Her Campus Point Park had the opportunity to interview members of the band Dinner and A Suit when they recently played a special show in Pittsburgh at The Altar Bar. The band played an unforgettable 10-song set highlighting songs off their new EP “Stay.” Dinner and a Suit features vocal and guitar from lead man Jonathon Capeci, Anthony “Max” Genca on bass, Joey Beretta on guitar and Drew Scheuer on drums. Find out how this four-piece crew they got their start, what it’s like to live on the road and the inside scoop on the making of their latest music!
HC: As a pop-punk genre how did you choose Nashville, a country based town, as the base for your band?
Jon: “Well we moved down their cause we had some musical opportunities, not specifically to do with any genre, more just with our band. We had an indie label interested in us and a few other people in the industry. It was just supposed to be temporary at first but it ended up being a really good home base for us and we haven’t left.”
HC: How did you get the band name ‘Dinner and a Suit?’
Joey: “Well Jon and I are cousins, and our great grandmother during World War 2 worked at this giant factory that made suits. She would take home the suits they couldn’t sell because they were busted; she would fix them up and invite people over that were less fortunate like soldiers or homeless or anyone in need and cook them dinner while tailoring them a suit. So it’s kind of like a fresh start for people. It’s a cool story we heard growing up so we thought it would be a good name.”
HC: What is your favorite track off your new EP ‘Stay’ and what do you want fans to take away from the track?
Joey: “I think we all have a different track.”
Jon: “I think we all like different songs for different reasons.”
Drew: “Personally I like Get You Back the most, that one for me was a lot of fun for me to record. We did a lot of different over notes, timpani’s, four toms and kick drums; so that was really cool to get to do from a drummer perspective. As far as the song goes, I just think it’s a really strong song, one of our strongest songs to date. It’s a great ballad and has a lot of meaning and feeling behind it.”
HC: How did the partnership with Paul Moak, as the producer on this album, come to be?
Jon: “We were all fans of his work and we were shopping around for producers. During that process its sort of more or less an interview on both sides, at least for a band at our level. The first step is to get together and meet. We did that with a lot of producers and heard some of the stuff they have done. It goes back and forth and we really try to tell if we vibe off of each other. Of all the interviews that we did, he was the one we clicked with most. He was able to clear his schedule and believed in us and our songs.”
HC: You recorded ‘Stay’ live to tape rather than track by track, how come?
Joey: “That’s how Paul usually does stuff; it was an awesome experience for us over all. We practiced really hard for a month and a half before we went into the studio so we were really prepared. It was awesome and there’s nothing like it; I’m actually a true believer of that process from now on.”
HC: How have the fans been reacting to the new music during this tour?
Joey: “It’s been positive and people are really connecting with it. It’s a different evolution of the band so were definitely gaining new fans as well as maintaining our original fan base.”
HC: You have been consistently touring for two years before taking a break to record “Stay.” What is the best and worst part of touring?
Max: “The worst part is the food, lots of fast food.”
Jon: “We don’t really have time; we’re driving city to city, usually one city a day, for 10-12 hours. We’ve had a lot of press stuff especially this tour; we’ll have a morning and afternoon radio interview, load in sound check and sometimes an interview at the venue so we usually have 30 minute gaps. It’s touch too because we travel in trailers so we can’t keep fresh food. The best part is meeting people, playing a show to people who want to see you and them singing the songs is my favorite part.”
Max: “Leaving a city knowing you’ve gained fans. When you came and they didn’t know who you were before, that’s cool.”
HC: The band is very active on social media, how have these platforms and Spotify helped you interact with fans and get your music heard?
Joey: “We’re living in a time where music is the most accessible it’s ever been. You can find any band, well besides Taylor Swift, on Spotify you just have to type their name in and you can hear their music. Now especially we can tell people to check out our band for free on Spotify, there’s no risk and mostly reward.”
Jon: “I’d say also we don’t have a good grasp on what it was like beforehand. Even thought Spotify wasn’t quite as popular during the time, streaming was around when we first started putting out music with our first album Since Our Departure. In theory it hurts music sales but it also helps people to check out new music. It’s kind of like a double edge sword but we don’t have any complaints.”
Max: “It’s very beneficial for a band our size who want to reach as many people as possible and with a platform like that you can. There’s other artists’ that get 50 million plays a day and get paid but people are going to hear their music no matter what. For us it’s huge.”
HC: What’s coming up next for Dinner and A Suit?
Jon: “We’re finishing out this tour and that’ll bring us to the holiday season where we’ll essentially be in one place with a few little shows here and there. We’re hoping to do something fun for the holidays in Nashville. We’re working on a music video for a song off the EP and new music. These 4 songs on ‘Stay’ are an intro to a lot more music next year. Starting up in the end of January we’ve already got a bunch of tour dates in the books from that time forward. This time right now is us getting warmed up for next year; traveling a lot more and releasing a lot more material from songs to videos. Of course eating a lot of food over the holiday too.”
Want more ‘Dinner and a Suit’? Check out their links below!
FACEBOOK: Dinner and a Suit
TWITTER: @dinnerandasuit
INSTAGRAM: #dinnerandasuit
https://www.youtube.com/dinnerandasuit