On The Rise: Teddy Midnight
Teddy Midnight is a Brooklyn based five-piece Jam/Electronic group; they’ve been on the scene since 2010 and you may have seen them opening up for bands like The Werks, MUN and Consider the Source. We caught up with them after their set at Dopapod’s album release party in NYC.
For anyone who hasn’t heard you, how would you describe your sound?
AM: We do a ton of different genres, mostly electronic, dance genres mixed with progressive rock and Latin. And we kind of put that through the lenses of jazz music and improvisation and piece our sections together that way.
ML: Yeah, what I love about this band is that everyone has their own musical background and they bring it and we have this whole collective sound because of it. I’m really into jazz, that’s my whole bag and they love like they “dancey” stuff, Umphrey’s, the Untz, and we try to bring that all together, all of our influences.
So how did you all meet and become a collective band?
ML: We actually, the four of us went to Oneonta, and he just joined up with us. (Pointing in bassist Sean Silva‘s direction.) What is this like the 4th or 5th show for Sean? We actually all did this ensemble called Jam Band. Sean and me did it together. Mike and Adam did it together too.
So who is everyone and what do they play?
ML: Mike Lavalle I play Keys, Adam Magnan on drums, Mic Finger on guitar, Sean Silva does bass and Sean McAuley plays percussion and guitar.
What would you say is your biggest influence, not individually, as a band?
ML: Uh, well I think Dopapod’s not bad. We’ve been following them for a while as corny as it sounds. But we’ve been following them since like 2008.
MF: We found out about them in college. Sophomore year there was this festival, Dopapod played. We had never heard of them before and our minds were blown.
That’s what kick-started everything?
MF: That’s what kick-started us being in this scene a little bit. But as far as influences had to go, I’d say Umphrey’s McGee…The New Deal. All of our taste are so diverse, at any given time were all drawing from some different library of knowledge,
If this band wasn’t here, doing what it’s doing and money was no object, and you had the opportunity to follow one band on tour, completely submerging yourself in a tour. Which band would you follow?
TM: Lotus, Phish, The New Deal. (The band immediately answers rapidly)
SM: That’s a tough question, for me it’s not really about like my #1 band to listen to, but to tour with, The Disco Biscuits. Yeah, that’s just my scene.
MF: Honestly the influence that, you know we all come from are so very different but all meet in the middle, that’s the most important part…Every single one of us had a different thing to say there and it all meets in the middle because… it’s all kind of in the jam community but also from different corners.
AM: I think the original inception of the band was to blend all the genres we were listening to from Hip-Hop to Electronica to Jazz and bring it all in one combination. And actually tried not be a jam band for a while and then got into the culture so much, we eventually tried to reproduce a lot of what was following us and make the audience happy and found a brand new sound through that.
For people that have not heard of Teddy Midnight as of yet, what would you want new listeners to know about Teddy Midnight?
AM: We always kind of think, would Radiohead approve of us making this?
ML: I think the biggest thing about this band, and a bunch of people have told me up here that we have an original sound and that’s what I was aiming for. I don’t want to sound like every other band and that’s my thing. A lot of jam bands have a similar sound but I just don’t want to sound the same as anyone else.
SM: I do this because I want to perpetuate peace and enlightenment and wisdom throughout humanity so as for the reason why I’m in a band and what I see for Teddy Midnight. Just spreading good vibes and positivity and ideas. I really love the scene, how it’s so many good people that I’ve met and really smart, intelligent, peaceful, good-hearted people. And part of the reason I love going to festivals and being backstage is these musicians are amazing, great people that I want to be chillin’ with, and making music with. Bringing about world peace with. Spreading love.
ML: He actually means that, not just saying that for the recorder.
Ultimately in your future, what festival would you love to headline?
TM: Catskill fuckin’ Chill, (the band yells collectively)
SM: That’s where the real community is at. If you see a band at Catskill Chill, 3 years later you are all about that band.
AM: I feel like they are a tastemaker for our scene. They show what’s exemplary now and things that have been building up in a jam band community without being the stereotypical “Grateful Dead” kind of sound. They bring a lot to it.
SM: They always have like just a couple of bands that are asking really high numbers to play and a lot of them (the bands) are these upcoming guys and that’s what we love about that festival
Check out some of their music below, and be sure not to miss them when they come to your city!
*Interview by Alexa Paradis
Written by Sean Schechter
Photos by Gonzalo Romero*