Tears of Joy is a power pop band from Pittsburgh, PA. TOJ focuses on minimalism, stoicism, the critique of post-modernism, and the dissemination of spiritual energy through sonic hypnosis.

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

Evan Kadan - Guitar/Vocals

Jake Leya- Drums

Damian Cabrera - Bass

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

Before Tears of Joy, Evan did some solo singer-songwriter stuff, Jake played in local band The Options and Damian led the pop-punk group A Life Well Lived 

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

It probably just sounded good, it was sort of a working name Jake and Evan used when they first started to jam and it stuck. It's the only name we've had. 

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?

Evan writes all the songs. When I (Evan) write I like to picture a scene, like a setting and a set of characters, and give lots of details about who they are and what they are doing without being too specific about a plot. They are kind of like little vignettes. The songs aren't about people I know or things that happened to me, just influenced by them. My personal interests influence my writing too. I am really into conspiracy theories for instance, so I'll make certain references to them in songs. I guess the topics of the songs change as my own interests and the influences on my tastes do. 

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

I (Evan) listen to a lot of Chet Baker and Vince Guaraldi right now, so I've been writing with a lot of jazz chord language. A lot of bands we play shows with now do a lot of mathy stuff, so i have been trying to incorporate more asymmetrical time signatures and polyrhythms into my music. Everyone in the band is pretty into electronic music and hip hop, and we are working on adding some electronic elements like drum machines on future releases. 

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

Probably not one particular band, but Tears of Joy sort of models itself after 90's rock groups with pop appeal like Blur or Dinosaur Jr. A lot of that music was an answer to the synthetic, contrived music of the 80's. We are kind of in a similar time now musically where there is a lot of popular music that feels canned, and we see ourselves as part of a group of current young musicians responding to that with a greater focus on songwriting and musicianship. 

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

This band exists in a state of constant vigilance, we are ready to rock any time even at a moments notice. When we play, it is the show that prepares for us. 

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

We did our first radio spot on the Saturday Light Brigade show last week. It was fun, none of us had played on the radio before. A different vibe than playing live or in a recording studio. 

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

The Clash, those guys really put on a show. Joe Strummer in particular had a real honest energy to him. He was so cool without being pretentious. Pearl Jam seems like they would be fun on the road. Chilling with Eddie Vedder, listening to Yellow Ledbetter live every night and trying to figure out the lyrics, that would be cool. 

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Evan hand makes cassettes for our physical releases and for some other bands in Pittsburgh. If you are a cassette fan, check out the tapes on our Bandcamp! Here is everywhere else you can find us:

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tearsofjoypa/

twitter: @Toj_pa 

Instagram: toj_pa