It’s fun to muse on the summer that The Sophomore Beat is about to have. See, the powerhouse pop foursome planned ahead. In October, the ax slingers met with local producer royalty Jonathan Wyman and prepared a powder keg of an EP cheekily dubbed “Party Like a Lobster.” In the late spring, the group dropped the record exclusively through Bull Moose and sharpened the blades to go conquer the Northeast in three sunny months.
The Sophomore Beat is Daniel James (vocal, bass), Mike Prue (guitar, vocals), Andy Bohren (keyboard, vocals) and Tom Davin (drums). Davin stepped up to answer this week’s questions.
Additional Photos
Catch the band and its shenanigans-laden live act at the peak of its pop powers tonight at Geno’s, where the world beating will begin.
The tour kicks off at Geno’s. As you crawl around the Northeast, what are you most looking forward to, and are you anxious at all?
We’re always incredibly anxious to get on the road. We’re really looking forward to seeing all of our friends from all around the Northeast that we don’t get to regularly see. We’re also really looking forward to making a bunch of new friends as well!
What do you add to regular pop to make it power pop?
People classify us as a “power pop” band, but I don’t think any of us are entirely sure what it actually means. I guess we’re just a little more of an energetic rock than regular pop bands.
How does The Sophomore Beat bring it better and bring it differently than the dime-a-dozen offerings in the genre?
We just like to have as much fun as possible, and get the crowd involved in our shenanigans. We try to make it so if you have never seen us perform before, you’ll surely remember us.
What was it like recording “Party Like a Lobster” with TJ Swan and Jon Wyman?
We’ve been friends with TJ for years, so it was really laid-back. We had a lot of fun recording, goofing off in the studio, and he joined right in with us at some points. He’s a very relaxed dude, and he made the recording process really enjoyable. Jon is always a pleasure to work with, though we’re not as familiar working with him. They both gave us respectable constructive criticism that we feel we can use throughout our careers.
How do you feel about where The Sophomore Beat is at right now?
We’re always happy with where we’re at, no matter where it might be. The four of us are great friends and we’re having the time of our lives, and that’s really all that matters to us. We’re thankful for everything we have been given, and we hope it continues.
What do humor and sarcasm contribute to your lyrics?
The humor and sarcasm in our lyrics perfectly reflect our own personal lives. We’re very sarcastic (in a good, fun way) and we’re always joking around, so we want our music to portray us as who we actually are.
Where do you hope to be as a band in 10 years?
Wembley Stadium in front of 150,000 people. We can dream, right?
Mike Olcott is a freelance writer who lives in Portland and Boston.
Copy the Story Link
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.