I love making images for performers. Over the summer, I had the opportunity to take some promotional photos for Amos Ender, who, at that point, had just begun renting their rehearsal space in Brooklyn, very close to where we made their photos. In December, I asked them some questions about their first year of writing, rehearsing, and performing tons of shows at a dozen venues around New York City and here’s what they had to say!

Who are you and where can people find more about you and your music?
We are AMOS ENDER, a New York City-based rock duo. You can find links to all our social media & music at AmosEnder.com.

And how did you guys get into music?
(J.R.)  I grew up with a smattering of influences from other friends who were more interested in music at the time. While those early years were probably more formative than I give them credit for, I consider myself really getting into music after I moved to NYC after college.

For the first time, I was not around friends on a regular basis. I had significant amounts of alone time that started to reduce the peer pressures growing up and being involved in whatever my friends were involved in (mostly sports). It was amazing to have freedom in what I did with my time. Given the fact that my commutes to/from work were more than 1 1/2 hours one-way, I started listening to music and reading a lot more.

Reading played a bigger role as it led me to begin writing my own stories and world-building ideas. I didn’t see it at the time, but there was a lot of pent-up creativity I had. The early releases of that were through story-telling. I convinced one of my brothers and a friend to start a writer’s club. We all began writing stories and beginning to build worlds of epic fantasies and fictions.

I don’t remember when that shifted to writing music. It may have come out of some dissatisfaction with the music I heard (and played) pretty regularly in the church I was attending at the time. “This isn’t all that creative, I could probably write something better,” was what I probably thought and I started to write, mostly on the acoustic guitar and trying to figure out beats/sounds and learn music software.

Then, I started listening to different genres and going to concerts, which made me think more critically about what made songs work well. Being in a city where live music was so accessible is fantastic. If I discover an artist I really liked, it was almost a guarantee that sometime that year (or sooner) I could go see them live. At times, I would see an emerging artist and a world-renown artist within the span of just a few weeks or months which kept me coming back to music.

(AJ) My earliest memories of music is sitting and flipping through a catalog of cassettes my dad would eventually purchase. We would listen along in his truck over and over. I had a friend down the street who had a drum set in their shed. He and I would dream of playing in a rock band. I moved into playing in the school band as a percussionist, then the church band then playing with friends and just jamming! Eventually, I kind of lost the plot and backed away from music. Developing a career became my focus and I wasn’t playing much until I realized how much I missed it and missed doing it for fun.

So who influences your music individually and collectively?
(JR) For that, I divide it in to “pre-idea” and “post-idea” categories. A lot of that happens at the subconscious level for me. I’ll mess around with melodies until something strikes a sustained emotional note. In general, that could be coming from what I’ve seen in an artist’s live performance. The first person who I think embodies a lot of this is Matt Bellamy of MUSE. The riffs, sounds, and rhythms he writes are magnified when you watch him live. It is a turning of the diamond as it were, to see and appreciate other facets and new depths of beauty. I would love for Amos Ender to be able to create and perform in such a way that someone might say the same about us one day.

After a riff or scratch track is well into the development process, the two primary influences have been AJ and my wife, Thaís, for two very disparate reasons! AJ wears a producer’s hat more often than not when riffs become scratch tracks, which become demos, which become live tracks, which finally become album-ready. Thaís continues to be the “that’s catchy” or “that’s kind of annoying” voice. Whether she knows it or not, that can either help push an idea forward or send it back into the archives to be worked on later.

(AJ) JR expanded on a lot of our process. We like to share stuff with each other and end up enjoying a lot of the same groups. A few musical influences are Muse, Royal Blood, Jack White, The White Stripes, The Black Keys, Thrice, Gary Clark Jr., The Young Evils, Band of Skulls, etc.

How did you start writing together and form Amos Ender?
(JR) We knew each other in person. The band started on the internet when I put an ad in our church’s Google group. I was looking for a drummer, and while I knew AJ was a drummer, I falsely assumed (as I do of most people here in the city) that he was way too busy (or uninterested) in a project that I hoped could be a full-time gig. I’m glad I was wrong! AJ wrote back the day after I posted the ad and over the next few months, we met pretty regularly, grew in friendship, and tested the creative and collaborative waters. By the new year (2018), we had booked a weekly rehearsal space and it was pretty clear there was chemistry to playing and writing together.

What hats do each of you wear as writing partners and managers in the band?
(JR) This year, I’ve worn more of the writing and manager’s hats since AJ’s family is growing and his day job is way more hectic than mine. We both write initial snippets and riffs that we work on, but I do a little more to flesh out ideas in Garageband before AJ adds drums next.

We both worked together to setup up the website and social media accounts while I handle more of the day-to-day content management and engaging with other bands, fans, and venues. Never-the-less, a lot of credit goes to my wife, Thaís, for researching possible venues for a new bands to play, and for finding other bands for play bills, which makes my life way easier.

(AJ) JR and Thaís have done the heavy lifting in a lot of things that propelled us forward this year while I like to say that my job is just to hit stuff. We’re learning who wears the hats and when and while I’m definitely there for writing process in the rehearsal space, JR will track the results so we can listen back and go to work on it.

What's it like to be a band in New York City? How do you deal with rehearsal space, recording, gear on the subway? Both being married and having full time jobs?
(JR) It’s awesome. There are so many places you can play. Neither of us have been in bands before, let alone outside NYC, so it’s tough to say what’s easier or harder by comparison. I think lugging around gear to and from shows without a car is a harder aspect of being a band here. Rehearsal and recording space is surely pricier here, but we’ve got way more options than anywhere else, I think.

With being married and having full time jobs, I have to say to myself: “You can’t rehearse every day, you can’t just focus on music, and can’t just perform whenever you want.” We fully intend to work hard to make this become a full-time thing, but we’re going to have to go down many roads and in a different timing than (almost) all the bands.

(AJ) I think the city has been an incredible place for allowing us to get in, play gigs, meet bands, and have a good time. It makes the tough parts fade away a bit. Rehearsing without a garage or spare bedroom can be tough. We have to rent a space. It's also tough to lug gear across the city, set it up, and use unfamiliar gear that might be sub par. All-in-all, its been a good time just getting to write, rock out, and have fun.

You started playing concerts this fall. Lots of them! How has your gigging experience been so far?
(JR) We’ve loved it! The idea of performing anything we wrote plays a huge role in an idea’s creation. Being able to play a few shows now has opened our eyes a bit wider to what we can write and what we enjoy playing most.

We try to learn at least five new things with every show. Whether it’s technical difficulties, Stage positioning, who talks when, how to work with questionable backline equipment, how to play louder/quieter based on a venue's acoustics, or the setlist order, we’re only really beginning to figure things out. That’s the beauty of live music!

Any favorite shows/venues that you've played yet? Any you want to play one day?
(JR) My parents were able to come out and see our last show of 2018. It being our last show for the year, my folks coming to town, and knowing we had already played many shows made that night one of the best yet.

We've loved playing the The Bowery Electric, Arlene’s Grocery, and The Shrine. They have great vibes, acoustics, and equipment. Those things make it all the more easy for us to perform well. In no particular order, It would be amazing to play Madison Square Garden (obviously!), Brooklyn Steel,  Terminal 5, Bowery Ballroom, the Apollo Theater, Mercury Lounge, and of course, festivals - Glastonbury, Reading/Leeds, Lollapalooza, etc.

(AJ) Agreed on our last show being the most fun. We had a good number of friends and family present and had friends playing along side us (Jimmy and the band). It's been a good stride and we are having fun. We’re looking forward to 2019!

I hear you recently recorded some new stuff, too? What's in store for you in 2019?
(JR) Yes! We hope to have an EP ready by the Spring of 2019. We’ve laid down 6 tracks, which need to get mixed and mastered. Chances are we will try to generate some traction online and release a few singles. Hopefully, we will be playing in some bigger venues and festivals as the year gets warmer. It's easier to lug gear around the city when it's not the winter.  We would love to get on the road for some mini-weekend tours as well. Please let East Coast friends know about us :)

(AJ) In addition to the EP mixing and mastering, we will focus on tightening up the stage show. We want to bring the new songs more energy and make it a fun show every show in 2019. We look forward to hanging with some of the band friends we made in 2018 and making some new friends to rock out with! Long live Rock n’ Roll.

Guys, thanks for sharing! It's awesome to see what you've accomplished in year one of AMOS ENDER. I enjoyed seeing you live 4-5 times in 2018 and look forward to 2019. 
(JR) Thank you so much for having us, asking great questions, and taking the time to listen!

You can hear AMOS ENDER on Soundcloud and follow them on Instagram,
Facebook, Twitter, and even more through AmosEnder.com.