fans and harnessing their DIY skills with hoards of Soundcloud and YouTube followers.
Praised for their slick pop production with irresistible guitar licks and dancey hooks by Idolator, Pop Crush and Z100 NY, The HEYDAZE spent the better part of 2014 writing, recording and releasing a mix of covers, including Tove Lo’s “Habits” and Taylor Swift’s “Style,” as well as the original song, “Don Juan.” The band have crafted a charming and vivacious live set-up, touring nationally with Jesse McCartney and Timeflies.
Now, with the addition of drummer, Tyler Matte, The HEYDAZE prepare to drop their first EP, highlighting their broad pop influences and signature style on four new tracks, “DUMB, “Side Effects,” “ABC” and “Headlights.”
All Access Music writer, Nicole DeRosa got to catch up with lead vocalistist / guiarist Jesse Fink between gigs. Read more in their interview below!
Hi Jesse! How are you today? What’s on the agenda today besides our interview?
Hey! We’re doing well- in Chicago right now! This morning we stopped by 103.5 KISS FM for a hang. Just had lunch with our manager at a restaurant where we saw Harry Styles, so that was AWESOME. We’re on the way to a venue where we’re playing our first Chicago headliner which we’re very psyched about.
For those that are not familiar with you and your music, how did you get your start? Who or what was the catalyst for you to want to live the life of a musical gypsy?
Girls and whiskey. Jk. Kinda. Not at all.
How did all of you guys meet and know you wanted to form a band with one another?
Andrew and I met at UPenn when I was a freshman and he was a sophomore. We started jamming and writing music together in his room with no real intentions. About a year later, we picked up Alexander-who was a freshman at the time-and got him to drop out of college and join the band. And then a few months ago, we met Tyler through a friend and just knew he was the missing piece of the puzzle.
Who have been your inspirations growing up that also inspire you today?
The cool thing about this band is that we all draw influence from different genres that we bring into the writing process and our live performance. Alexander grew up listening to progressive rock; Andrew classic rock; Tyler pop punk and I early 2000’s pop rock. We share a mutual love for all things catchy-so no matter what kind of a direction we go with a song, we always strive to make it brain-numbingly catchy.
What did you learn between EPs and playing live, that you felt you wanted to infuse into your latest work?
The last year has been an unbelievable learning experience, between going on two national tours and recording our first EP. I think what we really learned is that even though we make pop records, we want to be and sound like a BAND.
Our live show is rockier than I think any of us originally expected and through recording the EP, I think we found that we wanted to sound a little more like the live show while still maintaining our pop sensibility.
What was the first album you bought yourself?
Alexander: The HEYDAZE EP
Andrew: 2001- Dr. Dre
Tyler: Enema of the State- Blink 182
Jesse: NOW THATS WHAT I CALL MUSIC 7
Who would your dream collaboration be with if you could choose anyone, living or dead and why?
Charlie Chaplin. Or Van Gogh. Oh, you’re talking about music? Ryan Tedder or someone completely out of our wheelhouse like Pharrell or Alex Da Kid.
Who is in your current playlist? What artists or bands are in current rotation for you?
We all love the new Twenty One Pilots album. Also Jon Bellion.
What’s on tap next for you guys? What are you most excited about for this year?
We’re heading out to LA for August to keep writing for our next project. Then touring in the fall. We’re most excited to show people that the EP is just the beginning, and we’re not at all done developing and maturing as a band.
To learn more about THE HEYDAZE , visit them HERE
