Indie alternative rockers FOOL SAINT have a handful of tracks available, including their most recent release of an EP. The band talks of this release and what they have in-store next for themselves.
1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.
The history of this band has some layers. Essentially, we began to form the band in the very beginning of 2020. Christian, Austin, Michael, and Kyle were all members of a previous band (Young House). On top of this, Christian and Austin were in another band together ten years ago (Gatherers). Sara started jamming with us and gave the band an entirely new sound. Consequently, a completely different band was formed. At the same time, Sara began her master's in Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management. Her education profoundly influenced what she writes about and was inspired by notions of care economies, anti-consumerism, and living in harmony with the community of life. Those themes are reflected in our first three songs.
Our first three songs are Plum Tree, Harborview, and Packing. These songs were recorded in November 2020 at Timber Studios. Each song was released as a single starting with Plum Tree in May 2021. By August 2021, we had five more songs written, which would soon become our first EP, "In a Field, Away From The City". We went to Nada Studios to collaborate with Music Producer/ Engineer John Naclerio on this release. We’ve worked with him in the past and knew he was going to capture the sound we were going for. Now we are playing shows all over New York City, New Jersey, and Philadelphia in support of our debut EP release.
2. What’s the origin of the band’s name?
Our bass player, Michael Doyle, came up with the name after ruminating for weeks about what we should call ourselves. Fool Saint is from the second book in the popular SciFi series, Dune, called Messiah. According to the internet, Fool Saint is defined as "A role model, or a figure in someone's life who is admired. A person who lives an eccentric life and creates saint-like miracles, but those miracles amount to nothing." So a Fool Saint is a false prophet, an influential leader with many subordinates; however, leaders are still humans who make mistakes, but those mistakes are over-exposed and amplified because of the massive quantity of followers captivated by the leader's charisma. The bubble pops. Pride, overconfidence, and narcissism will end up leading to your tragic fall. We think it fits our sound.
3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
We are a Jersey City-based band and have strong roots in the New Jersey Music Scene. The music scene here is vibrant. It does not feel like a competitive environment whatsoever. Artists are constantly supporting and building each other up. A few excellent venues here host musicians, but some unfortunately dissolved because of Covid-19. The popular music here seems to be all types of rock and hip hop—so much passion. Music is critical to the individuals who grew up in New Jersey and the surrounding areas. It seems like everyone knows how to play an instrument and make music. Music Festivals are thrown constantly in the summer and fall. One of our favorites is The Ghost of Uncle Joe’s, which is a cover-theme festival thrown around Halloween by Rocket Docket.
Additionally, our proximity to New York City means we are tapping into that market as our territory. New York City has a vast, diverse, and invigorating indie music scene. There are always new faces when we play shows in NYC because dwellers and visitors are enthusiastic about checking out shows held at their favorite music venue. Those shows are always the most fun and exciting. You should check out some bands: Super Mutt, Felons, GAL (Get A Life), Crazy and the Brains, Max Feinstein, Witch Trials, and Sir Synthesis.
4. How would you describe your style?
It is hard to say. We bridge the gap between indie rock, alternative rock, and pop-rock… but we also have shoegaze and dream pop elements in the instruments while simultaneously being a little psychedelic. Our music reinforces notions of anti-consumption and focuses on the human experience, which kind of makes it a little pop-punk. One thing I can say for sure is that we are emo. Neo-aging-millennial-emo.
5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?
So far, we have released eight songs. Many of which have environmental justice themes that critique neoliberal capitalism. The compositional structures that we use are fairly simple, however, we each bring a unique element to the song. We like hooks and catchy melodies paired with post-rock-esc reverby guitar. There are several major crescendos that pay homage to the early 90’s with fuzzed out bass and forte drums. On the other hand, there are moments that are tender with a Contemporary Musical Theatre influence.
6. Do you have any new music in the works?
Yes! I am glad you asked. We released a new five-song EP on March 4th 2022! Regardless, we are writing a few new songs that we will either release as singles or incorporate into a full-length album or LP. We’ve tossed around the idea of doing a few live sessions.
7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?
The pandemic brought operations to a screeching halt, so we started playing shows as recently as September 2021. We also wanted to make sure we had at least eight completely finished songs before we performed. As a result, we had an obscene amount of performances from September-December. So far, we have stayed around New York and New Jersey. An upcoming show in Philadelphia will be our first time playing outside our territory, and we are incredibly excited. At this moment, we don't have any specific tour planned out. However, we are eager to do a national and international tour when it makes sense.
8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?
The future seems to come faster and faster every single day. Fool Saint has major ambitions- both collectively and as individual people. I think we all can agree that the most important aspect is to keep music and our friendship at the heart of the group. For now, we will continue to create and perform for whomever is interested in listening.
9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
You can listen to Fool Saint on all the streaming platforms you desire! Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, Google Music, Tidal, and Bandcamp. You can also buy our merch on our website: https://foolsaint.com/.
10. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?
We are a five-piece, female fronted rock band that works collectively to create the music that is currently missing in our lives. These songs and stories are all real experiences experienced by someone.
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