How old are each of you?
Nate: 21
Anders: 21
Ben: 23
Tim: 32
From left: Anders (drums), Ben (lead guitar), Nate (lead vocals/guitar) and Tim (bass)
Are all of you Hunter College students or alumni?
Nate: Just me at the moment actually. Ben is a Hunter graduate. Tim graduated from Hamilton College, and also has a songwriting degree from Bath Spa in the UK. Anders is pursuing a degree from the School of Hard Knocks.
How has it been balancing school and your music?
Nate: I actually think I work better when I have a lot of things going on, there’s more of a sense of urgency to spend free time working on songs instead of wasting it!
For Nate and Ben specifically, was there ever a time where you considered that you might work as a duo or was there always an end goal of being a 4-member band?
Nate: I think we do work as a duo within the band, in terms of our guitar parts which are often harmonizing or in sync. But no, we’ve never thought about just doing a duo thing.
Ben: We write and play best when all four of us are working together, contributing parts and ideas. For me that's what being in a band is about, it's about getting together with three or four or five other people and creating something together. Regret the Hour isn't just Nate and I, it’s Tim, Anders, Nate and me. That’s what makes this band great, all of us writing and playing together.
Was there ever a moment or time in each of your lives that you didn’t think you were going to be musicians and be where you are right now?
Tim: Yes. I didn't really grow up around musicians or artists so I kind of had to cut my own path to it.
Ben: I remember being very young and wanting to be a musician, thinking it was the coolest thing in the world and that there was no better feeling than playing music. I still feel that way, there is nothing that I would rather be doing than writing and playing music with this band.
If each of you weren’t pursuing music, what would you be doing instead or what careers would you be pursuing?
Nate: Roving gastronome. Does that count as a career?
Tim: I'd be working in the outdoors. I used to work as a paddling guide in Canada and I'd probably get back into something like that.
Anders: I’d be an act in a traveling circus.
Ben: Working in public health.
According to your site, your sound is reminiscent of early U2. Was U2 one of your influences? Which artists or bands are your biggest influences?
Anders: U2’s “The Joshua Tree” and “Achtung Baby” are certainly two of our favorite albums of all time. Other than that, we have a ton of influences...
In your own words, how would you describe your sound?
Nate: Guitar-driven rock, with elements of ambient and folk music.
How has the traumatic loss of your beloved friend and former bassist, Jesse-- My condolences-- affected your music?
Ben: I think death affects everyone differently but for me Jesse’s death made me feel like I wasn’t a kid anymore. Losing a friend who you spent almost every day with and shared so much with makes you look at things differently, at the world and at your life. I don’t know if there is an exact way that it has impacted the music but I’m sure it has.
Is there one member of the band who writes the song lyrics or do you all write the song lyrics together?
Nate: I pretty much write the lyrics, but the music is collaborative, everyone brings their own ideas to the table and usually a song begins with any one of these ideas-- a riff or a drum beat.
If you could collaborate with another artist or band in the future, with whom would you want to collaborate with?
Tim: Gordon Downie
Nate: Sharon Van Etten
Anders: Bjork
Ben: All of the above
Who are each of your favorite bands or artists to listen to?
Nate: Van Morrison, the National, Neil Young, Bob Dylan
Tim: The Tragically Hip, Wilco, Bing and Ruth, The Band, Baroness
Anders: Radiohead, Bjork, Wilco, U2
Ben: The War on Drugs, the National, Bon Iver, Ryan Adams
Do you have a favorite song to perform?
Tim: My favorite song of all time to perform is Joe Cocker's version of “With a Little Help from my Friends.” Of our songs it's probably “Strangers.”
Nate: “Walls” is probably my favorite to play as it’s usually one of the most energetic moments in the live set.
Anders: We recently wrote a song called “Right this Time” which has become my favorite tune to perform, it starts with a droning groove and ends with a loud driving outro full of energy.
For fans across the country and perhaps in other parts of the world, do you only perform in NY? Where (cities or countries) would you want to perform?
Tim: We've only played in New York and Cleveland as Regret the Hour. I think we could do alright in the UK.
Nate: Yeah, I’d like to make it over to the UK and the West Coast for some shows.
And of course, should we expect new music anytime soon? Is there a new album in the works?
Tim: There is new music in the works. No real release plans yet.
Nate: We’re working on it. Soon, soon...
Where do you see your band in the next 5 years?
Tim: Ha, we're still working on the next 3 months...
Lastly, is there something you may want to say to your fans and to readers?
Tim: If you've ever taken the time to pay attention to our songs thank you, thank you, thank you. It's everything to us.
Here's an intimate acoustic session of one of my favorite tracks by the band!
For more info, check out Regret the Hour’s Facebook page and listen to their latest music on SoundCloud!
