The Relay Company

Adam and Stephen Mariucci of The Relay Company interviewed and performing on CBS "Eye on the Bay" - CBS

The Relay Company featured of Kings of A&R. - Kings of AR.com

AARON: how long has The Relay Company been a band for, how did you come to be, and what South Bay town do you call home?
TRC (Stephen):

Adam and I have been writing, recording, and performing music together for just over ten years now out of Monte Sereno, which is just west of San Jose. It all started when Adam was a freshman in high school, and I was in 7th grade when he told me that I needed to learn how to play “Dammit” by Blink 182 because he needed a bassist in his band. Many years, band names, styles, and different band members later, we officially named ourselves The Relay Company in early 2009.

AARON: if you could put together a dream mega concert where would it be held and what 5 bands would you book?
TRC:
The Golden Gate Bridge: Relient k, Blink 182, Anberlin, 30 Seconds to Mars, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers. Big light show, pyrotechnics, multileveled stage, trap doors, the works!
AARON: tell us a little more about the brand new debut record? (the one you dropped off for me last week with building security!)
TRC (Adam):

Not only has writing and performing music been a huge passion of our’s for many years, but also recording and engineering it ourselves as well. We recorded our new album “X” in our home studio with a great friend and producer Doug Allen, formerly of the band Nural (Hopeless/Atlantic). We were extremely blessed to have both his creative and technical expertise play such a large role in creating this record. The track “Love Me Hate Me” was recorded with Jeff Schneeweis (Number One Gun, Tooth and Nail). Jeff’s writing and production style has been an influence on us for many years, so getting to record a track in his studio was truly amazing. Our goal with this record was to progress into more of a modern pop sound, while still maintaining rock elements with the drums and guitars. We had a lot of fun creating and infusing electronic sounds and combining them with more natural and organic tones. Ultimately, that led to a very club-rock sound as the end result, and we’re very happy with it. Myself, Stephen, and Doug did all the tracking on the record; I tracked all the drums and percussion, vocals, and guitars. Stephen also recorded guitars and backing vocals, and Doug tracked the keys and synthesizer instruments.
AARON: how many members make-up The Relay Company? (your twin brother is in the band, too, correct?)

TRC (Adam):

4 members total. The Relay Company is Stephen on guitar, Jonny Fernandez on bass, Jake Pooser on drums, and myself on lead vocals and guitar. Some fans think Stephen and I are twins, others think that Stephen is the older brother, but neither are correct. I am actually the older brother! Jonny has been a solid member for about 4 years now, and we recently picked up ‘Skinny Jake’ by finding him on YouTube. He has over 500,000 views on his drum cover videos, so we called him up and long story short, he flew out from Louisiana to be in the “Marco Polo” music video and now has officially joined the band. He also just inked an official artist endorsement deal with SJC Custom Drums that we’re all very excited about.
AARON: was your father (ex-49ers coach Steve Mariucci) disappointed that you and your brother decided to pursue a music career over becoming a future Quarterback or all-pro Linebacker? also, who do you think you should be the NEXT coach of the 49ers?

TRC (Stephen):

Haha! Believe it or not, I was your typical varsity quarterback jock back in high school, drove a big truck and wore my letterman jacket everywhere. Now I wear makeup for music videos and have half of my head shaved off. What happened there?! On a more serious note, we’re very lucky to have parents that support our music, and always encourage us to pursue whatever we are passionate about. That being said, our dad is certainly not disappointed. In regards to the next Niner coach, the Bay Area just has to hope they get someone who can get them back to playoffs!

(Photo by Justin Bettman | Venaca Photography 2011).

AARON: where was the video for your new single MARCO POLO filmed at and tell us some more zany beyond the scene stories of its making! (like site locations, the models used, specifically the blonde and who shot the video, etc)
TRC (Stephen):

Shooting the video for “Marco Polo” was truly an awesome experience. Our friend Peter Lindsey of i7Productions directed the video, and he had an awesome crew to help out and really make it happen for us. We shot all of the plot scenes in one night at Union Square in San Francisco and the following night we shot the band performance & dancers at a cool warehouse district spot in Sunnyvale. We were extremely fortunate to have a group of our friends come together and choreograph the dance scene in hardly any time at all, and of course the infamous “Eileen” character, another friend who also did a great job. As an independent & unsigned band, we definitely ran some risks shooting the video on a budget that didn’t exactly include buying any permits! But fortunately, we were able to get all of the footage necessary just before Union Square security kicked us out as we had tons of people watching and wondering what we were up to chasing each other around and waving big red umbrellas everywhere. I also had quite a freestyle and beatbox session with a man who convinced himself that we were filming something for MTV as he rapped into the camera…and then proceeded to tell me I owed him money for it! Great times.
AARON: where can Live 105 listeners learn more about your band and pick-up or download your new album?

TRC (Adam):

All of our music is available on iTunes and Amazon.The best spot to get the latest updates is www.facebook.com/TheRelayCompany. Please “Like” that page, and follow us on Twitter at @TheRelayCompany. Also check out “Marco Polo” and more TRC videos on Youtube.com/TheRelayCompany. Lastly, we’d love to see everyone at a show where you can pick up the album and official TRC merch! So come party with the relay!
AARON: if i asked you guys to play the soundcheck local band stage @ BFD 2011 this summer how would you feel about it? (and your top 3 personal favorite BFD stories from over the years)

TRC (Stephen):

110% in. We would be pumped like Reebok’s in the 90's to play that! We definitely have some classic BFD stories from over the years. My first time ever crowd surfing, maybe 12 years old, was to the The Ataris – certainly a moment I’ll never forget! And speaking of crowd surfing, the most classic memory is a photo of Adam that showed up in the San Jose Mercury Newspaper of him post stage diving, arms in the air, crowd surfing to New Found Glory!
AARON: upcoming touring plans for The Relay Company (local and beyond) and where do you see the band 3 years from now?

TRC (Adam):

We’ve got twelve performances booked throughout the Bay Area in January and February. Some of them include acoustic sets at Hot Topic retail stores where we get a chance to meet new kids and hang out with our fans in a more mellow environment. We’ve also got our official “X” CD Release show on January 21st at “The Refuge” in Cupertino with some great local bands. Also, a show that we’re really looking forward to is with our friends Atomic Tom (Universal Republic) at “The Avalon” in Santa Clara on February 8th. After that, we’re working towards touring into Southern California and the entire West Coast region more into the Spring and Summer. Right now, we’re taking things one day at time, doing our best to stay focused on pushing the new record and building our fan base more and more everyday. To think where we’ll be in three years is pretty tough to tell, but what we can guarantee is that we’ll still be making music that we love, and hopefully playing some killer shows as well!
AARON: lastly, what the hell is up with the South Bay music scene! it continues to impress me and harbor some amazing local talent! (i.e. The Relay Company, Limousines, Beta State, Ambience, I The Mighty, etc)

TRC:
Thanks! Ya we are really excited about all the great bands coming out of the South Bay lately, and very humbled that you would consider us a part of them. We know the guys in a lot of these bands and it’s definitely a community filled with positive, hard-working attitudes and quality music. It’s great to see Live 105 supporting the local scene…it really does make a difference in people getting involved, coming to shows, and keeping the scene alive! So thank you so much Aaron and Live 105 for doing what you do, we really appreciate it!


Read more: Meet Steve Young and Jerry Rice’s favorite local band: THE RELAY COMPANY! (San Jose) http://live105.radio.com/2011/01/06/meet-steve-young-and-jerry-rices-favorite-local-band-the-relay-company-san-jose/#ixzz1pblVjHzx - The Bay Area's Live 105.3 Radio Station

The Relay Company is a local Bay Area band that got the opportunity to open up for Good Charlotte during the San Francisco leg of the tour. To check out more about the band, go to their Facebook page @ Facebook.com/therelaycompany - Mevio.com