Members: Adam Wolfsdorf (vocals), Ian VanderMeulen (guitar), James Clifford (bass), Zachary Thomas (drums)
Genre: Rock
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Recent Release: “When We Were Young”
When cover bands are formed, it’s rare to see them evolve and turn into something more. Then you have Brooklyn rockers, The Energy, who originally formed as a cover band almost 10 years ago and now continue to kick ass as a soulful rock band that needs to be on everybody’s radar. Over the past few years, the band has toured with 3 Doors Down, Eve 6, and were even the headlining act for the 2011 NYC Marathon – so basically, if they haven’t been on your radar yet, where have you been? The band are currently planning on self-releasing their new full-length, When We Were Young, which is expected to be released early 2016! Get to know more about The Energy below!
How did The Energy form and come to be what it is today?
The Energy formed originally as a cover band about 10 years ago. I remember we used to play terrifying places such as the Orange Bear in downtown Manhattan. We even played at pizza joints such as Two Boots in Park Slope. We didn’t have an identity, but we loved music and loved playing together. We were actually originally called Furious George. And then some heavy metal 50 year old rocker threatened to sue us, because apparently that was his stage name and we were stealing it (unbeknownst to us!). So rather than going through a crazy lawsuit (although we did love the name), we switched to The Energy- our producer at the time thought we had a ton of energy on stage, so we tried out the name and it stuck. That’s about the time when we started writing tons of original material and seeking an identity as an original rock band. The rest is history.
Who are some of your musical influences – both as a band and individually?
You know, we’re all pretty eclectic. Our guitar player studied classical trumpet at Oberlin College. I grew up singing in choruses and doing music theater- I was in the national tour of Rent with Neil Patrick Harris, and played Danny Zuko in the tour of Grease. Our drummer grew up on Zeppelin and the Beatles. Our bassist loved the Marvelous 3, REM, and Eve 6. So we all brought different things to the table. The funny this is, when we write, it’s usually something pretty different from anybody we love or admire. It’s a synthesis of our four souls- and that’s a strange synthesis, for sure! But seriously, our sound is a bit of a mystery even to us. We produce strong, propulsive rock songs with an anthemic, lyrical feel. How’s that? Hard to define the undefinable.
What do you enjoy most about playing shows?
How different one is from the next. You never know what you’re gong to get. We’ve stood on stage in front of thousands of roaring fans- like when we were direct support for 3 Doors Down at the National Harbor in Maryland, or like when we headlined and sold out Irving Plaza in New York. We’ve also played some really quite, desolate shows for two or three people and the bartender in South Carolina. Part of what makes live performance so addictive/interesting is that you never really know exactly what you’re going to get. The lead singer of Dashboard Confessional once said “I drive 7 hours a day, so that I can be a rock star for 45 minutes a night”. I’d say that’s pretty true. There’s a ton of uncertainty, and that makes it both appealing and frustrating.
What do you do when you’re not playing music?
I love nature. I love to read and to write- not just music but also poetry, short stories, etc. I like to spend time with friends. My family is very important to me. I have two sons (2 years old and 2 two months old- they keep me pretty busy!). I also love to exercise. I find that I’m not happy unless I exercise 5 or more times a week. Helps to get me going.
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