New City Lions are bringing the passion back into music with their songs. This indie-dance/pop band from South Florida balances writing meaningful songs with creating music that makes you want to get off your feet. See for yourself what this band has to offer at their upcoming show with Rookie of The Year on July 31st at Rocketown in Pompano Beach, FL!
LINKS: MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | Buy Tickets (July 31st @ Rocketown in Pompano Beach, FL)
INTERVIEW:
***All questions answered by Joshua Card, guitarist of New City Lions***
So how’d the band come together?
New City Lions is mostly compiled of past musical efforts. We’ve all played in different bands together, which eventually lead to this final and life long endeavor, New City Lions.
How’d you come up with the name New City Lions?
It was Josiah’s idea, but nobody really knows how he came up with it. Something about “being a fierce force in the music industry, ready to pounce on all opposing predators.” He kind of keeps it secret. Matt told me Josiah came up with it while they were watching Peewee’s Big Adventure together? I don’t know.
How has the scene in South Florida influenced your music?
South Florida is a huge inspiration to our music. One thing South Florida is very known for is the club and dance scene, which greatly affects our music. We’re not just your standard pop music, especially in our newly written songs that none of you have heard yet! We keep a dance aspect to our music just as much as any other aspect, which really reflects on where we’re from.
How would you describe your sound for people who have never heard your band before?
As hard as it sometimes is to classify your band into a few simple words, or genre, it’s easiest to say we’re Indie Rock/Electronic. In listening to our debut release, the “Never Too Soon EP” you heard a hint of this, but mostly what you heard was Powerpop/Rock. We’ve definitely matured as a band since then, writing more songs we feel are more meaningful, and much more musically intriguing. Our aim is to not be another cookie cutter pop band, who plateaus at a shirt in Hot Topic and a summer on Warped Tour. We want to play music for the rest of our lives, so we’re writing music that lasts.
How does New City Lions try and stand out from other bands in the same genre?
I touched on this in the question before, however there’s much more to us that separates us from the standard band in today’s music industry. We have something that seems to be lacking in today’s artists, and it’s true heart and passion. We dedicate our daily lives to our music, in every way. Not for the reason most would, for the fortune or fame, because TRUST US kids, it’s not all fun and paychecks. But what mainly sets us apart, is that we would be happy and content doing this for the rest of our lives if we weren’t even seeing a dime. All we want is to play. To tour, to be face to face with crowds, to be one on one with our fans, to put out music that means as much to everyone listening to it as it does to us. If we can write a song that touches one person’s heart or life in a positive way, than we’re as successful as any artist has ever been. We care about what we’re doing. These days any 15 [year old] kid can walk home from the mall, open his MacBook, loop a beat, add some synthesizer, and sing some love songs over it and be the next big thing. But that’s everything that we feel is wrong with the music industry. Music used to have such passion with stories to be told. We like to think we’re the genuine breed that once existed.
You have a show coming up on July 31st with Rookie Of The Year at Rocketown. What can fans expect of your live performance?
They can expect what any who has ever seen us knows to expect, a party. We bring all of our energy to every single show we play. Rather it’s for 1 person or 1 million. You came to see a show, you’re getting a show. Specifically for this show, you can expect to hear a lot of new songs. We’re going to be displaying a lot of what to expect from the future of NCL.
What are you looking forward to about the show on July 31st?
Definitely looking forward to hearing feedback on all the new stuff. Also, the same thing we look forward to at any performance, the intimacy of being with the crowd and the joy of getting to show people what we work so hard on.
You’ll also be playing at Warped Tour in Orlando this year. What are you hoping to take away from this opportunity?
There’s endless opportunities and possibilities to playing anything with THAT many people. If we can get rid of some EP’s and make some new friends in the process, we’ll be some pretty happy boys.
Back in May, the band mentioned in a blog about a new EP. How has the writing and recording process been for the EP?
The writing and recording is basically done. A few little touches here and there. However, it’s been slightly delayed. Reason being, we decided to revisit a few of the songs, and make sure they’re being released at their full potential. We’re doing the EP with C&I Studios out of Fort Lauderdale who has been super awesome at working with us and being real patient and helping in the process.
When can we expect a release date for it?
I think it’s safe to say the EP will be done and released by November.
Can you give SUR readers a peek into the not-so-distant future of New City Lions?
Just a peek. LOTS of new music being pumped out. New sounding stuff, that you didn’t really hear from us before. If we had to give you a “you would like us if you like these bands” then we’d say something like, The Killers, Interpol, The Bravery, and even a hint of our own new elements here and there. You can also expect tours, the new EP, a music video, and some other cool things we’re working on.
Can you give me one straight up random fact about each member of the band?
This could get bad. But we’ll keep it nice and clean. Matt has his own language, which he uses in public, leaving everyone clueless to what the hell he could possibly be talking about. Josiah has 1toe that’s smaller than all the others, and it’s name is Sherman. Diaz says “Um” in one sentence more than any other human ever has. And I have a weird sleeping disorder where I freak out and do weird stuff while sleeping, like running around and screaming. It’s terrifying.
Any last words for the readers of Straight Up Random?
THANKS for reading this. We’re honestly super excited for you guys to hear the new music. We’ll be on tour in October and November. We have so much we could say but it would take forever, so just come meet us at a show. Sorry in advanced if Matt says weird stuff. Thanks. <3
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