Released earlier this month, Philadelphia’s Bits Of Alan are making headway across the USA indie scene with their latest single Blue And Green. We caught up with Greg, the band’s frontman.
Can you tell us a bit about the band? Where are you from and how did you all meet?
Hey thanks for having us! We started in 2014 as my (Greg’s) solo project. I recorded our first ep, titled “Stories,” with the help of my childhood friends Joe Venango and Fred Keller. They own and operate a Pennsylvania-based recording studio called “Everloft Studios.” Our next release, an album titled “Paper Boats,” was written and recorded with the help of multi-instrumentalist Ethan Stauffer. The roster for “Blue and Green” and our upcoming releases includes us four as core members.
The name “Bits of Alan” is pretty interesting. Where did it come from?
Because the project was originally just me, the name is a play on my full name: Gregory Alan Golbitz = Bits of Alan.
If you had to sum yourselves up in three words, what would you say?
Hmm that’s a tough one. Macro level, thematically speaking, I would say: honest, acoustic, stories.
You recently released your latest single Blue and Green. What does this song mean to you as a band?
This song means a lot to us in several different ways. It’s absolutely a departure from our previous more pop-punk/emo style. It’s a sign of stuff to come I think, a more minimalistic songwriting style with more honest lyricism. We used to try and pack our songs with everything we had in our tool belt, probably as a way of learning. But for Blue and Green, and our upcoming releases, we gave ourselves permission to tone things down and explore stories in a much more relaxed way.
How, would you say, this differs from your previous releases, Paper Boats and Stories?
Blue and Green is absolutely a departure from Paper Boats. It’s more toned down, musically, and I’d say we took a more minimalistic approach to lyric writing. It felt more fun to record as well.
Where do you look for inspiration?
Lately, I’ve been reading a lot of fiction. Our upcoming record “Slatland” is actually based on the short story of the same name by Rebecca Lee. I do still find great inspiration in music, but literature has been my fire lately.
How have you been keeping busy, while not playing shows?
Lots of recording and lots of writing! Taking advantage of the time to try and get as many ideas onto paper as we can.
Which bands is each member currently listening to?
Greg: Field Medic, Mom Jeans, Hobo Johnson, Beach Bums
Fred: Jacob Collier, Aesop Rock, Cory Wong
Joe: Pinegrove, Delta Sleep, Covet
Ethan: Kota The Friend, Chet Baker, Organ Freeman, Anomalie
Where can we find out more about you?
Come follow us on social media! Our Instagram is @bitsofalan. Our Facebook is @bitsofalanband.
Anything you would like to tell us?
Just that we’re thankful to talk to you! And we really appreciate your time. Stay safe and have a nice holiday season!
And with that, I would like to thank Greg for taking the time to answer my questions and I want to wish him and the rest of the band the best of luck for 2021, and hopefully I’ll catch them at a show one day!
TrueStyleMusic 