Review Fix Exclusive: Grayscale’s Nick Veno Talks ‘Palette’ And More

Review Fix chats with Grayscale drummer Nick Veno, you discusses the band’s creative process behind their new track “Palette,” as well as their upcoming full-length debut, “What We’re Missing.”

About Grayscale:

Emerging quickly from the thriving Philadelphia punk scene, Grayscale has been at it since late 2011 building a strong reputation and gaining steam among fans and music lovers. Coming off of their successful Change EP release in April 2015, the band is now ready to unveil its latest and most complete collection of songs to date in their Anchor Eighty Four Records full-length debut, What We’re Missing.

Review Fix: What was your creative process for the new album?

Veno: We wrote the majority of the album at Dallas’s studio. We would demo out our ideas and send them to Gary Cioffi, our producer onWhat We’re Missing”, and take it from there. Once we actually got in the studio with Gary, we spent a lot of time fine tuning each part musically and lyrically until we were all certain that it was the best it could be.

Review Fix: How do you think the Change EP “changed” your lives musically?

Veno: We feel that we took a step forward in the maturity of our sound on the “Change EP” and on “What We’re Missing.” We aren’t writing straight pop punk songs about high school anymore. We write about deeper experiences, relationships, feelings… and our musicianship and creativity has greatly improved. We have much more of an alternative edge to our sound now than we did before. We’re very proud of the way the Change EP came out, and the fact that people responded as well as they did to those songs and the new WWM songs gives us a sense of validity – that people connect with our music now more so than before.

Review Fix: What bands have influenced you the most?

Veno: Our individual tastes are all over the place, but as a band collectively we look up to bands like Jimmy Eat World, Brand New, The Starting Line, and Led Zeppelin.

Review Fix: How was  “Palette” written? Is there a story behind it?

Veno: “Palette” was pretty straightforward to write, musically. We demoed the initial idea out at Dallas’s studio and then fine-tuned it at the studio. It was the lyrical content that was a little more complicated to write. I can’t speak as much on it, because Collin, Dallas, and Gary are really the ones who spent time working on the lyrics and melodies for that one.

Review Fix: What’s the Philly music scene like? How do you think it influences your sound?

Veno: Philly has such an incredible music community. There aren’t too many places like it. It doesn’t really influence our sound, but the people have certainly influenced us personally. The fans, the musicians, the promoters, the house shows… Philly really is a one-of-a-kind city, and we wouldn’t be where we are today with the support of the individuals within the community.