Alternative and hard rock band Soundspeak performed at Spring Fling this weekend. The band’s first performance at Binghamton University was held at the Undergounds last year, where students enjoyed its hard-rock vibe. The group came back for round 2, rocking the Peace Quad stage free of charge. It was the perfect performance to enjoy before heading into the Glenn G. Bartle Library for finals week, and Release had the opportunity to interview the band before they hit the stage.

Release: When and how did the band form?

Soundspeak: Back in 2009, Salchi responded to Nick’s ad for a drummer posted on Craigslist. Salchi came to New York City and began working on material with front man Nick Sumner. After making music together, they decided to search for a bassist. Salchi was already childhood friends with a bassist named Chops, who was also living in New York at the time. After just one session, the trio instantly knew they wanted to play together since their musical talents just clicked.

R: Have you had a lot of concerts and shows throughout the New York area?

S: We play predominantly in the NYC area, though we have been trying to get out of the city a bit more often and extending our reach. The band plays at least once a month in different places including Jersey and cities in upstate New York like Poughkeepsie. We even had the chance to play at South by Southwest. It was a 35-hour drive, but the festival was an awesome lifetime experience for us. The people were so willing to listen to new music, and way more accepting of new music than here at home.

R: What are your biggest musical influences?

S: Tool, Stone Temple Pilots and Jess Buckley.

R: How would you describe your sound?

S: Our music has very driven riffs, lots of energy and strong rhythms. Our lyrics are very poignant and have something to say with attitude.

R: How would you describe the messages of your lyrics?

S: Although Nick is the main lyricist, we all have the same way of thinking, which is punk at heart. That’s why we’re all together to make music. We’re all very independent people who don’t fit into the mindless stuff that the media throws at you. We’re really against that, and it’s more of a rebellious and attitude thing that we like to do.

R: How many albums do you have out, and are you currently producing any new music?

S: We currently have a three-song demo EP released. We also have a producer, and we’re getting ready to work on the new album. The band is so excited about this because we have very strong music and we really want to record it. We feel that we can reach more people this way. The band is looking to record within the next month, and the CD release will hopefully happen in July.

R: Are there any other upcoming plans for the band?

S: Ideally we want to use this recording to promote and tour, so we’re aiming to tour in July. We’re also in the Top 100 of getting picked for Battle of the Bands, which would land us a spot to play on Warped Tour.

R: What’s your favorite part about playing in Soundspeak?

S: We really enjoy just getting together and creating new music that we all enjoy. Whenever we make new music, we create songs that we would listen to even if it wasn’t our own band playing it. We all enjoy playing our instruments, and you enjoy playing them together.

For more on Soundspeak, check out its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/soundspeak for tunes and updates.