Andrew Nolan of Throwing Rocks at Small Children

Hailing from Orange, Massachusetts Throwing Rocks at Small Children is a band that is a strange mixture of genres. The band includes the two brothers Andrew and Matt Nolan, and also Thomas Sullivan. Their musical influences vary from At the Drive-In to Napalm Death. They make their own drum beats electronically which has proven to not only be convenient for them, but adds to their originality as a band. Their talents and hard work should not go unnoticed.

Kate: What's your name and what band do you play in?

Andrew: I'm Andrew. I play guitar in Throwing Rocks At Small Children.

Kate: What a peculiar band name, what's the story behind it?

Andrew: Around 2002, there was the first installment of the band. We didn't have a name. It doesn't really mean anything. It's long and kind of rude. I guess that's why we stuck with it.

Kate: Well, I suppose I can deal with that. It's a pretty cool band name, anyway. What type of music does your band play?

Andrew: We started out as strictly "grind". We sighted Daughters as an influence for us in the beginning. Our first songs were in that spirit. Now we seem to have more of an experimental/grind/thrash/whatnot going on. We just play what sounds fun now. We are influenced, but we don't emulate bands like we used to.
Kate: Besides Daughters, what else influenced your band in the beginning?

Andrew: It's hard to think that far back. But I remember listening to the old The Number Twelve Looks Like You songs. We were young so we didn't really explore music.

Kate: Ah, #12. They're still together as far as I know, yet I feel as if that's a blast from the past. Let's speak about lyrics. What are your lyrics about most of the time?

Andrew: Mine usually have references to the past. Relationships, friends, etc.. I've sometimes just taken quotes that my friends have said and based lyrics around those. But as a whole, I think I can safely say that the lyrics of the band are about personal things. You'd have to ask Matt and Thomas about their words.

Kate: What is the bands goal?

Andrew: To play music? We just try and play music for people that they haven't heard before. Trying to let our unique personalities show. I'm not too sure if we have one goal. Sometimes we struggle to play shows or practice and those are goals. But yeah, I guess what I said before. That whole playing music thing. Yeah.

Kate: That is a great goal, haha! What was your worst show?

Andrew: Hahaha. Probably our first. It was in Worcester, MA at the QVCC. Our bassist was out of state and he said to play without him. So Matt and I went to Worcester and played the sloppiest show ever. I cannot explain how awful we sounded. We had so much fun, even though the people running the show made us play last. There were only about 30 people there, half of which were sitting down. But the 15 or so standing around us seemed glad to hear something new. Or they were just smiling with nervous laughter.

Kate: That seems like it would've been amusing to watch. What was your best show?

Andrew: The most recent one was, in my opinion, our best show. It was on March 10th in Vermont. It was the first time that we sounded really tight. We didn't lose time or mess up that bad. It seems now that we have a following of sorts, so it was good to see kids getting into our music however they wanted. I think that was the first show where kids felt comfortable around us.

Kate: That's good that kids had a good time in Vermont. Does your band have anything recorded?

Andrew: We recorded three songs for a split with Jennings. Hopefully, that will be out soon.

Andrew: Yep.

Kate: So, word on the street is that you use electronic drums, who creates the beats and why?

Andrew: I create the drum tracks. It's just a lot easier when you write a song, to be able to instantly write drums. Makes playing shows easier. All of our gear and us can fit in one car.

Kate: That's really cool, it does seem pretty convenient. What is your biggest obstacle?

Andrew: I'm not sure. At times, I feel like people don't "get" us. A few times, people have come up to us and told us to get a real drummer. Explaining to them that what we have works and we're not changing that, seems to be an obstacle. Having money to fund some of our ideas is an definetly an obstacle. I'd say the money thing is the biggest. We want to get merchandise and all these other things. It doesn't work out when you don't have the money for it.

Kate: I hear that. What to you is the song that gets the best reaction from your fanbase?

Andrew: Our song "Five" seems to be a favourite at live shows. People who like to mosh seem to do it to that song the most. People have complimented us on that song's writing and how different it is from what they've heard. A lot of friends have told me that "Three" is their favourite song that they heard online.

Kate: So, since we've already covered your past influences, what are your current influences?

Andrew: Across the board. I've matured a lot and I listen to just about anything. Specifically Tower Of Rome, Battles, Newandyke, Umbrella, Lights, At The Drive-In, Mos Def, As The Sun Sets, Kaki King. It's pretty spastic as to what I draw my influences from lately.

Andrew: There are a lot more, but those are lately. I just jump around and listen to random songs here and there.

Kate: Kaki King is a guitar goddess.

Andrew: Very impressive.

Kate: What is the best thing about being in a band?

Andrew: I'd say meeting new people, but I don't really like that. I'd say playing with bands that are in completely different genres or bands I've never heard of. Being able to express the talent and emotions we have is another great part of it too.

Kate: On the topic of playing with bands, what are some of the best bands you've played with?

Andrew: Jennings has blown my mind time and time again. It's scary how good they are. The Internet(ex-NothingDared NothingGained) was incredible. They have a drummer, a bassist, and vocalist. We're playing with them on May 12th. My friend's band, Beautiful Gorgeous, they impress me. It's good to see friends playing fun music. But Seven Day Descent was the first band I ever saw that really opened my mind. The guitarists 40-something-year old father was their bassist. They truely blew me away. They inspired me to start my own band.

Kate: I am glad that it's inspired you to start your own band. Hopefully you guys stick around for a long time, any last words before we finish this up?

Andrew: Track us down and come see us. Yeah. Listen to the bands Umbrella and Lights.