5 minute read
Against the Current
from Issue 16
Vocalist Chrissy Costanza, guitarist Dan Gow and drummer Will Ferri of Against The Current have a collaborative workflow. Bringing forth different moments and thoughts to the table, they join efforts when writing music. After Chrissy handles the lyrics and vocals, the guys contribute their feedback, and the trio goes from there. “We’ve always had a good dynamic naturally. We all have areas that we individually excel in, and we fill in each other’s blanks,” Chrissy details.
In May of 2016, they released their first full-length album, In Our Bones. With this effort, Against The Current continue to bring new sounds to their audiences while elevating their music to the next level. “Our fans are awesome, and because a lot of them have been with us for a while now, they’ve learned to never really know what to expect from us,” Chrissy begins. “Although this is risky in the sense that there might not be a sound that is very distinctly ATC, the album came as close to that as it could, and our fans gave us awesome feedback on it. It’s definitely the reaction we had hoped for, so we’re really excited,” she expresses.
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Like their band name suggests, the band is constantly looking for new ways to change up their music and keep listeners on their toes. Whether they’re switching up lyrics or altering a song’s vibe, the trio aims to make their music the best it can be. “Honestly, we just like to experiment with any genre,” Chrissy acknowledges. “It sounds weird to say that, but even if a song is inspired by one genre, we can still adapt it to fit Against The Current. ‘Forget Me Now’ started as an R&B song, even though it sounds absolutely nothing like it now. We’re always open to trying different things,” she states.
Overall, Against The Current fully involved themselves in this record, both mentally and physically. “We put little pieces of our souls into every song, so every one of them is a part of us in some way,” Chrissy reflects. “For me, ‘Wasteland’ is the one I feel the most connected to. It’s an analogy for the music industry and very indicative of my personality. It has this dreamy feeling, but there’s something wrong at the same time, and I love that,” she discloses.
Looking over every last detail and checking for ways to improve, the band had trouble “knowing when to let go,” Chrissy laughs. “We’re such perfectionists that we could’ve worked on In Our Bones for the rest of our lives, but we had to know when to take our hands off and say, ‘Okay, this is it now,’” she admits.
Evidently, it’s no surprise that the members of Against The Current grew up loving music. Chrissy, for one, started singing before she even knew what music was. “There wasn’t an obvious moment in time that sparked my love of music. Before I could even talk, I sang little songs in complete baby talk gibberish, and, since then, I’ve been singing,” she reminisces. “I started writing my own songs when I got my first guitar at age nine, but my love of music had already been ignited,” she adds.
Dan and Will, on the other hand, were motivated to play in bands from a young age. “Dan and Will had been in bands since they were ten years old, so their families were already used to the idea of them pursuing music as a career,” Chrissy
tells us. “I had to do some convincing with my parents because Dan and Will lived an hour and a half away, and, at fifteen years old, I couldn’t drive myself to them on my own. My mom had to caravan me back and forth,” she remembers.
In their early years, the members of Against The Current observed Poughkeepsie’s local music scene, which had an impact on them and taught them how to be a part of a music community. “We would go to shows at The Chance Theater all the time and see tons of the bands that we now either tour with or that are no longer even together,” Chrissy details. “Watching bands helped us learn the ropes so we knew what to do upon entering the scene,” she points out.
Fast forward to today, and Against The Current has long since broken out of the local scene and joined the ranks of bands touring not just America but overseas as well. In 2016, they even joined the festival circuit and completed their first stint on Vans Warped Tour. Being involved for two months on the nationwide tour proved to be a great learning experience for the trio. “I think we just became a better live band,” Chrissy reflects. “There are so many shows packed into that tour and hardly any days off, so we had a lot of time to really hone in our skills when it comes to playing live,” she comments.
Knowing friends who have previously been on Warped Tour helped prepare them for the endeavor, which can often be a challenging experience for both first-time bands and veterans of the tour. “Warped Tour is an extremely unique tour; there’s truly nothing else like it,” Chrissy exclaims. “We’re lucky to have a lot of friends who had done the tour before, so we knew exactly what we were getting into with it. Thankfully, we didn’t have any major surprises,” she remarks.
All of these touring opportunities stem from the dedication they have for the music they create. Still, their successes didn’t come overnight, and the trio originally relied on the Internet to get their music heard. When the band first started out, they turned to YouTube as a means of sharing both their covers and their original tracks.
Through time, YouTube became a platform for them to share their content with listeners all around the world. Furthermore, the site also put them in touch with other artists and paved the road for collaborations. “Through YouTube, we quickly developed not only a local fan base, but also a global one,” Chrissy confirms. “We’ve been able to tour around the world many times because of the way YouTube allowed us to connect with fans in other countries. And, in terms of other artists, collaborations brought us together with quite a few people,” she explains.
Since that time in the band’s career, Against The Current has witnessed the presence of more and more artists on YouTube. With an increase in the number of people producing content, it becomes harder to project oneself. “It’s much more saturated now,” Chrissy notes. “People are obsessed with going viral and will do anything for it. There were a lot fewer YouTube musicians when we started, and they were all doing it because of their love of music. They weren’t necessarily trying to go viral. It’s still an important platform to utilize as a budding musician, but it’s harder to stand out because there are so many people fighting for their spotlight,” she clarifies.
Rather than focusing on the potential fame, Chrissy believes that aspiring musicians should focus on making music that represents their true selves. “It sounds cheesy, but, really, people should just follow their heart,” Chrissy reflects. “Everyone has their own personality and something that makes them stand out, and they just have to let that shine through. So many people miss out on themselves because they’re trying so hard to just be something. You don’t have to be anything but you to be unique,” she continues.
After taking on tours in Europe, Asia, and North America, Against The Current plan to go with the flow of creating music, with the hopes of being inspired by their experiences and the fans they meet along the way. “Our goals have always been to make the music we love and to bring it to as many people as possible. We still believe in that today,” Chrissy emphasizes.
PHOTOS LORI GUTMAN
INTERVIEW + STORY ELIZABETH LOO
