Neon Avenue

Neon Avenue recently burst into the music scene with a flare for uniqueness and confidence that is hard to ignore. The band mixes progressive rock with indie vibes and it has come together with Justin Edwards on vocals, piano and guitar, John Cutlip on backing vocals and bass, Ryan Mehle on drums and Stephen Pappas on lead guitar.

Band Bucket had the opportunity to interview the band and here’s what they had to say:

1) Hi! Could you let the readers in on how Neon Avenue came into being?
After playing a few different rock/alternative bands, I (Justin) was working on a solo project and had spent two years releasing 2 CD’s with pop music. After these two years, I wanted to take a darker spin with the musicality and the lyric writing and create a project that crossed a few different genres. In early 2011, all four members of Neon had free time and we decided to try out some of the darker music I’ve written. We realized that we needed to keep playing together because of how easily the music/live performance flowed from our instruments.

2) What was the inspiration behind your current band name?
I (Justin) enjoy the fact that our and name is an imaginary place. The concept of Neon reminds me of a busy street (Times Square). The fact that our live performances are very energetic and theatrically inspired, reminds me of a large city’s exciting atmosphere. In a nutshell, Neon Avenue is an exciting street in a big city, in a galaxy far, far away.

3) Who are your musical influences?
Freddy Mercury is the reason Justin writes music. Each of the members has a very unique background that has meshed extraordinarily well. Ryan comes from a darker, industrial background. Steve comes from a heavier, metal background. Cutlip comes from an alternative, hard rock background. Justin comes from a more piano driven background (classically trained from the age of 4). Below are some of our biggest band influences:

Queen, The Killers, Dream Theatre, A Flock of Seagulls

4) Each one of you have been or are still involved in side projects, which defer quite a bit with the genre and style that Neon Avenue showcases. What do you hope to achieve musically, with this band?
The goal of this project is to create music that is unique, yet listenable. Radio friendly, yet nothing similar to what is on the radio. We feel as though we have accomplished that and we are proud.

5) What can your audiences expect from the band in the near future?
Our full length CD will be coming out in the net few months. We have plans for a music video over the next month as well. Merch in the form of t-shirt are on the way as well. As for other news, we have some awesome plans for improving our live show over the next few months. Our fans need to see our shows to understand what we’re talking about!

6) Are you human or extra terrestrial?
We’re human, but we’re not proud of it.

7) Thanks for the interview. Anything else you would like to add?
“like” us on facebook
“follow” us on twitter
#neonavenuerocks <—- use that hashtag on twitter

On a serious note, we appreciate all the support and love that our fans show. It’s incredible that we get a chance to share our art with so many people and it means the world to us!



Well you heard them! Here’s the link to their Facebook page -> http://www.facebook.com/neonavenue

You can check out their recorded tracks and live performances. Let us know what you think!

- bandbucket.com

Neon Avenue recently burst into the music scene with a flare for uniqueness and confidence that is hard to ignore. The band mixes progressive rock with indie vibes and it has come together with Justin Edwards on vocals, piano and guitar, John Cutlip on backing vocals and bass, Ryan Mehle on drums and Stephen Pappas on lead guitar.

Band Bucket had the opportunity to interview the band and here’s what they had to say:

1) Hi! Could you let the readers in on how Neon Avenue came into being?
After playing a few different rock/alternative bands, I (Justin) was working on a solo project and had spent two years releasing 2 CD’s with pop music. After these two years, I wanted to take a darker spin with the musicality and the lyric writing and create a project that crossed a few different genres. In early 2011, all four members of Neon had free time and we decided to try out some of the darker music I’ve written. We realized that we needed to keep playing together because of how easily the music/live performance flowed from our instruments.

2) What was the inspiration behind your current band name?
I (Justin) enjoy the fact that our and name is an imaginary place. The concept of Neon reminds me of a busy street (Times Square). The fact that our live performances are very energetic and theatrically inspired, reminds me of a large city’s exciting atmosphere. In a nutshell, Neon Avenue is an exciting street in a big city, in a galaxy far, far away.

3) Who are your musical influences?
Freddy Mercury is the reason Justin writes music. Each of the members has a very unique background that has meshed extraordinarily well. Ryan comes from a darker, industrial background. Steve comes from a heavier, metal background. Cutlip comes from an alternative, hard rock background. Justin comes from a more piano driven background (classically trained from the age of 4). Below are some of our biggest band influences:

Queen, The Killers, Dream Theatre, A Flock of Seagulls

4) Each one of you have been or are still involved in side projects, which defer quite a bit with the genre and style that Neon Avenue showcases. What do you hope to achieve musically, with this band?
The goal of this project is to create music that is unique, yet listenable. Radio friendly, yet nothing similar to what is on the radio. We feel as though we have accomplished that and we are proud.

5) What can your audiences expect from the band in the near future?
Our full length CD will be coming out in the net few months. We have plans for a music video over the next month as well. Merch in the form of t-shirt are on the way as well. As for other news, we have some awesome plans for improving our live show over the next few months. Our fans need to see our shows to understand what we’re talking about!

6) Are you human or extra terrestrial?
We’re human, but we’re not proud of it.

7) Thanks for the interview. Anything else you would like to add?
“like” us on facebook
“follow” us on twitter
#neonavenuerocks <—- use that hashtag on twitter

On a serious note, we appreciate all the support and love that our fans show. It’s incredible that we get a chance to share our art with so many people and it means the world to us!



Well you heard them! Here’s the link to their Facebook page -> http://www.facebook.com/neonavenue

You can check out their recorded tracks and live performances. Let us know what you think!

- bandbucket.com

Youngstown’s newest indie quartet, Neon Avenue, boasts an experienced, diverse lineup of notable local talent that seem to be finding a very unique voice with their early work, presented here. Justin Edwards (Lyrical.Shake.Down., The Denial Stage) on vocals, piano and guitar; Ryan Mehle (The Denial Stage), drums; John Cutlip (SexTon), bass and backing vocals, and Steve Pappas on guitar, are crafting slick, catchy hooks and tight backbeats, played with a kind of roots-rock flair bordering on neo-punk, and lush multi-layered production. There’s plenty of crossover appeal here as well, and if these tracks are an indication of what’s to come, I think this band will be getting some attention regionally and potentially nationally. - http://youngstownrock.com