Interview With 'Off Guard'

Photo - Holly Turner

Firstly, introduce yourselves and tell us a little bit about the band and how you came to be?

We go by the name of Off Guard. We’re an Alternative Rock band from Long Island, New York. The band formed in mid 2016, but we have all been writing/playing music together for a few years now. After playing shows together under different names, we decided to get serious and write an album.

What were you all up too prior to the band, was this always the chosen path or did you have other dreams and aspirations?

Most of us were playing shows in different bands and/or going to college. We have all played shows/jammed together in the past, but never with this official lineup. We are all passionate about music and have wanted to make a career out of it since we were young.

Tell us about your latest EP and why our readers should check it out.

Our latest EP called “Set The Scene” comes out on October 27th. You guys should give it a listen because we put our heart and souls into this EP while not following any musical trends/riding any waves. The EP starts out with a dark and eerie vibe, but ends off with a warm and positive sound. With intricate harmonies, vocal runs and guitar riffs throughout the whole record, ‘Set The Scene’ is not an EP to sleep on.

Who would you say is the bands main song writer or is it a group effort and where do you draw your inspiration lyrically and musically from?

The band’s main lyricists are Matt Weiss (lead vocals) Tyler Embry (bass/vocals) and Matt Becker (guitar/vocals) but all of the instrumental parts and melodies are a group effort from the five of us. We draw most of our inspiration from real life situations and bands that we’ve all grown up listening to; like Pierce The Veil, Fall Out Boy, Foo Fighters and Queen.

As a band what do you believe is your greatest achievement to date and why?

Our biggest achievement to date is never kicking out our guitarist Doug Tuchler, no matter how many times he blows vape smoke in our faces.

Have you ever come face to face with someone within the music scene who has left you awestruck and why?

Nick met Travis Barker when he was 15. He was starstruck because Travis was Nick’s inspiration to be a drummer in the first place.

What do you enjoy most about touring?

The open road. Also, going to places we’ve never been before and meeting new people. We love the idea of performing in a new city every night.

If we were to head out to one of your live shows what can ourselves and others expect?

Every Off Guard show is full of high energy and dancing. We try our best to incorporate crowd involvement at all times. Most important, expect to join and become a part of the Off Guard family. We love our supporters and make sure to speak with everyone who comes to our shows.

If you had one artist/band that you could go on tour with tomorrow who would it be and why?

If I were to pick one artist to tour with tomorrow, I would say Post Malone because he seems like a cool guy to vibe with.

You can spend an hour with a musical icon living or dead, who would you pick, why and what would you speak about?

Probably John Lennon because he created a musical trend that is timeless. I would ask him about his songwriting techniques and his wildest experiences as a musician.

And finally and most importantly is Die Hard a Christmas Movie?

No, but I’d love to see Die Hard: Christmas Edition.

We just want to say thank you for taking the time to answer our questions.

Thank you for interviewing us!

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Offguardny/