Alenni

The College of Saint Rose’s music industry program is notorious for churning out talented musicians who are both participants and patrons of the local scene. Sex is a great example of that. The punk and emo fusion that started out as music industry major Cody Okonski’s senior project has evolved into a full band, with Okonski on vocals and guitar and Saint Rose music industry students Nick Cavin (guitar), Alenni Davis (keyboard/vocals), and Eric Murtagh (drums) joining to perform the album live, along with Okonski’s friend Jake Crofoot (bass/vocals). I sat down with Okonski to discuss Sex, their upcoming shows and what we can expect from them in the coming weeks.

Q: When did you decide to form the band [also titled “Sex”]?
A: Well, originally I just wanted to do one live show. But then I started thinking that I haven’t been in a band since 2012 and I really wanted to get back into the swing of playing live again. That’s pretty much why I wanted to do it ­ to just get back up on stage. I played in a ska band from my sophomore year of high school until basically my sophomore year of college and I really, really liked it, but everyone went their separate ways, so I really wanted to get back into the swing of playing live.

Q: And how did you meet the other members?
A: I met everyone through Saint Rose, except for Nick and Jake. Nick I met in high school. I was playing in a hardcore band in high school called “In The Eyes of Her.” He was doing merch and recordings for them, so that’s where I met him, and we just happened to go to Saint Rose, too. We ended up here and that’s when we got back in touch. Jake [Crofoot], I met through my neighbor and he moved in shortly after I met him and we started jamming together, so that just works out really well because he’s my neighbor now. He plays bass and sings and does a heck of a job.

Q: What genre would you classify the band as? The album is very diverse in nature.
A: I would call it punk rock and emo.

Q: Did you do the album on your own or through a label?
A: I did it on my own. I recorded all of it, I wrote all of it, produced all of it. Everything that goes into an album I basically did by myself.

Q: What would you say your main influences are?
A: My main influences are blink­-182, A Day To Remember, and vocally speaking, The Beach Boys.

Q: What was your writing process like?
A: Well, it was usually like “get home from school, be sad about a girl,” you know? [laughs] Pick up a guitar and try to be a wordsmith about everyday issues kind of thing.

Q: And what about your upcoming shows?
A: Our first show is going to be October 30 at Jack’s Place.

Q: What’s your favorite song off the album to play?
A: Probably track one, “The Summer That We Need.”

Q: I really like that one.
A: Yeah, I kinda had to force myself to write that one, because I’m not super bubbly or anything, but I was really into Boys Like Girls for a while, and it was kind of like that kind of song.

Q: And what’s your favorite song that you’ve written thus far?
A: That’s kind of hard. I think “Emily” might be my favorite.

Q: Since you already answered what made you want to start this band, what made you want to start playing music in general?
A: I always sang to myself at my desk when I was a little kid, so I’ve always been passionate about music. I think the reason I picked up a guitar and wanted to start doing rock music is because in fifth grade I saw the movie “School of Rock.” [laughs] I was like, “Oh my god. I have to get a guitar,” and my mom took me to get a guitar and I learned all the songs that he was teaching the kid in the beginning, like “Smoke on the Water” and stuff like that, with all the Jack Black inflections. After that, I got really into Green Day, and then into blink [182]. I’ve always been really into music.

Q: What’s the biggest goal you hope to accomplish as a band?
A: Well, a lot of bands are always just trying to like, get super big or make money or whatever. And that would be cool. But I think that small goals would be good for now. Like, eventually getting on tour for the summer or making enough contacts to get some serious publicity, or eventually getting on Warped Tour would be cool. I think that those are reasonable goals for now, not like “get signed to Capitol Records.”

Q: And what’s the biggest goal you guys have accomplished or that you have accomplished with the album?
A: I think with the album ­ there was a ton of people that came to actually listen to it. There was great feedback and they didn’t know what to expect necessarily. That’s basically the only event I’ve had for it. The listening party, I suppose, was just really well ­attended, and that was awesome. There was Chipotle too, though. [laughs]

Q: If you could sum up your band or your band experience in one word, what would it be?
A: [pauses] Sex.

Q: If the world ended tomorrow and you wanted your album or your band to be remembered for one thing, what would you want to be remembered for?
A: Probably how raw emotion can be, and how it can be portrayed in songs and how it can not only help the writer, but help the listener, too.

Q: And you guys are currently focusing on shows, right?
A: Yeah. We have a show on the 30th and a possible show on November 5th. Once we do our first show, we’re going to do a lot more, I think. We just wanna have one big feature show and then just jump on the bill as the opening band. I’m also writing some new music, so we’re going to come out with some new music eventually. We’re in the very primitive stage of it, but we’re gonna record stuff. We’re gonna work on some new songs and tightening up our live performance and choreography and what not.

Q: What would you say that your favorite thing about the Albany scene is?
A: Well, back when Bogies was open and I was in my ska band, we used to play around here a lot, especially at Bogies. We had a release show and that was great. It wasn’t sold out but it was pretty close to it. Just having everybody there, there was a really great energy ­ just people kind of celebrating art. It was just a really great feeling, I think.

Q: You’ve been in the scene for a while. What was your favorite venue that you’ve ever played at?
A: My ska band played at an arena one time [the Mullins Center at UMass Amherst] and it was really, really awesome. We opened for Third Eye Blind and J. Cole because we won a battle of the bands at U­Mass and because it was such a big school, they had that opportunity. We ended up winning that and we opened for them.

Q: And what’s your favorite local venue that you played at?
A: I would probably say Valentine’s, but that probably dates me [laughs]. Bogies was sweet too, but that’s closed now. I would say either Valentine’s or Bogies.

Q: How has Saint Rose helped you guys as a band?
A: They gave me the assignment to make an album. Having a due date really helped. They let me use their facilities for that and their studio. They are good at getting their students in the studio when they need to.

Q: What part of the Albany scene has helped you the most?
A: We got a lot of support on the album, so hopefully that will translate to people coming to the show. That would be really exciting to see, not only that people have heard the album but that people have heard things about the album. That would be exciting for me.

I would like to thank Cody for taking time to talk to me. Be sure to check out Sex’s show at Jack’s Place in the Hearst Center for Communications and Interactive Media on Oct. 30, and make sure to like them on Facebook at facebook.com/sextheband. You can also follow them on Twitter, @whereissex, and on Instagram at @sextheband. - The Chronicle

It is once again that special time of year when the leaves change, the weather gets colder, and Rocktoberfest returns. Every year, the Music Industry Student Association puts on a free music festival full of fun, games, and amazing music. This year, MISA has gathered the best musicians from the Capital Region.
Rocktoberfest will take place Saturday, Oct. 24, all day starting at 12 p.m. at Jack’s Place in the Hearst Center for Communications and Interactive Media.
The festival hosts many musical acts who come from both from Saint Rose and from within Albany’s talent pool.
Christine Bile is a new member to the MISA community and has become a crowd favorite acoustic performer at open mic nights.
Alenni is a multi-instrumentalist who performs with several other musical groups within MISA. She is currently starting her own solo career writing and performing her own songs.
Sydney Schizzano is the only returning artist to Rocktoberfest. She wowed the crowd last year with her original song “Pamela” and will surely do so again with her unique sound and stage presence.
Kreaturestep is one of MISA’s favorite DJs and will impress everyone with his new beats.
BoyGoFast is relatively new to the local music scene, having only formed last winter. This four-piece band combines both classical and alternative rock influences to create a style of rock individual to them.
The final band native to MISA is the Bonnie Masons. This rock band, led by Matt Dalton, has a driving sound that makes the crowd want to keep listening long after their set is over.
Rocktoberfest will also feature four acts that have made a name for themselves in the Albany area. This year MISA has brought new sounds to the stage of Rocktoberfest in the genres of R&B, hip hop, and rap. Stockade Kids, Elsphinx, Mirk, and Upgrade will all be showing us their talent at Rocktoberfest.
Both Elsphinx and Upgrade are local rappers who have signed with Albany record labels. Elsphinx works with Pigfood Records, and Upgrade is signed with Equal Vision Records. Mirk and Stockade both have more of an R&B sound with hip hop and rap elements.
While the many bands of Rocktoberfest are more than enough to convince any music lover to attend, who can forget about the amazing food and games that will be there as well? And if that still isn’t enough, it’s also FREE! Donations are more than welcome, and MISA would greatly appreciate the support. Come down on Oct. 24 starting at noon, and join the fun! - The Chronicle