Stock Footage

A scrappy little indie punk band from Chicago (now NYC), have premiered a great new single from their forthcoming EP, Anywhere But Here. Scrappy is exactly what Stock Footage, the little band that can. Comprised of Jake DeRango- Guitar, Vocals and Tom Pilcher- Drums, Stock Footage prove that two can make as much musically tuneful noise as a large band. I love these guys; I love their grit, their determination, their talent. This is one hell of a band, guys. Check them out. Anyone who writes the line, “We can chatter at each other with our perfect teeth” is super alright in my book. - Audio Fuzz

Stock Footage was formed in Chicago in 2014 by Jake DeRango (guitar/vocals). He asked long time friend Tom Pilcher (drums) to help structure songs Jake wrote. They had an instant musical chemistry, having played together previously in the Rockford, Illinois based band Imaginary Heroes. Tom and Jake worked on crafting Stock Footage‘s unique fuzzy, hook based indie rock sound.

In 2015, Stock Footage released the four song EP “Nerves and Lead”. Recording on “Anywhere But Here” began in April 2016. Stock Footage had booked a session at Atlas Studios to document the band’s unrecorded songs before DeRango moved to Brooklyn. The six songs captured the duo’s dynamic chemistry with six songs that were at times energetic, reflective, but always melodic and compelling. Instead of being the end of the band, the EP is a new beginning for Stock Footage. “Anywhere But Here” captures the excitement, anxiety and hope of being at one of life’s turning points. The EP captures a raw energy and a unique sound, leaving the listener eager to see what the future holds for Stock Footage.


On the EP:

The “Anywhere But Here” EP is about searching for your place in the world. It was written at a time in my life when I was trying to find a way to move forward, both in my personal life and with the music. The album is about the excitement of starting new, and the melancholy of old relationships fading. I wanted the songs to all have their own distinct feel, while maintaining an indie-punk sensibility. While recording, it was important that we captured the dynamics and energy of the band. The inspiration was the 80s-90s indie rock and punk albums where they feel like a band playing off of each other, rather than something pieced together in a studio. - Groundsounds

DIY indie punk rockers Stock Footage, have released their follow-up EP "Anywhere But Here", which follows 2015's "Nerves and Lead" EP release. During that time frame, the band was completely different than the way of how they are now. From being a power trio to a duo act, Stock Footage, has come a ways from being who they were once before. As "Anywhere But Here", had captured the band as an dynamic duo with chemistry, as the six songs that were recorded, were energetic, reflective, but always melodic and compelling, it kept the band more rounded yet defined. In short, "Anywhere But Here" is an EP that tends to capture the excitement, anxiety, and hope at being at one of life's turning points says the band anyway. Which makes perfect sense really, as this EP is chalk full of this manner, literally from start to finish, the EP just flourishes, building upward, as the material expands, enhancing their sound, making the release become whole. Especially upon such tracks as "Neon Lights", "Little Hurricane", "Lost", and "Petals Left Unplucked". It's as if the material is much more bendable, yet flexing as well. Besides all the other depictions that were called for, Stock Footage's latest EP offering that comes in the form of "Anywhere But Here", is a more polished piece of work, that makes way for more to come from an act, such as this DIY effort that is here now. - Natalie's World

Stock Footage is a band that initially formed in 2014 under the helm of Jake DeRango (guitar/vocals). He worked with long time collaborator and friend Tom Pilcher (drums) and Brendan Smith (bass) to complete a six-song EP entitled Anywhere but Here. Anywhere But Here is a no frills rock album which DeRango states is about “searching for your place in the world.”

The band gets going with “Neon Lights” which starts with a slow build. You can hear the shimmer of cymbals, clean guitar picking and vocals. The song has a significant change in pace and energy a little after the one-minute mark. DeRango aggressively strums his guitar while the rhythm section is able to match his intensity.

“Little Hurricane” was a highlight. I especially appreciated the way the drum and bass explode in the beginning of the song. The song has a number of infectious hooks and is a fun, dynamic ride.

“Lost” has its moments as well. The song felt a little loose and even sloppy at times when the drummer was more or less the focal point of the song against the strummed power chords. “Petals Left Unplucked” is a short and effective song that doesn't overstay its welcome while “Am I Losing You Again” was a lot more lo-fi for whatever reason. They close with the title track which is arguably the highlight on the EP. The main build up is pretty epic.

​DeRango apparently moved to Brooklyn while the other members are in Chicago. It’s a little hard to know the fate of the band at this point but this was a solid EP which displayed some talent from all the band members. - Divide and Conquer

Hi Jake, welcome to VENTS! How have you been?

Hi! Everything has been going great!

Can you talk to us more about your EP “Anywhere But Here”?

It’s a six song EP that showcases our style of indie punk. We were inspired by the 80s and 90s style of loud-quiet-loud indie rock, and the album has a warm analogue feel. There’s a strong sense of energy and momentum, but the songs also have variety and each one has its own vibe while still being cohesive as an album. It’s about searching for your place in the world. There are moments of quiet contemplation and then loud catharsis.

Did any event in particular inspired you to write this EP?

Not necessarily the writing, but the reason for recording the EP was inspired by my move to Brooklyn. I wanted to record what Tom Pilcher, who plays drums on the album, and I had been playing in Chicago and to capture our energy and musical chemistry. It was originally supposed to be a last hurrah for the band, but it’s turned into a new beginning for Stock Footage.

Any plans to release any videos for the EP?

That is something we’re considering, but we want to make sure it feels right and isn’t forced. There is a video up on our Youtube channel of an acoustic performance of Little Hurricane that I did at the single release show.

Why did you choose this particular title for the EP?

“Anywhere But Here” is also the name of one of the songs on the EP, and it felt like it fit the album as a whole. In the song, the lyric “anywhere but here” is used in the opposite way that people expect it to be. The album has an undercurrent theme of movement and restlessness, so the idea was that the full context of the title would be shifted slightly when the listener gets to the title track at the end of the album.

When we were working on the album, I also had this idea that the cover would be a picture of buildings at night. The picture we end up using is actually one I took in Midtown Manhattan on a foggy night, and then Mark Weckman edited it a bit and did the final designs. So the combination of a dark foggy cityscape and the title “Anywhere But Here” felt like a good first impression for the album.

How was the recording and writing process?

The writing process was that I would come up with the guitar and vocal parts, and then I would work with Tom to work out the arrangements.

Recording started in the spring of 2016. I was getting ready to move from Chicago to Brooklyn, and Tom and I wanted to do one last EP with the songs we had worked up as a duo. We booked a two day session at Atlas Studios in Chicago with Dan Tinkler engineering the session. The goal was to capture the live sound and energy of the band, so we did the guitar and drum tracks together as live takes. There were a couple of guitar overdubs, and the vocals were overdubbed as well.

We had started mixing the album with Dan, but Tom and I both got busy with life and the album stalled a bit. About a year later in Brooklyn, I played what we had mixed for Greg Ferreira of the Bushwick Hotel. He liked the songs and saw potential in building them up a little more. I did another recording session with him at Live By the Sword Studios in Brooklyn where I tracked the bass lines and some subtle vocal doubling. Greg then remixed the album into what it is now. But the idea throughout the whole process was to make something that sounded like people playing instruments together, that didn’t sound artificial or overly processed.

What role does NYC play in your music?

The biggest role is that the picture on the cover is of NYC. Even though all of the writing and most of the recording was done in Chicago, the final version of “Anywhere But Here” was formed in NYC. One of the reasons that I moved to Brooklyn was to try to find new opportunities for music, to take myself out of my comfort zone a little. Looking back on the album, I think those feelings came through in the songs.

Where did you find the inspiration for the songs and lyrics?

I was going through some changes and thinking about where my life was going while I was writing the songs on “Anywhere But Here”. Those themes come through on the album, but they are abstracted a bit. The songs all make me feel something, but there isn’t a specific event I can point to that inspired them. My goals when writing a song are to capture and explore an emotion and to try to do it in a way that’s exciting and different.

Getting the right lyrics is the hardest part of songwriting for me. I usually start writing based off of a chord progression or riff, and I write lyrics and a vocal melody to compliment the guitar part. My inspiration is really trying to write a song that I’m going to enjoy playing over and over again.

Any plans to hit the road?

Nothing concrete yet, but that is definitely something we are looking to do soon!

What else is happening next in Stock Footage’s world?

We’re playing shows in NYC, so you should definitely try to check us out live this summer! I’m also writing songs and recording demos for the next release. I’ve learned not to promise anything before it’s ready, but I’m doing everything I can to make sure there’s not a three year gap before the next album. Besides that, we’re also pretty active on Facebook and Instagram. Our handle is stockfootageband on both. - Vents Magazine

NYC-via-Chicago indie punk band Stock Footage are back with their brand new track Petals Left Unplucked which premiered on Live in Limbo and is available now on all digital platforms. The song is the second single off of their upcoming EP “Anywhere But Here” which is set to drop on 3/30.

The fuzzy, ragged, guitar tone against Jake DeRango’s yearning vocal reflects the conflict within the song’s conception. DeRango was inspired by the timeless imagery of picking petals from a flower in the game of ‘she loves me, she loves me not’. A process that perhaps gains a sinister edge when that love is clearly unrequited. Exploring the uncertainty within the game, DeRango drew a parallel with rock music’s darker love songs “I wanted to try to draw out that line between romantic and creepy”, he says.

“Anywhere But Here” is the follow-up to 2015’s ‘Nerves And Lead‘, which caught The Deli’s attention for it’s “pounding nostalgic indie rock melodies”.

About Stock Footage

Stock Footage was formed in Chicago in 2014 by Jake DeRango (guitar/vocals). He asked long time friend Tom Pilcher (drums) to help structure songs Jake wrote. They had an instant musical chemistry, having played together previously in the Rockford, Illinois based band Imaginary Heroes. Tom and Jake worked on crafting Stock Footage’s unique fuzzy, hook based indie rock sound. With Brendan Smith (bass), Stock Footage began playing shows as a power trio at mainstay Chicago venues like Quenchers and The Burlington

In 2015, Stock Footage released “Nerves and Lead”. The four song EP captures Jake’s pop sensibilities as a songwriter and the band’s dynamic style. Each song has its own unique feel, while somehow never loosing the band’s voice.

Jake moved to Brooklyn in 2016. Since then, he has been playing solo shows while auditioning members for a new live line-up. Stock Footage is putting the finishing touches on “Anywhere but Here”, a six song EP that Jake and Tom recorded together in Chicago - With Guitars