Alternative electronic band The Haunting is one heck of act, that is making one show at time, just that more weirder! So much so, that this music scene has just gotten all the more weirder. That being said, the whole band got together to discuss their new thing about releasing new singles every first Friday of every month for 2018! As well as some backstory about themselves, detailing the history, namesake, and plans about their future!
1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.
John: The Haunting has been a passion project of mind since 2013, but didn’t become a full-time band until 2016. When our original singer received an incredible career opportunity across the country last year, we all encouraged her to take it and make the most of her opportunity. When that happened, I called Tom to come in and help us reinvent our sound. Tom, Colin, and myself were in a touring band together for several years before The Haunting, so there was no question about the fit. Since then we’ve been pushing forward as the four-piece you see today.
Craig: John called me up to fill in- I hadn’t played a show in a long time and was semi retired, but playing music with John make me fall in love with it again. So they asked me to join full time and John was willing to move from guitar to drums and here we are.
Tom: I joined last year and haven’t stopped twerkin since!
2. What’s the origin of the band’s name?
John: When I first started recording music, it was entirely instrumental-based and had a much darker tone. I was working with a couple of different name ideas, but The Haunting was by far my favorite. When I paired up with a vocalist, it instantly became a sound that people described to me as “Haunting”, that’s when I knew it was the right fit.
3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
John: We’re based out of Brooklyn, New York. The music scene here has absolutely been on the rise. Long Island and Manhattan used to be a mecca, but had some off years in recent history. The last two or so have really shown some incredible bands come out. I would personally recommend checking out American Caskets and Jynx.
Tom: I love the music scene in BK. Not even just the music scene, every corner has a form of art. You can walk into one bar and watch an indie folk band, walk across the street and find a spoken word poet at a coffee shop, find a photographer taking abstract photos,street performers left and right. It’s a graffiti filled junkyard I call home.
Craig: I grew up in Queens and moved to Brooklyn around two years ago. Love this area man, nothing beats it. So many bookers are pushing the scene here to make it what it is, and we’re lucky to be working with them. In terms of locals, there are too many to name, but we’re playing with the homies in Jynx on June 2nd so I’ll name drop them.
4. How would you describe your style?
John: To me, we’re a post-hardcore band with a lot hip-hop and pop influence. We were all in post-hardcore bands before The Haunting, and now we’re at a point where we wanted to not focus on song topics and a sound that brings us to a darker place. When we play shows, when we write, whenever we’re in a room together we have fun. We love to party, make bad decisions, and do it all again the next day. Our music reflects that.
Tom: A post-hardcore mix between Cardi B, Post Malone, and Tove Lo.
5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?
John: In 2018 we’ve been releasing a new single on the first Friday of every month. This is #TurnUpFriday. We’re doing this for all of 2018! So, this year you’ll get 12 new singles from us. With each song, we’re pushing our sound in a different direction. Every song has that heavy feel in the guitars and drums, but we change the sound with our use of electronics and vocal hooks. Some songs sound like an Electro-Post Hardcore (think Enter Shikari and Architects with only singing), and some go as far as a Caribbean-infused Dance Pop song (Think Zedd but with 8-string guitars).
Tom: Well, what John said, haha. I love releasing a new single every month. It not only keeps things fresh for our listeners, but for us! Every month our set has a new song in it so we’re never playing the same thing, and every show is different!
6. Do you have any new music in the works?
John: Absolutely! As I said before we’re putting out a new single every month! So mark your calendars for that first Friday and open Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, or wherever you get your music and you’ll have a new weekend anthem!
Tom: There’s literally not a day that goes by where I’m not writing.
7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?
John: Absolutely. Summer can’t come soon enough, we’ll be announcing some short runs soon, and then a much bigger after that.
8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?
John: Right now our plan is to live in the moment. We love that we get the opportunity to play our music as often as we want, and that every night we do is a huge party where everyone is having a great time. There are so many bands out there that you go see live for a heavy emotional release. A song you relate to that brings up something in your life that hurts, but getting to relate to someone makes it easier. And while we love those kind of shows, we want to connect with our fans in a different way. We get to go out and say, "forget about those problems for the duration of our set. Grab a drink, dance until your feet hurt, and come find us after so we can party and laugh for the rest of the night". Getting to do that is an experience that we love. For the future, we want to keep that going everywhere that will have us. We’re planning our touring schedule for the next year plus, and we’re going to be out all over the country… as a start.
Tom: I feel like we’re really starting to understand our sound, and each song we write is something I didn’t know I had in me. So I wanna keep that going. I love that I look forward to band practice, and writing. It’s a lot of "work" being in a band, and yet this band has become my getaway. I want our listeners to feel that way too. .... Also, I want my own fragrance.
Craig: Is world domination an acceptable answer?
9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
John: You can hear us anywhere you get your music from! Apple, Spotify, YouTube, etc. Everywhere that sells or streams music, we’re there. You can also keep up to date on all things Haunting at TheHauntingNY.com. There you can find our music, videos, upcoming shows, and of course our online merch store.
10. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?
Tom: Have fun! Life’s too short, and we tend to spend too much time focusing on the negative aspects. Go to your car or room, blast one of our songs, and twerk your ass off!
John: Take the duration of this song and just let go. Life can be stressful and hard at all corners, but when you listen to us, you can take a breather, relax, and realize that there’s always room for a little fun. We’ve all been through some awful things our lives, but we always fight to come out the other side stronger. Don’t let the negativity hold you back, just do you.
Craig: We’re about a good time. You can listen to some alt band whine and bitch about their feelings. Not here. Here we talk about drinking, drugs, and sex.
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