J-14 is scouting out the hottest bands around... and this week's pick is The Groundbreaking Ceremony!
Here are five things you need to know about The Groundbreaking Ceremony whose latest EP Don't Tell Me What I Can't Do! is out now!
1. Pennsylvania's The Groundbreaking Ceremony consists of lead vocalist Jonnie Baker, guitarist Scott Southlea, bassist Nick Walters and drummer Dirk Smith. After dealing with constant line up changes, Jonnie insists they are stronger than ever. "It's a really long and complicated story, but at the end of the day, we're the four that matter, and we couldn't be any stronger of friends and brothers. There's a special kind of bond that arises when you have to drive through the desert heat with no air conditioning, with four-to-six guys in the van that haven't showered in a few days, and Scott decides that straightening his hair is a good idea -- it's unlike any other bond on this earth," Jonnie tells J-14. "We love each other as family, which is important to us, and we could care less where we all came from. We just care where we're all going."
2. The Groundbreaking Ceremony came about their name when their original member Dirk was taking a keyboard class in high school and it happened to be the title of a project they were working on. Throughout the lineup changes, the name stuck. "We have a love/hate relationship with our band name. We love the way it sounds and the implications a band name like that could have, but we absolutely hate how long it is!" Jonnie says.
3. How do they best describe their sound? "We describe ourselves as feel-good pop-punk aka mom friendly pop-punk," Jonnie tells J-14. "Almost a throwback to the pop punk and rock that got us into the genre like New Found Glory, Green Day, Blink 182, and Senses Fail."