Listen to 2AM Club’s “Worry About You”
Marc Griffin’s voice on the phone sounds tired and sick. One would assume it would be the all late night parties and shenanigans that one equates with being a rock star to be the blame. However, that cliche stereotype couldn’t be further from the truth. Food poisoning is actually the culprit. Griffin, of 2AM Club, and the rest of his band mates got food poisoning the night before this interview and are still dealing with its aftermath.
"I wasn’t sure even if I should do this interview but it seemed like the right thing to do," Griffin said.
On September 14, the band’s debut album, What Did You Think Was Going to Happen?, was released. Their first single, "Worry about You," has been receiving heavy radio play.
The members of 2AM Club met the way a lot of bands meet: at college. Freshmen year at University of California Santa Cruz Griffin met Tyler Cordy (vocals) and decided to form a band. The pair got other friends to join (guitarist Matt Reagan, bass guitarist Matt Warshauer, drummer Ian O’Neill and Dave Dalton who is on the keys) and thus a band was formed.
Meeting at college it made perfect sense for the band to make a name for themselves and find their sound through the LA college circuit. The band performed at countless colleges in the area and soon became a favorite among LA college students. "We want our music to sound like a party and don’t want it to be super pretentious or artsy and that’s what college is all about," Griffin said.
The band got their name from a favorite dive bar they would always frequent. "My girlfriend at the time was like you spend so much time there you should just call yourselves that," Griffin said.
Griffin describes the band’s sound as "soulful intelligent pop music." 2AM Club doesn’t have a particular routine about their song writing. "We usually get around campfire style and create something around an idea. It’s different every time," he said.
Most bands have a love hate relationship with studio time and rather be performing live in front of their fans, 2AM Club is not one of those bands. "You have to have them both. In the studio we think about how it’s going to feel when we perform live and we try to capture that feeling while performing. Someone told me once recording is about capturing moments and performing is about making moments," Griffin said.
Right now, the boys from California are making moments. They are currently on tour with Mike Posner. The experience for them has been a remarkable one. "The tour is going great," said Griffin. San Francisco has been a favorite spot for the band to perform since it is so close to home for them. "Looking out into the crowd and seeing a mix of fans, family and friends is the best feeling," he said. They will be performing at the House of Blues in Boston on October 11th.
The band’s musical influences show a vast array in taste in music from Duran Duran to Fiona Apple to even Tupac. What may come as a shock to some, Griffin is a huge Tupac fan. "When I was fourteen I listened to Tupac all day," said the front man.
The band has high hopes for the future. "In five years hopefully we’re touring somewhere in South America and just making more music," Griffin said.
2AM Club plays House of Blues Boston Monday night and Fillmore in New york on Tueday.
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