Fight The Quiet

"Sensitivty is not weakness," so explain the members of Fight the Quiet, Flagstaff, AZ's newest popcore triumph. Vigorous, fresh and versatile, Fight the Quiest plays its own unique blend of tight, passionate punk. Fusing hardcore's scream with alternative's croons, rock's riffs, and metal's slams, these boys have masterfully created a whole new sound.
It's high-octane love.

Formed in mid-2005, the Fight the Quiet trio has already toured the
western US, recorded an album, and opened for Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Branston, Greely Estates, Noise Ratchet, The Chemistry, Zero Theory, and Spoken. Even without label support, hundreds flock to their shows. Fight the Quiet's recent album represents eleven straight days in the studio.

Though equally introspective, wacky and wise,each member of Fight the Quiet contributes his unique background to this diverse endeavor. Dan Pawlicki (drums, cool ideas) is a personal trainer, snowboard instructor, former youth pastor, T-shirt entrepreneur and drum-maker. Nathan James (guitarist, vox, squishiness) is a poet and dedicated barista, and his brother Timothy Dohse (bass, vox, sex appeal) is a nutritionist and microbiologist who's studying premedicine. Pawlicki has toured over 500 dates in three years, and James has been writing songs since he was twelve.

The band strives for openness and for musical purity. High in emotional
content, each song searches for truth, seeking searchlights in our
internal darknesses. "When I get on stage," revealed James, "I lose
myself to the music." The members make this searching public, calling their fans "friends," and revealing to them their entire human selves, not just "the musician behind the instrument." "More than putting on a show," James explained, "we open up a door to who we really are." Pawlicki added, "We are about what we believe." In return, the band's friends bestow upon the threesome love, screams, nutty gifts, and affectionate nicknames. "Fight the Giant," "Fight the Choir," "[our name] is like a giant Mad Lib," grinned Pawlicki. But what's the name really about? "Say something," stated
James simply, "Whatever it is you stand for, really stand for it."

Standing for what they believe, this versatile crew is rocking out with
innovation and vigor. Giving away their music for free, opening their
hearts to strangers, seeking connections and light, and blasting a smokin' sound, this crew is
rising--fast. - Hyperactive music magazine

By Nicki Escudero
April 14, 2005
Everyone from high school punks to college-aged groupies lined the walls of Studio 111 (111 S. San Francisco St.) Friday as six bands came to rock out for the sake of cancer awareness.
Relay for Life, the American Cancer Society's massive fundraiser that will take place Friday, April 15, got a $1,200 boost from a benefit show that had over 275 people attending to hear music ranging from screaming hard-core to folky pop.
-
Next up was Fight the Quiet, also from our mountain town. NAU students were excited to see this rockin' band.
"(Fight the Quiet) is just awesome, and I've liked them since the first show I saw them," said sophomore merchandising major Jessica Holt. "They have a nice mood and vibe ... I kind of like that off-stage, you're like, 'Oh, they look nice,' and then when they get on stage, you're surprised they can scream like that."”
- The Lumberjack

6th Street-walking: Jibberjabbering With Fight the Quiet
Sat Mar 17 2007, at 05:44:04 PM

Names: Chris Juargo (left) and Mikey Bielecki (right)
Spotted: 6th.
Chris, handing me a flier: Come to our show tonight. We're in a band called Fight the Quiet.

Only if you let me take your picture.

Mikey: You have to get in the picture with us. We like hugs.

There's no one around to take the picture. So [ignoring him] just, get together. Yeah, that's it. [Click.] What bands have you seen so far?

Chris: We're not really seeing people. We're going around checking out what's going on, but we drove out here from Flagstaff, Arizona to try to get some work done and promote.

Give me a two sentence description of your band.
Chris: A catchy blend of power-pop and alternative rock with nice hooks?

Aw, c'mon. That's boring. What do you guys sing about?

Mikey: He's the guitarist, I play drums, we don't know. No [to Chris], what does Nate sing about?

Chris: Nate sings about joy, happiness, the usual -- love.

Did you say love or muff?

Chris: Yes.

Camille

(read actuall interview and all comments go to http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/sxsw ) - Dallas Observer

Avenue of rock
By Rae Palmer
Published on 03/29/2007

Rock: alive and well in Flag. Fight the Quiet (pictured) will perform at the Aspen Avenue Music Fest next Thursday. Photo courtesy of Fight the Quiet.

The Orpheum will host several local rock bands in a line-up they’re calling the Aspen Avenue Music Festival. The festival will feature the band Fight the Quiet. The goal is to shine the spotlight on the music scene, which is full of both enthusiastic bands and fans. Fight the Quiet bassist Tim Dohse, who helped organize the Aspen Avenue Music Fest, says the Flagstaff music scene has a lot to offer that most residents may be missing out on.
“It’s something that some of us local bands got together and decided to do,” Dohse says. “It’s basically an event to make Flagstaff residents more aware of [the] music, because we might not be here forever.” The festival is also an outlet to showcase bands’ diversity and growth in sound. Dohse feels, like many other bands, Fight the Quiet’s sound has naturally evolved over the years. Basically they’ve stopped screaming and started singing.
“We have a very broad range as far as the intensity of our music,” Dohse says. “We have some songs that rock pretty heavy, some that’s more progressive, it’s just stuff that’s easy to listen to, and there’s something for everybody.”
Dohse started the band with his brother Nathan James, guitarist and lyricist. The two began playing instruments together when they were kids. The brothers were home-schooled and learned how to isolate their musical talents by playing with a church group. “Growing up, I had so much inside of me to get out,” James says. “Even at 9 and 10, I had so much to say. You just couldn’t get me to stop talking. I loved to tell stories.”
While he doesn’t want to become a political songwriter, James wants to take on subject matter which everyone can relate to. “I hope I never lose the child in me, but I hope I can mature enough to write songs to relate every age group,” James says. “Right now [we] draw a lot of younger fans. I think the Aspen Avenue Music Fest will bring more of a college crowd, and I hope they can relate to our music.”
James and Dohse have recently added two new members to the band: drummer Mike Bielecki and guitarist Chris Wargo. But die-hard Quiet fans should not fear, the new members are all part of the band’s growth in sound. “I think the complexity of the riffs I play for Fight the Quiet make the songs more interesting,” Wargo says. “I think all the old fans would be pleased with the new aspect I bring. It’s not too crazy, but it will definitely add another dimension to the music.”
Bielecki says he is happy to be with Fight the Quiet, and feels this band has more of the same interests. “I think once your music becomes well-known and you make a name for yourself, your message will automatically come through,” Bielecki says. “I don’t think which instrument you play does anything more or less than other member of the band, it’s just a matter of making your collective voice heard … I think what can be done with music, that hasn’t been done yet, is one of the most inspiring things for me. I think that in anything you do, you can always be better than you are. Every song I play can open a new door, and that pushes me.”
The Aspen Avenue Music Festival debuts Thu, April 5. The show is all-ages and admission is $10 at the door. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the show starts at 6 p.m. For more info, call 556-1580 or see www.myspace.com/aspenavenuemusicfestival.

- Flag Live

Fight the Quiet, Let Me In

Having joined the iPod generation, I often lose track of bands' promotional materials, not to mention their physical CDs with those informative inserts (assuming I had them in the first place). There's something to be said for having no preconceived notions, though. As I write this, I know nothing about how Fight the Quiet see themselves. Certainly, slick pop-rock describes them fairly. But did they intend an homage to 1970's arena rock?

If so, they've succeeded, and very well, thanks first to catchy songs and second to high, clear lead vocals (imagine Dennis DeYoung with a slight scratchy edge). The first song on this six-track EP, the title track, actually sounds like it could be one of the better efforts of one of those dinosaur bands. The contemplative "Won't Let Go" has a more modern edge, with shimmery verses alternating with power-chord choruses and wedged around a bridge highlighted by a deliberately retro synth.

"Sway" inches towards a moderate punk beat, with a straight-ahead structure and melody that wouldn't have been out of place in the age of T. Rex, though the icy-dirty guitar attack would have, as would the nod to Aerosmith in the bridge and coda. Overall the tracks have a fresh, youthful appeal, whatever decade(s) they take their inspiration from. Solid songwriting is still Number One in this business, and these guys have it. Making a memorable hook out of the tired (though still resonant) phrase "Here's looking at you," as they do in the closing track, is no mean trick.
- Blog Critics