Have you heard about this radical battle of the bands that Music & Arts happens to be putting on? In case you haven’t, you can check out some information on it here. It plans to be fabulous. It plans to be fun. It plans to be … a battle. In anticipation of the extravaganza, we reached out to all seven finalists and asked them all the same five questions. What shall we do with the five answers we received to the five questions? Well, we shall share them with you. That’s what we shall do. We began with Israel Creek and Nasim Siddeeq and now, next up is Will Wood of Will Wood and the Tapeworms, who will be representin’ Paramus, New Jersey. They’ll be competing Thursday night. The fun begins at 5 p.m. The venue is Champions. Go rock. Go roll.
First, tell us a little about the band. How did it come to be, how long have you been together and how would you describe your music?
I could start semi-automatic rapid-firing adjectives into your head but it wouldn’t do much good. You’re not gonna get any impression of this sound from text or speech. Strap on your headphones and stream it on maximum volume ’till it hurts and you’ll maybe start to get close to what we do onstage. This project has been growing and tangling around itself for a couple years now, with over three dozen Tapeworms shoved on and off the stage with instruments down their throats and me screaming “attitude comes before talent,” and each song is different each time we play them. You have not heard anything like Will Wood And The Tapeworms before. You can call us boastful for now, but you’ll be calling us your new favorite after the show.
Have you ever competed in a battle of the bands before? If so, how did you do? If not, do you have a strategy going into this competition?
We don’t compete. Because we play a different game. We win by setting an example that changes the rules of engagement, and the judges are gonna need to draw up a second rubric. I’ll show you what I mean on the 13th.
What do you think is the most perfect song ever written and why?
In order for something to be perfect, there has to be a set of standards for it to meet, and I don’t believe there’s anything that can inherently define a song as being what it is. Anything can be catchy, anything can be interesting, anything can be fun and there’s an infinite amount of new ways to write and perform that nobody has ever explored yet. No song can ever be perfect, and that’s the fun of writing them.
What’s the best part about working for Music & Arts?
(From Matthew Berger, saxophone, flute, sound effects, synths): Music & Arts gives me and other M&A employees the opportunity to work alongside other people personally and professionally involved in music production and performance. We can learn from one another, expand our network of fellow musicians, and grow as individuals both in and out of the workplace.
And finally, how would you spend the $1,000 gift card, should you take home first place?
Noisemakers, oddball percussion, new toys, anything to help create the newest, strangest sounds we’ve ever created. This is all about expression, exploration, creativity, and bringing about a new way of thinking about music. To really think outside the box, first you need to understand there is no box.
