Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.
Camden Stolarik - Vocals/Guitar
Mason Pena - Vocals/Bass
Kevin Nielsen - Guitar
Chris Karaplis - Guitar
Cole Craycraft - Drums/Trumpet
For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to Slow to Speak? How long has the band been around?
Camden, Chris, and I (Kevin) were in a band called These Reasoning Animals for about 3 years together and had been playing together in other bands for 3 or 4 years before that. Mason was in a band called aVoyage prior to Slow To Speak. We met Cole in college and have been playing under this name for about 2 years.
What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?
The name was just something we all thought sounded cool. The original pitch was “Speak Slow,” but that wasn’t grammatically correct, and “Speak Slowly” didn’t sound as good. Camden suggested changing it to Slow To Speak and here we are!
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?
Most of the time, one of the guitar players will come with an idea or sometimes a full song structure, and we’ll just jam on it over and over to write all the other parts. Vocals and lyrics are primarily Camden and Mason with a little input from everyone else. They’ll bring what they have and we’ll tell them if its any good or not, haha. Our debut EP “Always, Forward Motion” focused mostly on the idea that “mistakes are not what makes you who you are, its what you do moving forward that defines you.” It’s a message that has stuck with and had an effect on all of us and hopefully it strikes a chord with the people listening!
What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?
The music we listen to daily changes so frequently, but I’d say some of the biggest influences for all of us, be it musically or just in terms of passion, would have to be artists like The Dear Hunter, Underoath, and HRVRD. As music majors, we also take a lot of influence from the musicians we study such as Joe Pass and Greg Fishman.
Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?
I can’t speak for everyone, but I remember Camden and I were at a show at this tiny upstairs venue for our friends band when we were 13 or 14, and after their band played we both had this epiphany that we could totally be doing the same thing!
What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, ect …
We all have our own pre-show rituals, haha. I know Cole and I like to stretch, Camden and Mason usually, do a little vocal warm-up, and we usually all tune guitars and the trumpet before we have to load our gear up, just because we have so much to load on stage, that the less work we have in the moment, the better.
What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?
A few weeks ago, we played a headliner at the Grog Shop with a bunch or really talented bands, and the turnout was amazing. Either that show, or when we released our EP last year. That was a really big moment and a long time coming for all of us.
If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?
There are so many, I’m just gonna start listing them. The Dear Hunter, Closure in Moscow, Artifex Pereo, The Used, A Lot Like Birds, Circa Survive, Taking Back Sunday, Underoath, Led Zeppelin, Queen, and probably like at least 50 others.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
If you live around Ohio, come to our show with Stolas and Artifex Pereo on August 12th!