Kevin Day, who also fronts the pop-punk band Aspiga, has always considered Graduation Speech a solo project, and his previous releases demonstrate this. 2017’s Quiet and Calm features just Day with his acoustic playing spacious, somber songs; on 2019’s Maintenance Required, he adds additional layers—streaks of guitars, daubs of piano, percussive textures—but the final result still feels like a solo album. 2021's Private Anxieties, shows the project shedding that designation; though the songs still center around Day’s acoustic guitar, a full band is brought into the fold, transforming these emotional, intimate songs into something more alive. Controlled Burn is the fourth EP under the Graduation Speech moniker and leans heavily on the singer-songwriter approach.
How did the band form and what does the band name mean?
Graduation Speech is a solo project at heart. I started writing some songs on my acoustic guitar that didn't feel like the material I was writing for my band at the time. The name comes from watching a high school graduation and listening to the speeches. They are all very hopeful and bright. I feel like it's a time where kids are exiting a very innocent time in their lives and are about to enter something more difficult.
Previous musical projects? How'd you first get into music?
I play in a band called Aspiga that's been relatively inactive since 2019. In high school and college, I played in a band called No Regrets. I got into punk & ska music in middle school and that's when I wanted to start playing guitar.
First concert that you ever went to?
I think one of the first national acts I saw were The Cranberries. The first local show that I remember was a ska-punk band called Sexy Chocolate.
What's your writing process like?
I tend to write the music first and the lyrics after. The most challenging part is forcing myself to pick up my guitar and give myself the time to scratch that itch.
What other artists or songs inspire your music?
For Graduation Speech, I would say it's very much informed by John K. Samson (The Weakerthans), Sundowner (Chris from The Lawrence Arms), Hanalei (Brian Moss of Great Apes), Matt Pryor (New Amsterdams/The Get Up Kids), Fingers Cut Mega-Machine (Devon of Osker), and Slowreader (Mem. of The Impossibles). I've included tracks from all of them on my playlist as well as some more recent songwriters like New Holland, Phoneswithchords, and Sailor Down.
What's the live experience like and your philosophy on playing live?
Do you think the music live should be identical to the recorded version or should it be it's own thing? Live shows vary for this project. I just recently started playing with a full band which drastically changed the dynamic and energy of our set. It's also very different from what the recordings sound like. I think playing live is an opportunity to be even more expressive and if you want to change things up then you should. I've done solo shows. I've done two piece shows where it's two guitars or a guitar and keyboard. Now I've done full band shows. All of them offer something different and I like the flexibility to shift things around.
Has the band toured? What has the touring experience been, best shows?
The project has done some regional touring but we haven't toured as a full band yet. Our most recent lengthy run would have been at the end of 2019. We played as a two piece (guitar and keyboard) and got to hit up a bunch of spots along the east coast. It was very fun and I am very much looking forward to being able to do that again soon. The best shows for me are the ones where people are attentive and open to hearing new music. Whether it's five people in a coffee shop or 80 people in a small bar. If the people are there to listen to new music and be supportive, it's always a good time. I tend to have a lot of performance anxiety, so sometimes I find a little more comfort in the smaller and more intimate show settings.
worst shows?
We did have a really bad show on the previous tour I had mentioned where a local band decided that they did not want to close the show. Of course, as soon as they were done playing, they took the ENTIRE crowd with them. It was defeating in that moment. Especially when the room was packed just minutes before.
What's up next for the band?
We're currently meeting weekly to work on a new EP. I have six songs that I've been sitting on and now the entire band is fleshing them out together. The goal is to record all six songs at the end of February/beginning of March and then release it later in the year or early 2024. We'll see what time permits. We've also discussed playing more full band shows since we had so much fun doing a few last year. So we're certainly looking to play in the Northeast. If you book shows, please feel free to reach out to me (Kevin) at graduationspeechnj@gmail.com
https://graduationspeech.bandcamp.com/