Brooklyn-based trio The States will bring its rock-fusion sound to Doylestown, Pa.
By: Anthony Stoeckert
In the world of rock ‘n’ roll clubs, where so many bands take the stage one after another on any given night, it helps to have something different going for you. The members of The States are pretty certain that they’re able to distinguish themselves from the rest of the crowd.
"Every region has its own sound and you play with bands, and you can’t tell anyone apart because everyone sounds like a New York band or a New Jersey band," says States bassist Previn Warren. "But I think for us, because we come from different parts of the country… we didn’t start off all steeped in the same thing… so we were kind of putting together a sound from scratch."
That sound, driving but melodic, is a product of the different styles the members bring to the table. Mr. Warren was into hard-driving rock and metal, guitarist/singer Chris Snyder liked rock that was more melodic. Drummer Joe Stroll (who joined Mr. Warren and Mr. Snyder in 2004) brought an admiration of progressive rock to the table.
"I think the band is really a product of three guys with three really different ideas of what their favorite music is," Mr. Snyder says. "We have three slightly different ideas of what an ideal band is."
As a result The States’ music reflects influences from U2 to Guns ‘N Roses to Yes. "(In some ways) it didn’t even make any sense at all," Mr. Warren says. "But we just threw ourselves together. There was talent to be had, but we didn’t know how to put it together."
What’s been put together might just turn out to be something special. While the band members are holding onto their day jobs, they’re making some strides. Their self-produced CD, Multiply Not Divide, was released last year; the band’s first single, "100 Years War" will be played on college radio stations around the country; and they’re heading back to Mr. Snyder and Mr. Warren’s home state of California for a tour. Before that, they’ll appear at the Central Bucks Family YMCA in Doylestown, Pa., May 12.
In addition to their musical sound, The States are also defined by their lyrics, which are sometimes introspective and oftentimes political.
"(We) see ourselves as kind of political and kind of serious," Mr. Snyder says. "Not in a self-righteous, ‘we’re serious and everybody else is not’ (way), but we’re trying to do something with our music and our lyrics… We like to write songs about failures to communicate or love songs that seem to have a political back story to them."
He adds that the band’s music is getting even more political. One of the newest songs, for example, is about Jack Abramoff. Singing about a controversial political lobbyist is one way for a band to stand out from the crowd. "We’re really interested in talking about that kind of stuff," Mr. Snyder says. "The stuff that’s going on in the world around us rather than the more universal boy meets girl, girl dumps boy… which is still a part of our lives, of course. We’re as bad at love as everyone else."
Despite lofty goals as a band, Mr. Snyder and Mr. Warren don’t sound the least bit arrogant or self-important. They’re careful to point out that while things are moving forward for the band, a future of gold records is far from guaranteed.
Still, this is an exciting time for The States (the name comes from the different states of mind people can have), which started when Mr. Snyder and Mr. Warren met at Harvard University, just playing together and casually writing some songs. Things got serious when they moved to New York in 2004 and found Mr. Stroll through a Craigslist ad, although things didn’t exactly start off on an honest foot.
"He told us he had been playing 13 years… It was a bit of a fib, it was more like one year," Mr. Snyder says. Mr. Stroll casually told his bandmates the truth about his experience one day, but by then it didn’t matter since the trio was making progress, and besides, every rock band needs a crazy drummer story.
Another lesson The States has learned is that it takes more than talent to gain success in the music world. "I think we assumed (that) if we made a record that we were proud of, then people would just sort of naturally start listening to it," Mr. Snyder says. "But it turns out it really helps to get people on board your team. To actually get a publicist and actually do radio and spend a lot of time on MySpace talking to fans… (We’ve been) putting a lot of work into it, and we’re starting to see some results, which is cool; we’re getting a lot of great feedback from people on the record."
The States’ songwriting process often comes out of jams, though Mr. Snyder says sometimes someone will come into a writing session with a lick or melody in mind.
"Usually we’ll just be playing and hit on something and say, ‘Hey, that was really good, let’s try that again,’" he says. "The music is the thing that comes first, after that a vocal melody will get added."
Mr. Snyder’s introduction to music came by playing violin, and Mr. Warren is from a family of musical lovers (he’s named after André Previn). And while no one’s likely to confuse Multiply Not Divide with a concerto, Mr. Snyder says classical music influences the band’s writing.
"I don’t know that you can hear it just by listening to the records… but at least when we were learning to play in a band, Prev and I would talk a lot about pretending we were a string quartet and trying to write with that in mind," Mr. Snyder says, "writing melodic lines and not worrying about power chords."
"We just waited a long time to build this kind of momentum," Mr. Warren says. "It feels like the possibilities are out of control. You’re in a band and you’re playing clubs, and you want to entertain rock star fantasies or whatever, but at the same time you’re like, ‘I don’t know (if it’s really going to happen for us),’ but we’re in a place right now where the door is wide open in our minds."
The States will perform at the Central Bucks Family YMCA, 2500 Lower State Road, Doylestown, Pa., May 12, 8 p.m. Tickets cost $5. For information, call (215) 348-8131, ext. 143. The States on the Web: www.thestatesonline.com

