Woove staff writer Matt “Peach” Clark interviewed Grant Back, The Okay Feeling’s singer-songwriter. The Okay Feeling hails from Pulaski, Virginia. Read more for spiritual enlightenment!

Matt Clark: You are a full time student at Radford University and the singer, song lyricist in The Okay Feeling…Considering our readers are musically inclined, what tips could you provide concerning local venues or methods of getting music out there?

Grant Back: As far as balancing school and music, it is important to keep one’s priorities in order.  For me, school comes before music, although I wish it could be just the opposite.  I think daily about how nice it would be to change the order of those priorities, but as a senior who is closing in on a Bachelor’s degree with plans of attending law school in the future, I should probably just stick with this whole “school thing.”  Concerning local venues, this area is not exactly swarming with them, so when booking a show, it is of utmost importance to cater the night’s set to the crowd that will attend that particular venue.  Doing this allows for the best performance a band can have because the crowd will be enthused, and word of mouth is one, often overlooked, but powerful method of getting music out to new listeners.  Fans create more fans.  In addition to relying on word of mouth, bands should produce merchandise; create Myspace, Twitter, Facebook, Purevolume, or any other type of free online account on which to post recordings; and play as many shows as possible.  When attempting to spread music, the best method is definitely to play in front of a crowd as often as possible.

MC: What are your thoughts towards Nickelback?  The worst band of all time, or does their formulaic approach to songwriter make them the greatest based on their success?

GB: I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, a Nickelback fan, and I am very content with that.  I am always impressed and confused by their popularity, and while the music does not do anything for me, I guess I’m glad that people are enjoying it.  They have certainly experienced a lot of success, so they must be doing something right!

MC: Now there are several projects you and other members of the band are involved in.  Could you list some for our dear, devoted readers?

GB:  The dear, devoted readers would probably like to know that each member of our five piece band is a full time student, four of us at Radford University, and the other, our bassist, at James Madison University.  Many of us also hold part-time jobs, are involved in groups or clubs, and even occasionally play music with other musicians from the area.  The Okay Feeling is a pretty busy group of guys, but whenever given the opportunity, we get together to play the music that we love.

MC: Pepsi or Coke?  Or maybe you’re a fan of RC cola.

GB: Pepsi, just something about it.

MC: Panic at the Disco recorded their debut album prior to performing a show.  With various media for distributing to the masses, is there any point in performing live?

GB: In my opinion, performing live is the most important thing a band can do.  While being in a band is not always a “for profit” kind of job, and the costs caused by playing live can deter one from wanting to continue doing it, there is simply no possible way that anyone who has experienced playing live to a good crowd on a good night when nothing goes wrong, could ever just stop playing live.  Based purely on selfish reasons, it is too fun and rewarding not to do it.  Also, as I mentioned before, playing live is the best way to spread the music of a band.  While there are bands who have more or less “made it” before playing a live show, I’m convinced, at least based on my own experience, that performing live is the absolute best and most effective way of getting music out to people.  Online recordings are positive and even necessary, but they do not compare to the experience shared by both the crowd and the band at any live show.

MC: Is the pursuit of music a noble cause?  Or should we get desk jobs and fantasize success during our morning commute?

GB: The pursuit of music is definitely a noble cause, and anyone who is considering it should absolutely go for it.  As stated earlier, it is not always for monetary profit, and I’m about to sound ridiculously cheesy, but playing music allows you to gain so much more than money.  It is a very sad thing when bands are forced to break up because of a lack of funds (such as the local Far-Less).  It is sad, not only for the band, but also for the fans, and that alone can be a little off-putting, but that is no reason to abandon the pursuit of music.  No matter how hard it gets, and no matter how grim the record industry becomes, one must keep at it, and not think of it as a company.  All musicians must always remember priorities, and not run a band like a company, but simply enjoy playing music with people that you like and/or respect musically and creatively.  Have fun with it and keep pursuing the dream.  It may not be a get-rich-quick endeavor, but it can be extremely fun and rewarding if executed correctly!