Inside the guts of the music industry, it’s clear that money talks. Creativity is sacrificed for likeability, and groups of fame-hungry boy toys are quickly whipped into your new teen idols for a greedy buck. Alternative is now deemed cool, indie is now a lucrative commodity and many new bands would rather carbon copy what’s popular instead of relying on their own skills to make good music. Meanwhile, the music makers that dream of the chance to play professionally, but still strive for originality, are being pushed further underground.
These days it’s very rare to find a band that can bridge the gap between the underground music scene and the mainstream. Title Fight, hailing from Kingston, can be seen as a beacon of hope for the future of punk rock. It’s a young, local band whose members put their hearts and soul into their own brand of hardcore-laced punk with pop sensibilities, and they also know how to play their instruments — can this truly be?
The band consists of Ned Russin (bass and vocals), Jamie Rhoden (guitar and vocals), Shane Moran (guitar) and Ben Russin (drums). After a summer of heavy touring, they’ve just embarked on a three-week tour with pop-punk giants New Found Glory. Starting last Sunday in New Haven, Conn., and ending in Illinois, the tour will stop this Saturday at Eleanor Rigby’s in Jermyn.
Even though it has youth on its side, Title Fight has a lot of experience for a group of guys who are all not too long out of high school.
“We had our six-year anniversary of our first show last Saturday,” says Ned Russin.
Each member also plays in a number of other local hardcore, punk and indie outfits like Bad Seed, The Early Birds, Disengage and Dogpower.
Starting young has given Title Fight a huge head start amongst its peers; its latest release “The Last Thing You Forget” attests to it. The new 7-inch boasts mature songwriting skills while still maintaining the shine and vigor of previous releases.
“I think those songs are definitely a progression. We all like them and put a lot of hard work into the record, and it’s definitely paying off,” says Russin.
The progression of songwriting goes hand-in-hand with the latest onslaught of large tour offers. There’s something incredibly exciting about Title Fight right now, and many people on all different levels of the music industry have taken note. However, it’s clear that the enthusiasm that soaks its live shows and recordings isn’t generated by want of fame, but through the members’ strong friendships.
“It’s definitely fun to tour with Title Fight because we’re all best friends and we take our friends with us too; it’s just cool,” says Russin.
Not content with resting on the laurels of its fervent local following, Title Fight want to tour as much as possible, and after being hooked up by a mutual friend, the New Found Glory tour turned out to be the perfect union for the twin brothers and the rest of the band.
“When we were 11, Ben and I saw them for the first time at Montage Mountain when they were on tour with Blink 182,” Russin says. “When they put out ‘Catalyst’ a little bit after that, we were in Title Fight at the time, and we all loved that record.”
The upcoming Jermyn show is something to look forward to for the band. Deemed as a more “intimate” tour for NFG, these few weeks will be a big change for Title Fight, especially at Eleanor Rigby’s.
“We’re trying to keep our expectations low because it’s a brand new experience,” says Russin. “This is the first time we have ever played anywhere in the area besides a small DIY club like (Caf� Metropolis), The Black Lodge, a garage or a basement.
“I’m just excited to play; we haven’t played home since July, so I know all our friends will be there, and it’ll be fun to see them in a situation like that. It’s a completely different atmosphere, and I feel like there’s going to be a lot of people who don’t know who we are even though we only live 30 minutes away, so that’s cool.”
Their grounded but positive attitude shows that the Title Fight boys have wise heads on young shoulders.
“What I want them to get is that we’re a real band, not a band trying to write music to be cool, or trying to write music to make people just jump up and down or hate their ex-girlfriend,” Russin explains. “We’re just a real band, with real people.”
NEPA has charted Title Fight’s progress until now, meanwhile the rest of the world is beginning to catch on. It’s clear that the members love what they do and their musical integrity bodes well for whatever is coming next in the journey towards their bright future.
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New Found Glory, Title Fight, Saturday, Oct. 24, 6 p.m.,
Eleanor Rigby’s (603 Route 6, Jermyn). $17, all ages. Info: myspace.com/titlefight,
myspace.com/eleanorrigbys
