Local Noise: The All Ways

The All Ways have come out of the local music scene and in a relatively short period of time, managed to play at venues such as Arlene’s Grocery, Webster Hall, Hammerstein Ballroom, Maxwell’s, and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. They also managed to land a spot on the popular tv show America’s Got Talent, which has garnered them a national audience.

The band consists of Austin Massirman on vocals, Ron Geffen on guitar, Pat Heraghty on bass and Andre Jevnik on drums. I caught up with Jevnik to find out what they are currently up to and about the experience of performing on America’s Got Talent.

How did the band get together?

Ron and Austin are the original members and met through playing the local music scene, and started writing songs together. Then, soon after, they started a band together. They had quite a few bass players and drummers until Pat and I joined. Austin recruited Pat from his old band, and they found me on Craigslist. Once these four members came together, they hit it off perfectly.

How would you describe the music that you do?

Our music is a mix of pop and rock. We take our pop influences from Maroon 5 and Lady Gaga, but the rock side of the band takes influences from Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard. Infusing all these artists together is what makes our sound and this is what makes us different.

How did you land the spot on America’s Got Talent?

I submitted a YouTube video of our Adele cover version to the America’s Got Talent submission link. We always wanted to find ways of reaching large audiences, whether it was booking a show with an artist that draws a lot of people or playing local festivals, but doing the television show was the perfect opportunity for us to reach millions of people.

Did they let you play anything you wanted to play?

No, the show has to get permission from the music label to let us do a song. It was very, very hard to find a song that suited us and that the show would let us do. Actually, the executive producer chose the song that we did on the live show.

How much direction did they give you?

The show gave us a lot of direction. Everything was always up to us, but they always had to approve what we did. It was good that they worked like that, because it’s nice when experienced individuals can help develop a band like us, and help us learn the ways of the professional world.

You ended up getting voted off the show, but can return as a “wild card” if enough people call for that. How can people do that?

People can get us back on as the “wild card” by tweeting @nbcagt, @howardstern, @MrsSOsbourne, and @howiemandel. Let NBC and the judges know that you want us back. Also, write the show and tell them that you want us back on.

How does the writing process work for you?

When we write, one of the members comes up with an idea, and then as a band we jam and work on it. Luckily, our guitar player Ron has a home studio where he records us, and we get our ideas down. But we like writing songs collectively. Sometimes someone will have a direction for the song, or has cool ideas, but it’s a group effort.

Any particular songs that are favorites of fans or yourself?

As a band, we love our EP Chemical Overload, but if we were to choose, we would say “Jaguar” is our favorite song. As for the fans, it varies. Some days it’s our other song, “Dirty Love,” and other times it’s “Jaguar.”

Do you have plans for shows in the near future?

Yes we do, we have many plans. Right now since we are not doing the television show, writing and recording is our main priority. We are also playing shows anywhere we can. A lot of opportunities came from America’s Got Talent, so we are jumping on those too.

What are your goals, musically and professionally?

Our goal as a band is to be the biggest rock/pop band in today’s industry. There are just no more new rock stars coming out anymore. Since there are so many bands and artists out there, it’s hard for them to break through. We are gonna make sure we do break through, and make a huge bang. Our ambition is very big and we want to make it a reality.

Where does the name of the band come from?

The name of the band derives… from nothing! It has no meaning and Ron wrote it in a book because it sounded cool. The name just stuck with the band.

 

You can find out further information about The All Ways, as well as music and upcoming shows, at facebook.com/theallways, twitter.com/theallways, and
youtube.com/theallwaysband.