Review Fix Exclusive: Tower Talks Goals and Future

Review Fix chats with New York City rockers Tower, who discuss their debut album and goals for the future.

Review Fix: How did you guys get together?

Sarabeth Linden: I joined this band called Dog Food and then bailed. Zak and I decided to start a brand new band. We then recruited James into the mix and James recruited Philippe.

Zak Penly: We all brushed shoulders. We all either played in bands together or shared the stage together. SB and I broke out of Dog Food and we wanted to start something. From the start, we all encompassed a love for the same brand of rock and roll. It took off immediately! It was its own beast and TOWER continues to bring out the best in us all.

Philippe Arman: New York’s finest tend to find each other after enough trial and error!

James Danzo: Yeah, we burned through every other metal musician in Brooklyn til we were the last ones left!

Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?

Linden: We’ve been getting together in our practice space and trying out different riffs and melodies. I’ll usually go home with what we have and write some lyrics about whatever I’m feeling.

Arman: We know what we want from our music, and we have what we need to get it done. So we get together in any room and throw riffs and melodies at each other until we piece it together for the right outcome. It’s a lot like building legos with no booklet.

Penly: The process has been so seamless really! We start mostly with “The RIFF” as they say… and it immediately gets worked into submission, we see immediately the potential for each instrument. And the thing is we are really a democratic unit. It’s not over till it has the Tower stamp and flavor. Never “stock.”

Danzo: You only need a moment of inspiration to come up with a good riff or melody. Once we have that, writing a song around it is almost secondary. Sometimes the songs almost write themselves and sometimes they take a lot of work.

Review Fix: What do you think makes this band special?

Linden: We all love each other and respect each other very much. We all want the same thing at the end of the day.

Arman: Everyone is in it for the right reasons. We’ve got the same vision and a good idea of how to achieve it. So for us it’s lot of fun to go through the motions and enjoy every second of making it happen!

Penly: There is a feeling we all know what each other truly engages with. We feed off each other, inspire each other to no end! I’m very inspired by this group… it’s very authentic. We play what we love and everyone else can take it or leave it. We absolutely love what we do and I hope it shows.

Danzo: Hooks, volume, and chemistry!

Review Fix: How would you describe your style?

Penly: It’s pure rock and roll. Take no prisoners and we do what we love. PERIOD! Who whats to be pigeonholed? We get asked all the time “What genre are you guys?” And I say “Do you like it?” It’s TOWER.

Arman: A killer time!

Linden: Rock and roll with soul, edge and grit.

Danzo: Catchy enough to sing along to. Sick enough to make your loved ones worry.

Review Fix: What are your goals for this album?

Danzo: Since it’s the first album, we gotta focus on establishing ourselves. The goal is to conquer as much territory as possible before we put out the second record.

Linden: To get a European tour out of it! Haha

Arman: Fun tours! We’ve had great ones so far! Let’s keep it rolling!

Penly: To get out to as many places as we can, to tour and spread our brand of rock and roll! We always have the best time on stage and I know it shows. It’s contagious!!!

Review Fix: What’s the standout song? Is there a story behind it?

Arman: For this album…  man that’s tough… “Party” always reminds me of what this band is all about. We have so much fun as a band and a group of friends that whenever we meet up it’s a good time! We get to hang out a lot and go to shows and parties and DJ sets at dirty bars to support each other or our friends and our habits. Even during practice, we’re having a great time. Between getting the work done to clean up a song and get it tight, or even write a new one, we’ll jam on something fun that we love and crack jokes at one another. At the end of the practice, we cheer to our success of the work put in and then off to a bar to celebrate! Good vibes all around!

Linden: I love “Raceway Rock” because it’s extremely catchy and dynamic. The song was originally performed by my favorite rock & roll musician and lead singer of the ‘70s band Kicks, Marge Raymond.

Danzo: For me, it’s “Tower” – not only because it’s named after the band, but it’s our most collaborative songwriting to date. The lyrics kind of create an atmosphere more than they tell a story. I think the melodies tell the real story on this one.

Penly: “Elegy” is so hypnotic, it’s a single off the album. It’s a song that I think embodies the power of the riff and really sticks in your head. It’s about ghosts and the loss of love… and fuck… it really conveys a feeling! We love to end our set with this song. But that’s a hard question because there are many standout songs on this album.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Linden: TOUR!

Danzo: What she said!

Arman: More of this same magic in a bigger capacity! We’re gonna continue ripping through the world!

Penly: We are just starting! The gates are just opening! Touring in your town soon… BANG HEAD!