ALBUM/VIDEO PREMIERE: Psych surf punks Major Pie experiment with real handcrafted sounds and AI imagery on debut
Many musicians throw around words like “experimental” to describe their work, yet few live up to the amount of creativity and ingenuity that implies.
The Viola brothers never have to worry about that, or anything when it comes to the natural flow of their artistry. Since 2008, Anthony and Jesse have been making progressive alternative rock under the moniker of Family Animals with bassist Frank DeSando. The band was still releasing new material in early 2020 just before the national shutdowns began, and instead of slowing down, they took the opportunity to start something new.
“Major Pie was spawned [emphasized in exaggerated New Jersey accent] right at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. I wanted to do a side project for a little bit and never acted on the idea. Jesse and I talked about this side project on our last day of work; we both felt it was time for a little change. We started writing and recording with this project in mind. Two years later, we felt we had the material and were ready to start practicing with other musicians for our live show,” Anthony recalled.
“In the past, it was always Jesse, Frankie, and me, but we knew we’d need at least one more member to make this happen right. We asked Gabe [Fasciana] from Old Daggers/Mercy Gang and Frankie to come jam in March 2022. We played one or two shows that year, then went back to finish the recordings. June 2023 was our first kind of real show to me – that’s when we finally had the band where we wanted. That show was at The V-Spot [in Scranton]; it was the NEPA Horror Fest pre-party and we met Rubix Pube there. They helped us a lot since, and we’ve been introduced to a lot of amazing bands.”
With both Violas singing and playing guitar, Ant distinguishes Major Pie as “psychedelic surf punk/alternative spy music,” a combination of phrases and genres that fit as much as they defy that description, thanks in part to samples and homemade instruments and effects cooked up in their home studio in Cortez, a small Jefferson County community that lies about 25 minutes from Scranton. This clandestine oasis where they practice and record also went through many changes in 2020-2022, and if they didn’t have a tool that fit this new direction, they invented it.
“Jesse and I love to experiment and learn. In Major Pie, we use self-modded guitars that feature a mod unique to Dog Brain Effects and Major Pie. It’s like having a theremin built into our guitars that can be controlled by light. We’ve also used a ton of Dog Brain Effects, my brother’s guitar pedal company. He’s the ‘Dog Brain’ behind the mods and effects pedals. He dove into breadboarding his own circuits in 2020, learning from forums and videos. He’s come so far, to say the least,” he explained.
“Now it’s hard to imagine Jesse not doing this stuff; it seems to come naturally to him or something. He’s made us many unique effects, from fuzzes to crazy unique envelope filters/sample reducers, phase-locked loop pedals, and many more. He’s modded almost all our guitars with his Dog Brain Theremin mod. People love that mod – we do too. Shit, I get to pick up a flashlight and make crazy noises mid-song. Who doesn’t like that? The Dog Brain Effects Arthromod pedal is an extraordinary piece of musical equipment, an instrument in itself. I can say that because I had nothing to do with it [laughs], but it persists in blowing me away. I really can’t say enough about it. That one’s for sale on Reverb right meow.”
The results speak, or perhaps bark, for themselves on “Waste Away for Dinner,” their debut album premiering today exclusively on NEPA Scene.
“‘Waste Away for Dinner’ is both our album title and the title of a song of ours. We left the song off the album for time’s sake for the vinyl and also as a little joke. It will be on the next album, which may or may not be named after another yet-to-be-released song. The name is just from my odd subconscious, I guess. It was the first Major Pie song, and the words ‘Waste Away for Dinner’ just came out while jamming,” Anthony admitted.
“[There are] not any particular things to say with the lyrics. I attempt to subvert expectations, try and be contrapuntal, and I’m always trying to better myself, top the former me. The songs are only thematic in that regard, though, and usually only physically connect via obscure samples. My lyrics are more line-by-line than song-by-song.”
Even the band name itself came from “a lack of good names,” he joked, rather than some essential, greater purpose.
“I have an ongoing list of band and song names, and Major Pie seemed like the best fit – also just seemed to fit the band’s concept. I want everything to be as rad as we can make it but still have a quirky/humorous feel; we don’t want to take anything too seriously, you know? But on that note, I would like to say I went out of my way to ask many friends and family members if the name made them think of anything lewd or to do with the army and they all said no; I never wanted the name associated with anything like that. It’s honestly just a name that somewhat rang to us and fit the project – it has no deeper meaning. Band names, especially today, are hard, man.”
As laidback as all this seems, it’s obvious that the real work was put into baking a rich, flavorful sonic pie with layers of strange reverberations under captivating hooks, producing an accessible dish that tastes familiar, yet like nothing else, particularly in the Northeastern Pennsylvania music scene.
To keep the food metaphor going, “The Whole Enchilada” rolls into a good example of how carefree but thoughtful this music is.
“The lyrics aren’t really about anything specific, but each line has a personal meaning to me. As a whole, it’s kind of a vague portrayal of things from an objective point of view, where life seems like a truly strange and wondrous experience. The music, which was written by both my brother and me, definitely inspired the goofy tone of the lyrics,” Jesse shared.
“I love when Jesse and I collaborate on a song – I love this one. [laughs] This one spawned from my impish-assed beginning guitar riff, then Jesse added the verses and I had the lick for the middle part. Really wanted that beginning synth to be just absolutely feeble. The sample montage in the middle took a while to create, but it was really fun. Just finding the right spots for everything… Do I put the cat here or here? [laughs] The process is tedious, but the reward is something I truly love,” Ant added.
“I think this song sums up Major Pie as a whole. It has all the key elements of Major Pie in one little package.”
In the continued spirit of experimentation, they unashamedly dove into the controversial “artificial intelligence” trend sweeping across the Internet for the track’s music video, but instead of using it to just make the song for them, they guided it to produce a virtual psychedelic trip that reflects the humor and free-flowing dream logic of their album.
“I’m torn on the subject of AI. On the one hand, it can be a very useful resource for independent artists and DIYers, and I’m sure it has many other helpful applications as well. On the other hand, it may put a lot of people out of work, but I guess it’s just the next phase of technology and there’s not much we can do about it. Also, I think the term ‘AI’ is used pretty loosely nowadays, but the thought of true artificial intelligence is frightening to me. Not sure if it exists yet, though,” Jesse noted with a laugh.
“I had a lot of fun making this video. I used a few text-to-video and image-to-video AI apps to generate the footage. The results are usually nonsense, sometimes off-putting, but now and then it’ll produce something unique and interesting that I never would have or could have done otherwise. The whole process was very entertaining for me.”
Leading up to this release, audiences across the state have been entertained by Major Pie’s live performances that include a voice changer made from an old corded telephone, among other quirky innovations that caught the attention of avant-garde acts like Rubix Pube from Bethlehem.
“The first two shows at the end of 2022 were more about us getting our musical footing and me getting used to my new role as guitarist and singer – in Family Animals, I was the drummer. In 2023, we recorded a lot until the summer when we played our first show in June with Rubix Pube. We met those guys at that show and they dug us and helped us get some good shows throughout 2023 in Bethlehem, Stroudsburg, Easton, and Philly. Since then, we met Ra!d (Lehigh Valley), El Dingo (Philadelphia/New Jersey), Novacaine (Philadelphia), Jim E. Brown (a lonely man from Manchester), Mr. Unloved (national hobo?), and many other amazing acts,” Anthony listed.
“Since meeting the Pubes and gaining a little more attention, the shows have been wild – lots of positive feedback and reinforcement, lots of great shows and parties. It’s been really rad. It brings us extreme joy to see our audience so pleased with what we love doing; it’s a unique and deep connection.”
They also haven’t forgotten the relationships they’ve built with fans of Family Animals over 15 years.
“Major Pie is definitively the focus for now. But we Viola brothers do have too many songs. Who knows what bands/future projects will be spawned?” Anthony teased.
“Family Animals and Major Pie are similar in that we are both experimental, both have most of the same musicians. Both bands share an almost obsession with music, but we are very different. I feel Major Pie went deep into the realm of effects and focused heavily on getting our recordings right. Major Pie might take a year to do one song in the studio: editing samples, adding layers for texture, taking away layers, putting them back… We experimented in the studio a lot until we were pleased with our sound. But now that we know who we are and what our sound is, I know the next album will be a shorter process.”
While both bands will certainly share some fans and broad creative strokes under the all-encompassing “experimental” term, he stressed that they separated the two projects for a reason, rather than just making “Waste Away for Dinner” the next Family Animals album.
“Major Pie is such a completely different thing in my eyes. This new project not only deserved a new start, but it also deserved a separation from Family Animals. We also had to add a member to make the live show work, which is a step beyond any Family Animals show. Plus, the two bands have two different sounds. Family Animals was a little more songwriter-based, whereas Major Pie is more punk-oriented at its roots,” he pointed out.
“Family Animals are almost always tentative. In that sense, we are none the same. The members of Family Animals may or may not decide to pick up the project but, right now, it’s likely Family Animals will eventually be releasing music again in the future.”
In the meantime, expect an album release show when the vinyl comes out – pre-orders are available now – as well as plenty more live performances and possibly a tour. Those who can’t wait can catch Major Pie in a donut shop – Curry Donuts (178 S. Pennsylvania Ave., Wilkes-Barre) on Saturday, Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. with Ra!d and World Breaker. Will the experimental rock and culinary symbolism ever cease?
Watch NEPA Scene’s live stream of Major Pie’s debut performance last year:
