BUZZNET Exclusive: Getting To Know June Divided
June Divided is the Philadelphia born and raise rock band made up of; Melissa Menago (Vocals, Guitar), Chris Kissel (Guitar), Keith Gill (Drums) and Lenny Sasso (Bass). June Divided have a new album BACKBONE coming out July 10th, but before we could ask them any questions about he new album, we wanted to get to know them a little better.
Check out what they shared with us here and check back next week for part two of the interview!
How did you decide that you wanted to be musicians? Do you have a favorite band or performer that influenced you musically?
Keith: I think I realized I had an ear for it at maybe 9 years old. It felt good, so I always pursued it. LP from Yellowcard really inspired a lot of what I do on the drums.Melissa: My dad’s a guitar player, so I took after him. I remember plunking out songs on a little baby keyboard when I was really young, and so my parents started taking me to piano lessons. My teacher told me I should try song writing, so I did and it’s been this fascination of mine ever since.Lenny: I was always into being a musician but I remember getting into bass once I realized I liked what the bass does the best in the mix of it all. I was around 15 when I got into progressive bands like Pink Floyd up to Dreamtheater. To me, the bass is a huge part of that sound, so it inspired me to get more creative with my own bass lines.Chris: My dad is a musician and music lover, so I’ve always been surrounded by music. I had starting playing guitar around 11 or 12, but started to seriously pursue music when two knee surgeries ended my dreams of being a professional basketball player. I think Teppei Teranishi of Thrice is a guitar player that I’ve tried to learn from and emulate the most. How did you guys meet? What was the inspiration behind the name ‘June Divided’?
Melissa: Chris and I met in a music program in college and worked on music together all the time. We had a big project to complete upon graduating in June and it needed a name. Out of last minute desperation, we called it June Divided, since our lives would be a bit divided after we graduated. A few months of unsuccessful job searching, we started writing songs for fun, and somewhat jokingly put an ad out for a drummer on Craigslist. We didn’t expect much to come of that (and man did we get some hilarious responses. Kids, use Craigslist with caution). When Keith responded to the ad, I just kind of had a good feeling about him. Once the three of us hit it off, Keith said that he liked the name June Divided and wanted the band to keep it. A little later on down the road, our producer told us we should get some advice his music business-savvy friend, Lenny. When we found out Lenny could play bass, our permanent line-up was complete. What’s your favorite song to sing in the shower?
Keith: “Man in the Mirror.” My go to song.Lenny: “Push It To The Limit.”Chris: “With Arms Wide Open” Creed. No shame.Melissa: I don’t. If I’m showering, I’m off-duty, ha. Do you have any weird pre-performance rituals?
We don’t. We’re too busy setting up our own gear before the show since we’re too poor to afford a crew right now, ha. Maybe that’ll change one day. As of now, a beer and a cheer is probably the closest thing we get to a pre-performance ritual, but hey, no complaints there.
What were you MOST surprised to learn about June Divided?
