Interview: Banquets

Jersey City group Banquets will surely grab everyone's attention in 2012. The band released their debut album Top Button, Bottom Shelf this August to positive reviews. On Friday, they will perform with Saves The Day, Senses Fail and Balance and Composure at Starland Ballroom. Below, vocalist Travis discusses their recent performance at The Fest, new music video and 2012 plans.

1) The band recently released the music video for the track "Sometimes A Wolf". What was it like filming the video?

Making the video was super fun. Kevin is an awesome dude and he always has great ideas. He's very creative and fun to work with.  A good portion of the video was filmed in our drummer, Points Maguire's attic. So it was pretty convenient. The rest was shot around North Jersey. We are extremely happy with the finished product as anyone should be when they work with Kevin.

 

2) Are you surprised by all of the positive remarks about your debut record Top Button, Bottom Shelf?

We couldn't be happier with the response we have been getting from "Top Button, Bottom Shelf". It has really given us a lot of opportunities this year. It's a great feeling. We are in the process of constructing ego risers with lights built in for future performances due to the great feedback. It's all about reaching that next step. It would be really amusing to play a basement show and do the whole "I'm gonna climb up and riff this out in someone's face", while you have to duck because of the low ceiling. Thank you for following me on that joke.

 

3) You recently played The Fest in Gainsville. How was this year's appearance different from last year?

This year we played a pretty hairy time slot. We played at the same time as Against Me and Bomb the Music Industry. It was also 1 am on like Saturday night so I took like 3 naps in between drinking all day. We made it out alive. The turnout was beyond belief. A lot of people were finally able to see us and it seemed like everyone had a great time. Some kid video taped what seemed to be my cheek for the entire performance. I imagine the reason it hasn't surfaced online is because of all my road acne from the week of giggin'.  

 

4) What is the band looking forward to about the Starland Ballroom show?

Well, it is overall a great opportunity to play in front of a new audience. It will be our biggest show to date. Andy Diamond is pretty excited about the show. I'm sure we will get out of hand early in the night. Here's to hoping he brings his Santa suit.  We are very fortunate for this and all of the opportunities we have gotten since we began 2 years ago.

 

5) What bands are you currently listening to?

My current rotation is Restorations, Tigers Jaw, Luther, Fucked Up, the new Menzingers jam, and No Trigger.

 

6) What are some of your favorite NJ venues to perform at?

I always enjoy playing basement shows. Chris White's "The Party Zone" was a blast. The Lanes is always a great time and The Court Tavern usually finds me incoherent. We played a local bar in Jersey City called "Ohara's" which was cool. Our friends in Hackettstown do a cool DIY show spot as well.

 

7) What are some of the band's plans for 2012?

We are planning for a busy year. There are dates booked with some awesome bands: Junior Battles, Nightmares for a Week, Pentimento, Ensign and many more. We have a split 7" coming out in the late winter/early spring. Details should be announced soon. We are going to Europe for a few shows, including Groezrock in Belgium. I think we are going to announce the details on the rest in the coming weeks.

Catch Banquets at Starland Ballroom on Friday. $1 dollar from each ticket sold will go towards aiding the Court Tavern. Tickets are on sale right now via Ticketmaster.