Interview With 'The Haunting'
Firstly, introduce yourselves and tell us a little bit about the band and how you came to be?
We are The Haunting from Brooklyn, New York. The name describes us best; difficult to ignore or forget. We’re all about the party and giving to our fans an unforgettable show which is constantly developing with new songs, samples and interludes! We’ve been a band for about 2 years now, and our lineup currently consists of:
Tom: Vocals
Craig: Guitar
John: Drums
Colin: Bass
We’ve all been in different bands for the last few years, some of which together, and others not. Last summer there was a time where John and Craig were moving forward with The Haunting and Tom and Colin were looking for something new. From there it’s been a nonstop party.
What were you all up too prior to the band, was this always the chosen path or did you have other dreams and aspirations?
Tom: I think we all knew we wanted to be successful musicians, it just took us a while to find each other. As for me, I’ve been singing/annoying my family since I can remember haha. In my middle school year book I said I was gonna be a singer or a professional wrestler... I doubt I’ll be the main event at Wrestlemania any time soon, haha. So, music has always been my go to. Growing up I didn’t have the best childhood, and when things got bad my mom would always tell me “Go to your room and blast the radio”. I think that stuck with me.
Craig: I fell in love with music when I was blasting 'Hybrid Theory' in middle school. Since then it was always a dream of mine to tour and play monster shows with people going insane.
John: The Haunting has been a writing aspiration for me since 2012. I’ve been in a few other bands in that timeframe, but I kept coming back to this wanting to make it something fresh and fun. We’re finally at a point where this has become our full-time project and I couldn’t be happier.
Colin: The moment I began playing guitar when I was 14 I knew music would be an integral part of my life. Having since performed in bands on tour, solo acoustic at restaurants and classical recitals; it’s safe to say that a decade later I’m still following my dream to simply play and create music. Today in concurrence with my guitar/bass performing I live day to day as an Audio Engineer & Music Producer. So from my morning coffee up till my Netflix series before bed I’m living that dream!
Tell us about your latest release and why our readers should check it out.
Craig: We’re dropping a new single every month- the first Friday of every month. We’re huge fans of Hip Hop and R&B and we want to combine that music with Post Hardcore and Djent. If that doesn’t entice you I don’t know what will.
Tom: That’s right. We’re not releasing an EP or album this year. Instead, we are releasing a new single every month... for the whole year! So the first Friday of every month keep your eyes and ears tuned in!
That being said, our latest single “YNG GDS” is about living life like you’re already gone and just having fun with no worries. It’s ok to make drunken mistakes, text your ex, indulge in some gluten. We’re all gonna die eventually, have no regrets.
Colin: New single. First Friday of the month. Every Month. Listen. Love it. Come see it live! Repeat.
John: I think we’ve made it plenty clear. Turn. Up. Fridays.
Have you ever come face to face with someone within the music scene who has left you awestruck and why?
John: I don’t know if “awestruck” is the right word for us. All four of us are extremely outgoing and love meeting new people, in the music scene or not. Any time we play with bands that are bigger than us, or any time we meet people we always say the same thing, “Hey, great to meet you, what are you drinking?” From there it’s a party.
Colin: All the time I’m left awestruck by my brothers in The Haunting, but also just about every time we gig there are always at minimum a few truly exceptional musicians whom also happen to be amazing people. New York has an abundance of talent!
If we were to head out to one of your live shows what can ourselves and others expect?
Tom: A mix between Cardi B and Atilla... we’re not kidding. Expect a party. Our songs’ intention is to get people moving, and we combine them with Hip-Hop interludes that keep the party going. No dead air, no time to talk, we’re all in, all the time. We want everyone to have a good time and just let go for 30 minutes when we’re on stage. Forget about your job, forget about your bills, grab a drink, and turn up!
Colin: At our shows you can expect to see Tom losing his mind and himself in the music. Completely killing it. John beating on drums like they owe him money. Craig straight shredding on guitar. Myself providing you the bass groove. Finally an awesome array of samples and interludes. You can expect epic party music with Trap, Alternative, Hip-Hop, Pop and Hardcore influences that’s one of a kind!
If you had one artist/band that you could go on tour with tomorrow who would it be and why?
Craig: I would love to hit the road on a homies tour: Northern Ghosts, Set to Stun, Born Of Osiris, Fire From The Gods; Mostly to see how many states would not allow us back in.
John: I agree with Craig, for sure. The homies tour would be insane and there’s a legitimate probability we don’t get back into half of the states we play in. Another tour for me that would be a blast would be with Issues, Palisades, and I See Stars. I feel like that would be a great tour sonically, and the parties could be huge.
Colin: Anybody who truly knows me would know the answer to who I’d like to tour with without even having to ask the question. It’s Ed Sheeran. Man is remarkable and to even ever perform with him just once would be an unfathomable honor!
You can spend an hour with a musical icon living or dead, who would you pick, why and what would you speak about?
Tom: I’d love to share a couple rounds with Freddie Mercury, David Bowie, Michael Jackson, Janis Joplin, and Kurt Cobain. That’d just be an amazing party haha, but I’d love to hear all their touring stories. They were all huge influences to not only me, but a lot of musicians I know. So I’d be awesome to see what their outlook on today’s music scene is. I also need Michael to teach me how me moonwalk.
Colin: Ed Sheeran. I would pick his brain on songwriting for the hour. Go in prepared with questions and note pads like a nerd.
John: I would love to spend an hour with Prince. Not only is he a charismatic icon, but he was without question one of the greatest songwriters in history. I would love to pick his brain and discover how he combines song structure and progressions with his natural energy.
And finally, and most importantly is Die Hard a Christmas Movie?
There are two people in the world: those that believe Die Hard is a Christmas movie, and those that are wrong. Die Hard is to Christmas as Turkey is To Thanksgiving.
Website - TheHauntingNY.com
Facebook - facebook.com/TheHauntingNY
Instagram & Twitter: @TheHauntingNY
