Orlando Rockers Test the Waters

Together for just under two years, Orlando rockers Transmit Now thrust their Pop-infused sound onto the scene for the first time back in July 2008, as the Vans Warped Tour passed through Orlando. Shipping in bassist Lee Gianou from Milwaukee, Wis., shortly before that show, Andy Brooks (vocals), Tony Aguirre (guitar) and brothers Kevin (guitar) and Greg Parrow (drums) have been busy getting their sound out since then, even picking up a couple of spots on highlight reels of Sportscenter recently with their hit “Let’s Go Out Tonight.”

Back in August, they released their five-track EP, called Test, Test, and plan to have their first full-length album released early next year, courtesy of Silent Majority Group. Kevin Parrow said Test, Test is very much as it seems: a release that’s sort of “feeling out” for the band’s sound and how it responds with their fans.

Transmit Now has settled on a lighter sound, for now, than some of their earlier songs, like “Let’s Go Out Tonight” and “She Likes It,” Parrow said.
“We’re in a very comfortable spot. A few of the tracks, it was definitely us trying to feel out what was going to work and what wasn’t. It’s all still kind of Pop-Rocky. ... This record is kind of a tester, to see how people would respond to it. There’s a little more dynamic between songs on that, like ‘Issues’ is kind of poppy, and ‘Miss American Dream’ is this kind of summer pop thing. We’re into that stuff too. It seems to do very well out on the road.”

Parrow gave CrankIt Magazine some more insight into the band’s entertaining shenanigans out on the road, as well as what “issues” they might have their fans would enjoy hearing about.

CrankIt Magazine: You just can’t get away from your brother Greg, can ya?

Kevin Parrow: No. It’s something I’ve been wishing I could’ve done. ... We don’t agree on a lot of things outside of the band, but for some reason, it just works. There are three other guys to keep us sane, and not bickering too much.

CrankIt: ‘Normalcy is ideology, it’s meant to keep you in place’ in the song ‘Issues.’ Pretty straight-forward lyrics. But, how about sharing your own explanation?

Parrow: That’s Andy’s line, so that comes straight from him. As far as ‘Issues’ goes, it’s a pretty self-explanatory song. It’s constantly about that struggle, (where) we all know what we’re going through, so we don’t necessarily have to bitch about it from each other. You hear so much bitching out on the road from everybody, not just us and the other bands. Everyone seems to have this attitude that ‘everything is happening to me.’ We choose to not have these normal jobs, what are we all bitching about. We don’t live in a normal world.

CrankIt: What are some of the group’s issues?

Parrow: I don’t really like being treated like we don’t know what’s going on. And you’ll find a lot of people who will try to purposely keep you out of the loop, because the less you know about the music industry, the more you can be taken advantage of. But touring in general, people just try to keep you out of the loop, but with a smile on their face. In my personal life, I don’t have too many issues. (This is) a dream come true, but there is a ton of work associated with it. I thought that when we got signed (by Silent Majority Group), and got management, that we would have less responsibility, but now I’m working harder, doing even more things. But it’s been a dream come true.

CrankIt: What’s something crazy that’s happened while performing out on the road?

Parrow: We don’t have enough time for me to answer that question, crazy things out on the road. But there was that show in Abilene, Texas with Framing Hanley. We planted stink bombs on their van like a month or two before (that show). So what they ended up doing, between every song they played, we had to play shots before starting the next song. For our cover of “I Kissed A Girl,” they were waiting and duct taped Andy to this chair. And then this big, fat guy in a gorilla outfit, (who) had on this black g-string, was doing a lap dance on Andy, while we were playing that song too. For “Let’s Go Out Tonight,” by the end of the song, they took apart the entire drum set, so (Greg) only had a high hat and a snare set on the last part. And that’s our bread and butter song. That song’s been on the Video Music Awards. It was on Sportscenter too... That song is getting around. Oh, and (Framing Hanley) screwed up our RV too. They taped up porn pictures and condoms to the ceiling, and sprayed the fire extinguisher over everything, which made it really, really hard to breathe, with chalk all over our personal stuff. I got really sick driving home from that. (But later,) we got shots of vodka for them, and during their single “Here Me Now,” we drained a can of tuna water into these vodka shots. We got up on stage with their shots. That was for our RV retaliation. The people in Abilene, Texas got a show that night. That was worth the price of admission. They’re some of the best friends we could have ever made out on the road.

When they release their full-length album, Parrow said that it would have 11 tracks, with two more bonus tracks available through the iTunes release. Test, Test and their debut, self-titled EP are also available via iTunes.

To keep up with Transmit Now’s latest show dates, head on over to their MySpace homepage at www.myspace.com/transmitnow. They will be playing at Jack Rabbits Feb 11. For all the info on other artist you’re going keep an eye on, like Transmit Now, stay glued to CrankIt Magazine and www.crankitmag.com each month!