Interview with Back From Nothing
Back From Nothing is an original four piece progressive alternative rock band formed in 2015 by brothers Nick, William and Marlon.
Back From Nothing gets their musical inspiration from The Front Bottoms, Pup, Sorority Noise, Modern Baseball, and Remo Drive.
Along with this, the band draws other inspiration lyrically from indie rock, delivery from folk punk, and rhythmically from progressive indie rock.
Their first professionally produced record, recorded and mastered by Anni Casella at Ghost Hit Recordings, is set to release in March of 2023. The band is currently based out of Westchester New York, and often plays at venues around the New York City, Northern New Jersey, and Philadelphia areas.
What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?
Our Mom used to work for Polygram and Arista Records under Clive Davis. She quit her job to get married and have me and my brother. Growing up she exposed us to a lot of Classic Rock. As we got older we branched into newer music genres. I would have to be a completely different person to not have music in my life, but I would probably be doing something involving video game content creation on youtube.
What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?
When I am not playing music I am usually recording, mixing, or mastering. Recently over the past couple of years I have been designing a Guitar pedal along with my mentor Anni Casella. I also like to watch a lot of documentaries and anime in my free time.
How long has music been your career?
When I was 18 I realized that my purpose in life is to be a musician. That's when my career as a musician started.
Where are you based out of and how did that influence your music?
Back From Nothing is based out of Westchester, NY. Ironically this influenced our music in a way where it was a constant struggle to make a name for ourselves as an original alternative rock band. For a long time the closest place we could find to play was either in Long Island or New Jersey. We started off making a lot of generic mistakes in recording, performing, etc. We learned from all of them and that's really how having no hometown bands (at the time we started) to look up ultimately influenced us to double down on what we believe in.
Tell me about the best and worst shows you have played.
I think the best show we ever played was when we opened for Assuming We Survive at Amityville Music Hall. It was a packed out show but the coolest part of the show was that there was someone in the front who had her hands on the stage the entire time we performed right in front of Marlons bass amp. When we got off the stage the person's friend came up to us and said that she and her friend loved our set. Her friend was deaf and was listening to our music through the vibrations our cabs were making on the stage. I think that was a really humbling and beautiful moment. The worst show we played was a basement show we tried to make happen in our hometown but no one showed up except for my dad and a few close friends. It was our dad's house haha.
Tell me about your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?
Our favorite venue to play at was a basement venue in New Jersey called Rob's Place. You enter through the kitchen and Rob's mom was cooking a casserole, you go straight down to the basement and it's packed with people enjoying the bands from all over the country. This is where we shot our music video for New Logic if you wanted to see what that was like. Our immediate short term goal is to tour the East coast as much as we can this summer.
If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?
Ultimately since day one I have believed we would be a great opener for The Front Bottoms. Along with Pinegrove with the original lineup, Tiny Moving Parts and Pup. I believe that would be an incredibly diverse lineup.
What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into music?
For someone who is just diving deeper into music I would say listen to what makes your day better. What helps you through the day or helps you process emotions that would otherwise turn into something negative. Find artists that are relatable to you specifically. Don't listen to what anyone else says is good or bad music. It's all subjective at the end of the day. The amount of likes or followers a band has almost has no correlation between if you will like their music or not.
If you could go back in time and give yourself advice, what would it be?
Don't waste your hard earned money on things that are trivial. Save it for when you're fully prepared to show the world your talent. Also everything will work itself out in time. People who worry suffer twice.
Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?
This is the hardest question. Each of my band members would have a different answer for this. I would have to say that The Jig is my favorite song to play live as of right now. The one that means the most to me is probably the acoustic song that ends our newest record. It just captures the five stages of grief perfectly I think.
Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?
The Jig, Stay on the Phone, Sleep, The Dark Night are all favorites of mine to play. The ones that get requested the most to play are Own It, Cluttered Space, and of course Goliath.
What is the creative process for you, and what inspires you to write your music?
Real Life events that affect me personally inspire my music. In no particular order when my body is filled with an immense overwhelming form of an emotion, typically anxiety or depression, the music comes out in my guitar. When the same happens for my mind that is how the words are written.
What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?
I want people to pick up a record and listen to it over choosing to do something negative for themselves or others. I want two people who in any other situation would typically hate being in the same room as each other to be able to find common ground in liking the same music. I want people to understand that they are not alone.
Do you ever have disagreements when collaborating and how do you get past them?
The yin and yang logo for our band is definitely an accurate representation of how my brother and I operate and I think it produces some incredible music.
What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?
We have been working on our new record for the past three years and are very happy to release it in March. The immediate future is to open up for bigger bands. A goal further in the future is to start playing some bigger festivals.
Youtube- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC22-lwcYgmaPTh1VcYRrh0g
Bandcamp- https://backfromnothing.bandcamp.com/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/backfromnothing/
Spotify-
BAND MEMBERS:
Nick Ferri
Lead Vocalist
Guitarist
William Ferri
Drummer
Backup Vocalist
Marlon Bonilla
Bassist
Kevin Knebel
Guitarist