by Lexi Bissonnette
Only Living Boy is more than just a line of lyrics from popular folk singers Simon and Garfunkel. They’re also a rock band from New Jersey with a hard sound and plenty of tours under their belt. Now, the band is headed to Philly for the Liberty Music Festival.
“We’re really excited and hope to keep the ball rolling,” says Trevor Newcomb, the band’s drummer, about getting to play at the festival. The Philadelphia area is virtually untapped by the band and they’re hoping that playing in the festival will open up more touring stops in the city.
Despite being only a few hours away, the boys predominately tour in New York City when they are close to home or further away, like Minnesota and Chicago. When playing at home in New Jersey, Newcomb explains that the only real venue for them is Asbury Park. Which in his words “is cool but sometimes we play in towns across the country and people are like ‘ if you came from here you’d be huge.'” But coming from a smaller music area still has plenty of great memories and concerts for Only Living Boy.
The band does present one tiny little curiosity, their name. This band is one hardcore, loud rock band. So just how did they arrive at a name from a folk group? They’d had to change their initial name and Newcomb reflects that it was not an easy process but when they knew, they just knew.
“We were on our way to a show and it came on the radio. I was our vibe at the time so it fit and it stuck with it.” He jokes that they didn’t feel as bad using it since they were a rock band after all and not folk.
Only Living Boy has had a busy 2013 with touring and an EP that drops in fall, as well as working on a full length album. Touring is a big aspect of all band life and Newcomb notes that it’s always the tour a band most recently finishes that’s their favorite- or at least for him.
So what can you expect from Only Living Boy when they hit the stage at Liberty Music Festival? “It’s gonna be loud. We’re a trio so we have to compensate.” But they won’t just be loud, they’ll also be reminding people just what rock music is.
“I think some people have forgotten what it means to play rock and roll and hopefully we’ll give them that.” Newcomb and his bandmates are ready to take on Liberty Music Festival this weekend, are you ready for them?
