You hear their songs on every edition of “The Morning Show,” and now North Penn alumni Find Vienna are back and busier than ever. With new album In Flight launching this month, I got them to take a break from their crazy practice schedule to fill me in on exactly why you should come out to World Café Live on December 22.
First off, introduce yourselves.
Find Vienna is Ian Walsh on lead guitar, Paul Mencel on bass, Patrick Mencel on rhythm guitar and lead vocals, and Mark McGuire on drums.
Which of you went to North Penn? When did you graduate? Were you involved in the music programs while you were here?
Paul, Pat, and Mark all went to North Penn. 2005, 2007, and 2008, respectively. We were all heavily involved in the music programs. Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band, and Paul even did marching band–against his will.
Did any of you study music in college?
Pat and Ian both studied music in college. Pat went to University of the Arts in Philadelphia, and Ian went to Berklee in Boston. Paul studied Chemistry/Physics and Mark studied International Business, both at Temple University
How did the band get started? How long have you been a band?
Find Vienna has existed, in its current outfit, for the past year and a half now, but Pat, Paul, and Mark have been playing together for about 5 years. Paul and Pat started writing music and recorded a demo in the summer/fall of 2007, and that is when they asked Mark to join. After various name changes–Patrick Grant and the Rising, Clarity–and various members, Ian Walsh joined in the late spring of 2010. Ian had his own band and he decided to go a different direction. Pat, Paul and Mark met Ian at a show in Connecticut, where they played together. There was a really evident mutual respect for one another, and it was only a matter of time until the two sides would unite.
IW: We did the classic CD swap and I couldn’t stop spinning their record at the time–In Your Favorite Colors–and couldn’t get over a song called “Chemistry.” Not long after that, I was taking time off from music out of frustration when I get a message from Patrick asking me to join the band… It was a no brainer.
Where did the name Find Vienna come from?
Austria has been home to many classical musicians like Bach and Mozart. They were the original composers of rock and roll and we chose the name to always be inspired and always remember what it means to make real music. Find Vienna stands for the quest of that search.
Your debut EP, In Your Favorite Colors, came out in 2010. What were some of the influences for that?
In Your Favorite Colors was inspired by living in the city of Philadelphia. At the time, the band was all living in the city. We were going through a transitional phase from classic folk music to what we saw as more of a rock-influenced, melodic, colorful, arena-like sound. Other than being inspired by artists like James Taylor and Jack Johnson, we found our niche in bands like U2, The Police, and Coldplay. Basically, folk music with a little bit more color.
Your new EP, In Flight, is coming out on December 22. Where did you find influence for the new music?
In Flight is inspired by our lives and the struggle of being musicians. The music industry is a different world than it used to be. It’s about paving our own path versus traveling the path that has been paved. In Flight consists of true stories. It is a group of the most inspirational songs the band has ever written and every song has a message.
Who writes the songs? Do you have one primary songwriter or is it all collaboration?
Paul M: The process differs according to how the idea first came about, but the typical formula starts with Patrick coming in with an idea ranging from just a few lines to a fully realized song. Usually he and I will sit down and rip through it until we get a vision of what the song really is, then we both tweak the chords, melodies, and lyrics accordingly. After the song is written, all four of us sit in rehearsal and bang around ideas and experiment ways how to make the song shine to its fullest potential, which sometimes includes going back to the drawing board on certain aspects of the tune. After some time letting the good ideas sink in and the not so good ones float away, we will start drafting demos in the studio to make sure things are sounding the way they should. When things are sounding right, we play it out live a few times to see what happens. With each song comes a different story, but this was a common path we took towards the completion of In Flight.
You had the opportunity to play a show with Neon Trees earlier this year. What was that like?
We played a show with Neon Trees at the beginning of 2011 to a sold out New York City crowd at Webster Hall. It really turned out to be a catalyst for a lot of the other opportunities that we were given throughout the rest of the year. We had played some big shows before, but there was nothing like the magnitude of a little under two thousand young faces staring at us as we ripped our set through that monster sound system. The show was a great moment for Find Vienna and it gave us enough of a taste to confirm that we want nothing more than to be doing that every night. It was also a pleasure, because the members of Neon Trees were very kind and welcoming to us–and a blast to hang out with.
How do you feel about today’s music industry?
Today’s music industry is a bit different then the industry of the past. Today the industry is very web based. This is a blessing and a curse. It is a blessing because more bands have the opportunity to get heard and develop a strong fan base online. However, the curse is that the web is so saturated with artists its hard for one artist to shine over another. The Internet is sort of “leveling” out the playing field a bit. A band without major support but great web presence has the ability to outshine a major act these days. As a result, the industry is becoming very innovative. Each act is trying to find that one thing that makes them shine. Look at OK Go for example. They created a huge fan base by creating a very innovative video. BUT, it doesn’t just have to be a video–it can be a Widget, an App., a Facebook page or anything. The industry really is the Wild West at the moment. And acts need to do what they can to make sure they rise above the rest.
What has been your biggest obstacle as a band?
Our biggest obstacle has been money. We equate being in a band to owning our own business, but without a business loan to start your company. Recording a CD costs thousands of dollars but for some reason, people think that they don’t have to pay for that product. Somebody has to front that money and hope that it gets recouped. In addition to that, you have to play shows outside of your hometown so that you can spread your music into other potential markets. This means buying/renting a van, paying for gas–gas doesn’t go too far in a 15-passenger van, tolls, and that doesn’t even include actually getting paid. We’re talking about breaking even here. It is very rare if you don’t lose money when trying to break into a new market. As you can imagine, you have a limited amount of money, and budgeting becomes very important in order to sustain your shows, but your career as a band. If it weren’t for the incredible support from our families and fans, this band would have been done a long time ago.
How has support been? Do you see a lot of the same fans at shows?
Support has been great! Yes, we see a lot of the same faces but we also always see new faces as well and those new faces become familiar faces and so on. That’s how you start a fan base.
Why should someone come out to a Find Vienna show?
Paul M: For the feeling. We are still in the beginning stages and each show creates a sense of ownership for the listeners. We aren’t playing huge arena’s so the fans really feel like that are part of the show and part of the movement; its a small cult that is a blast to be apart of. It just feels great to be there with your friends and to create new friends at our shows.
MM: While we play often, every show is unique for us. We all have serious cases of ADD, so we like to change things up, swap songs in and out of sets, change the set order around, etcetera. Plus, you just never know what Pat is going to say. That kid is the definition of a wildcard. He really keeps you on your toes.
When is your next show? How are you preparing for it?
Our next show is a CD release at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia on December 22. We’re really excited to be playing here again. This is our favorite spot to play in Philly, and we will be sharing the stage with our good friends Atomic Tom.
We have been practicing our butts off for this show because we have five brand new songs to debut. Not only do we have new music, but we have a few other new elements that we are excited to introduce to the show. There’s only one way to find out what they are…
