Earlier this week The Median Man had the pleasure of speaking with Before Nitrogen about all things music.
Earlier this week The Median Man had the pleasure of speaking with Before Nitrogen about all things music.
Chemistry
What inspired the name of the band? What are your influences?
The story of our band name spans multiple years. It started when our lead singer/songwriter Sean was in a different band and they were looking for a name. Sean had just learned that the band *NSYNC got their name from the last letter of each member’s first name. He attempted to do that with the band he was in and got a “B” and 4 “N”s. “N” on the periodic table is “Nitrogen” (Sean was also in a chemistry class at the time…), and the name “Before Nitrogen” (B4N) was born. However, the band wasn’t keen on the name, and once the project disbanded, Sean took the name to start his own group – and here we are!
If you know a little more about the periodic table, there’s actually a deeper meaning to the name, but we like to leave that for the audience to figure out…
Our influences vary quite a bit, but we like to describe our sound as “what if James Taylor was produced by Owl City?”
How do you approach songwriting?
Our motto as a band is “Hope is Not Lost,” and we try to make sure everything we release fits that theme in some way. That doesn’t mean that everything we release is all “Don’t Worry Be Happy,” but it does mean that we’re always seeking the light at the end of the tunnel.
HOPE
HOPE
How do you approach songwriting?
Our motto as a band is “Hope is Not Lost,” and we try to make sure everything we release fits that theme in some way. That doesn’t mean that everything we release is all “Don’t Worry Be Happy,” but it does mean that we’re always seeking the light at the end of the tunnel.
CREATE A PATH
Why do you write the sort of music that you do?
The band started back in 2017 at a time of real uncertainty (similar to where we are right now), and Sean’s goal was to create a path out of that uncertainty and unease through music. That’s continued to be our purpose – we hope that our songs can both acknowledge the difficulties and worries of the moment while also looking to provide a way out.
How do you decide what songs to perform live?
Our live shows are very important to us – we really believe that’s where the magic happens – and we definitely try to keep the audience engaged in every song. That can be done through clap patterns, call-and-response, mashups, bubble guns, unexpected kazoo solos…we’re always looking for ways to keep people’s attention and bring them along on this journey with us!
MAGIC HAPPENS
MAGIC HAPPENS
How do you decide what songs to perform live?
Our live shows are very important to us – we really believe that’s where the magic happens – and we definitely try to keep the audience engaged in every song. That can be done through clap patterns, call-and-response, mashups, bubble guns, unexpected kazoo solos…we’re always looking for ways to keep people’s attention and bring them along on this journey with us!
WHAT WORKS
FOUND
What plans do you have for the future?
We have a new single coming out on May 1st – you can pre-save it on Spotify here: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/beforenitrogen/found?fbclid=IwAR24A5PC9XchxRjdQpZtFo2yPXiTKw2wXGQwD9DK-zeeZlmyyaKR3o-zGVM
The song is called “Found” and it’s a short/sweet uplifting pop song that we hope will provide some good vibes in this time of isolation!