An Interview with Transit: In Motion

If you haven’t heard of Boston natives Transit, I highly suggest you open your ears. They seem to be appearing everywhere as of late, getting the noted success that they deserve. With new music, a solid tour and a bright future ahead of them, Transit are well on their way.

I recently had the opportunity to chat with Joe Boynton, lead vocalist of Transit, about all of the exciting things they have going on. Check it out below:

Thanks for taking the time to chat with me, Joe. Can you provide us a little backstory on the band? Where did it all begin?

Transit began in a garage and in a basement of Stoneham, a town just north of Boston. We came from a music scene filled with indie bands, hardcore and punk bands. Shows were pretty much all over the place so we were influenced by a wide variety of music. We found each other through mutual friends and ended up writing a few records together.

We tour a lot. We’ve been around the U.S. over 15 times in the past four years and have had the opportunity to visit over 14 different countries. The non-stop traveling all seems like one big blur, but it’s the subtle moments and the amazing people we’ve met along the way that have really made the whole thing worthwhile. The world is so big and so small at the exact same time.

Transit will be headlining this year’s Warped Tour Acoustic Basement tour. How excited are you and how did this all come about? Can you describe the tour a little bit?

This tour is more of a relaxed setting than we normally find ourselves. The music is more laid-back and the bands on the bill all play very different styles of music. It’s a mix of folk, pop, jam, singer-songwriter elements. The show overall is pretty wild.

I love your new EP, Futures And Sutures, that just came out late last year. How has the reaction been to it thus far?

People definitely seem to be into it. The new acoustic versions have some slight vocal melody changes and I’ve already noticed people singing along to them on this tour. Couldn’t be any happier about that!

Is there one song in particular that you’ve noticed has been a fan favorite?

It seems like people have been singing “Young New England” and “Long Lost Friends” the loudest at shows, so I would say those two. I think it really depends on where we’re playing. Some places like the sadder songs, others seem to enjoy the uplifting and upbeat ones.

Who does most of the writing in the group? Is it a family effort?

It’s always been a group effort from the get-go. Sometimes a song will start with a single guitar riff, sometimes just a few vocal melodies, and other times Tim [Landers, guitarist/vocalist] or Torre [Cioffi, guitarist/vocalist] will write out the general backbone of a song and we’ll slowly chip away at it until everyone’s completely happy with it.

I recently read a quote that you guys said, “We don’t make Transit music, we make our music.” Those are some powerful words. Can you explain a little further?

We try and approach each record like it’s a different animal altogether. The songs we create are just what the five of us collectively are expressing at the time. Our music is our art. It’s sort of like our discipline. By changing up our style, we’re opening ourselves up new possibilities to what exactly “Transit” means to us. If it’s not difficult for us to make, then it’s not really worth doing.

We’ve always thought of music as something you grow alongside of. If we were forced to write the same songs over and over because it’s what people expected of us, then I don’t think we’d really want to be a part of it. That’s not what we signed up for.

What else do you have going on in regards to touring in the next few months?

Possibly another video!

Any plans for a full-length soon?

We never really stop writing, so as far as upcoming releases goes, time will tell!

Who are some bands that you are all into right now?

Two Door Cinema Club, Notorious B.I.G, Jets To Brazil, The Weakerthans.

I will be catching you guys at The Stone Pony later this month. Any surprises in store?

We’re playing full band and acoustic on this one, ranging from our new album to songs we wrote around four to six years ago. It’s going to be awesome!

Where can fans access your music?

Transitband.com, and merch is available at transit.storenvy.com. You can find it in record stores, iTunes, and can catch us live now on the Acoustic Basement tour!

Thanks so much, Joe. Best of luck to you on tour!

Thank you!

 

You can catch Transit live at The Barbary in Philly on Feb. 20 and The Stone Pony in Asbury Park on Feb. 21. For more information, visit transitband.com.