No Risk, No Reward

by Meaghan Paulosky

The phrase “no risk” calls to mind a safe, protected solace- say a bubble. Once you hit play on a No RiSK track, warm and fuzzy don’t exactly come to mind.

Take “Scene Politics” for example. The song immediately opens with pulsating drums and a killer voice ripping through the sound system. Reminiscent of NOFX and A Wilhelm Scream, No RiSK certainly makes their individual presence known. Before you know it the next two minutes and 43 seconds whiz by and you’ve been consumed. You’re taken with their high energy and crave more.

The guys in the band are the exact same way. They hail from West Berlin, NJ, bringing with them their pure, electrifying, contagious excitement. And that only begins to describe their attitude toward music. They’re the kind of people you want to be performing music for you on stage. When asked about the best part of traveling around playing music, Jared Greager shares, “Everything. It’s the best time you can have with your best friends…playing the music that literally is forged in your own blood, sweat, and tears…and when [the audiences] appreciate your music there is no better feeling in the world.”

This group of four best friends has been at it for over a decade now, toting their message of “high energy rock ‘n’ roll” all over the country (in a van no less). It’s this long-term relationship with each other and with music that has allowed them to mature their sound. Explains band mate Joe Bupp, “…couldn’t have asked for better friends to start a band with twelve years ago. What we’ve become from where we were – I would have never thought. It’s been an amazing life so far.”

Don’t be mistaken, though. Beneath the sounds and echoes are real messages. Says Greager, “The stuff I feel is worth going public with I am very passionate about, and I trust the guys in the band to capture the mood of the song with the content.  It really paints a picture, people love that about us.” With a No RiSK song you won’t be getting contrived, wishy-washy noises thrown on a mix and mimicked on stage. You’ll get a real band and real music, that just happens to require full-volume blasting.

Being together has even afforded the band special traditions. Their Annual Holiday Show, originally begun by Stutter, is coming up on December 8th at Harper’s Pub in Clementon, NJ. Performing with them will be the always-spectacular All Kidding Aside. It’s assured to be, “… what it should be…a party! It’s going to be an interesting and emotional night, but [we’re] looking forward to it.”

So it’s pretty clear they play music without bounds, not seemingly very “non-risk”. They bring it to a whole other level. Taking no risks doesn’t have to mean there are no worries, no concerns. It just means that when you have good friends and good, loud music, those concerns don’t amount to very much.

Be sure to check out the Holiday Show and relive every wild and extreme moment by getting your hands on their album, Primary Colors, out now. Keep an ear out after the New Year and expect an EP. They’re not even close to being done. Plans include: “Taking over the world, starting with Philly.”