Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.

Sal Marra - Guitars, Vocals
Gene Potts - Vocals
Tony Flora - Bass
David Halpern - Drums
Eric Safka - Hammond B3, Piano

For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to Colossal Street Jam? How long has the band been around?

Colossal Street Jam has been around for over 20 years but took a very long hiatus, only coming back together 3 years ago. This is the band that myself, Sal and Tony have been in. Dave has been the touring drummer for John Eddie, Highway 9 and also Love in Reverse. Eric Safka was in the Matt O'Ree Band and also Days Awake.
Both joined the band over the last year and a half.

What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?

The band name came from John DiMaggio, the voice over actor who does Bender on Futurama and hundreds of other cartoons and video games. He has been a longtime friend and after hearing us for the first time he said "you guys sound like one big Colossal Street Jam". The name stuck and we have never changed it.

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?

The riffs were written by our guitarist Sal Marra and brought in to the band. Sal and I wrote the lyrics and the rest of the band helped shape the arrangements. We always work as a team in this way. The topics range from life experiences to World events. Rarely do we write about relationships but we have one or two. I think we will continue to write about these things and maybe even get a little more political, I cause we will see what tomorrow brings.

What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?

We are mostly inspired by the classic bands like Grand Funk, Bad Company and the 70's style groups. 

Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?

I think when we started out our love of Grand Funk brought us together. I believe our music has definitely been influenced by them and bands like Zeppelin too.
Personally, My father is a great vocalist and that lead me to want to be a singer.

What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, ect …

I sing constantly, so I do always warm up that way. The band as a whole just meets before we go on to talk about what we are going to do and just so we are all loose.

What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?

I think the release of our latest CD which is getting great reviews not just here but also overseas. We did get to play with Robbie Krieger last year which was a great thrill. Many years ago we were asked to do a couple of dates with Johnny Winter after we opened a show for him. It's very hard to pick a certain show since we have played with so many of our favorite bands.

If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?

Grand Funk, Bad Company, The Black Crowes, Led Zeppelin or The Doors. I think our music fits in with theirs stylistically plus it would be exciting to see them every night!

Is there anything else you would like to add?

We would love for people to check us out online or at a show. www.colossalstreetjam.com is our site and we are on all the social media sites. If you like what you hear, please spread the word. We do this for the love of music. At one time we wanted to be famous, rich and rockstars, now its about the freedom to write and play what we want and feel. We would love for people to share what we love so much and we thank you for taking the time to write about us.