Infinite Signal are a pop/punk rock band from Minneapolis MN.

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

Eli Ollila: Guitar/Vocals

Kelly Kent: Bass/Backing Vocals

Frank Vidmar: Drums/Drums

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

Eli: I played bass guitar in a pop-punk band (Klymis) with some of my good friends from high school for eight years prior to starting Infinite Signal. I started writing music for Infinite Signal in late 2007 after I left the previous band, so technically it has been around for a while, although nothing really materialized until 2012 when I finally got to searching for band members.

Kelly: Infinite Signal is the first band that I've ever played in and we've been a full band since April 2012.

Frank: I was in a few bands before this ranging from metal, alternative, classic, and a couple of cover bands.

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

Eli: Infinite Signal came about late one night in San Diego, I was at my friend Jed’s apartment and for some reason we were trying to come up with a name for some crazy writing project we were working on. We were trying to pin down a name to describe something that sticks with you your entire life, kind of like a calling, and Jed actually came up with ‘Infinite Signal.’ I thought it was dumb at first, but it just grew on me, and then half a year later I called him and asked him if I could use it for a band I wanted to form. Infinite Signal hasn’t gone through any name changes.

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?

Eli: I write basically all of the lyrics and the rough structures of the songs, and usually, musically, the songs go through several iterations before we really stick with an idea. The themes began based around the idea of the “infinite signal,” chasing something that has always called to you, but they have changed quite often since then, anything from relationships to the government. I think the topics will continue to change in the same respect that we as a band change as individuals as well as together.

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

Kelly: I wouldn’t say that a particular band inspires the music we write, just circumstances. However, lately I’ve been listening to a lot of Alkaline Trio, AFI, Against Me!, and The Swellers. We all have different tastes in music, so when you combine the 3 of us it turns into a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

Eli: Lately I’ve really been into a band called This Will Destroy You. They have the most epic instrumentals that just hit home in the strangest ways. I also think that Rise Against and Enter Shikari have some of the best lyrics in today’s music.

Frank: A lot of jazz, trying to get my chops up. Think Miles Davis, Art Blakey, and just any hard bop.

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

Kelly: Yeah, I saw AFI live in October of 2009 and their performance was so intense and energetic that it left me feeling a way I don't think I've ever really felt before. I was in awe and wanted to make kids feel the same way I just did in that crowd, so I picked up a guitar then a bass guitar.

Eli: I first wanted to start a band in 1997 when all I had in my CD player in my bedroom was blink-182’s Dude Ranch, and Green Day’s Dookie. I would just alternate them back and forth all day every day.

Frank: I wouldn’t say any one artist or band in particular. For me starting or joining a band has always been about finding people with fresh ideas that can inspire you to try something new and better yourself.

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

Kelly: I personally stretch a bit before we play to loosen up. Otherwise we usually do a little band huddle and make a stupid joke or 2 then hit the stage.

Eli: I drink one can of Mountain Dew. I rarely drink caffeine and otherwise would never drink it, but on show days I like the energy boost.

Frank: I drink 64oz of Mountain Dew in the morning, eat about 4000 calories throughout the day, drink a couple energy drinks, warm up using my throne as a practice pad for an hour or two, stretch, practice rolls and then I’m ready to go.

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

Kelly: I'd have to say releasing our first full length album, Nox Opus.

Eli: Definitely the release of Nox Opus.

Frank: I’m going to have to go with releasing Nox Opus as well.

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

Kelly: I'd have to go with AFI, Against Me!, and Polar Bear Club. All of them have their own style of portraying their energy on stage which is something I look up to very much and they are some of my favorite bands as well.

Eli: This is always a tough question because the bands I like to watch live are so different from the scene I’m in. But I guess the penultimate tour for me would have been the 2001 Warped Tour. Blink-182, H20, The Bouncing Souls, NFG, Dropkick Murphys, Less Than Jake, Fenix TX, Unwritten Law, and the list goes on.

Frank: I have no idea.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Kelly: We just recently released a music video for The Death Of The Past! Eli shot the whole thing himself and we got to do it in a building that's currently being renovated into a recording studio, Treespeak Studios. So go check that out!