Formed in 2015, The Split Seconds exploded onto the DC music scene combining the energy of late-70’s punk with undertones of rock and roll, ska, garage rock, and 60’s pop. Frontman Drew Champion, joined by drummer Sean Peterson, bassist Stephen Parsons, and guitarist Alex Massi, brought their sound to enthusiastic audiences at east coast punk clubs.
The Split Seconds‘ debut LP, “Center of Attention”, was released by Altercation Records Inc. in March 2017 to critical acclaim and was featured by outlets including The Washington Post, Punknews, Dying Scene, New Noise, and Idobi Radio.
Since the release, The Split Seconds have been busy on the road including performances at SXSW, The Fest, 9:30 Club, The Black Cat, and have opened for The Menzingers, The Queers, Comeback Kid, and Svetlanas.The Split Seconds are anticipating an exciting 2018 with the release of their follow-up LP, “Counterfeit Reality” and many more festival and tour dates.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with The Split Seconds about the latest release, challenges, motivations and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
We’re from Washington DC and we play 70’s style punk with undertones of classic rock, pop, and reggae.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to stay the course?
Drew grew up listening to punk rock but also plays jazz, classical, rockabilly, and many other styles of guitar. 70’s punk has a lot more depth and diversity than later punk styles so it’s a great style to work in.
How is your new release different than previous ones? Did you set out to accomplish anything specific?
With “Counterfeit Reality” we set out to make an LP of raw, catchy, 70’s-style punk with musical and lyrical depth. The differences here compared to our first record, “Center of Attention,” really come from our growth together as a band. “Center of Attention” was written and recorded entirely by Drew with guest drummer Gu Pagliarini. For “Counterfeit Reality” we had come together as a true unit with Sean Peterson on Drums, Alex Massi on 2nd guitar, and Stephen Parsons on bass guitar. Drew still wrote the songs but the arrangement and production of the record was a collaborative effort. Overall “Counterfeit Reality” is a tighter, darker, more aggressive record. Musically the there’s greater dynamic and stylistic diversity with more prominent instrumentals. Lyrically, “Counterfeit Reality” is about a tragic struggle with a corrupt culture whereas, “Center of Attention” was about an optimistic struggle with a flawed self.
Do you face any challenges as an indie musician in a digital age? On the flip side, how has technology helped you (if it has)?
The digital age has knocked down barriers to entry and made the industry basically unprofitable for anybody but the biggest pop stars. Perhaps in the past it would have been easier to break through and find support as a band. But we’re really just trying to make music we’re proud of and to have it reach people that resonates with it. We’ve been able to do that. We’re confident we’ll be able to do that even more effectively in the future.
Where can we follow you online and hear more music?
Check us out at TheSplitSeconds.com, Facebook.com/TheSplitSecondsBand, and soundcloud.com/TheSplitSecondsBand. Other than that we release our music on all the common digital download and streaming services.
Anything else before we sign off?
Keep an eye out for “Counterfeit Reality” out in June and catch us on Warped Tour in July
