Introduce yourselves!
Hey! Tom here. I play guitar and sing. The two other members are Paolo who plays
bass and Anthony who is on the drums. We’re from Brooklyn and Queens and have
known each other since high school. The most fun fact I can think of as it applies to the
band is that we’re putting out our new EP The Thief of Joy on January 5th! A fun fact
about myself is that I happen to be pretty good at circus stuff due to there being a circus
instructor at the camp I went to as a kid. Not that I’ve tried in a while but I was able to
walk on stilts, walk a tightrope and I'm also solid with a diabolo which is a Chinese yo-
yo. I’m guessing that makes me sound very uncool.
When was your band founded? And what’s your band’s journey been like from then until now?
The band was actually founded in late 2019 but then due to this thing that happened in 2020 called the pandemic (not sure if you’ve heard of it) we basically didn’t start playing again until probably almost 2021. When we started we were really just getting together to have fun and see if we could write some songs. As things got rolling we were starting to like what was coming of it and decided to take it more seriously and play shows. Our first show was actually in Philly at a place called The Grape Room where we went under the name "Begin Again" and then changed it after I found another band that had that name. Since then we’ve put out what will be two EP’s and have been having a great
time playing shows, meeting bands, writing music and all that good stuff.
What things do you want to continue doing and what things are you guys
changing?
I think we want to continue writing music that can hopefully be impactful and catchy but
have been changing our sound a bit leaning away from what I’d consider a pop-punk
sound and heading towards a bit of a more full and heavier approach. We’d also like to
play with song structures a little more and see where that takes us.
If your band’s music was a home cooked meal, what kind of food would it be?
I’m thinking chicken cutlets. We’re all Italian so it’s fitting. I’m going to try to connect
this by saying our music is familiar, we’re not shattering the mold of rock music. But we
have our own flavors and when it hits, I think it hits right. Every Italian thinks their
mother’s chicken cutlets make them feel at home. That’s how we feel about our music.
It’s home to us and we make it our own way. I don’t know if that makes sense but we’ll
roll with it.
Are there any fun behind the scenes stories or memories you can share with us that you can think of?
That’s a hard one because as friends that have known each other a long time there are
a lot of laughs behind the scenes. It would be tough to nail down a particular memory
but I guess the next question may answer that.
What was the most fun show your band has played?
We played at a skatepark outside Philly in a town called Ambler last year and it was
amazing. We met some guys down there after playing a different show who we really
hit it off with and they invited us to play a show with them. It was kind of the exact show
I’d wanted to play since I started playing music as I was super into skateboarding when
I was younger.
It was great to play what I felt like was a proper punk show with some awesome bands.
What made the show so cool though was that a kid who is part of their local scene
(couldn’t have been more than 12) knew a Jawbreaker cover we were playing. We
asked him if he’d want to play the song with us and the kid with total confidence got up
there and ripped through the leads of the song. It was definitely the coolest moment
we’ve had as a band and I love nothing more than stuff that isn’t planned working out. Then we got to hang out, have some beers and watch the other bands. Also I almost
broke my arm before our set deciding to relive my glory days as a skateboarder. I
wanted to hit the top of a quarter pipe and fell straight to flat onto my arm. Somehow I
came away with minor pain and we played the set.
How has Staten Island influenced the band and your music?
Here’s a fun little story. We played a battle of the bands at Flagship Brewery that we
were really psyched about. When we got there we realized we were probably the away
team since we’re not from SI. I think we got overly competitive and played way too
loud, too fast, we were totally out of pocket. Didn’t sound good at all. Although we
wound up winning the online vote, the judges still selected the other band.
Why am I saying this? Because Staten Island taught us that night to chill out and play
tight. The other band was cool, calm and collected where we were all over the damn
map. I guess you probably shouldn’t drink the judges’ beer mid-set or make jokes about
Staten Island. They will vote you the fuck out. It’s all love though we really enjoyed the
night and everyone at the brewery was super cool.
What’s your favorite place on Staten Island and why?
My favorite place on SI is probably Enoteca Maria. For those not familiar it’s a little
restaurant where they get grandmothers to cook the food! The stuff is made by old
Italian women but it’s awesome because they’ll have guest grandmothers of different
nationalities come in and make their specialties. It’s also next to the St. George theater
so you can have a nice night out if you can get a reservation. I got to eat at Enoteca
and then go see Melissa Etheridge next door with my mother. Great night.
What is some advice that you can give to a band that’s just starting out?
I wouldn’t take advice from anybody in The Telling Time. But for the sake of this
interview I’d say practice and make friends with other bands. Those are the things that
I’ve found most fulfilling.
Do you have any shows coming up that people can go to?
Yes! Our EP release show is on January 6th at Arlene’s Grocery. We’re playing with
Screwbawl, Polite and Dweller who we personally asked to play with us. They’re friends but it’ll be our first time playing with Screwbawl and Polite which I’m excited about. I’d heavily suggest that people check these bands out. We also have another show at Gold Sounds in Brooklyn on January 18th.
What’s the band’s goals for the future?
The bigger goals would be to try to put together a few short tours, eventually put out a
full length and would love to find ourselves on a label of some sort if that kind of thing
works out. But for the short term to just play as many shows as we can and keep
writing music.
Where can people find you and your music on social media?
Our music is available everywhere so go check it out on Spotify, Apple Music, all that
stuff. You can find us on Instagram @thetellingtime.
Do aliens exist?
I’m not sure but I’m starting to believe they’re real. There’s gotta be something out
there right? Also if Tom DeLonge says it’s true then it has to be true.
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