When asked to share a memorable turning point or bonding moment in his band’s career, John Garrighan, 22 year-old lead guitarist and founding member of Pittsburgh rock band, The Berlin Project, relates the following tale:
“In the summer of 2002, we were on the Warped Tour for a couple of weeks. The second-to-last show we were scheduled to play was at the speedway in Orlando, Florida. We arrived there at about six in the morning and had almost two hours before we had to check in with production, so we decided to get some sleep. Keeping in mind that Florida is like a sauna in August, we left the van running with the air conditioning on and went to sleep. Apparently, our water pump broke while we were sleeping and the van’s engine caught on fire. When I think about this story now, it reminds me of that part in the movie, Planes, Trains & Automobiles where Steve Martin looks over at John Candy and sees the Devil on fire. Fortunately, some guy from one of the other bands came over and woke us up by shouting, ‘Hey dude, you guys are on fire!’ He definitely saved our lives, because had that not happened, we would have burned to death. I guess the point of that whole story is that we feel like we’re meant to be here, and to make music.”
Having shared the stage with some of today’s most popular bands, including The Ataris, AFI, The Used, The Juliana Theory, Newfound Glory and Good Charlotte, The Berlin Project is now poised to make a significant impact on the modern rock scene with its powerful, full-length label debut, "The Things We Say," scheduled for release September 2, 2003. “We spent about three years working on the songs for "The Things We Say," so it’s drastically different from our previous material.” John offers. “Although we commonly get grouped in with bands like Sum 41 – which is cool -- I think The Berlin Project has more of a rock vibe and is less focused on the pop/punk sound. "The Things We Say" is edgier, because we still have the pop melodies and hooks, but the music is much more rock. What makes our music harder is combination of all of our different influences; and this is just how it comes out.”
John started The Berlin Project with friends when he was just 14, driven by his love of music and a passion for finding his own outlet for self-expression. Just as members have come and gone, the sound of the Berlin Project has continued to change and evolve. “Sometimes we’ll get a hard time from kids for taking our music in a new direction, but it’s just a natural progression,” he says. “If you’re not going forward, what’s the point? When we solidified this current line up a year ago, everything finally clicked and it just felt right.” John’s band mates include lead vocalist/guitarist Jon Belan, bassist Chuck Rocka, drummer Nick Revak and -- something you don’t find in your average rock band these days -- keyboardist, Aaron Mediate. “Aaron adds a cool dynamic to what we’re doing,” says John. “Keyboards used in the right way fill spaces in the song and add an entire new melody, making it that much more complex and interesting.”
The Berlin Project has toured steadily over the past few years, taking its music directly to the fans. Prior to having label backing, the group sold its previous CD, 2000’s The Transition Radio EP, the only way it could: at the shows. “First and foremost, we’re a live band,” says John. “We love performing and we like to entertain. That’s why we do this. We’ll play as often and for as many people as possible, and we love knowing the crowd is having the best time they can. When we get up on stage, we go all out. We’re not just striking a couple rock star poses – we’re putting on a show!” The degree of touring under the collective belt of The Berlin Project also goes far towards contributing to the high level of musicianship of the band members. “We’re technical as far as how we approach the whole pop concept,” John explains. “Our music isn’t just three power chords strumming over and over. We enjoy playing technical music and putting hooks over it.”
"The Things We Say" features eleven assorted pop/hard rock hybrid tunes, buoyed by John’s fluid lead guitar (his influences include dual G’N’R axemen, Slash and Izzy Stradlin,) dense with Nicks’ fast and furious drumming, and driven by Belan’s melodic, sing-along choruses. Chuck’s bass playing and Aaron’s 80’s-style keyboards add a solid backbone and provocative accents, respectively. “Writing is a collective process,” says the guitarist. “Our vocalist is absolutely incredible with melodies, and we all click very well musically. A lot of these songs came together last minute, in the studio. As far as the way Belan and I write guitar lines, I think our guitar work has an original feel. Maybe we’ll never reinvent the wheel, but we’ll put some sweet new rims on it,” he laughs.
Recorded in just over two months at Mr. Smalls studio in Pittsburgh, "The Things We Say" was produced by Billy Rossi, who also produced "The Transition Radio EP." “Billy is a great friend and absolutely incredible in the studio,” says John. “He and Belan created some amazing melodies and counter-melodies together, and that inspired us to work that much harder. If you’re around someone who’s inspiring you, you have to step up and strive to go one better. Billy made the recording process really enjoyable.”
Asked to name his favorite songs on the record, John admits everyone in the band is especially fond of the title track. “The Things We Say” has that John Hughes teen movie feel to it and is just really visual. As far as hooks and melodies go, it’s great. I also like the songs with a bit of subtle humor. Nick wrote, “Pleasure to Burn” about my ex-girlfriend, whom he really disliked. I sure wasn’t going to write a song about her, so he took it upon himself to do that. It was pretty comical. We also love that the title of the song “Walking Papers” has a dual meaning. The song is about leaving somebody and getting free, but the title also implies how, when you get out of jail, you ‘get your walking papers.’ There’s a story behind that, but I’m not going to go into it here!”
In anticipation of the album’s release, the band is currently exploring concepts for a video. “The record comes out in Japan in October, so we want to shoot a video for MTV Japan – possibly for “In Your Head,” which has a nice bounce and a good, infectious groove to it. With any luck, we can push something to Fuse or MTV2 by the end of the year.”
The Berlin Project will begin a two-month stateside tour starting mid-September and wrapping up in November. John, Chuck, Belan, Nick and Aaron are anxious to get back on the road, promote the album and reconnect with their fans. “Something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately,” John says, “is the importance of making a connection with your audience. Writing melodies that stay in people’s heads and making them feel something, isn’t that what it’s all about? We’re proud of this new record – it represents our best effort,” hew laughs, “and we worked our asses off making it.”
Press Contact:
Curtis Smith
Maelstrom PR
Phone (562)627-9251
E-mail:
Maelstrompr@earthlink.net
