Interview: NGHBRS

>> Finding out that I couldn't attend Envy On The Coast's farewell show was a fairly devastating experience. Naturally, I distracted myself by looking up the opening acts that I should have been seeing that night. One of those acts was NGHBRS. The band's name, pronounced "neighbors", was the first thing that caught my attention, but their solid rock sound really held my focus. A few months and emails later, the band answered some questions about who they are, what they've done so far, and where they plan on going from here. Just based on their 6-song EP, NGHBRS definitely has the potential to fill the hole that Envy left in our hearts. This band has accomplished a lot in the time they've been together, and I have a feeling that the best has yet to come.

Introduce yourselves.
Jordan - 22, Drums
Ian - 21, Vox/Keys
Eric - 23, Bass
Tommy - 21, Guitar

How has being from Long Island affected your band?
We have seen the scene go through its ups and downs, genre changes, and overall feel. Naturally from being from Long Island, we’ve been exposed to a lot of different bands. I think we took a little from all the bands, and all the different styles that the Island has produced.

What makes your music stand out from the other bands out there?
I think a lot of bands coming out of the Island right now are imitations of each other, or imitations of bands that are “popular” right now. We strive to break away from things that are being done. We put a lot of passion and energy into the art we create. We’re constantly writing and coming up with riffs and jams. We always try to keep it fresh and create a vibe that feels good.

Who named the band? Is there any specific reason you chose to spell it the way you do?
“Neighbors” was actually the name of one of the first songs we wrote as a band. When it was time to choose a name, Neighbors was one of the first names that were brought up. Ian was the biggest advocator of the name, and after a month of persistence, he convinced us to go with it. We spell it without vowels (NGHBRS) because it distinguishes us from the normal way the word is used. When you see “Neighbors,” you think of borrowing sugar from the lady who lives next door. When you see “NGHBRS,” you think of us… hopefully!

How long has the band been together?
NGHBRS has been together for just around a year now.

What is your favorite part about being in this band?
The best part of being in this band is having the opportunity to play music with incredible musicians night after night. We get a lot of joy of simply jamming with each other and creating tunes.

Do you have any shows coming up?
-February 8th, at Bowery Electric in NYC.
-Feb 11th, Springfield College, MA.
-Feb 19th, Rogue Studios, Hicksville NY.
A bunch more shows are in the works, but we cannot announce them until they’re confirmed.

What is your biggest accomplishment so far as a band?
Our biggest accomplishment so far would probably be opening a sold out show at Irving Plaza, for Envy on the Coast’s farewell. We played to about 1,000 people and it was only the 7th show we’ve ever played together! But we played our hearts out, and made a lot of fans that have been sticking with us since that day. We are very grateful for that opportunity.

What are some of the problems you have faced along the way?
It’s extremely difficult to be an independent band because of all the bullshit and politics that goes on behind the scenes. There were several times where we busted our ass, sold tickets, and promoted the hell out of a show- and then found out the night before that the show has been cancelled. These are things that are out of our control, and it’s important to not let them affect you. Whenever something like that happens, we curse our luck for about 10 minutes... Then we decide to suck it up and move forward.

What do you hope to accomplish in 2011?
We hope to keep writing and bringing new ideas to the band. But on the top of the list, we want to tour. We want to get out there and show our band to the world.

How can fans get in touch with you, or hear your music?
We make sure to answer every comment a fan leaves on our facebook page at www.facebook.com/nghbrs or they can e-mail us over at nghbrs@gmail.com

Is there anything else you would like to say?
Download our EP “Hellomind” on iTunes and spread the word about our band!


Fan Submissions:

What was the inspiration behind your album artwork for Hellomind? (via Paul M.)
When we started the band, we wanted to have some kind of logo that could represent our band. We all agreed that elephants are awesome, so we just went with it! We wanted to keep the artwork plain and simple for the first EP, and our dudes at South Shore Customs took our vision and made it their own.

If you were stuck on a deserted island, what three things would you bring with you? (via Mike R.)

1. Peanut butter
2. Beautiful women
3. A titanium spork

How would you spend your time if you weren't in this band? (via Pete L.)
We would probably be living normal lives, focusing on getting real jobs, and wishing we still played in a band…

What do you think sets your music apart from other local bands? (via Amy N.)
As we stated earlier in the interview, we take a lot of pride in being out of the box. I think our passion, raw energy, and intense live show is what sets us apart.

Get Connected with NGHBRS:
www.nghbrs.com
nghbrs.tumblr.com

facebook.com/nghbrs
myspace.com/nghbrs
youtube.com/nghbrs
twitter.com/nghbrs