Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.
Ben Haberland- Songwriter, guitar, voice
Zack Fanelli- Bass, harmony
Norbert Csonka- Drums
For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to Onesie? How long has the band been around?
The notable ones for me are, chronologically, The Disenchanted, Celebrity Roast, The Isles, Stay Fucked, Sport Of Kings, and Boomerang Son. I also play in Gurus now. Zack was previously in Man Without Plan and Earworms who are still active. Onesie has been an entity on and off for 3-4 years but the current lineup has been hitting it hard recently in anticipation of Leos Consume coming out. We're amped!
What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?
I had started demoing songs by myself back in 2007 and I called the folder "Onesie" probably because of the idea it was "one" person and I thought it sounded cute or funny. Once we started talking about names as a group, it bizarrely stuck. We discussed other possibilities but you wind up just taking two interesting words and gluing them together hoping to strike gold. I later realized that phonetically, "Onesie" contains the first nonzero natural number and the last letter ("1Z") so maybe subliminally that suggested a wide range of styles these songs could occur in. Also Onesie doesn't conjure any particular association musically, and therefore can be anything.
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?
I demo the songs at home with full instrumentation and lyrics, then we bring it to the practice room and arrange until we're satisfied. Demoing on pro tools really helps me to get within the landscape of a song to construct melodies and and build the arrangement. Lyrically I have a tendency to bounce around three or four unrelated subjects in the context of a single song. Common themes certainly happen though. As far as change goes I've seen my writing go from criticism delivered by a young man to criticism delivered by a dude approaching middle age. There is a definite lack of straight up love songs, but "Karaoke Killers" is pretty much that.
What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?
Lately I've been thrashing a lot of yacht rock. My partner is annoyed that Steely Dan's "Countdown To Ecstacy" seems to be endlessly reappearing on the record player. As far as newer stuff I really like Angel Olson, Sheer Mag, Delicate Steve, The Courtneys, and Cloud Nothings. Kind of all over the map but a great song is a great song.
Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?
My first proper concert in a giant venue was Rush and it completely blew my mind. On a more local level, going to DIY punk hardcore shows in New York in the mid-late 1990s was empowering because you could still be out there playing, meeting people, and having a good time with little to no resources.
What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, ect …
I like to warm up my voice by singing along with Billy Joel's "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant" in my minivan. No joke!
What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?
I think we're psyched with how the album turned out and how we're translating that live now. This collection of songs is really like a greatest hits for me personally so it's thrilling to be getting ready to share it with people.
If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?
I wouldn't mind opening the ACDC/Kiss/Rush tour in 1977. I mean, can you imagine? Stephen Malkmus/Jiggs are a big influence on my songwriting and I see them every time they're in town. His solo record "Face The Truth" really turned me around on that style (was def not too into Pavement in the 1990s) so that would be a dream realized to play with them.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Sure! Even though we're living in a waking nightmare in this country at the moment, its been inspiring to see artists keep doing their thing and refuse to give up the future to pure evil. Thanks for the great questions!