I grew up in Cherry Hill, NJ. It’s a big middle class suburb about 10 minutes from Philadelphia. If you don’t make your way out of it, the town can seem pretty sheltered. You have to drive everywhere. It’s mostly a suburban sprawl. The only thing really cool about Cherry Hill was that you’re always 10 minutes from Philadelphia, 45 Minutes from the beach, 2 hours from NYC, 2 hours from Baltimore, 3 hours from DC, 4 hours from Richmond, 5 hours from Boston. You’re right in the middle of everything. This is a huge bonus once you turn 18 but not enough to want to stay.

In the summer of 1997, I was about 13 years old. I had grown up in a pretty cool home. I have awesome parents who exposed to punk music/ethics at a pretty young age. At the time, I was in LOVE with grunge music. I was as angsty as I could get. A classic case of “I’m misunderstood, nothing makes sense to me and I’m from the burbs.” I remember that summer, taking a trip to the NJ shore for a week with my buddy Matt Williamson and his family. On the final day of the trip, we all went to the CD store (Tunes On The Dunes) for a quick stop before leaving to go back home. When we walked in, something was playing on the stereo that I’d never heard before and would never forget. It was beautiful and angry at the same time. It felt emotional and desperate without seeming fake or manufactured. It was Sunny Day Real Estate.

I’d never heard anything like it. THIS made sense to me. My buddy Matt had heard of them before. He turned to his older brother (who was 18 at the time) and confirmed who it was. I wrote it down and then cursed Matt out for not showing me this band sooner. The following week, I was able to convince my Dad to drive me to the local record store Tunes (just regular Tunes). The record I’d heard down the shore was LP2. But I didn’t write down the name of the album that was playing. I was on my own. I flipped through the cd’s and the only ones they had in stock were Diary and How It Feels To Be Something On (which had JUST come out). I got both.

Diary is an incredible record. I mean, they are all incredible records but there was just something about How It Feels To Be Something On that blew me away. The melodies, rhythms and details are so unbelievably thought out and intentional. From the opening riff in “Pillars,” to the screaming vocal melody in “100 Million,” to the syncopated outro of “Days Were Golden,” every note and every hit are so carefully planned.

I wore out my first CD copy of the record in a couple months. I was constantly finding new things to love about the record. Music written with this sort of craftsmanship and passion was all I wanted to hear or be a part of from that point on. This was how I wanted to write and create. It was/is breathtaking how SDRE are able to balance beauty, angst and emotion. They are able to write complex and interesting songs while still remaining catchy and memorable. It is a talent and technique that is not easily copied. It’s what sets them apart and what makes them so special/personal to so many people.

I can safely say, that in my lifetime, I will never have another life changing music experience like what How It Feels To Be Something On did to me. It’s the record that single-handedly changed me as a person. It shaped what I would grow up to be. It was responsible for kickstarting my interests as an adult and for how I write music now. For me, they are the most important band that has ever existed and it all started with this record. I really owe them everything. I don’t know what kind of person I would have become without that record.

Into It. Over It. just released Twelve Towns on Topshelf Records. Check out the track “Augusta, GA (Acoustic)” below and pick it up.

“Augusta, GA (Acoustic)”

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The debut full-length Proper comes out September 21st on No Sleep Records. Pre-order it!

These days, it takes a lot for me to be impressed musically. Rarely does a new band come along that gets me truly excited, but thankfully, Baltimore’s Pianos Become The Teeth found their way to my ears recently and I’ve been hooked ever since. Mike (guitar) and Kyle (vocals) from Pianos were kind enough to let me pick their brains via email this week, which you can check out below. If you’re not yet familiar with these guys, PLEASE do yourself a favor: give them a listen HERE and then pick up their newest full length Old Pride. RIYL: Envy, City of Caterpillar, Modern Life is War and rad music.

First off, congrats on the Topshelf Records signing! Can you elaborate on the specifics (what release(s) are planned, how the relationship came to fruition, etc.)?

Mike: Thank you so much Aaron! We originally heard about Topshelf from our friends in My Heart to Joy, and simply contacted the label about our album. They seemed really enthusiastic and intrigued about everything. After numerous emails and conversations, plus some friends putting in some good words about us, they said they would like to release Old Pride early in 2010. They have been more than awesome to us, and we are really excited about working with them.

Read more after the jump.

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