Pressing Strings

We’re excited to be speaking today with acclaimed Marylandbased Indie, folk, and soul trio extraordinaire, Pressing Strings! Greetings and salutations, gang! Before we dive into the proverbial Q&A mosh-pit, could you each say ‘hi’ and introduce yourselves to our ever-inquisitive readers?

JORDAN: Hello Vents Magazine and its readers! We’re excited to be featured here. Even though the name Pressing Strings may sound like a bluegrass string band and often gets assumed as one, that’s not really what we do. It’s more of an electric rock band and we play a mix of bluesy, soul, groove-based pop music that leans heavy on lyricism and hooks.

Major congratulations on the freshly-minted July 14 release of your amazing new album …And I For You! Jordan, what was the genesis of this new gem, how did it come into being?

This album’s beginning goes back a few years and most of the songs were products of demos that I began working on around mid-2020. I tend to work on songs in phases, whether it’s a riff or a melody, and periodically go back and add a verse here or a pre-chorus there until it feels complete. We handpicked these songs to make an album that we felt was easy to consume for the modern day short attention span listener. This album is a little different from previous albums that we have put out in the past. The process became a lot more of a team effort from all three members as far as arranging the songs and coming up with individual parts. We have really worked hard on three-part harmonies to color the songs which is a new addition to the band with Justin Kruger joining the lineup and giving us another voice in the mix.

Nick, how is …And I For Yousimilar to such past music from Pressing Strings as Where We Are and Settle In? How is it different?

…And I For You is a lot more similar toSettle In than Where We Are. Where We Are was the band’s first release in 2008. I joined in 2011 when we recorded the Pressing Strings self-titled LP. I’d say the main similarity is Jordan’s songwriting. Josh Kachura sang and wrote some of the songs on the albums from 2008-2012, after that all of the songs have been written by Jordan. …And I For You was produced and recorded (except for the live tracks) at Wright Way Studios in Baltimore by Steve Wright, where Settle In was recorded as well. Adding Justin Kruger to the group on drums a couple years ago has been great. …And I For You also has more of a soul/ rock vibe to it than our previous albums.

Justin, who was the producer on …And I For You and what did the collaboration between band and producer look like in the studio?

Our beloved producer and engineer on the album is Steve Wright, owner of Baltimore’s Wright Way Studios. A completely unassuming side street studio that opens into 4600 square feet of beautiful historic walls of music recording! There’s rooms I haven’t even seen. Artists from Rihanna to Steel Pulse have recorded there. Many of our local peers like Super City and Outcalls do lots of their work there. I’ve done work there with other groups and PS’s last album Settle In was almost completely done there, so I had complete trust and comfort walking into this relationship. Steve Wright CARES. He pushed us to do one more take. Try this note. Try this guitar. Lay back. Lean in! As a drummer, I’ve been fortunate to do a TON of recording sessions, and I don’t always walk away in love with my drum sounds. Steve is some kind of Jedi in this field. Our studio collaboration looked like a happy, open, and welcoming space that Steve Wright facilitated into one of my proudest releases to date.

Jordan, what differentiates …And I For You from the distinguished competition on the 2023 music scene?

That’s a tough one. The bar is set really high and there are so many bands coming out with incredible music, and I find that comparing ourselves with other bands in a competitive sense is useless and kind of uninspiring to me. With that being said, I think this record is our strongest and most realized version of the band. There was an effort to blend a polished studio sound at the beginning of the album and a handful of live one-take, no overdub versions of songs on the back end of the album. That way it feels like the album goes somewhere instead of sounding overly homogeneous. So, I think that’s what separates this album from others. There is a great flow to it that gives a really authentic picture of the band right now.

Nick, …And I For You is being released this July 14 via Evil Teen Records. What makes Evil Teen the perfect home for the new LP?

Evil Teen is the perfect home for our new LP because they are able to show our music to a wide variety of music lovers. If you are a fan of classic rock, country, or soul/funk music…then I believe you will enjoy …And I For You.

Justin, on the heels of the release of …And I For You, can fans look forward to catching Pressing Strings on the touring/performing circuit?

July and August are stacked full of really fun tour stops including a AAA radio conference in Colorado. That one features heavy acts like Grace Potter, Andy Frasco,and Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real, but what we are there for is to shake hands and impress radio folks. A new album in hand and a chance to turn heads is maybe my favorite position to be in on stage. Underdogs. The unknown group that in minutes creates a buzz and starts some talk. Beyond that, YES of course. We have been working with our team to properly release this album and perform it. Wheels are turning and working well!

A question for all of you: Who inspires you musically?

NICK- I listened to a lot of 90s/early 2000s rock when I was first learning bass in middle school. As I got older, I started listening to a lot more classic rock and funk/R&B from the 60s and 70s. I also played upright bass in orchestra in middle and high school, as well as jazz band in middle and high school on bass guitar. All of those helped me be exposed to a wide variety of genres. I wouldn’t say one specific thing influences me musically.

JUSTIN - My inspiration comes from different places! Lots of days, it comes from the band! You should love who you play and perform with! Some days it’s the teachings my musical parents gave me. Other days it’s knowing my wife is in a hospital making people’s lives happier and healthier. SOME days it’s just me! Remembering that I’ve worked hard, earned a place in the world of music, and I too make people happy when I play.

JORDAN- It’s not always a question of who but also what inspires me. I love trading gear and having new, interesting toys and guitars to play and see what songs are sitting in them. I’m a dad to 3 young daughters and just witnessing them grow into themselves with my wife has been the most inspiring thing I’ve ever experienced, and that’s what most of this new album is about. This band and our dedication to the cause really inspires me. I really feel like we can play on the same stage as anyone in the world and hold our own and that’s a great feeling. AfieJuravanan (Bahamas), Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Dan Aurbach (Black Keys) are all people I find inspiring that continue to put out amazing work.

Jordan, Pressing Strings hails from the beautiful city of Annapolis, Maryland. How do those roots inform the sound of the band?

The scene in Annapolis is pretty organic, mostly bar gigs. It’s all very tightknit and supportive and the thing that makes this town really special is the comradery among the musicians and audience. I’m not originally from Maryland and didn’t have any experience playing in bands when I was young, so I always sort of looked at it from an outsider’s perspective when I was first playing bars at 20 yearsold. Watching all of the veteran musicians tear it up on any given day of the week inspired me to get better and showed me that there was a path to doing this for a living. We literally developed a lot of our band’s material playing weekly bar gigs for years straight and you learn a lot about how to connect with an audience that way. That kind of repetition really tightens up a band.

Nick, can you give readers the VH1-Behind the Music origin story on how Pressing Strings came together as the incredibly tight and harmonious group that we hear today?

Jordan started the band when he was attending Salisbury University with Josh Kachura, who also played guitar and sang. I joined the group in 2011 on bass and we played as a four piece for a few years with Bob Novak on drums. Josh left the group after that and we’ve performed as a trio since then. Brandon Bartlett played drums with us 2014-2020. Justin joined the group in 2021 and also can sing harmonies as well. It’s been fun/challenging making up three-part harmonies and performing them live. We got connected with Hard Head Management in 2019 after opening up for Jerry Douglas at The Hamilton in Washington D.C. One of Stef Scamardo’s friends was in the crowd that night and introduced us to her.

Jordan, at the end of the day what do you hope listeners walk away with after giving …And I For You many-a spin on their respective hi-fi systems?

I hope they listen to it over and over again. I hope they pass it aroundto their friends and family and it continues to grow and help bring people joy. I want it to inspire other bands and singers and pass that feeling along like it’s been passed to me.

Final - SILLY! - Question (for all of you): Favorite movie about the music scene - This Is Spinal Tap, Almost Famous, 8 Mile, American Hot Wax, La Bamba or Oliver Stone’s The Doors?

NICK - My favorite movie about the music scene is probably Airheads. The entire movie is completely ridiculous and all of the old SNL people are great in it.

JUSTIN - this is hard. I really love movies. But I’m gonna go with Airheads. Adam Sandler, Brendan Fraser, and Steve Buscemi are a band and they take a radio station hostage with fake squirt guns to demand their new single get played, and their lives change forever into rock stardom. It’s so damn absurd, especially now. If you’ve never seen it, it’s full of amazing actors, and incredible comedy.

JORDAN -Annnd we all picked Airheads…but I’ll change my answer. I’m a big documentary guy and I think the Peter Jackson Beatles doc Get Back might be my favorite music movie. It’s fascinating to get a fly on the wall perspective of those sessions all these years later considering how massive those songs ultimately became. Their personalities are all under a spotlight like I’d never seen before.