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

Sure!

Ryan O’Rourke- Guitar/Vocals

Rob Rizzacasa- Bass/Vocals

Jon Argondizza- Drums

And I’m Sal Salamone and I play guitar and also sing.

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

Jon, Rob and I were in a band called Last Great Hero together with one other person which we eventually invited Ryan to join. Ryan fronted a pop-punk band called For What It’s Worth before he joined us. Last Great Hero and For What It’s Worth opened a lot of shows together for some of the bigger name bands on the island and I think both started around the same time in 2010.

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

The origin of the name really came down to us wanting to embody a more professional, mature approach to this thing we’d been doing for five years already. We figured we’ve only got a few years left ideally so why not try full force to make a true effort. So the actual name comes down to how we interact with one another, we’re very straightforward and close enough with one another that we pretty much say what we want to each other. So I feel Table Talk sort of just fits our personality as a band perfectly because we’re incredibly conversational and just love sharing ideas and music with one another and the exchange is just so genuinely familial, that really makes us a band of brothers. 

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 brunt of the songwriting is shared between Ryan and I with Jon and Rob helping us refine ideas when we present them at practice. But to be completely honest, we really write all of our songs together in our practice space because they sort of just happen. Ryan and I will basically write a riff when we’re home and then start playing it at practice and together as a band we’ll just add to it and then spend two hours structuring a song we didn’t even anticipate finding. I think that spontaneity is really beautiful in our songwriting because it just further solidifies our relationship as musicians and friends, showing us that there’s enough trust between us that we can really work through anything together. I think that plays a huge role in our ability to present often times tender and personal pieces of writing to each other and know that each one of these guys only wants to help me and make it better.

The meaning behind our songs vary between Ryan and I however the themes of introspection and situational reflection really make up the majority of our songwriting approaches. Ryan’s topic focuses on his family and his relationship with his brother for most of the record. It’s never been my place to really delve into the details of their relationship but I believe that the message is quite clear in Ryan’s songs. As for my songs they really deal a lot of my frustrations with myself and the ways in which I approach any situation. I’m a really calculated and critical person especially of myself and that gets in the way of my ability to really appreciate anything I do or create. Songwriting is sort of a silver lining for me because I get incredibly frustrated about anything I write but always find a way to make it work and when I don’t, I know I have three other guys next to me who want to make this song everything I thought it could and even couldn’t be.

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

There have always been a few core bands that inspired us as musicianslike Jimmy Eat World, The Weakerthans, Motion City Soundtrack, Good Old War, Death Cab for Cutie and of course some of our earliest inspirations like blink-182, New Found Glory, and Home Grown always find their way back in. We’re always finding new bands though and we’re always finding new inspirations in song structure and even instrument use. 

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

I think it was a shared inspiration between blink-182 and New Found Glory and just writing hooks that were as catchy as the ones those bands wrote.

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

I definitely do a bit of stretching before we play because I move around the stage quite a bit and have a terrible tendency of hurting my neck after every show. I definitely drink a lot of water and we all make sure we eat before we play.  I’m not sure why but it sort of just became a ritual at this point.

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

I think one of the biggest highlights for the band so far was our last tour we did with our friends in Breaking Tradition from New Jersey. I don’t think any of us have ever been more excited to get three hours of sleep every day for ten days straight just so that we could spend as much time together hanging with the guys in BT. It was really humbling traveling to these different places and sometimes kids knew the lyrics to our songs so it was just a really validating time in our lives.

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

Oh boy this is a loaded question but if I had to speak for the band as a whole I think touring with Death Cab For Cutie and Motion City Soundtrack would be absolutely nuts. Those are two of the catchiest bands in existence and to play shows with them every night would be a blessing.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Please be sure to check out our new self-titled EP on our Bandcamp as well as follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat @Tabletalkli! Thank you!