Unsigned Spotlight: 18th & Addison
Reborn from the ashes of two of New Jersey’s most promising bands, 18th & Addison are a culmination of a diverse set of musical ideas ranging from indie pop, punk and melodic rock.
Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.
Tom Kunzman-Vocals/Guitar/Bass
Kait DiBenedetto- Vocals/Guitar/Keys
For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to 18th & Addison? How long has the band been around?
Tom: I used to sing for a punk rock band called A Criminal Risk. We toured a couple times, nothing crazy and we put out one EP and one album. I ended it after a bunch of changes in the line up, and started 18th & Addison with Kait about a month later and now we've been doing this for a little over a year now. Kait used to have a solo project called Just Kait which had very similar things happen leading up to this.
What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?
Tom: It's only been 18th & Addison. We used to only play acoustic cover songs at bars and restaurants around town where we'd always see ourselves promoted as "Kait & Tom!" or "Tom & Kait!" and we just thought that was stupid. We decided we needed a legitimate name that still solidified the fact that we are a duo and after joking around about it we came up with 18th & Addison. 18 being my house number, and Addison being Kait's street name. Sounds a lot cooler like a street corner in a busy city or a hang out destination. We like it a lot.
Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time?
Tom: We're a duo, so we both write. We both sing, and we both play. There's a few songs where we'll leave an entire verse open for the other person to write their lyrics and sing and there's also songs where only one of us sings and the other person is the background vocal and harmonies. We both used to be the only lead singers in our old bands so it's different for us. The topics could possibly change over time as we grow as people and as musicians. We write about where we're at right now in our lives for the good and the bad. Whatever inspires us in our personal lives and in the world around us is what drives our inspiration whether we realize it happening or not. That's a big reason why we're so proud of our new EP, because it captured a time in our lives personally, and from an outside perspective exactly the way we wanted it to.
What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?
Tom: That's tough because we never write with another band's sound in mind. It's just what comes out and we let it happen naturally and then try to decide if what we thought of is strong enough to be used. We're big fans of all kinds of music as long as it's actually good to us, no matter what genre. So it all blends together and I like to think that it shows.
Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?
Tom: My first concert that I actually wanted to see so badly at the time was The Living End, Blink-182 and No Doubt in June of 2004. That show definitely changed my life forever. They all made being in a band look like so much fun and I became obsessed after that. My other 12 year old friends probably hated me because all I wanted to do was practice guitar and play music.
What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, ect …
Tom: Not really. Vocal exercises mainly. We try to practice as much as possible leading up to any show, even acoustic ones when we play without the live band. Shows have always been the most important thing to us. We both sing pretty aggressively and a lot, so I like to take the best care of my voice as humanly possible so I can keep doing this shit until I'm Keith Richards old. He's a bad ass.
What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?
Tom: I think right now, our EP is the biggest one. We funded everything for Little Parasites on our own, and everything that's gone into it has just been awesome and we had a really great time creating it. We're both just full of energy and excitement for people to hear it. I think we were both jaded for a while after some past situations in our old bands, so this is like breathing new life into ourselves which is funny sounding since we're so young, but that's the truth and it's been a great learning experience that made for an EP that we're both really proud of. Aside from that, everything is a highlight to us. We both could go on for days.
If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?
Tom: We'd both love to tour with Foo Fighters but that's probably the most common answer from any band. They're great and awesome people to look up to when building your band's career. So definitely them in present time. I personally would have loved to have been able to tour with The Clash if Joe Strummer was still here. The reasons why would need a whole other interview.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Tom: Thank you for reading this if you are and thanks for supporting 18th & Addison if you do. We're both stoked for Little Parasites to finally be let out into the world and look forward to a long, long road of good shows and more music. For anyone interested, we have Twitter, Facebook. Youtube and Instagram...All that shit if you want direct updates from us. We're easy to get in touch with and thank you guys at Kill The Music for taking the time to do this.
WEBSITES
https://www.facebook.com/18thandAddison