Hasty Page is an Alternative/Indie Rock band out of Albany, New York. The band consists of Josh Morris (drums/vocals/songwriting), Zane Agnew (guitar/vocals), and James Paolano (bass/vocals). They are the second Reverb Nation band/artist that I am writing about. Hasty Page submitted some music to the blog in the hope that I would like it. All I needed to hear was one song, “Body Shots” to know that they are worthy of the spotlight!
Something I love about running this blog is being able to speak to each band/artist I write about. It’s easy for someone to make up a bunch of information that makes a band/artist sound amazing; you can go to any other site to read something like that. At the end of the day, a true fan wants to hear what the band has to say, not just another fan. I love the freedom to include a band/artist’s exact words into my writing. Hasty Page stated that they “pride ourselves on a tight rhythm section, memorable melodies, and beautiful lyricism.” “The band was formed by lead singer Josh Morris, lead guitarist Zane Agnew, and bassist James Paolano back in 2015. Starting in small bars and venues in upstate New York, Hasty Page has played everywhere from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York City, and Virigina. We have shared the stage with countless incredible acts including Mt. Joy, Wild Adriatic, Magic Giant, and many others.” The band released their first single and EP in 2015. Since then, the band has been on a path to build a huge following. They released their first full length album, “Distance” in 2016 and put out a phenomenal single that saw success not just in the US, but around the world! For an up-and-coming band, that is extremely impressive!
Hasty Page explained how they were able to gain such notoriety being a small town band. They credit music videos for being a vital piece to their success. Hasty Page released a music video for the first single off of their debut album with the help of videographer and producer, Tony Cottone, and will be releasing a music video for their most recent single, “Vices”. “It will feature all three members of the band, and will hopefully turn out as simple and as beautiful as it is in our heads. We’re working with Tony once again for this video, and everything involving the video apart from the actual filming is complete. We will also be releasing a second music video for this album paired with a song that holds a very dear place in all of our hearts. We don’t want to spoil too much for this one, but we all promise you all that it will rival anything we have released to date.”
Hasty Page released two singles in 2018; “Body Shots” and “Vices”. I know “Vices” will be on the new album but I sincerely hope “Body Shots” will be too! “Body Shots” was the first song I heard by the band; the song that made me realize how much potential they have. It is everything an Alternative/Indie Rock fan wants to hear. I love the short introduction of the guitars and drums that quickly leads into the amazing vocals of Josh Morris. Every fan that goes to their show is surely to sing along with Josh as he belts out, “shout my name from across the room, I got a hot minute to get over you. And Imma, sit down at a table for two so I can figure out what I’m gonna do”. Another thing to point out is the instrumental on this song. The guitar chords and drumming match Josh’s vocals perfectly to make a harmonious, crystal clear jam! This is surely to be a fan favorite because it is an easy going, upbeat song that will have everyone dancing along at shows, blasting it in their cars, playing it at parties, etc; “Body Shots” can be played in virtually any social situation!
Hasty Page recently released “Vices” in support of their upcoming album. I really enjoy this song because it shows a completely different side of the band. This song is much softer, filled with painful emotions that can be heard in the instrumentals and vocals. “Vices is a song about addiction. The story is told by an outside narrator who witnesses a loved one struggling with substance abuse. The substance in which this person is abusing isn’t defined so it is therefore up to the listener to determine what that substance is. The interesting thing is that when people say “substance abuse”, they automatically think drugs. This isn’t always the case. That substance could be just about anything. It could be drugs, sex, gambling, love, you name it. We all have our vices and it’s up to us to recognize what keeps us chained to the ground so we can find a way to break free.” In my opinion, this message is HUGE and needs to be heard! Everyone quickly relates addiction to drugs or alcohol, but when you think about it, a human being can abuse almost anything. I was pleased to see that Hasty Page made it a point to verbalize that!
As I stated, “Vices” is much different from their last single. This song has a completely different vibe from the very start. The song starts off with the slowly increasing volume of a tune that leads into Josh Morris’s vocals. “And now your, spending time with all your fortune and fame, you know it drives me insane, to see you pumping your veins, but fuck it. Head down you just sit for a while, with your conventional smile, you know your blood is so vile, forever. No matter who you are. You know these vices they play a part, no matter who you may think you are. And when it burns and your broken-hearted, you will remember the day it all fell apart.” These are some of the most powerful lyrics I’ve come across since starting the blog. It portrays such an important message that anyone can be negatively impacted by their own vices, and many times people don’t realize, or accept it until it is too late. Something I really like about this song is the variation in the instrumentals. The song starts off soft and as it continues, the full band comes in with hard hitting instrumentals that match the emotions meant to be portrayed in this song! Hats off to Hasty Page for another phenomenal single!
In addition to these recently released singles, Hasty Page has a new album they plan to release this Spring! “The concept of this new album as a whole means something different to each of us and we want that same sense of personal meaning to resonate with our audience. It’s important as artists to create something that is both unique and relatable. There are 11 songs on this LP, each one delicately touching on different topics. With all of that, it’s clear that all of the songs relate to one another and give you a little bite sized piece of the bigger picture every time a new tune comes around. It’s the listeners responsibility to decide what all of this means. We’ll give you the paintbrush, water, and palette, but it’s up to you to paint the picture. We hope you enjoy this album when it’s released because we put everything we’ve got into it and we’re so excited to share it with the world.”
Hasty Page is an amazing Alternative/Indie Rock band that deserves all the attention they can get. With an EP, an LP, two singles and an album on the way, Hasty Page is on a course for great success. Make sure you follow their social media accounts and check out music from the band on the blog’s Spotify playlist: After Hours Review!