10 Questions With the winter without.

Good Vibes in Trying Times available Friday May 12th anywhere that music can be found!

A year ago, Anthony stood on stage with his former band, screaming words he co-wrote to the famous walls of the Stone Pony, a storied music venue in Asbury Park, NJ. Today, he’s releasing Good Vibes in Trying Times as the winter without, a side project born in Seattle in 2018.

Anthony’s journey as a musician has been anything but linear. From standing in the same spot as Bruce Springsteen and other legends, to over a decade playing festivals and clubs, to criss-crossing the country in a car packed with his music gear and worldly possessions, creative and personal growth is no stranger to Anthony. In fact, it’s key to his message.

Previous musical influences and life events accelerated Anthony’s songwriting, producing, and personal growth. The result is Good Vibes in Trying Times, a fresh 6-track album that blends emo and alternative genres and subgenres.

The lead single “Unrelated Popcorn Fire” drew me in with its bright melody and twinkly energy. It’s a perfect intro to the rest of the album, a polished, radio-ready romp of multi-instrumental talent that just might make your day better.

By the way, the album is good. Like, really good. But don’t just take my word for it. 😉

I sat down with Anthony to ask 10 questions about the winter without:

1. Who is the winter without.?

“the winter without. is me – it’s a side project I started a few years back. I play all the instruments: drums, bass, guitar, vocals, triangle. (Yes, I’ve incorporated the triangle in one of my tracks). Musically, the winter without. is influenced by Midwest emo and math rock. It’s something that can be enjoyed by people who don’t listen to those genres.

I’ve experimented with different sounds and styles. I’ve found a solid balance between the serene and melodic aspects of emo, and its raw and aggressive elements.

If the winter without. had a mission statement: this album is about looking forward, not being weighed down by the past (whether musically, or in my personal life); it’s important and exciting and to see what’s next, and grow in a positive, healthy way.”

2. What kicked off this project?

“So, flashback to 2018. I left everyone and everything behind and drove across the country [from New Jersey] to live in Seattle for a bit. I wanted to get away from pretty much everything about my current life, and experience living in a place I had absolutely fallen in love with over the previous year.

It was quite a transformative time. Of course, I still wanted to have that creative outlet. I had been in bands for 6 years, and I had just begun to start making music on my own. So, I started a project that at the time I called Down Again, before becoming the winter without. in 2021.

I thought it was time to learn new skills, particularly on the production side. I figured, I know a little of how to play these instruments. Why don’t I start learning how to make music on my own time, and not having to deal with all the drama that I’ve experienced in bands?

There was definitely a learning curve at first, learning how to engineer. But each project I created turned out better than the last. I saw that progression, and naturally I kept going. Even when I moved back to New Jersey and joined new bands, I still kept my own music because I had my own message that I wanted to put out into the world.

It’s really cathartic, I think, to express yourself in music. From the writing process, recording, mixing, you begin to realize that all those negative feelings are being channeled into a creative outlet, and your focus is now on creating something and setting and achieving goals rather than sinking into a pit of despair over things you can’t change.”

3. Tell us about the first single, Unrelated Popcorn Fire.

“Unrelated Popcorn Fire” is track one from Good Vibes in Trying Times. It’s a great introduction to this album. It’s the bridge between the high-energy pop punk influences that those fans would enjoy, while also introducing the twinkly Midwest emo style that I’ve recently taken up, and one that you’ll hear throughout the rest of the album. When I wrote this song, it was like a lightning in a bottle moment. I feel like the song wrote itself. When it was finished, I thought it was absolutely going to be track one. It’s the bridge between my old stuff and new stuff.

I was reading a book called How to Write Better Lyrics. After reading the chapter on metaphors, I was like, okay… ‘you were the matches / I was the branches set ablaze.’ I kept that rhyme scheme going. I kept that vowel sound. ‘I guess nothing’s changed / I miss when we were strangers. I really like using flows like that. I’m very intentional about my rhyme schemes. That makes writing a song easier.

Oh yeah, and the title comes from a Key and Peele sketch. It works because the popcorn fire is totally unrelated. It has nothing to do with the piece of music you’re about to hear.”

4. What does the album title Good Vibes in Trying Times mean to you?

“This record explores growing up during a turbulent time in one’s life. We’re kinda learning as we go along, no matter what stage of life we’re in.

I started writing Good Vibes in Trying Times in my late 20s. I feel like it’s about that transitional period, dealing with self-doubt, finding your purpose, trying to find your voice, realizing that we don’t get the closure we want — and that’s OK. Life goes on. We lose friends along the way, either by growing apart, or through tragedies. All the records I’ve written in the past have dealt with that subject.

I had a friend named Eric, who died back in 2015. Through all the loss — him and other people lost along the way, I realized grief is not linear. We don’t wake up one day and get over it. The memories of the good times come every back now and again, and unfortunately so does the grief. So, it’s bittersweet, and I want the music to reflect that.

Eric is a big part of the final track, called “235 Dakota.” It’s not entirely a sad song. Yeah, there are some sad lines. But it also has some nostalgic, positive elements to it. I think it’s a track that people can sing along to in the car with their best friends, and create the kind of memories that inspired the song in the first place. I think it’s beautiful how music can do that. All those emotions, I want to convey that. I don’t want it to be just sad music. I don’t want it to just be happy music, ‘cuz that’s not really my style.”

5. What is your recommended circumstance, time of day, location, mood, to best enjoy Good Vibes in Trying Times?

“Any time, anywhere 😉

I don’t often listen to certain bands when I’m in a certain mood. For example, I can listen to American Football whether I’m happy or sad. But, pro-tip, if you wake up and you listen to American Football, it’s like, did you even try to have a good day?

Really, I guess this record pairs best with sadness. I guess it’s best served when you’re feeling down. Fortunately, I don’t think this is a record that will make you more sad. It will hold you. I think it will be a comforting experience. Hopefully, it will speak to people in a positive way. You can listen to it when you’re down, you can listen to it when when yo7u’re living your best life. I hope that there’s elements that people in any mood will enjoy at any time of day.”

6. Tell me a bit about the songwriting process for this album. Was it different to previous projects?

“This process was so different from the past. I believe you can’t do the same thing over and over and expect different results.

With every project, I would go through the same cycle. I would put all this work into songs that didn’t have the energy I was looking for. I would change little parts of that process.

In this case, I changed a huge part of my sound. Buying that lyrics book breathed new life into my songwriting techniques. I had to learn how to write in different tunings. I had to learn write in different genres. I did this in a very short amount of time. Writing these 6 songs took about two months. I was picking it up so quickly, and had actually established the sound I was looking for all these years.

To make it so much easier on myself, I took a much more holistic approach. I focused exclusively on the songwriting first, not considering any weird effects, tones, or any engineering magic. First and foremost, I had to get the songwriting down. Everything else was a bonus.

I kept it simple, and stuck to the basics. I have only 4 tools at my disposal: drums, bass, guitars, and my voice. My mission was, okay create a good record using only those tools.”

7. Did anything surprise you about this album during the development process?

“Absolutely. Really, just how quickly things can come together when you finally have a vision, and you’re just so focused on it that you have a constant drive to keep working. And, when it doesn’t feel like a drag, or a chore.

When my writing skills were less refined in my earlier work, I couldn’t get excited about the music I was creating. It didn’t get stuck in my head. It felt like a grind trying to produce songs that didn’t inspire me. If it’s not inspiring to me, it’s not gonna work. I’m not gonna put my heart in it. That’s why I decided to get Good Vibes in Trying Times professionally mixed and mastered (shoutout Izzy G).

One day, I was listening to the mixes I made of this record. They were decent, but not radio-ready. After taking some time away from it, I was thinking, I really like these track. I think this album could really be something. But it’s missing something that I can’t provide at my current skill level.

Looking back on it, I’m surprised I came up with some of these lines. I’m surprised I came up with some of the funky bass lines, and drum parts. You can’t really hear all the intricacies in the lead guitar parts, they don’t really shine through in some parts, but it’s surprising to listen to in hindsight.

I’m not saying I’m a musical genius, but for me, it’s a huge step up from my earlier work. For once, I am really excited to share it with the world.”

8. What do you hope listeners take away from the album?

“I hope that this album gives you some good vibes in trying times. Music can do so many things for listeners. It can either take us away from what we’re feeling, or it can relate to it.

Either way I hope it does both. If 1,000 people listen to a song, the song is suddenly gonna take on 1,000 different meanings. Now, I don’t often like to talk about the inspiration behind tracks, but when people listen to a song without knowing the artist’s meaning, I think they are much more free to make their own connection to it.

Overall, I hope it’s just as positive an outlet for you as it was for me.”

9. How does producing this album compare to playing live?

“Part of the holistic songwriting approach I took for this record was imagining this band playing on stage. If I make music from the perspective of a some dude in a home studio messing around with his instruments, I don’t think the music will have that much power.

Instead, I imagined myself and a full band performing the tracks at a packed venue screaming the words, yelling this message out to 2,000 people. Just that mental technique, that vibe, that imaginary scenario, translates to a more powerful album. So, effectively, I got that live experience, but there’s really nothing better than experiencing that for yourself.

Just last summer, my former band played at the legendary Stone Pony down in Asbury Park, New Jersey. We performed one of the songs I co-wrote. I can’t tell you how cool it was to sing words that I wrote while standing in the same place as Bruce Springsteen and tons of my fave bands I’ve seen at that venue over the yeart.

I really hope that someday if I get the willpower and time, I can create a band around this, take it all around NY and see how it goes.”

10. What’s next for the winter without?

“That is the question I’m asking myself! Right now, I’m focused on getting Good Vibes in Trying Times out there, and seeing how people react to it.

I haven’t been writing much at all lately. Been chilling and vibing, working in the real world. I can imagine writing more. Every now and then I get an idea for a song or lyrics. Of course, I do what I always do. I write it down in my ideas folder, or if it’s something I want in audio form, I’ll open up open voice memos and lay down something quickly.

I think this is a brand new chapter in the winter without, and I can assure you it’s not going to end here.”

the winter without. would like to plug…

The listeners, thanks to everyone who has been listening whether you are new or have been there from the beginning 5 years ago.
izzygmix (producer)
Max, the best album art model.

Darlene ChaniMaya Postma