Interview with One Fall

What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?

We all had different journeys into music, but the first punk bands I was exposed to were Bad Religion and Green Day and those kind of opened the door for various other genres of punk. Bands like Strike Anywhere and A Wilhelm Scream definitely drove us to form this particular band.

It’s hard to imagine not being obsessed with music… I do love art history, so I probably would’ve just had that same intense passion but aimed at, like, Jacob Epstein instead of Nathan Gray.

What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?

Phill, Caleb, and I are all video game developers for our day jobs. It is great to have a day job that is still creative and musical and it is good practice to collaborate on creative projects with a variety of people in our day-to-day.

How long has your band been around?

We played our first show in December of 2022, so not long! Our first year was a lot more exciting and more packed with adventure than we expected. It’s been an awesome ride so far!

Where are you based out of and how did that influence your music?

We’re based out of Salem, MA, also known as Halloween capital of the world. It’s a really cool town with a great music scene. There are a ton of excellent bands in this area, and we are absolutely influenced by the bands we get to see on a regular basis. More generally, there’s a lot to be pissed off about in the U.S. these days, and that certainly factors into our overall rage.

How did you come up with the name of your band and what does it mean to you?

It’s a professional wrestling reference! We are diehard fans. We always get psyched when somebody recognizes the reference.

Tell me about your most memorable shows.

We love getting to play festivals, particularly so that we can see the bands we love. We recently played The Fest in Gainesville, FL which was a truly awesome experience. We also played Pouzza Fest in Montreal earlier this year and got to see a ton of Canadian bands that we don’t get much opportunity to see in the states.

What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?

Really loved playing Loosey’s in Gainesville and Café Cleopatre in Montreal – both just awesome venues with cool histories. Locally, we love playing Faces in Malden because bands are treated super well and they book amazing national acts.

If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?

 We just got to play with the Iron Roses, which was unreal. We’d love to play with Blood Command, DARKO, and Frank Turner. That bill would be all over the place, but in a good way.

What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into playing in a band and some advice that you would give to your younger self?

I’d say just keep putting all your heart into it and stay genuine.

If you could go back in time and give yourselves advice, what would it be?

I’d tell my younger self to quit drinking earlier and to practice scales.

Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?

Hard to say! Raleigh and Rats Abandon Ship are both very personal songs that we put a lot of heart into. I definitely cried multiple times listening to other people record their parts on Raleigh!

Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?

I love to play Rage/Quit because it’s pretty challenging and tiring to play, in a good way. But Shoot Straight gets the crowd singing along with us the most, and that’s a blast.

What is the creative process for the band, and what inspires you to write your music?

It’s very collaborative. Often Phill brings a riff that he’s been toying with for years and then it just naturally morphs into something. I love adding the vocal melodies and seeing whether the band gets pumped about them.

We’re passionate fans of melodic punk/hardcore – our favorite music is our biggest inspiration.

What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?

We definitely have a lot to say about misogyny and how it intersects with capitalism in the U.S. But there’s also a lot about survival and triumphing against your demons. We want to lift people up.

Do you ever have disagreements in your band, and how do you get past them?

Pretty much never, at this point. I’m sure we’ll have drama at some point, but so far it’s been hilariously copacetic with this crew. I’m super type A and can drive people insane with my morning energy, but the rest of the band is really considerate and thoughtful.

What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?

 We’re hoping to get out to the UK in 2024 for a few dates and we’re very excited about that. Mostly we would love for folks to listen to our new EP “Spine First!” and let us know what you think about it!