RaeMag: So first off, when and how did Needless To Say Form?

Johnny: Alright well Needless To Say is the product of a high school project I started way 4 years ago. It started just as something fun to do in 11th grade but i started to get more serious than most of the members so I decided to move on to more dedicated people, namely our drummer, Tremale and our Bassist, Kyle. We picked up a guitar player from the school and were left voiceless until Julz randomly showed up at practice and showed us her voice. Once we got things moving, writing songs and playing gigs, we came across problems with some members and decided it was time to kick it into high gear by recruiting John Kiernan (#1) and soon after Sonia and now here we stand, the Needless To Say we all knew we should be.

RaeMag: So as you’ve evolved as a band I’m sure your sound has evolved also, how has your sound changed and are you still defining it?

John Kiernan: The sound of NTS, at least for me, has always been very focused and on point with the messages conveyed. The biggest evolutions I feel we experience in the band come from everyone’s new experiences and constant boundary pushes with their instruments. I think especially now since we’ve gained some new members and the sort, more influences are and will continue to come about. I know that in the beginning the music was great and original rock music. Now I feel that we’re continuing to experiment with that sound as well as being more musical than ever.

Johnny: we are a very ecelctic and open minded bunch, so it seems only natural our sound will constantly evolve.

RaeMag: Well, you have all clearly honed your skills and your sound. John, I know that you and Sonia are both formally trained, how about the rest of the group, what’s your musical upbringing?

Julz: Well, for me, I never really had any training until about two years ago. I always just sung at home, different songs I liked and what not. When I got into middle school, I sang in some musicals. But it wasn’t until I meant Johnny where I got more serious about my voice, and started seeing a vocal coach one a week. I did that for about a year, my junior year of high school, but unfortuently had to stop because of expenses. So now I just practice on my own time, but that’s about it for me. I know our drummer is self taught..all the way! Our bassist was classically trained in piano for a while, but kind of just picked up bass a few years back.

Johnny: yeah our drummers been at it since he went to church at like 3 years old.

Sonia: I think each one of us is very musically inclined despite what training or musical experience we’ve had so it’s pretty easy to us to work musically as a band

Johnny: and Kyle (bassist) has been trained in and can play a huge variety of instruments, ranging from drums, piano, guitar, even some marching band stuff

Julz: marching band? lol…i didnt even know that

Sonia: john also plays bass clarinet lol

RaeMag: Heavy!

Julz: METAL!!!

Johnny: As for me, I was introduced to the guitar at 6 years old, and started playing when I was 17…. Bad move on my part. I practiced non stop through highschool through 5 guitar classes (not one taught me to even read a note -_-). The only lessons I got were online or learning licks from my favorite bands. I just recently was accepted into the music program at FAU where I study with John and Sonia and have never been happier…. even if it is Jazz

RaeMag: So, take us through the songwriting process. Is it mostly a collaborative effort or do you guys develop ideas on your own and then bring them together?

Julz: When we first started the band a lot of the songwriting was Johnny and I. We’d sit in his room, he’d have a riff, I would start to sing over it and then we bascially had a rough of a song and the rest of the band would just jump in. Over time, the writing process has become a lot more collective. Lately, we’ll all be at practice, start to jam something out, and all have a part in the song.

John Kiernan: Definitely. There are some songs where it’s predominantly lead by some one or others in the band because they have a grand vision for it, but the songwriting is extremely collaborative. Very few and far between is there a song that’s fully written before the whole band is there. We have so many ideas that we each have for new material that we can’t wait to work out as well

RaeMag: Julz do you do most of the lyric writing?

Johnny: Oh yeah, she definetly has lyrics on lock

Julz: Yes, I’ve lyrically written all of the songs on the new EP

RaeMag: So, you guys recently recorded your EP at Eleventh Hour Studios. What was the recording process like? And how long did it take from start to finish?

Julz: I think each of us have our own take but for me, recording with eleventh hour is great, not only because they’re close friends of ours but because they’re so open to experimenting and really getting a feel of not only each song, but who we are as a band.

John Kiernan: It was honestly the fastest and smoothest recording sessions I have ever done. I’ve been in sessions where it’s really stressful or really not driven, or the polar opposite where nothing gets done. However, with Eleventh Hour, they were extremely fun and productive to work with. They came up with some ideas that we hadn’t thought of and they really did a great job of keeping our musical integrity.