When it comes to originality and true musical companionship, it doesn’t come in much purer a form than Long Island band Permanent Me. Barely out of their teens, they are talented beyond their years with more to offer in the way of good bare music than most of today’s bands already a few albums into their careers.

Formerly known as Yes, Virginia, the foundations of Permanent Me were first laid when both Brian Kapler (vocals/guitar) and Joe Guccione (guitar/vocals) decided that, at the age of 14, life was too short to be stuck inside playing video games or doing homework, and started jamming. Throughout their high school years, the pair continued to move from band to band until they finally decided to branch off and form their own project. They recruited Mike Fleischmann, an exceptionally gifted and well-known drummer on the Long Island music scene and completed their line up last year with the addition of Justin Morell on bass.

With influences in the form of Oasis, Jimmy Eat World, The Pretenders and The Kinks, all members of the band come from strong musical backgrounds. Music is all they’ve ever been surrounded by and all they’ve ever known which would explain their deep and well-crafted passion for it. Both Brian and Joe’s mothers were singers and would play them records from infancy. And the same applies to Justin and Mike, whose fathers were guitar and bass players in their respective local bands. “We started the band out of our pure love of music,” explains lead singer Brian, “but as you get older it becomes your life and what you breathe. Our music is our identity. There is no “me” without this band. I can’t even imagine not being in Permanent Me.”

Discovered by Nightmare of You’s Joe McCaffrey while browsing MySpace, he and the band formed a management relationship that got the ball rolling quite quickly. He instantly acknowledged the quartet’s potential and felt so passionately about what he’d heard that he helped distribute their demo before even being declared their manager. Meanwhile, while browsing the website AbsolutePunk.net, Midtown’s Rob Hitt fell upon the band when he saw them listed as a “Sunday Recommendation” and quickly jumped in the game. He signed the band to his label I Surrender Records and released their debut EP Dear Virginia, a well-crafted record packed with immediate melodic hooks, big fat guitars, and a rhythm section that’s wound tighter than a Rolex.

The EP features production credits by the likes of Sum41’s Deryck Wimbley, Sam Siegler (former Rival Schools and Glassjaw member and current Nightmare of You drummer), and buzz producer mastermind Matt Squire (Panic! at the Disco, Downtown Singapore). All these musical luminaries on just the band’s first EP is a testament to what the future holds of Permanent Me. It should be pretty clear by now that they are not a cookie cutter post-punk band. Permanent Me break the surface and exceed any expectations you may have of ‘a bunch of kids’. “We write from a school of pop sensibilities but our music is also very hard hitting at the same time,” explains Brian. “Our songs may have great hooks and choruses but that doesn’t mean they’re meaningless. They’re easy on the ears but heavy on the emotions.” Joseph earnestly chimes in, “I want our music and songs to travel further than just local fans. I want it to still mean something in 50 years to someone half way round the world.”

The band have a stellar following in their local area of Long Island, which is already a musically thriving scene, but there’s no doubt that they’ll break the boundaries and capture an even wider audience once they hit the road and tour. Armed with a full-length debut album produced by Matt Squire and expected this summer through Stolen Transmission Records, Permanent Me represent the future of our charts. They are the sound of something so new and promising, it’s impossible to ignore.
isurrenderrecords.com
permanentme.com