Every now and again, it makes sense to pick up a pack of Big League Chew and pop most of the pink shreds in your mouth. Syrupy sweet, it’s tough not to smile your way through the indulgent mess.
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And so it is with the effervescent fun of Steiner Street — Alex Dulac (guitars/vocals), Eric Cyr (guitars/vocals), Jake Demchak and Brandon Pratt (bass) and Mike Sajecki (drums) — one of the top pop-punk fun factories in town.
The quartet is bent on making sure you have a good time. So if jumping around a room, high-fiving your friends and laughing a lot is your idea of fun, check out Steiner Street at Port City Music Hall Wednesday. Sajecki, who answered this week’s questions, and the boys will get you blowing crazy bubbles.
Why is playing a pop-punk show likely to be a good time?
Pop-punk shows are just plain fun. Leave your drama at the door and get ready to sing along to catchy choruses, jump on your friends to get to the stage, and just feel as awesome as you can while at a show. No hate, no fights, just good old American fun. We feel like no matter what kind of energy the crowd is giving off, we’re going to triple it on stage. In turn, the crowd gets even wilder, and it’s everyone’s best night ever. That’s good. “Steiner Street: Where every night is the best night ever.”
Tell some stories from the early days of Steiner Street.
Steiner Street started in Alex’s dorm room in Amherst, Mass. He wrote and recorded the first handful of songs all on his own, songs that would later be re-recorded with the full band. He only showed close friends the recordings, and worked out a first show at the Deering Grange Hall without even having anyone ready to play. He hand-picked the members, and we all got together to learn the songs and a cover or two.
The first show was explosive. All of our friends came out, and some even knew every word. We sold out of our first run of shirts and demos that night. None of us expected such a great response so early on, and I think that’s what still pushes us to this day. If you would’ve asked any of us if we’d be recording a record and touring so quickly back then, I’m sure we would’ve laughed at the thought.
How has the band grown working with Jon Zebley on the forthcoming (CD)?
We came to Zebley with the skeleton of a record, and we’ve been working with him to slowly build the body around it. Tuning constantly, metronomes at superhuman volumes, take after take after take, until it’s sounding absolutely perfect. Zebley makes you work for a “good” sound, and makes you break your back for a “great” one.
We couldn’t be happier with our choice of an engineer/producer and very skilled musician.
Describe the most memorable scenes from your recent tour with American Verse.
Where do we start? Getting tattoos in Philly, playing in the basement of a fancy Italian restaurant, partying in a legit castle/frat house. We met so many new people while we were out, and pretty much everyone was awesome. Hanging with American Verse was like being with friends we’ve known forever. Made the whole experience even better.
Where are you hoping to expand your fan base?
Our main focus right now is the Northeast. I think we are doing a pretty good job capturing the ears of Mainers. What we’d really love is to travel to any state and have at least one person singing along to all the words. It takes a lot of work and playing out, but we’re willing to put the effort in for sure.
How will the recent change at bass impact Steiner Street?
It probably won’t impact the writing and music too much, but a lot will change with just getting used to a new member. Brandon (B-Pratt) was the perfect fit as a member and a friend, and we already miss having him around. Currently, we have our good friend Jake Demchak filling in and doing a great job, but any member change usually involves big shoes to fill.
What bands do you admire in the Portland scene?
Right now we’ve really been into what Portland is pumping out. Bands like Pinsky, War Animal, Falls of Rauros, Man The Reformer, Background, Kurt Baker, Truth of My Youth. These musicians are putting their all into their music, and we wouldn’t want to have it any other way.
Mike Olcott is a freelance writer.
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