Cover art by Zoë Browne
“These simple words / by design / twisting thoughts / but I tried,” sings Tony Mascolo on “Mondays” the newest single from Big Fang. With the band’s forthcoming EP, Mascolo hopes to offer both musical and financial reprieve during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Everything and Nothing at Once, Part One — a six-song EP being released on March 5 and currently available for pre-order — is not your average record for charity. Mascolo has this one set up so that anyone who orders it can request which charity they would like the funds to go to.
“When a person preorders or purchases the EP (on Bandcamp) I will message them and ask which charity they want to donate to, or they can send me a note through Bandcamp when they purchase it,” said Mascolo, vocalist and guitarist for the band, who has been on the New Haven music scene for 15 years.
Mascolo’s good intentions came from a place both familiar and familial.
“My father works with food banks through his church,” he said. “I saw my brothers helping him out and thought, ‘I really need to do something to help people.’”
He also wanted to be a good example to his kids, especially nearly a year into the pandemic, when many are struggling more than ever. “I had to do some kind of service. I’m in a better financial place and other people need funds. I want to give back.”
The recording of the EP itself began before the pandemic and proceeded through it — cautiously, but with great optimism and a bit of fun.
“When Covid began, we had already done the basic tracking of all 11 songs in two days at the end of January 2020,” said Mascolo. “I had three songs from our previous EP Human Distance and had set out to have an 11-song album, so this EP ended up as Part One. The plan is to put out Part Two in the summer.”
Mascolo went to New Haven’s own Sans Serif Recording to get the record just right.
“Sam Carlson has been amazing,” said Mascolo. “He’s such a big part of this record. Not only did he engineer, master and mix the record, but he also helped produce it. He guided me through, gave me a lot of ideas, and even played guitar tracks. I really enjoyed working with him and hanging out with him. It was all as safe as possible.”
Tony Mascolo Photo
Mascolo and Memory Celle recording safely at Sans Serif.
Overdubs, singing and instrumentation happened over a five-month period through July 2020. In the interest of safety during that time, any musician recording for the record went to Sans Serif with Sam and Tony individually, including friends of Mascolo’s from New Haven who guested on the record — such as Jesse Newman of Olive Tiger, who played violin on “Mondays,” and Laura Klein of Western Estates and Tet Offensive, who played cello on the same track.
“They pretty much wrote their parts,” said Mascolo. “They’re amazing.” Safety was always key, according to Mascolo. Klein even arrived for her session wearing a gas mask. “Laura is so brilliant, so exact,” he said.
Other musicians on the record include former members of Big Fang: Memory Celle, who was vocalist and co-lyricist with Mascolo when the band began back in 2016, and Chris Otero and Jacob Doherty, who along with Grayson Jeffries made up the band’s 2018 lineup that played “tons of shows,” including a six-day tour in the summer of 2019 that saw the band visiting NYC, Philly and Burlington as well as New Haven.
Big Fang’s current lineup includes Mascolo on guitar and vocals and New Haven-based drummer Kyle Austin. The two have had a couple of rehearsals at Cafe Nine recently and are looking for another bassist and guitarist, though the songwriting has not stopped. Mascolo noted he is currently writing songs with former Big Fang bandmate Grayson Jeffries as well as longtime friend Joe Russo, currently of the band Tall Trees, who has been in bands previously with Mascolo including Spectral Fangs. “I think we did our first shows at the Space around 15 years ago,” said Mascolo with a laugh. “I’ll visit him and we can write two songs in a few hours. I love writing music with him. He is part of my Covid bubble.”
Then there are the “side recordings,” some of which Carlson has played drums on, and which Mascolo likens to “old R.E.M. and The Smiths.”
“I don’t know what I’m going to do with them yet,” he added.
Bill Jeffires Photo
Big Fang performing in 2018 at The State House.
“With Big Fang there are two kinds of songs: heavier stuff and the stuff that’s more jangle pop like Squeeze, The Smiths, early Elvis Costello. To me they are an extension of The Beatles, an extension of ‘60s songwriting,” Mascolo continued. “I’m a self-taught musician. I need to go by feeling and pure emotion. I’ll hear a slight chord or note change, and I’m like, ‘oh my God, it’s brilliant but simple.’ I love simple melodic changes in songs. I strive to emulate that.”
Mascolo also strives to support his friends and fellow musicians as best he can. “I’ve bought so much music on Bandcamp. I really feel like it’s something I need to support. Music is so available. I try to pay extra or buy vinyl just to support.”
He has also put more time into his writing for a variety of reasons. “I work a lot with younger people, and they won’t use notebooks, they use digital,” he said. “I like to write stuff down. It helps my anxiety. I like to make lists. I like the tactile feel of writing. It’s more rewarding, a little boost of dopamine. Plotting out songs can be disorganized chaos to others, but it works for me. I don’t consider myself a writer — I’m more logic-based — but I’m trying to be equally both, getting ideas down before putting it off. I wish I could write every day.”
“Writers are my new rock stars,” he added with a laugh.
Though he hopes for Part Two of the EP to come out this summer, Mascolo, like other performers, still yearns for the stage and a return to the rock ‘n’ roll life he loves.
Tony Mascolo Photo
Big Fang Poster on the walls of Cafe Nine.
“Joe and I recorded a couple of covers and posted that on Instagram,” said Mascolo, but he has not played live in over a year. “Big Fang had one performance at Cafe Nine scheduled for the end of March 2020 that got cancelled due to Covid. The poster is still up there.”
Until then, Mascolo will keep practicing and recording in New Haven as much as possible — and indulging in the pizza, of course (“shout out to Brick Oven, the best pizza after a late night,” he said.). He hopes that the Cafe Nine poster will be replaced by the end of this year with an updated one for 2022, and he and his friends can play live in this vibrant music community once again.
Everything and Nothing at Once, Part One is now available for pre-order on Bandcamp and will be released on March 5.
