White Picket Fence

Click on link provided, REVIEW ON PAGE 5 - Upstate Live Magazine

White Picket Fence's "Clocks & Calendars."

Modern pop-rock band White Picket Fence marches to its own internal beat on "Clocks & Calendars."

The vocals of Elise Miklich, guitars of Kelly Clancy and Logan Messina, bass of Ryan Chapman and percussion of Garrett Koloski bring power and finesse to the 10 original songs, sharply produced by Steve Sopchak at his Square Studios in Marcellus.

There's hot and fast work in "Dangerous Machines," power rides in "If I Ever Reach the Coast" and jingle-jangle in "Artwork Arms."

The brightest spots might be the short and interesting flurry of acoustic guitar pop in "Prepare, Produce, Secure" and smooth moves in the title cut as Micklich sings to great a new year, "Party's over, and I'm picking up the remains of the people I love."

Catch a show: White Picket Fence's release party is 8 p.m. Saturday at Funk N Waffles in Syracuse. - The Post Standard

What a night for the young people in Syracuse pop-rock band White Picket Fence.

Singer Elise Miklich, guitarists of Kelly Clancy and Logan Messina, bassist Ryan Chapman and percussionist Garrett Koloski marched to the stage at the Syracuse Area Music Awards on Friday night to proudly accept two shiny Sammys.

They smiled widely, all five dressed proudly in formal attire. After receiving the award for best pop CD, they explained to the happy crowd of several thousand that they were supposed to be at a high school senior ball. Later, they also won the Brian Bourke Award for Best New Artist.

Then it was off to the ball at Oncenter in a limo for the students of West Genesee, Westhill and Marcellus high schools
- Mark Bialczack with the Post Standard

White Picket fence warms quickly to the big stage
Posted by Mark Bialczak/The Post-Standard June 25, 2009 9:29AM
Categories: Commentary, Update


White Picket Fence will hit the road in July in their Chevy conversion band-van. They are, left to right: Kelly Clancy, Garrett Koloski, Logan Messina, Ryan Chapman and Elise Miklich.
The enthusiasm and talent of young pop-rock band White Picket Fence surely made the late afternoon/early evening crowd at the Hump Day Concert Series at the Syracuse Inner Harbor happy on Wednesday night.

Peers of the five just-out-of-high school musicians were drawn toward the big stage like moths to the backyard light at your Fourth of July marshmallow roast.

They sang along, smiling widely as the front four -- guitarists Logan Messina and Kelly Clancy, bass player Ryan Chapman and lead singer Elise Miklich -- did their work barefoot, looking summer-ready and quite carefree. (I couldn't tell if drummer Garrett Koloski had shoes on behind the bass drum, but wouldn't be surprised if he didn't.)

Older folks were paying attention, too.

One was bass player Bret Hobin, there early for his second-set appearance with Syracuse rockers Simplelife.

Hobin smiled, too. He was watching closely. He's a good guy in general, and a good guy to reflect upon the early success of a Syracuse rock band. Back in his days at Baker High School in Baldwinsville in the mid-1990s, Hobin played bass in teen band Eclipse, a unit fronted by Joel Ackerson that found area success, recording original songs and playing more than 50 shows a year.


Hobin says he first discovered the vibe of White Picket Fence while strolling through Carousel Center.

"I liked the sound. I didn't know who they were. I watched the whole set. It was them," Hobin says.

He's watched their climb the past year. He appreciates their all-original set list. Tobin says other young bands should take note.

"It's great for the scene," he says, "injecting their energy. It's a good example for young bands. Go out and write songs. Take a chance."

In this summer of the 40th anniversary of the Woodstock Festival in Bethel, where all those young people let the creativity flow, I will second that with an enthusiastic Right On!

- Post Standard

The five members of Syracuse pop-rock band White Picket Fence all will be graduated from high school in the span of eight days. They are, from left to right, Logan Messina, Ryan Chapman, Elise Miklich and Kelly Clancy.
The details
White Picket Fence is: Singer Elise Miklich, guitarists Kelly Clancy and Logan Messina, bassist Ryan Chapman and drummer Garrett Koloski.
A new chapter: All five members are 18 years old and facing a personal milestone this month. Clancy and Miklich will graduate from Westhill High School on Saturday; Chapman will graduate from Marcellus High School on Sunday; Messina and Koloski graduated from West Genesee High School last Saturday.
Already successful: White Picket Fence won two Syracuse Area Music Awards earlier this month, for best pop CD and the Brian Bourke award for best new artist.
This week: You can catch White Picket Fence at 5 p.m. Wednesday as the opening band in a lineup that also includes Syracuse's Simplelife and national band Cracker at the Syracuse Inner Harbor. A 14-date, five-state tour starts July 18 at the Westcott Community Center in Syracuse.
In August: The band will stay together. Miklich and Clancy will attend Le Moyne College, Chapman and Koloski will attend Onondaga Community College and Messina will concentrate solely on White Picket Fence.
Online: Watch a video interview with the band and listen to a song on blog.syracuse.com/listenup. The band's page is at myspace.com/whitepicketfence1.

By Mark Bialczak
Staff writer

Lifelong friends Kelly Clancy and Elise Miklich were in Baltimore with the Westhill High School chorus in May when Miklich looked at her phone.

The text read: "Yo. This is our van."

The photo showed a 1995 Chevrolet conversion van. Mileage: 103,000. Price tag: $700. Destination: 14 concerts in 14 nights at clubs in New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio and Michigan.

Life is going very well for the five young musicians who make up Syracuse indie pop-rock band White Picket Fence.

In early June, singer Miklich, guitarist Clancy, guitarist Logan Messina, bassist Ryan Chapman and drummer Garrett Koloski were called to the stage to pick up two trophies at the Syracuse Area Music Awards, for best pop CD and the Brian Bourke award for best new artist.

To think that their first gig ever as four-strong White Picket Fence came on June 14, 2008. (Chapman completed the picture in October.)

The connection started with Clancy and Miklich, who became friends in the second grade. They both started playing guitar in eighth grade, and at Westhill High School, they became more serious about making music. Friends introduced them to West Genesee High School students Koloski and Messina, who were playing with other scholastic-aged bands.


"We kind of stole them," Miklich says with a little smile.

It's a good fit.

They're all 18 years old. They write and play their music together, already putting out a self-titled demo CD and a full-length CD, "Clocks and Calendars," they made with producer Steve Sopchak at his Square Studios in Marcellus. "In the other bands, I felt weird," Messina said. "I didn't fit in. I did this, it felt new, and it worked. Once we started writing together, it got good."

"And playing at a live show is better," adds Chapman. "Seeing people getting wicked into it."

Sitting comfortably together in the band's rehearsal space, in the basement of the Koloski home in Camillus, they say White Picket Fence is a project that lets them live and learn together.

"It's like a kid's dream. 'I want to be an astronaut. I want to be in a band,'" says Clancy.

Reality set in big-time the weekend of June 5 and 6.

That Friday night, on the way together to the Westhill Senior Ball, the five friends stopped off at the Sammys and won two shiny, black trophies.

"People were like, 'Wow, it's so cool you won two Sammys.' We were, like, 'It is?' We didn't know," says Koloski.

They left the two trophies in the limo and went together, five friends at the ball. No romances within the band, they say. "That would be horrible for the band," Miklich says.

"We're all like brothers and sisters," says Clancy.

The next night, 200 people packed Funk N Waffles for their CD release show.

The crowd sang the words to songs just out on CD, showing they'd listened ahead of time on the White Picket Fence MySpace page or gone to other shows.

"These amazing fans we have made a sheet cake for us and designed it like the album cover," Miklich says.

The bout with celebrity has been the hardest adjustment, they say.

"When people come up to you in Wegmans and say, 'You're in White Picket Fence' and you say, 'Yeah,'" says Miklich. "We played a show at Phoenix (High School) and a girl my age came up to me and said, 'Can we have a hug?' I thought, 'Why? We're peers.'"

It's been easier charting their climb up the pop rock ranks.

They're all good with money. The band has a savings and checking account at a local credit union. What they make at gigs -- they netted $25 for their first show, a year ago at Mezzanotte Lounge, and $1,000 for the release party at Funk N Waffles -- goes into the accounts.

The only funds they've ever received toward the project from their parents was $100 in seed money used to order their first batch of White Picket Fence T-shirts to sell at shows.

When the accounts were too low to buy the van, the five musicians dipped into their own pockets. They made most of that back by having two garage sales. Koloski makes trips to the Auburn Pick-and-Pull to buy needed van parts and does some of the repairs himself.

They're gung-ho about living in Syracuse after this month's round of high school graduations for the good of the band.

Clancy and Miklich will study communications at Le Moyne College. Chapman and Koloski will study electronic media communication at Onondaga Community College.

"We're going to college because it's the next thing we're supposed to do," Clancy admits.

Messina says he doesn't want to waste time or money. "I'm doing this," he says of the band's efforts to grow.

In July, they'll be touring through five states in the band van, with a trailer they bought from Syracuse pop-punk band Honor Bright in tow.

Sopchak, who toured in the bands Bells & Whistles and Eyes Averted, helped get that ball rolling.

"He's like a teacher. 'Here's an address. Here's what you do. You can do it,'" Miklich says.

They also get advice from Tim Paige of Honor Bright and Cody Payne of The Dangerous Summer, whom they met when the Baltimore band played in Syracuse in March.

"He said, 'I like your CD. Can you mail me one?'" says Miklich. "I said, 'You like our CD?'"

They say they'll tour every break the four get from college.

That's part of the advice they've culled from their mentors. Sell T-shirts. Sell CDs. Get known outside your hometown. Then, maybe, you'll hear from a record label.

"If I am signed to a label and they pay for us to be out on the road, that's enough," Miklich says.
- Posted by Mark Bialczak/The Post-Standard June 22, 2009 6:00AM

White Picket Fence - Clocks and Calendars
Reviewed by: Mirrorsandfever (01/07/10)
White Picket Fence - Clocks and Calendars
Record Label: None
Release Date : June 6th, 2009

These days it's difficult for a band fronted by a girl to not be shrugged off as "another Paramore". When opening White Picket Fence's album Clocks and Calendars, I didn't know what to expect exactly. Paramore 2.0? Another band for AP.net members to complain about milking the Paramore cow? I was wrong.

The New York based band pleased me greatly from what was coming out of the headphones. Filled with clean and weak sounding (in a good way!) guitars, high vocals with great bass and drum beats, White Picket Fence is a great band. And this is a great album. The weak guitar sounds give the songs character, along with vulnerability. The only album I can compare the sound to would be Taking Back Sunday's first release Tell All Your Friends. As each song was open and felt inviting to know how the song feels, so do these.

Beginning the record, "My Love and Limbs" starts off as an at-first-thought instrumental track that eventually becomes vocalized. Soon, that sound is barely revisited as the band is driven by singer Elise Miklich's vocals. A lot of the songs have a jazzy hook feel to them, which is entirely new to this scene, but each song has a great pop hook, as well. The melodies compliment the music and they grow off of each other. It reminds me of how Karen O (of Yeah Yeah Yeahs fame) carries her songs heavily with the music, not against.

The second half of this album is what makes it shine. A song like "Artwork Arms" can easily be a mixtape staple, with the pop feel and the dance beat, all packed with a singalong chorus and handclaps. Basically, it's the recipe for a crowd favorite. The songs that follow are as good or better than the one previous. The title track is a greater closer, making the listener want more of what was given to them in just a short period, making for a flawless second half.

Despite how much I enjoy this album, I feel like White Picket Fence has yet to break out. I get the feeling like they can really write and record a great album that can be a favorite for many. I'm positive there's much more potential than they lead on here, and I can't wait for a follow up.

www.myspace.com/whitepicketfence1 - AbsolutePunk.net

Take a dash of playful melodies, add a pinch of tunes that make you want to sing and dance and finish up with the most important ingredient, five down-to-earth best friends that want to play music because they love it, and you've got White Picket Fence, a five-piece indie-rock band from the suburbs of Syracuse, NY.

Their sound is difficult to describe, and as vocalist Elise Miklich tells me, that's likely because the members of White Picket Fence are influenced by different types of music. You can hear the impression that indie-rock bands such as Death Cab for Cutie, Mewithoutyou, Meg and Dia and The Honorary Title have made on the band. Even classic and 90s rock have helped to mold and shape their songs.

Although White Picket Fence now has a full-band sound, two members originally comprised the band: Kelly Clancy on guitar and Elise Miklich on vocals, who were best friends long before they formed a band. In fact, Elise reveals that she picked up a guitar shortly after Kelly began playing because she “had to do everything that Kelly did.” With just an acoustic guitar, Kelly and Elise wrote and played what they call “folky” tunes, but they later decided they wanted to give their music a richer, fuller and heavier sound, only possible with a full band. In June of 2008, Garret Koloski and Logan Messina (also members of Brothers, We Grow) joined Elise and Kelly.

With a show rapidly approaching immediately after Garret and Logan joined White Picket Fence, the two new members had to buckle down and learn six songs in just three days, Garrett tells me. “I was so stressed out,” he says, “but then everything kind of died down.” Thankfully, that extreme time constraint for learning songs has disappeared and the success of the band has grown considerably.

As a foursome, White Picket Fence played lots of concerts, particularly at the Mezzanotte Lounge, where more and more fans appeared at each show. It was right before going on stage to play at the New York State Fair when their temporary bassist called and had to cancel. Fortunately, however, Ryan Chapman, who was a guitarist before he was a bassist, was there to rescue them. Ryan and the other band members initially intended that Ryan would help them out temporarily, but the talented bassist is now in the band to stay.

I noticed how close the band members seem as they quarrel jocosely over who is the most indie and as each member (Garrett in particular, with his unique brand of humor) cracks jokes about the others as though they've all been best friends for years, but according to Elise, they do consistently argue about one thing: how to work transitions into their songs. Before they reach that point, before they even have an idea for a song, however, a new tune is typically sparked by Logan's ideas—a tune here, a riff there, and then the rest of the song builds with each musician adding his or her own part.

Elise, the lyricist of the band, tells me that the other band members sometimes find her lyrics far too emo. “We'll be in the middle of a song and they'll just start making fun of it,” she says. On a more serious note, she also tells me that she tends to find inspiration for lyrics from life situations, situations to which, she hopes, her audience can relate. In the end, Elise, who is also a poet and short story writer, wants to be on the same level with her audience—to make them see that the members of White Picket Fence are people that are trying to have fun and play great music.

As a vocalist, Elise succeeds in adding a fun, relaxed vibe to the band's sound. Her vocal style is playful yet strong, unique yet somewhat reminiscent of Brandon Reilly's voice (Nightmare of You). Elise and Kelly, who are both musical fanatics, joke that Elise won only a small part in the school musical because she lacks a “musical-appropriate voice.” Well, she may not sound like Julie Andrews, but her voice is just right for singing indie-rock ballads.

And how did the band get their name? Elise tells me that it all started with her older sister, who wanted to be in a band when she was very young. She joined up with Kelly's older sister, in fact. When they were in fourth grade, “They wrote down like, two lyrics,” says Elise, “and they couldn't play any instruments and they didn't even know what a guitar was or how to play it, but they called themselves a band and named themselves White Picket Fence.” Much later, when Kelly and Elise joined up to play music, they took the name White Picket Fence for their real band.

After asking the real White Picket Fence why they play music, Logan says simply, “It's a blast.” Kelly interjects and says, “I don't talk about my feelings—I just play guitar.” She recalls a time when the band was at Garrett's house trying to write a song, but she had forgotten to bring her guitar. “I didn't play the whole day and I flipped out,” she says with a smile. Aside from playing the acoustic, Kelly also confesses to having freakish organization skills and a goal of pursuing graphic design in college next year.

And what will happen to the rest of the band next year, when they've graduated from high school? What will happen when they all go to college? They don't seem too worried, since most of the members don't plan on being more than a couple of hours away from their homes in Syracuse—Ryan, for example, plans to stay in the Syracuse area during the college years, but it's still a concern, as Elise is considering attending schools that are at least five hours away.

Their time together in Syracuse isn't over yet, though. Right before we culminate the evening with an adorable group hug, the band tells me they're currently writing new songs, and they plan in March of 2009 to record with The Square Studio, the same studio where they recorded their demo and their current seven-song CD, “Don't Take This...” You can purchase these CDs online through CD Baby, or you can check out White Picket Fence at their website: myspace.com/whitepicketfence1. Be sure to catch them live, as well, during their November shows (Battle of the Bands at Skaneateles Ski Hill on November 1st beginning at 6 pm and at Shamballa Cafe in Baldwinsville on November 14th starting at 6 pm).
- CNY Underground

Syracuse rock band White Picket Fence isn't afraid to unveil its rawest emotions.

With its second, self-titled CD, the fivesome of Kelly Clancy on guitar and vocals, Elise Miklich on vocals, Garrett Koloski on percussion, Logan Messina on guitar and Ryan Chapman on bass shows a keen, poetic and well-developed eye on the world.

The acoustic sound's at turns times soothing and edgy.

Guest musician Amanda Eicholzer's violin work brings a warm country feel to "Stacking Stones," and the temperature's turned up on "Infidelity."

The lyrics mostly cut deep.

"Ragdoll" brings the turmoil of personal relationships to a full boil with the soul-baring verse: "Follow your words, they fill my head every night before we go to bed. Pull the string and hear me say a charming lie, a soothing phrase. I am a broken doll, your little ragdoll. I take it in, I stand it all."

These seven original songs were all inspired by "whatever life throws at you, good or bad," the musicians declare.

There's definitely a measure of satisfaction in the opening cut, "July," as Miklich sings with the enthusiasm of youth, "We've got time to waste. Yeah, we've got time."

But they give the impression that they try to make the most of every minute.

Catch a show: White Picket Fence plays at 5 p.m. Friday at the Shamballa Cafe in Baldwinsville and at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Red Planet Skate Park in Oswego.
- The Post Standard

Members: Elise Miklich, Westhill High School; Kelly Clancy,Westhill; Garrett Koloski, West Genesee; Logan Messina,West Genesee; Ryan Chapman, Marcellus

Genre: Alternative/pop

Music sample: "July"

How they came up with the band's name: "My Older sister Maggie wanted to start a band when she was in 6th grade, and they named it White Picket Fence, although none of the "members" could play, write, or sing. It ended up as more of a club." -- Elise

Together since: Dec 2007

Professional experience: Garrett, Logan and Ryan are all self-taught, Kelly Clancy has been taking guitar lessons from Don Bullis for about five years now.

Inspiration for music: "Honestly, every member of the band has a totally different genre of music they listen to, therefore we have extremely different bands that influence us personally. Some of our tastes may cross paths occasionally, but generally are as different as black and white. We see bands like Paramore and Meg & Dia, who are making a difference in teens' lives by getting out there doing what they love and sharing their experiences through their music. Teens will put on their favorite songs to get through a rough day and can connect and relate to the lyrics. White Picket Fence wants to have that impact on people's lives." -- Kelly

Artists/bands you admire: Meg & Dia, Me Without You, The Honorary Title

Influences: Meg & Dia, Azur Ray

Writing process: "We all sit in Garrett's basement. Logan writes a cool riff and Kelly and Ryan start to add to it. They all try and figure out a good foundation, and when they are done, they play the whole thing through for Garrett to add in drums. When the music is written, I have them play it through two or three times, and I write lyrics on the spot - yrics about the events that are most dominant in my current life. They simply flow right out of me." -- Elise.

Why you do it: "We would all be lost without the band. Together, we are kind of like a second family. Garrett, Logan and Ryan have been in countless other bands, such as Brothers We Grow, and Amersin, while Elise and I started out together, acoustic. We are so thankful that we could have such great friends that want to share in this experience with us. It's our passion, and a way for us to express ourselves and to create something we are proud of." --Kelly

Quote: "I've been listening to bands like Blink182 and The Used since I was in 3rd grade. When asked 'What do you want to be when you grow up?' in elementary school, I always, without hesitation, stated I wanted to sing in a band. I took Kelly to her first concert in 7th grade. We went to see New Found Glory and Sugarcult, and from that point on we knew we wanted to do this for the rest of our lives. We are all planning on going off to college next year, but hope to keep White Picket Fence alive and thriving." -- Elise
- Syracuse.com

The Syracuse independent pop-rockers White Picket Fence stop for a photo in Montpelier, Ind., during their recent road trip. From left are Kelly Clancy, Ryan Chapman, Elise Miklich, Garrett Ko´loski and Logan Messina. The tour party of six from the Syracuse indie pop-rock band White Picket Fence squeezed into their van and endured another leg of their tour -- this time, eight hours between Michigan and Indiana.

They hopped out in Evansville, Ind., ready to play. Bad news.

"The kid (who booked the club gig) canceled the show on us and didn't tell us," drummer Garrett Koloski says.

They were bummed.

"The guy who owned the place felt bad. He gave us 100 bucks and free pizzas," Koloski said. "We ended up going to a wicked nice hotel because we felt bad."

That was the only night during the five-state, 11-day trip where Koloski and band mates Elise Miklich, Kelly Clancy, Logan Messina and Ryan Chapman, along with merchandise table guardian Drew Shoup, spent cash for a room.


The 18-year-old June graduates from Westhill, Marcellus and West Genesee high schools made the most of the late July trip that spanned 3,000 miles.

They played eight shows. When one, at a club called Modern Exchange in Southgate, Mich., was canceled because the headliner didn't show up, they picked up a replacement gig that same night at an Ann Arbor bar called Mitch's.

"It was the funnest night," drummer Koloski says. "My cousin goes to U (of) Michigan."

The biggest crowd, they say, was "40 or 50 kids" at the Howell Opera House in Howell, Mich.

The biggest payday for performing was $100. One night they were handed $15.

Some nights they made only the money from merchandise sales.

"I sweet-talked that mom one night," Koloski says, laughing as the five band mates talk about the tour in the basement of his parents' house in Camillus. "She told her kids, 'Whatever you want, it's on me.'"

Even after the $600 bill for gas for their 1995 Chevrolet conversion van, "We came back positive. We made money," says lead singer Miklich.

They made new friends.

"Chicago was awesome," says guitarist and singer Clancy. "We stayed in someone's apartment with a panoramic view of the city."

They made new fans.

"Checking (the band's) MySpace (Web page), we see messages that say, 'We saw you here.' They contacted us. I thought, 'I know somebody in Pennsylvania loves us,'" Miklich says.

They learned about the geography between Central New York and the Midwest.

"The hills in Pittsburgh were so steep, we couldn't go more than 10 miles per hour," says guitarist Messina.

"I thought that if we came to a stop, we wouldn't be able to get going again," says bassist Chapman.

They learned about Midwestern ways.

"In Bluffton (Ind.), Garrett got yelled at in Wal-Mart for wearing his pants too low," Clancy says. "A man came up and said, 'Son, you have to pick up your pants.'"

"The biggest thing we learned was the difference in cultures in America, even if you're just two hours away," Miklich says.

"People thought we were either so funny or disgusting," Koloski says.

And they learned that they want to do it again.

They've set up a two-week tour driving to Florida, opening for nationally signed bands The Forecast and Socratic Jan. 2 to 15.

"It'll be warm. We're so excited," Miklich says.

Until then, the band that won the Brian Bourke Award for best new artist at this year's Syracuse Area Music Awards will play some local gigs, including a Sept. 19 back-to-school show at the Westcott Theater with Fazeshift, The Score and Phantom Chemistry.

The theme is appropriate. This fall, Clancy and Miklich are starting at Le Moyne College; Koloski and Chapman are about to begin studies at Onondaga Community College.

Messina says he's working hard and saving money.

They all agree it's good to be back in Syracuse.

"The tour made us realize the music scene is really, really good," Messina says.

"Lots of places we played, the people would say, 'There's not too much to do here. There's two good bands," says Clancy.

"We didn't go to one town where the kids are so into local bands like they are in Syracuse," Miklich says. "They're into national bands that are out of reach."
- Posted by Mark Bialczak / The Post-Standard August 20, 2009