Bayside’s Anthony Raneri goes solo
“The songs I’ve been recording are songs that I have written over the course of the last few years that I filed away in my memory under ‘Cool song, not a Bayside song, maybe people will hear it one day’,” says Anthony Raneri, vocalist of the aforementioned band Bayside. Luckily, fans don’t have to wait very long for that one day to come. Anthony released his solo debut EP New Cathedrals wholly independently on his newly-minted label, Gumshoe Records, just in time for his annual Where’s The Band? Tour with Ace Enders (Early November), Chris Conley (Saves The Day), Evan Weiss (Into It. Over It.), and Matt Pryor (The Get Up Kids) along for the ride.
“I listen to a wide variety of music and I have always wanted to experiment with writing in genres such as country, reggae, ska and folk,” he explains, encapsulating the surprising diversity that is found in the five-track EP. Released physically via his website and merchandise table on tour and digitally via outlets such as iTunes and Amazon.com.
From the Americana-tinged country of lead track “Sandra Partial” to the reggae of the closing track “Please Don’t Leave”, it’s quite apparent that this EP is no Bayside record. “First and foremost, it should be made clear that Bayside is not only still a band but will always be my priority,” he explains. “I have been playing solo shows for a few years now and I’m finally going to release some music that way for two reasons. The first being that Bayside has time off between tours and releases, and I don’t like to have time off. So doing solo tours and writing more music lets me constantly play music without having to take breaks. The second reason is that I love the sound that we have crafted in Bayside and I think that our fans do also, and sometimes I write songs that I don’t think sound like Bayside songs but I really like them. So rather than change the sound of the band that we have come to love, I figured I would release them under a different name.” Among the guests who appear on the recording are Steve Choi (RX Bandits), Davey Warsop (Beat Union) and Jarrod Alexander (My Chemical Romance, Dead Country).
A truly personal labor of love, Anthony will be in charge of all aspects of the release. “I’ve decided to make this a truly DIY solo project,” he explains. “I’m going to be self-releasing all of my solo stuff as Gumshoe Records… from funding everything to having CDs pressed to selling them online and at shows. Any page you see, whether it is my blog, Twitter, Facebook, Bandcamp or anything on iTunes was completely started and is run by me. No label, no management, no employees.”
“I have been blessed with the most amazing fans who have supported our band and my songs for over a decade. I wanted to prove that music, musicians and fans are all that matters – not labels and suits. I’m doing this on my own because I know that when a musician makes good music and fans support it, you don’t need anything else.”
