Interview w/ Speak In Verse

Hey everyone!

Back at it again with another entry in our ongoing series of interviews with artists that were former Artist Spotlight features here on the blog. Today, we check back in with the guys of Speak In Verse from New Haven, CT. They were an Artist Spotlight feature back in December of 2010, and quickly became one of my favorite New England area bands in recent memory. Recently, I caught up with frontman Donavon Cavanaugh to see what the band has been up to since then and what's in store for them in the year to come.

Give your names and what you do in the band?

I'm Donavon Cavanaugh and I sing Lead Vocals and play Guitar. Then there's Travis Schwartz on Lead Guitar/Vocals, John Bock on Bass/Vocals and the newest asset to Speak In Verse is Bobby Garfield who plays Drums.

How did you all meet and when did the band form?

Travis, John and I all met in 2008 while attending college at the University of New Haven. Right after meeting, Trav and I both realized each others love for music and we started jamming some acoustic stuff. John saw us jamming a lot and basically said, "hey I've got a bass, mind if I jam with you?" (Laughter) and Speak In Verse was formed. After four years we went through a few different drummers for different reasons, but we are super excited that we met Bobby through a friend of ours. He showed up to our first practice with a few songs learned and his versatility just fit in real nicely with our style.

How did the name "Speak In Verse" originate?

The weird thing about our name is we're not sure exactly how it came about (Laughter). You'll get different stories from each member of the band, but I'm pretty sure one day at practice I just said something like, "people would listen more if I could speak in verse." And so the name just stuck, that being because we feel it really portrays our goal and meaning as a band. Music is feelings that speak in musical verse.

What bands do most of your fans compare yourselves to?

Man, we've had so many fans compare us to a number of different bands, which is cool for us cause we don't want to be stuck to one sound. The most common bands we get compared to are: Brand New, Taking Back Sunday, Incubus and Thrice.

What themes and/or subject matter does your music typically cover?

Most of the themes and subject matters of our songs come from our own personal experiences. Such as, growing up, adolescences, confusion, relationships, partying, our love for music, good friends, memories, questions about the future, etc. I'll usually write most of the lyrics, but either way every member of the band will look them over and give their opinions. We like to keep it real and related to the band as a whole.

How important has social networking been in getting your music out to the general public?

Social networking has played a huge role in promoting our band. We lately have had pretty good success with "Speak In Verse Saturday's". So, every Saturday we release a new video of acoustic songs, practice jams, cover songs, goofy videos, etc; some kind of video to do with the band so we can keep the fans more connected. Social networking helps us connect with the fans on a more personal level and keep more daily contacts.

What are some of your favorite songs that you've ever written?

I'm pretty sure each of our favorite songs change very often (Laughter). Right now one of my favorites is our newest song "Where Do You Go," which we will be releasing on CD in the near future.

What do you guys like to do in your spare time when you're not making music or playing shows?

We all live together, except for Bobby at this time, so we honestly spend most of our time practicing, recording, writing music, etc. We've actually joined a side project with our good friend Brendan called Brendan Black and the Heart Attacks. Also, we are working on getting a record label company, Park and Dock Records, off the ground with a number of friends and colleagues. So other than that, you'll find us partying on the weekends with a bunch of friends.

What three bands would you like to go out on tour, regardless if they're still together or broken up?

What are 3 bands we would like to go on tour with? That's a tough one to narrow down. I'd say Brand New, Underoath and the Beatles...this could differ for each member of the band.

Lastly, what is the one thing you hope fans take away from your music?

The main thing we hope fans take away from our music is that music is an art, a healing and an escape in our world, not a competition of who's dressed the best or most hip. Music has brought us together as friends and we hope to gather more friends along the way.

Thanks once again to Donavon for being so awesome in taking time out of his busy schedule to do this interview. Donavon is one of the nicest and most legit musicians that I've met in a long time and his band is definitely on the cusp of making it big! If you haven't checked out Speak In Verse yet, please do so at www.facebook.com/speakinverse and www.reverbnation.com/speakinverse