by The Alchemist
2% (like the milk), is a Burlington, VT based quintet consisting of Ryan Darling, Brian Devane, Mark Hendry, Harrison Kent, & Matteo Luban. Their original music puts a refreshing twist on classic oldies sound, and makes you want to get on your feet and groove! Since the band’s inception, they have gone on to play Twiddle’s Tumble Down Festival, Higher Ground, and Nectar’s, to name just a few. The band is now releasing their original music for all to enjoy!
What first got you into music?
A: Most of us met from being in the same A Capella group at UVM, but we have all been involved with music for our entire lives. I think all of our music taste and sense of direction is rooted in what our parents would listen to when we were kids.
How did you first start developing your career?
A: We just started playing at all of the local Burlington venues that would take us until our name got around a little bit and we started getting bigger gigs. It started out just jamming with these guys all the time and the natural progression seemed to be starting a band at that point. Now I can call these guys some of my best friends in the world and we have become even closer through music.
What is your favorite part of the creative process? What is the most challenging part?
A: All of us have somewhat similar but also extremely different music tastes, so when one of us comes in with a riff or some lyrics, it’s really awesome to get everyone’s input on what they’d want to include in the song. This way, we can touch on multiple genres while also incorporating elements into the song that all of us like. I think that something challenging about the creative process is when you have an idea and you bring it to everyone and it just doesn’t sound like you had hoped it would for whatever reason, and then you go down that path of whether you should keep working on it and make it sound better or just move on to a different idea. We only have so much time to practice and play so we want to make sure we sound as tight as we can.
What’s one thing about you that most people don’t know?
A: Most people don’t know that 4 out of 5 of us were in an acapella group together (The UVM Hit Paws). A lot of people also don’t know that Mark, our bass player, never played bass before we invited him to play bass in the band after our original bassist transferred schools. Forget learning our songs, he had been playing bass in general for about 3 weeks before we had a month long residency titled “Milk Mondays” at Nectar’s in Burlington, which is where Phish got their start. Luckily, Mark picked it up lightning quick and recorded bass for all of the songs on our EP.
Who would you most like to collaborate with/what music artist do you most admire?
A: Dream collab: Beach Boys. Influences/Admirations: Tom Misch, Vampire Weekend, 70’s & 80’s rock pop & soul
What is the best advice you have for artists in the very beginning of their career?
A: Take any gig that you get offered no matter how small or the pay, when we started out we were basically playing for a free plate of gravy fries each at Nectar’s. Always remember to have fun as well, that’s how music is supposed to be and it will really come across in your finished product.
When making “Fumblin” what was your inspiration?
A: Fumblin’ revolves around having to make a big decision and being unsure of yourself and your direction. I think we all have second thoughts sometimes and Fumblin’ is trying to reflect on those second thoughts and try to figure out where to go & what to do!
What’s next for you?
A: We have an EP Dropping August 7 titled “The Milky Way EP” which we are really stoked for. Other than that, trying to get back in the studio again sometime soon and hopefully at some point get some live music going again, b/c that is where we really thrive.
Their newest track is called, “Fumblin” and it is an extremely fun, upbeat track where you can really see the influence that being in the same accapella group has had on their music. They combine a number of vocal portions that blend incredibly well in harmonies, which creates a feeling of completeness. When listening to the track, we immediately gained a sensation of confidence, and were inspired to complete whatever tasks we had left throughout the rest of our day. Look to 2% to continue to grow their fan base in the future, and check out “Fumblin” below.
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Alchemical Records is a Washington, D.C. based music publication. We cover the Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Richmond, VA metro area music scenes, including band interviews, articles about your favorite musicians, new music and concert dates.
