Page 53 - ION Indie Magazine SeptOct 2020

The unfortunate thing about writing about a band you have never seen, is
that you must trust your gut. I start by getting to know each member of the
band and try to decipher them, and then put the puzzle back together. On
the other hand, the fortunate thing about writing about a band you have never
seen is that after the dust settles, I feel like I’ve known the fellows and I’ve
seen the band a hundred times. Hence, my new favorite band…Every Other
Year!

Every Other Year is a high-energy rock/ pop punk band from Orange County,
California, who have been together for the past 6 years. They are comprised
of the same original members since 2014 and have played alongside such
acts as Get Scared, Seaway, Anarbor, and a few others. Their first EP, “First
Light,” debuted in 2017 on all major streaming platforms. In May of 2020,
they released their first single, “The Look In Your Eyes,” off their first full-
length unreleased album, “Remember When.” These guys have an explosive
future ahead of them and I’m excited to be talking to Every Other Year!

Marty Haviik: Thank you very much for letting work with you on this
interview and delve deeper into the life of an Orange County band. Back
in the day, a rock band would be defined as either a rock, punk, pop
punk, or metal band. Now genres have sub-genres and even sub-sub-
genres. How do you classify Every Other Year and your style of music?

Every Other Year: Thanks for having us! Huge honor! Identifying with a genre
is something that we as a band have struggled with our whole careers. I think
that all of our hearts stray towards the pop punk category, so when asked we
say that we're pop punk. But after shows and such, we get a lot of, ‘Are you
sure you're a pop punk band?’ -- which we usually get a kick out of. I'd say
we definitely have more of a rock band mindset though.

MH: I’m curious, what is the meaning behind the band name and from
where did Every Other Year originate?

EOY: So, the band name Every Other Year comes from a long-distance
relationship that our drummer, Matt was struggling with for a bit. The way it
went was, he would only get to see her every other year. We were all super
young (early high school) when the band formed, and we really wanted the
name to mean something instead of just sounding cool. Even though the
relationship is irrelevant now, we've grown to identify with the name over the
years of playing.

MH: Share a little about Every Other Year and who is each member is.

EOY: We're a four-piece band: Jordan Alexander (guitar/vocals), Matt
Arsenault (drums/vocals), Dylan Nakayama (bass), Michael Stites
(guitar/vocals), and we're all 21 years old. Matt and Jordan met in 3rd grade
and instantly became friends off similar music tastes. In middle school, they
met Dylan and Michael and we all started jamming together. We got more
serious in high school and Every Other Year was officially formed in the
summer of 2014. We started playing shows from 2015 consistently all the
way up until the 2020 shutdown.