Read the Program is a band based in Philadelphia, PA that likes to make the most of its 2 members, and all 8 limbs available in order to achieve the sound of a full band. The duo consists of Anthony Cubbage on Vocals and Keyboard or Drums, and Jake Walter on Guitars and Drums or Bass, where Jake either drums with foot pedals or bass with foot-keyboard. While the two neighborhood friends met after their drum teacher insisted they get together, they both prefer not to play drums, and found their own respective instruments to experiment with (piano and guitar) and eventually start to write music with. When the first wave of inspiration came to write music, the lyrics were written on the first thing in reach, a paper plate (starting a lasting tradition). 9 paper plates later, and the group was ready to share their music, but in a way that could be perceived as a full band. Read the Program started recording with John Evola in the winter of 2013, overlaying each instrument that could not be played simultaneously. Now the band has worked together a way to get as close to the full band sound on their recordings with just the two they have available, creating an interesting display of multitasking and instrument-switching in their shows.
Check out their new single, “Changing” now on iMoveiLive
Why did you select this song as your current single?
We thought this song showcased all of the talent in the group from vocal harmonies that I (Anthony) love doing to Jakes great melodic guitar solos. It also touches on a lot of different genre influences like dubstep, a cappella, rap, and alternative rock, so we thought that was something unique that would catch people’s ears.
How does this single relate to the rest of the Album, EP or Mix-tape?
The single was very much an experiment. It was fun to put together in the studio and it catches the essence of our music making through this last album. We never expected to go into the studio, but wrote so much music to experiment with creating a different sound. And that fun experimentation with sound and style that we do throughout the album is somehow all mashed together into that one single.
What was the writing process for the song?
A lot of our ideas come out of mistakes. We were actually playing through another original “Lose Your Step,” and Jake played something completely wrong, but the mistake started to take a personality of it’s own and before I knew it, I heard a melody. Then we took it to the piano, and made some chord progressions, and while I was on a trip out of town I wrote the lyrics with the chords playing in my head. Then we played with the idea of looping and we decided to add the a cappella intro as well as the dubstep bridge with looped guitar.
That song had a much different writing process than our other songs. Most commonly we let the inspiration drive us to write a song in a matter of hours or less, but this was very thought out and there was a lot of discussion both at home and in the studio about how the song should be shaped.
What does this song’s lyric mean to you?
These lyrics are very important to me because they helped me make a lot of important decisions based on what is true to who I am. When the lyrics say, “I won’t change for another’s love” it doesn’t just mean romantic love, but acceptance of others. I tend to say yes to a lot of people even if it’s not in my best interest, and I think this was to remind me to keep myself in check, and to not cross boundaries that conflict with my truest self.
What would it be like to see you in person performing this song?
Totally weird. Don’t wanna see it unless I have to.
Could your fans summarize who you are as an artist by this song?
I think our sound has started to change in our new material, but as far as our characteristic musical ADHD in playing with style, I say yes.
Is there a video planned and or completed and if so, what was the idea behind the video?
There is a lyric video that is on YouTube, mostly to shed light on the lyrics, hoping they can mean something to people other than us.
One last question, what is your motivation behind your music?
Motivation for music can be any intense emotion at the time. Wonder, heartbreak, loneliness, gratefulness, confusion, anger. The point is that music exists to express human emotion. By sharing our music, I hope others can find their place in the emotion shown through the music, so that maybe they can better understand what they’re feeling through listening in the same way that we better understand that through making music
Social Media:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ReadTheProgram
Twitter: www.twitter.com/readprogram
Youtube: Youtube.com/ReadTheProgram/videos
Upcoming Shows:
August 6th at the Fire in Philadelphia
August 20th Artist Feature at Steel Stacks in Bethlehem