Plug In With Five 'Til Midnight

Five 'Til Midnight is:
Mark Haskell - lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Christopher Wilber - lead guitar, backing vocals
Jennifer Garlin - piano, backing vocals
Ashley Bowman - bass, backing vocals
Dennis Fatato - drums
Hometown: Albany, New York
Genre: Alternative Rock
Booking Info: ftmbooking@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.geocities.com/fivetillmidnight/

Five 'Til Midnight is an alternative rock band with classic rock and blues influences. Formed in the fall of 2003, they have been dedicated to the sound and quality of live performance and the arrangement of music.Combining their talent and influences, they have created a sound all their own. Since becoming a complete band, Five 'Til Midnight has played in numerous venues around the Capital District of NY, and they are looking to expand to other areas. They have also been featured on two of the local radio stations, (Channel 103.1, Albany's new rock alternative and WFNP 88.7 FM, the Edge) and can be heard at 9down Radio (http://9down.OutrAegis.org).

On November 20, 2004 they finished their first EP, with eight full length tracks. Since then the band has grown artistically (including the addition of two new members), and they are looking forward to returning to the studio this summer.
We caught up with the band recently and asked them a few questions......

How long has the band been making music together?
It's been a year and a half for Mark and Chris, about six months for Ashley and Dennis, and Jen has been with us for about a year.

Where do you call home?
Albany, the Capital District...we're all pretty partial to Earth.

If you guys could play a show with anyone you wanted to, who would that be?
Ashley - Queen
Mark - Pearl Jam
Jen - Aerosmith
Dennis - Green Day
Chris - The Stones

What is your favorite thing to do when you're not making music?
Mark - When I'm not playing music? Hmmm...I like to read, play video games and watch movies.
Dennis - I love playing ball with my son.
Jen - Rock climbing
Ashley - Anything music related. There is no life outside of music!

What was the first concert you ever attended?
Chris - The Moody Blues
Ashley - 98 degrees
Dennis - Haha...the New Kids on the Block
Jen - The Who (Quadrophenia)
Mark - Live, PJ Harvey & Veruca Salt

What should a crowd expect at one of your shows?
Anyone coming to one of our shows should expect a high energy performance with rocking originals, and we tend to randomly throw in a classic rock cover. Every show is different, but it's always a great time.
What's the weirdest reaction you ever got from a fan?
Chris - Once at Savannahs, there were these two girls dancing all over each other and it made Mark and I forget the words to our song.
How do you all psyche yourselves up before you go on stage?
Mark - I still get nervous before a show, so I like to chill and relax before we go on, maybe have a cocktail to ice the nerves a little.
Chris - I like to have a few beers, and it's important that right before the show we all get together and pump each other up and wish each other luck.

Would you be willing to share your comments on the local music scene and what it's really like to be a part of it?
Mark - When we first started playing shows as a band I was amazed by how many great bands there are in the Capital District. Getting to play with these bands is always something I look forward to.
Jen - I wish people were more enthusiastic about coming out to
shows.
Ashley - I don't like the lack of Queen tribute bands!
Dennis - Music is my life, so I'm proud to be a part of it.
Chris - I love being a part of the scene. I hope a bunch of these bands go on to be something more, and it would be great to be a part of that.

Five 'Til Midnight will be at Valentines on Saturday, August 6th. For a full schedule of upcoming shows and more info about the band be sure to check their website or their Myspace.