J-14 is scouting out the hottest bands around... and this week's pick is The Groundbreaking Ceremony!
Here are five things you need to know about The Groundbreaking Ceremony whose latest EP Don't Tell Me What I Can't Do! is out now!
1. Pennsylvania's The Groundbreaking Ceremony consists of lead vocalist Jonnie Baker, guitarist Scott Southlea, bassist Nick Walters and drummer Dirk Smith. After dealing with constant line up changes, Jonnie insists they are stronger than ever. "It's a really long and complicated story, but at the end of the day, we're the four that matter, and we couldn't be any stronger of friends and brothers. There's a special kind of bond that arises when you have to drive through the desert heat with no air conditioning, with four-to-six guys in the van that haven't showered in a few days, and Scott decides that straightening his hair is a good idea -- it's unlike any other bond on this earth," Jonnie tells J-14. "We love each other as family, which is important to us, and we could care less where we all came from. We just care where we're all going."
2. The Groundbreaking Ceremony came about their name when their original member Dirk was taking a keyboard class in high school and it happened to be the title of a project they were working on. Throughout the lineup changes, the name stuck. "We have a love/hate relationship with our band name. We love the way it sounds and the implications a band name like that could have, but we absolutely hate how long it is!" Jonnie says.
3. How do they best describe their sound? "We describe ourselves as feel-good pop-punk aka mom friendly pop-punk," Jonnie tells J-14. "Almost a throwback to the pop punk and rock that got us into the genre like New Found Glory, Green Day, Blink 182, and Senses Fail."
4. Their latest EP's title Don't Tell Me What I Can't Do! took inspiration from ABC's completed series Lost. "Every time John Locke or anyone in the series had that moment where they felt like they were being unbelievably doubted or counted out, they'd sternly say, 'Don't tell me what I can't do!'," Jonnie explains. "We had a mission and a goal going into writing this album, and we wanted the integrity of the album to stand on it's own, and kind of say those words for us."
5. One song that means a lot to the band is a track off their latest EP called "Eleventh and Bleecker". "The song is about not giving up in the face of adversity - pursuing your dreams at any cost," Jonnie tells J-14. "Don't let anyone tell you what you can't do." The song rings true to the very struggles the group has dealt with throughout the years. "We're tired of people telling us that we can't make it in music because we're not a band of sixteen year old's with rock hard abs -- despite the fact that we all have blue eyes, and most of us straighten our hair. We're down to earth people. We've got a lot of heart, and at the end of the day, and even if this band were to end tomorrow, no one would be able to look at us and say we didn't give it our all, or that we ever gave up."
Check out the track "Eleventh and Bleecker" below and let us know what you think!
Photo: Ear Shot Media/The Groundbreaking Ceremony
