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Issue date: 10/16/08 Section: Music

Music is not defined by good looks, hair products, or by the numerous sexual encounters an artist has. By generating a natural feeling everyone can share, an artist has the ability to make music a more genuine experience to any listener. Take Bayside for example - full of the raw intensities of life in every lyric, supported by bittersweet melodies and catchy guitar, Bayside is more for the music hungry ear than any teeny bopper act out now.

With a recent run in on the phone line, I had the chance to speak with Nick Ghanbarian - the good-lookin', string-slappin' bassist of Bayside. After emailing back-and-forth their publicist, Rey, and awkward salutations ("Hi, Nick? This is Ian Cruz, I guess I'm supposed to interview you today. So just act comfortable."), the interview was finally underway.

1. So, what is Bayside? Who are you? What do you contribute to the band?
My name is Nick, and I've been in the band for about 4 years at this point. We are a band based out of Bayside in Queens, New York. We've all kind of come together in the past from different bands or mutual friends. It's been the four of us since 2006, I'd say. We've just been writing together, and we just released our fourth studio album last Tuesday, called Shudder.

2. I guess you already answered this next question. When did you join the band, and was it your smooth bass lines, or good looks, that got you the position?
(Laughing) I'm not sure. I joined the band in 2004. It was about August or September, and Silences and Condolences [an earlier album] was already out. I had just gotten to know Anthony (vocals/guitar), and we didn't have tryouts or anything. He just asked me if I was interested. But I'll go with looks-- just say it was my looks.

3. Do you enjoy playing bass in Bayside, or was there something else you wanted to do in life?
Sure. I mean, I've been playing since I was thirteen or fourteen. I've been in all kinds of bands with friends from school, or whatever. Music has definitely been what speaks to me the most in life. I've never been big enough to be a hockey player. I'm only 5'8" and 178 lbs. I'd be a midget out there on the ice!

4. You just released a new album, Shudder. It's more aggressive than some of your previous albums. What can we expect from Bayside in the future?
You know, everything seems to come back to fan's perceptions of us. We've always steadily grown, and I think that gives us the opportunity to grow with our music and fuse some new ideas into the music. I think that we all started bringing our own individual influences in slowly, trying some more experimental things. We're not sounding like the Mars Volta or anything like that. Still, we're just experimenting with something in the range of Bayside, especially on Shudder. I think we're most proud of that. The future, again, really [depends on] how this album is perceived. We know it's the best we could do and it's the best we have done. Who knows what people really think of it? So far it's been out 4 days and it seems like it's going well. The next album will have a little more wiggle room [for us] to grow as musicians. It's a really great feeling.

5. This next question kind of pertains to what you were just talking about, like when bands try new things the fans may reject their newer work, saying the band sounded better with a different sound that may have been on an older album. What would you say is Bayside's most definitive album?
That's so hard. [Personally,] I'm really not sure. I know, in the fans' opinion, it's definitely our self-titled album. But I feel that [our catalogue includes] more defining songs. Maybe our self-titled was more successful than The Walking Wounded, but I think songs like "The Walking Wounded" are how I would like our band to be remembered - songs like that. But for all I know, it's Shudder. I know it's the best we could have done. [Unfortunately,] the best doesn't have to translate into record sales or fans liking it. I think Shudder really should be left as our legacy, because it's the most cohesive we have come within the reigns of Bayside. We're all happy with it-one hundred percent-every part of every song, with the vibe of it and the message. I'm sure a lot people haven't even listened to it yet, but I do think it's our battle cry with this album and I hope people [recognize] that.

6. Much of your music has changed the way I perceive life. How do you feel personally about what influences your music has on your fans?
It's something we absolutely intend to do. I think that the four of our lives have changed for the better because of music, and that's the type of band we're trying to be. We're not out there to write a pop song, or something with a good melody that's [ultimately] meaningless. I think we take that more as a responsibility than a lot bands. There are plenty of bands that are completely out there, and are delusional when it comes to reality. I think that we're the opposite of that [insofar as we recognize our] responsibility to make people's lives better, and [encourage] them to have a positive impact on the people around them. There are not enough people in the world trying to do good when everyone's selfish, and we're reminding people to keep an open mind.

7. You're currently on tour with a few bands, including Valencia, the Matches, and the Status… When you do these tours, do you ever find yourself playing favorites with any one of the bands, like a parent would with a son or daughter?
It's happened in the past, but you kind of just gravitate towards certain people. It's all like a band-of-brothers type of thing. We're all doing the same thing; we're all traveling the country and world together. It's a great experience for a couple weeks to know you're all in it together, and have fun every night. We usually go on tour with bands we know before we bring out bands that we don't, but everyone's friends at this point of [our present] tour.

8. When you're going about your day, what are you're listening to? Who are your influences?
Growing up it was Green Day and Bad Religion-that whole California-punk sort of thing. The last two CDs I picked up were the new Ben Folds and Jenny Lewis. I just gravitate towards the melody and the overall consciousness of different people's views and lives. I think listening to bands like Green Day and Bad Religion when I was younger… all their messages still hold true. It's also great to hear different singer-songwriters, and I think as I got older I started listening to more [folk music]. I mean, Bad Religion is my favorite band, but I like to slow it down and listen to something that's calmer.

9. I recently visited your website, baysideisacult.com. Are you in fact a cult, and where can I signup?
Laughing) That was definitely a marketing tool when we signed to Victory, but they wanted to use that to give us some buzz and it turned into our fan base. We love the [fan base]; we're kind of a tight knit group. When we play small clubs it feels like five hundred friends showed up, and it feels like everyone knows each other. It's something we're proud of, and I feel that we're lucky to have that fan base. We appreciate every last minute of it. Just add us on MySpace if you decide to join our cult.

10. Say I'm a new listener. Why should I take time out of my day to listen to Bayside?
Because of our message - it's exactly that. Same reason when I was fourteen or fifteen listening to Green Day: it's catchy, it's aggressive, and we're also not singing about things that people don't experience. At this point we're not asking "What is Aerosmith singing about?", "What does Nine Inch Nails have to sing about?" People see the world through their own eyes, and I think [similarly]. We are relatable; we try to see things in a positive way. There are plenty of bad things in the world and, at the end of the day, we want to be open-minded and help out, unlike other bands [seem] with their music.

Take into account how some pop acts are ever-changing bundle of sounds, continuously experimenting with their image, then look at Bayside - a band that is doing what they like to do, while keeping it real. They are more prone to a consistent and loyal fan base when listeners hear the surreal imagery conveyed in neatly packed lyrics and well-tuned melodies. A recent release like Shudder is more than enough jam for the starved music junky.

To read the full interview, visit nothingtastesthesame.blogspot.com.

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