Music From Another Room

"Music From Another Room is an ambient rock band from Pittsburgh that has a fun sound and a great live presence. As soon as the band took the stage their excitement filled the room, ready to put on a great show. Their cover of Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” was unique, entertaining and something that I didn’t expect to hear. This is certainly an all-ages band, as I noticed their fans ranged from two small children recording about the whole performance on their iPhone to a woman in her 50’s knowing almost every lyric." - Whirl Magazine

Music From Another Room is a band of brotherly love, literally. The group is rooted in brothers Steve (vocals, guitar) and Alex (lead guitar) Foht, who formed MFAR in 2007 with bassist Steve Pearson and drummer Ron Dunn. Their ambient power pop can be seen as landing somewhere in the middle of Jimmy Eat World and the Foo Fighters.

Arson, a very catchy 4-track EP released in January 2009, featured skyscraper guitars and soaring vocals on tracks like “Arsonist’s Daughter” and “Echoes, Repeating.” The more conventional single “Reason To Believe” saw significant radio play on WXDX as well as various college stations.

After collaborating with producer and Punchline frontman Steve Soboslai in the Summer of 2011, MFAR entered Studio 344 with producers Brette Ciammarra and Glenn Campagna to record their first full length, Departures. Fans have already gotten a taste of the album on the MFAR official and social network pages with the gut-punch single “Tell Me.”

This Saturday, March 7, Music From Another Room will host the CD release party of Departures at Stage AE. The Pittsburgh Scene was able to sit down with Steve Foht to discuss the band itself and the city that birthed it.


----Q & A ---


Your live show is very energetic and naturally just a really good time, as witnessed by this writer about a month ago at a Howlers show. Does the energy of both the interplay between bandmates and the crowd itself have an effect on the outcome of the show?

Steve Foht: Oh most definitely! We go into each show thinking about how we can break down barriers within the band itself and then, in turn, the audience. Once you've got the crowd dancing, or singing, or laughing, it all translates into this amazing energy, which really just feeds on itself.


The bands roots lie in being a Juliana Theory tribute act. Was the decision to write original music just a natural thing that occurred over time? Would you say that beginning without the pressure of writing original material served as an advantage to forming a strong rhythmic bond between the members early on?

Steve: The decision to write original music actually is partially due to The Juliana Theory themselves. Over the years, we've received support and encouragement from all of the different band members, but the first time Chad [Alan] came out to see us, he told us that we were playing the songs just as well as they could have and that we would be missing out if we didn't really try to branch out into original material. Between that and my natural itch to write, we started to explore some songs of our own. As for the bond among the band- Ronnie and I have been playing music together for almost a decade now, and Alex and I grew up playing music together. Pearson is just a naturally tight musician, so I'm not sure there was any advantage in locking in as a band... it more so afforded us enough time to really find our own voice while learning the genre.


How did teaming up and brainstorming for Departures with Punchline frontman Steve Soboslai come about, and what did that process entail?

Steve: Steve Soboslai actually approached Alex over a year ago about working together. He has a passion for the Pittsburgh music scene and really wanted to help develop talented new bands. We bonded pretty immediately over our passion for polished, concise pop music, and he invited us into his little world at Store Express to help further refine the batch of songs we had on hand. We logged a lot of hours and sweat in that cramped little room, but Steve did help us capture some really special moments in our songs by the end. I don't want to give away too much of the magic, but he certainly knows how to help coax the best parts out of a song!


How was the recording and working with producers Brette Ciammarra and Glenn Campagna on Departures in comparison to the time spent on the Arson EP?

Steve: The two recordings are worlds apart in terms of experience. ARSON was completely done by - The Pittsburgh Scene

"I always think that Music from Another Room sounds like Jimmy Eat World, another band I’m into, but maybe that’s just me." - Wonderfull Life Blog

“I recommend Music From Another Room. Over the years these guys have put forth so much effort into always making sure the events that they've played for us are the best they can be. They are professional, reliable, and truly a great rock band.” - Joshua Bakaitus, Drusky Entertainment, LLC.

"As the former PR Manager at the Benedum Center - I can’t think of a band more deserving of an opportunity than Music From Another Room. With their excellent work ethic and musical abilities they would be a perfect fit for any show. They're Pittsburgh's secret weapon! ... Trust me- they rock!" - Saul Markowitz, Markowitz Communications

"The band cites influences such as The Juliana Theory... I hear a little Oasis, a little bit of the Beatles... very image conjuring music." - Iron City Rocks

With guitar riffs and vocal harmonies that would make even The Juliana Theory
speechless, Music From Another Room opened their set on October 2, 2008
at Mr. Smalls Funhouse in Millvale, P.A to cheering fans.

Music From Another Room, who is made up of drummer Ronald Dunn, guitarists
Alex Foht and Tim Ernst, bass player Rich Mason, and vocalist Steve
Foht are part of the fast growing Pittsburgh local music scene. Lucky
for them, they have a wide range of musical experience under their belts. - CCAC North Campus Voice

It might be a new world record... The Juliana Theory hangs up their rock n' roll shoes and a tribute band in their honor emerges on the scene a year later. The 5-piece from Glenshaw, Pa. rip through a set of TJT tunes and throw in some originals along the way. - Curb Magazine