More Faster is an upbeat pop punk and ska band from Orange County, NY. Formed in 2009, More Faster has self released an EP, Bring Back the Melody and a full length, Asbestos. I lured Sky, Brian and Patrick to my apartment with a promise of relative personal bodily safety and candy on a Friday evening.
Brian UM: Who are you and what instruments do you play?
Sky: I’m Sky and I only sing now.
Patrick: I’m Patrick and I play the bass
Brian: And I’m Brian and I play drums.
Sky: I’m Sky and I only sing now.
Patrick: I’m Patrick and I play the bass
Brian: And I’m Brian and I play drums.
Brian UM: So you guys just recorded an EP.
Sky: heh. Yeah
Brian: We were going to release that, but we decided it didn’t sound good enough.
Sky: It sounds good, but we want it to sound awesome. We want to shop it to labels and shit.
Brian: Cause we’re tired of hearing all these awful metalcore bands that have these big, expensive sounding recordings and we have this sort of…
Sky: Homemade…
Brian: Basement sounding bullshit.
Sky: heh. Yeah
Brian: We were going to release that, but we decided it didn’t sound good enough.
Sky: It sounds good, but we want it to sound awesome. We want to shop it to labels and shit.
Brian: Cause we’re tired of hearing all these awful metalcore bands that have these big, expensive sounding recordings and we have this sort of…
Sky: Homemade…
Brian: Basement sounding bullshit.
Brian UM: I’ve been noticing lately a lot of pop punk bands have been going with lower-fi recordings. How do you feel about that?
Patrick: I think the first time I remember someone commenting on one of our recordings I remember them saying “this is good, this is low fi.” and I was like is that a compliment?
Brian: I guess when you listen to bands like the Bananas and Operation Cliff Claven, they were really low fi stuff.
(Patrick laughs)
Brian: Why’s that funny, dick?
Patrick: What other obscure bands can I look up on my ipod here? Let’s just name really obscure bands, so no one will know what we’re talking about. People are really gonna love this interview.
Brian UM: Yeah, this is for a metal publication too. (everyone laughs)
Patrick: I think the first time I remember someone commenting on one of our recordings I remember them saying “this is good, this is low fi.” and I was like is that a compliment?
Brian: I guess when you listen to bands like the Bananas and Operation Cliff Claven, they were really low fi stuff.
(Patrick laughs)
Brian: Why’s that funny, dick?
Patrick: What other obscure bands can I look up on my ipod here? Let’s just name really obscure bands, so no one will know what we’re talking about. People are really gonna love this interview.
Brian UM: Yeah, this is for a metal publication too. (everyone laughs)
Brian UM: Brian, this question is directed toward you, since you’re the encyclopedia of obscure pop punk bands. What bands would you consider yourself to sound most like.
Brian: Oh….
Sky: real quick…I’ve had a lot of people tell us we sound like Osker. I’ve never written a song and been like “Osker really inspired the shit out of this one”
Brian UM:I could see it though, because this area seems to have a lot of Osker fans. We may have the largest concentration of OSker fans in the world.
Brian: I think generically “empty” sounds like Blink 182.
Sky: Yeah, i get that a lot.
Brian: and I think some of our ska songs are like Operation Ivy or Suicide Machines.
Brian UM: I guess you decided to not mention obscure bands after all.
Brian: Oh….
Sky: real quick…I’ve had a lot of people tell us we sound like Osker. I’ve never written a song and been like “Osker really inspired the shit out of this one”
Brian UM:I could see it though, because this area seems to have a lot of Osker fans. We may have the largest concentration of OSker fans in the world.
Brian: I think generically “empty” sounds like Blink 182.
Sky: Yeah, i get that a lot.
Brian: and I think some of our ska songs are like Operation Ivy or Suicide Machines.
Brian UM: I guess you decided to not mention obscure bands after all.
Brian UM: Next question: How many bands are you in?
Sky: I guess two.
Patrick: Two
Brian: Four
Brian UM: How do you guys find that effects your ability to play shows, or record? Especially Patrick. Your a full time college student in Oneonta and that takes you out of the area a lot.
Patrick: I don’t like being at school, so I pretty much find excuses to come home. If someone asks me to do a show I’m just like “Yeah, I’ll totally come home to do that”
Brian UM: Sky how do you find this effects your ability to concentrate on one band and is the band you all consider most important?
Sky: I’m unemployed and don’t go to school, so being in two bands really doesn’t cause a problem. I don’t feel like I put one in front of the other. But this band, I write the lyrics and shit. So I put a lot more energy into this, just because this is what’s in my brain all the time. This is my main project.
Sky: I guess two.
Patrick: Two
Brian: Four
Brian UM: How do you guys find that effects your ability to play shows, or record? Especially Patrick. Your a full time college student in Oneonta and that takes you out of the area a lot.
Patrick: I don’t like being at school, so I pretty much find excuses to come home. If someone asks me to do a show I’m just like “Yeah, I’ll totally come home to do that”
Brian UM: Sky how do you find this effects your ability to concentrate on one band and is the band you all consider most important?
Sky: I’m unemployed and don’t go to school, so being in two bands really doesn’t cause a problem. I don’t feel like I put one in front of the other. But this band, I write the lyrics and shit. So I put a lot more energy into this, just because this is what’s in my brain all the time. This is my main project.
Brian UM: So, you guys changed your name to More Faster and started playing somewhat slower. Explain yourselves.
Sky: I think the names perfect for us, because we play fast but we’re also kind of retarded. So us slowing down and changing the name to More Faster just makes sense.
Sky: I think the names perfect for us, because we play fast but we’re also kind of retarded. So us slowing down and changing the name to More Faster just makes sense.
Brian UM: Patrick, I notice you look embarrassed on stage a lot when Sky’s talking. How long do you think it’ll be before you quit the band in a huff?
Patrick: I don’t know.
Sky: It was way worse a long time ago. You have to admit I’ve gotten a lot better.
Brian UM: The question was for Patrick, Sky.
Patrick: I don’t know. He pisses me off sometimes. Sky’s like “Oh we’re going on in five minutes? I’ll be back in fifteen.” Then he finally gets there and he’s like “I’d like to say some words before we play'”
Patrick: I don’t know.
Sky: It was way worse a long time ago. You have to admit I’ve gotten a lot better.
Brian UM: The question was for Patrick, Sky.
Patrick: I don’t know. He pisses me off sometimes. Sky’s like “Oh we’re going on in five minutes? I’ll be back in fifteen.” Then he finally gets there and he’s like “I’d like to say some words before we play'”
Brian UM: As a pop punk band that plays an older style of pop punk, how do you feel about current pop punk bands that play in tight pants, with dropped d tuning, double bass pedals, scream vocals, etc?
Sky: I almost don’t want Brian to answer this…
Brian UM: I feel like I’m directing it to Brian.
Sky: Before Brian answers because he’s just going to go on and on and say “you know what your problem is buddy?”
Brian UM: that’s actually what I’m looking for…
Sky: I think there’s too many bands that throw around the pop punk label. I’ve been calling it pop rocks for a while cause it’s just watered down bullshit, like All Time Low. And it’s either watered down and Disney and they still want to call it punk because it’s four chord, or it’s bands like Set Your Goals, where it’s dropped d and these breakdowns and they don’t actually fit. It’s just like why are you doing that? I know music evolves and stuff, I just feel like it’s so different from what pop punk was and is, they shouldn’t call it that because it’s just rubbing shit on the name.
Brian UM: Or like applying a previous label to an unrelated type of music. Sort of how post hardcore is misused today.
Sky: Exactly, I’m not going to call us a grunge band.
Brian: My whole thing with pop punk is this. Even with like old Blink 182… it had the snottiness. It was offensive. Some of it dealt with politics. It had punk roots to it. Now it’s like all these bands have no clue. It’s like “you’re singing about straight edge and you don’t know who Minor Threat or 7 Seconds is?” It’s like come on.
Patrick: They want to play breakdowns but they don’t want to get beat up.
Sky: I almost don’t want Brian to answer this…
Brian UM: I feel like I’m directing it to Brian.
Sky: Before Brian answers because he’s just going to go on and on and say “you know what your problem is buddy?”
Brian UM: that’s actually what I’m looking for…
Sky: I think there’s too many bands that throw around the pop punk label. I’ve been calling it pop rocks for a while cause it’s just watered down bullshit, like All Time Low. And it’s either watered down and Disney and they still want to call it punk because it’s four chord, or it’s bands like Set Your Goals, where it’s dropped d and these breakdowns and they don’t actually fit. It’s just like why are you doing that? I know music evolves and stuff, I just feel like it’s so different from what pop punk was and is, they shouldn’t call it that because it’s just rubbing shit on the name.
Brian UM: Or like applying a previous label to an unrelated type of music. Sort of how post hardcore is misused today.
Sky: Exactly, I’m not going to call us a grunge band.
Brian: My whole thing with pop punk is this. Even with like old Blink 182… it had the snottiness. It was offensive. Some of it dealt with politics. It had punk roots to it. Now it’s like all these bands have no clue. It’s like “you’re singing about straight edge and you don’t know who Minor Threat or 7 Seconds is?” It’s like come on.
Patrick: They want to play breakdowns but they don’t want to get beat up.
Brian UM: Sky, I listen to your songs, musically they’re very happy and upbeat. But lyrically, they’re sort of um…sad. Do you write the lyrics seperately and put them to existing music?
Sky: I write a song, I’ll write the music. When i write lyrics, I write them to vent. So it’s like I’m a happy guy, because my music can be angry and sad.
Brian UM: Also, you have my phone number. So if you get sad, call me before you hurt yourself.
Sky: It’s never gotten that bad.
Brian: It’s more like penis envy for Sky
Sky: It’s not that it’s little, it’s average. But the rest of me is big. So it looks small.
Brian UM: How tall are you?
Sky: 6’4
Sky: I write a song, I’ll write the music. When i write lyrics, I write them to vent. So it’s like I’m a happy guy, because my music can be angry and sad.
Brian UM: Also, you have my phone number. So if you get sad, call me before you hurt yourself.
Sky: It’s never gotten that bad.
Brian: It’s more like penis envy for Sky
Sky: It’s not that it’s little, it’s average. But the rest of me is big. So it looks small.
Brian UM: How tall are you?
Sky: 6’4
Brian UM: I was around of a lot of pop punk bands in the late 90s and they were mostly in it to get laid. How’s that going for you?
Sky: If pop punk gets you laid, nobody told us. Nobody listens to us and says “I’m gonna blow those dudes.”
Sky: If pop punk gets you laid, nobody told us. Nobody listens to us and says “I’m gonna blow those dudes.”
Brian UM: So, what’s next for you guys?
Sky: Better recordings, because we want to shop labels. We’ve been doing everything by ourselves, and any help is good.
Patrick: Also, we’re playing with Patent Pending at the Loft in Poughkeepsie on 2/17.
Brian UM: Thanks for taking the time to do this, guys.
Sky: Better recordings, because we want to shop labels. We’ve been doing everything by ourselves, and any help is good.
Patrick: Also, we’re playing with Patent Pending at the Loft in Poughkeepsie on 2/17.
Brian UM: Thanks for taking the time to do this, guys.
-Brian Lawrence
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