After seeing The Sound of Growing Up’s stirring music video for “The Kite,” I had some burning questions for the boys, Justin Kao (vocals, guitar), Tom Meunier (guitar, vocals), Steve Tagarelis (bass, vocals) and Gerard Beaudoin (drums). In my review of their EP, Drifting, I likened the band to Ben Folds and said “the sound is simple, and yet the simplicity is the beauty.”

Liz Livengood: What did you all want to be when you grew up?

Gerard Beaudoin: I wanted to be an archaeologist, a professional wrestler, or a lawyer.

Steve Tagarelis: I always had that stereotypical boy’s dream of wanting to be a Major League Baseball player.

Justin Kao: I wanted to be Luke Skywalker.

LL: Talk to me about the video for “The Kite.” What did the letters mean to you?

GB:  The letters represented another artist’s interpretation of our song.  Eric [Nichols] did a great job coming up with a completely original and creative script.

JK:  I’ve heard a lot of different takes on it from people, and I love that about it.  To me, they represent the idea of how difficult it can be to attain something that you think you’re missing, and how hard that chase to attain it can be – which coincides with the theme of the song.

TM: I’m not too good at reading, so I have no idea what the letters mean.  But we’re looking forward to sharing it with fans and new listeners.  Also, Justin looks hot.

LL: If you weren’t doing this (the band), what do you think your life would be like?

GB: I’d cross state lines a lot less, and miss out on meeting all the cool people I’ve met on the road.

JK: I’d probably be a pretty successful rapper by now.  Or I’d have a lot more free time.

 

LL: Does it bother you to be compared to Ben Folds?

GB: No.

TM: It bothers me when we’re not compared to Ben Folds.

LL: What’s the best/favorite show you’ve played so far? What made it so good?

TM: Pretty recently we took a trip to Manhattan to play in the basement of some bar.  Certainly not the classiest of affairs, but in that cave of a club, we hit a groove – the music and people really connected.  That kind of energy makes it all worthwhile.

GB: My favorite show would have to be when we played the side stage at TT the Bear’s place.  It was intimate and the crowd was giving off a great chemistry.

ST: The National Underground in New York City.  That room filled up and we played a really good set to a very receptive crowd.  By the end of the set I was drained, my hands were killing me, my ears were ringing, and it must have been 120 degrees in that room. I almost passed out but it was certainly the most fun I ever had playing music.

JK: We played a showcase for Rolling Stone Magazine a bit back in Cambridge – that was probably the coolest show I’ve been a part of and the first time we sold out a venue.

LL: Weirdest fan story?

TM: This one guy who comes to all of our shows in Boston – 7 feet tall and louder than a Marshall Stack.

JK: Nothing too weird really…One fan sent me a drawing she did of me, which was more flattering than weird because she actually made me look cool.

LL: Do you get more action being in a band?

TM:  You’d think, right?

ST: If anything I get less action.

JK: We don’t do that stuff.  We all wear matching purity rings like The Jonas Brothers.

LL: Does it worry you that your band name is so long and that the abbreviation is largely unpronounceable? (Unless you speak Japanese, of course)

GB: I’ve heard people dub it TSOGU… (so-goo), and I think that’s now the shorthand my mind uses come to think of it.

LL: Tour plans?

JK:  We’re working on it!  Expect some expanded east coast love sometime soon.  Beyond that, it’s not so clear – but we would love to travel out west if all the pieces fall into place.

LL: New album plans?

JK:  We’ve started demoing new songs already.  We have been writing lots of new stuff, and if you catch a show a lot of the songs in our set are new ones.  It’s still really early on in the process, but things are looking good.  I can’t wait for people to hear some of the newer songs.

LL: Where is your dream venue?

TM: Umbria Jazz Festival in Perugia- so we can go to Italy and eat cheese.

ST: My dream venue would probably be playing a house party filled with the people of importance in my life.

LL: One word to describe The Sound of Growing Up?

ST: Melody.

JK: Transition

Folks from Massachusetts can see The Sound of Growing Up on May 24 at The Middle East Upstairs in Cambridge. 8:30 pm. They’re playing with Allison Weiss and The Control. Only $10!