Made For Broadway is Justin James, Sean Braam, Brogan Thompson and Rob Storm. The group is one of the bands keeping the pop punk torch burning in Johannesburg with aspirations to reach a global audience with their craft. We shared words with band discussing eating chocolate before dinner, Chemistry, the chunk, Tanz Lives’ premature death and what we can expect from their performance at Condition The Beards on Friday. Nothing Major.
The Fuss – Firstly, let us get formalities out the way here. Thank you for leaving No Chocolate Before Dinner behind and changing your name. But why, Made For Broadway? What significance if any does the new name hold for you guys?
Made For Broadway – After dropping No Chocolate Before Dinner we felt like we needed to push forward with something more polished. The idea of actually being made for broadway felt perfect for the concept we had for the “new” band. Bright Lights. Larger than Life.
The Fuss – The change in your name was as a result of maturation and wanting to be taken seriously to some extent. Was this change purely aesthetic or was this development also apparent in the music you create?
Made For Broadway – For us it was an evolutionary step in the way we worked inside the band, we became unified in the pursuit for something even better than what we had delivered the year before and the same goes for the music: we wanted to take our idea of what it is to be a rad pop punk band and work it to a point where we feel it could be international quality.
The Fuss – Along with the name change, you released a new EP entitled Chemistry. The production of the EP is of a high quality, tell us a bit about the behind-the-scenes production of the EP – how it was recorded, where it was recorded and how long it took to record?
Made For Broadway – We are absolutely blessed to have the expertise of Brother Rob Storm not only behind the drum kit but in the producers seat; he brought the best out of us over a 2 week period at his studio. Dowsed with hot chocolate and the hottest gear supplied by Marshall Music Woodmead, we had no excuses to release something that we couldn’t be proud of.
The Fuss – Explain the chemistry of the individuals in your group when it comes to writing songs?
Made For Broadway – The writing process has changed a few times – we’re still trying to find the right balance. We’re a band of very independent writers so sometimes it’s a little hard to bring ideas together, but once we get into a rehearsal space it usually works itself out because we then tend to follow where the vibe of the original idea leads.
The Fuss – It seems there was also a comprehensive and well thought-out release plan behind Chemistry. Is there a label or a manager pulling the strings in the background or are you self-managed?
Made For Broadway – Thank you! It’s all in-house. We’ve had a lot of experience in previous bands and we knew with Made for Broadway it needed to be absolutely professional if people are going to take you serious these days.
The Fuss – Going back to the formation of the group – When and how did your band form?
Made For Broadway – About 3 years ago high-school friends Sean and Justin got together, jamming it out with a few other guys. That didn’t really work out, but Sean ran into Brogan at Ramfest and it was immediately evident that they were a great writing team. After that the trio worked on refining a few tracks until they had something worth showing to Brogan’s long time illegitimate brother Rob Storm, completing the lineup.
The Fuss – In a sea of indie groups your group decided to go left where most were going right. Why did you decide to play pop-punk?
Made For Broadway – We didn’t really make a conscious choice to play Pop Punk, it just happened! We really like happy riffs with chunky asses.
The Fuss – You always use the word ‘chunk’ when asked to describe the Made For Broadway sound and style. Kindly explain what the chunk is?
Made For Broadway – Chunk is the only word we have to describe the metalcore influence on our traditional pop punk roots. There have definitely been points when we didn’t even know what the hell chunk was, but we loved it and wanted more.
The Fuss – Your group was one of the privileged acts that played Oppikoppi last year. From a local perspective this is considered a rite of passage. How was the experience for your group? And would you consider that performance your favourite of all time?
Made For Broadway – It was a massive privilege indeed, Oppikoppi is a festival we have always loved and strive to perform at as many times as we can in our short lives. The experience itself was incredible, performing on the same stage as some of the world’s biggest artists have was overwhelming and being part of such a huge showcase of South African talent felt seriously special. Favourite performance of all time? We definitely think so.
The Fuss – You’re playing Condition The Beards at Wolmer Bush Lounge on Friday. What sets a Made For Broadway live performance apart from other bands or just listening to the EP at home?
Made For Broadway – The Made For Broadway live performance is the most important aspect of the band, and something we put a lot of time and energy into getting right. We mean every note we play, and this is the one time people get to see that firsthand.
The Fuss – Our favourite tracks off the Chemistry EP are Story Time, and the lead single, This Is War. Are there any tracks which you particularly enjoy performing live?
Made For Broadway – What a tough question! We love performing all of the songs in our set – you wouldn’t believe the amount of material that never made it out the door or got cut from the set… It’s a very special list for us. Recently we reworked two old songs – “Monsters” and “No Clues” – and they’ve gone from being the ones we least enjoyed performing to all-time favourites.
The Fuss – Tanz Live recently closed as the local music industry took another blow. What are your thoughts on the venue closing down and live entertainment venues in Johannesburg overall? Which venues are doing it right?
Made For Broadway – With venues being so few and far between it definitely is a major blow to the scene. It’s important for us to get in front of as many fresh faces as possible, and those opportunities are becoming scarce – there has definitely been a noticeable decline in the number of younger fans turning up at shows, and it may be time for the alternative group to start recruiting again… To be honest, the older (now defunct) booking agencies like Authentic Ideas got bands in front of people with events like Rocking the Carpark, and nobody has really picked up that torch. The first venue that comes to mind is Rumours Lounge – they’re unbelievably supportive and are constantly improving their venue, as well as hosting some incredible shows. Acoustic Café has stepped up its game of late and is giving artists an awesome venue to perform at – it’ll take some time before they’re a regular spot amongst the locals, but they’ll get there for sure.
The Fuss – Finally, and on a lighter tone, do you have any ‘inside secrets’ on conditioning your beards for any guys looking to tame their face fur?
Made For Broadway – Mmm… We will have to get back at you once we’ve worked up some chin hairs we can learn to tame and maintain. Do you even condition a beard bro?
Catch Made For Broadway chunking it live at Condition The Beards in Wolmer Bush Lounge on Friday
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