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Chicago-based Anfang self-describes as “…a modern interpretation of grunge and alternative rock of the late 90s and early 2000s; with aggressive riffs, soaring vocals, and a goldilocks layer of atmospheric accents on top”, and we are digging what we have heard so far from the four-piece. Drummer Nick Rissler talks us through the background of the band as well as divulging some of his own personal musical background…
What are the origins of the band, how long have Anfang been playing together?
Three of Anfang’s current members, Andie Zaragoza (vocals/rhythm guitar), Mark Tonal, (lead guitar), and Christian Newman (bass/rhythm guitar) met while working on another project. In mid-2018 that project imploded in spectacular fashion due to some “creative differences”. Nonetheless, Andie, Mark, and Christian wanted to continue making music together but now found themselves without a drummer. Andie had been introduced to Nick Rissler (drums) through a mutual friend and invited him to audition for the vacant drum spot. One jam session later and Anfang was born!
What should people expect when they check the band out? How would you describe Anfang?
Our sound and style could be defined as a modern interpretation of grunge and alternative rock of the late 90s and early 2000s; with aggressive riffs, soaring vocals, and a goldilocks layer of atmospheric accents on top. We think that puts us in a unique position because of how we’ve decided to interpret grunge/alternative rock to make it more modern. Grunge is certainly a riff-heavy genre as is, but we think what we add with our vocals and atmospheric tones gives us a unique sound.
How did you feel performing your first gig as a band, and how was it?!
I think it’s safe to say we were all pretty nervous for our first gig. We had only been playing together for a couple of months and were eager to get out there and show everyone what we’re made of, but there were definitely some butterflies in everyone’s stomachs. All in all, it went pretty well! Nothing catastrophic happened (Andie did have to perform while sick, but she nailed it) and we all learned a lot as a band and how to play together in a live setting versus practice.
The new music scene is bursting at the seams at the minute with fresh talent, in what ways do you feel that a band has to stand out to build a name for themselves?
We think first and foremost a band needs to put on a killer live show to make a name for themselves. Have well-written songs, definitely, but also know what you’re doing on stage, have fun with it, and put on a show that people will remember and want to come back to. It’s not necessarily difficult to go on a stage and play some songs, but playing with purpose and getting the audience engaged is a specific skill we think builds bands’ reputations.
What are you working on at the minute that people can check out?
We’ve been working on recording and releasing a slew of singles over the past few months and continue to focus our attention on that. Two of those singles, Guerrilla Mitts and Legs were released in November and January respectively, and we are currently in the middle of recording a third, (In) Circles, which we expect to have released sometime this spring. In addition to writing and recording, we are also looking forward to playing live more. We were consistently putting on shows before the pandemic and are hoping to pick things back up again in the near future as things slowly but surely improve.
In terms of a similar audience, which band out there at the minute do you feel you would be best suited to open for?
We feel we’d be best suited to open for Royal Blood. We’re somewhat similar in our rhythm sections and how we use a bass guitar to play riffs typically reserved for electric guitar, but also different enough in our songwriting and vocal melody lines that we feel like we’d do an excellent job in warming people up for them.
Excluding yourself, which new band would you like to see break out and become a success?
There are too many to list here, but to pick one specifically we’d have to go with Dead Poet Society. They’re right on the cusp of really blowing up and we’re all a little obsessed with their music. We’ve seen them live together a couple of times now, but always as an opening act. We’re hoping to catch them playing longer shows as the headliner soon, but we’ll take what we can get in the meantime. They’re definitely on their way as their streams have been steadily increasing since the release of their album last year, so we feel like it’s only a matter of time before they really breakthrough.
What are your own first musical memories? And what was the lightbulb moment that made you go “I want to do that”?
We all have various answers to this, but my personal first musical memory was getting completely and utterly obsessed with the song Kiss From a Rose by Seal. I really liked Batman as a kid, obviously, and my mom bought me the soundtrack to Batman Forever (the Val Kilmer one) since I would spend as much time as possible watching it. Kiss From a Rose happened to be on that tape and remains the only track I ever listened to. My mom was also the source of my lightbulb moment that made me want to pursue music. She played drums before I did and I spent a lot of nights listening to her practice and mimicking what she was working. She eventually stopped due to an elbow injury and rather than leave an empty drumset in our basement, I started taking lessons and took her spot as the drummer in the family. Fun fact, if you happen to see us live you’ll see the drumset my mom bought when she started playing since that’s the same kit I still use today.
What was the last gig that you attended as a fan?
Christian and I (Nick) saw The Fall of Troy in November. Christian has been a devoted fan of theirs for over a decade now and took the show as an opportunity to introduce them to the rest of the band. I took him up on his offer to see them and we had an absolute blast. We got to meet the band before the show and had a great conversation with them about the realities of working in the music business and what it means to be a touring musician.
What current social issue are you particularly passionate about?
We’re going to give an answer that’s probably the same as a lot of other people right now, but the issue we’re all particularly passionate about is the war in Ukraine. We’re all disgusted by Vladimir Putin’s actions and hope he will come to his senses and stop the mindless violence he alone is causing. War anywhere is abhorrent, but we feel especially strongly about the Ukrainian war since it is the result of the delusions of an unhinged old man desperately trying to cling to power. Two of the four band members live in a neighborhood of Chicago known as Ukrainian Village. There are therefore a lot of Ukrainian-owned businesses in our area and we are doing as much as we can to support them and their families. We urge everyone to do whatever they can to ease the suffering of the Ukrainian people.
The album that you have in your album collection/Spotify playlist that would surprise most people?
Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys. I first took a deep dive into The Beach Boys music when I was in high school and have been a massive fan ever since. Not something I’d expect people to expect from a member of a hard rock band. I particularly enjoy Pet Sounds because it includes three of my favorite tracks of theirs; Sloop John B, God Only Knows, and That’s Not Me.
Although 2021 was another year to forget, there were some amazing new albums released, what would be your album of last year? And, what new music have you been enjoying so far this year?
Crawler by IDLES blew us all away last year. We’ve been casual fans of theirs for a few years, but Crawler took things to another level. The overall tone is much heavier in a doomy, stoner rock kind of way, but it still has all the purpose, energy, and scrappiness IDLES are known for. It’s been on repeat since it came out in November and we’re hoping to catch them live next time they’re in Chicago. For music in 2022 so far, a few of us have been really enjoying Blood Red Shoes’ new record GHOSTS ON TAPE. Nick has been a fan since he heard their first album way back in 2008 and he was successfully able to make fans out of a couple other band members. GHOSTS ON TAPE really shows how much Blood Red Shoes have evolved their sound over the years from garage rock to a dark, spacy, alternative rock sound that isn’t afraid of the occasional synthesizer.
What does 2022 hold for Anfang?
In the immediate future, we’d like to record and release as much of our unreleased catalog as possible to get our music out there for everyone to hear… and also for our sanity. There are only so many killer songs we can sit on before we start losing our collective mind. As we mentioned, we have a single currently in the works, and look forward to a steady release schedule throughout 2022. In addition to releasing as much music as we can, we also cannot wait to start playing live regularly again, pandemic willing. We know we’re repeating ourselves a bit here, but it’s our favorite part of being in a band together and cannot overstate how excited we are to be playing live again. We’ve talked about touring and recording an album further in the future, but we’re taking things one step at a time. For now.
How active are you on social media and where can people connect with you?
As active as we can be! We keep up with regular posts to keep everyone up to date with what we’re up to. You can find more about us at any of the links below. Drop us a line and say hello!
