Today we’d like to introduce you to Always the Alibi.
Henry Coke, Richard Muenckler, Matt Wilson and Nick DiBiasio. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Henry: I was about 11 or 12 when I started writing songs. It was on piano. I think my first song was “I’m in Love with You.”
Rich: Such a hopeless romantic.
Henry: But my first instrument was bass. I played a bunch for my dad’s band. And the whole time I was teaching myself guitar. That became my passion. I’m left handed, but had to learn on a righty guitar. I also learned holding the guitar upside down. I’m all kinds of messed up! But that’s how I learned because I thought that’s how other guys were playing. With the low strings down.
Matt: I was confused as hell the first time we played together! (everyone laughs)
Rich: That look is priceless! (more laughing) You (turns to Matt) figured it out really quick. Most people just stare for a long time and just give up! (laughing)
Matt: It’s just weird! As a player you hear certain chords and you know what they look like. Then you see Henry play. It doesn’t look the way it sounds! (band laughs)
Nick: Good job, Henry. You’re a weirdo! (band laughs)
Matt: My Mom forced me to play the piano at age 6. My parents said no guitar until I learned piano. For 2 years I suffered through it. I wanted that guitar so bad! (everyone laughs)
Rich: I used to take out all the pots and pans and “play” on them with wooden spoons. I must’ve been 3 or 4? My Grandpa saw it and knew I was going to be a drummer. He bought me my first set and as I got bigger, so did the drums.
Nick: I got into bass later in the game. It was like, seventh grade. So thirteenish. I picked bass because all my friends were getting into guitar. I figured if I did bass I’d be more in demand. Then I just kept playing all through high school and college.
Henry: So around 2011 I had enough music written that I felt strong enough about. That’s when I met Rich. We started playing together. I always make a joke that we’re “musically married.” (laughing) It’s always a challenge to keep a group together just because of how life is, but eventually we got a solid and steady roster. It’s been on the up and up since.
Rich: When first I heard one of Henry’s songs I immediately loved how natural his writing felt. Something just drew me in.
Nick: Same here. You hear it once but when you walk away it’s in your head the rest of the day.
Henry: Earworms! Mission accomplished! (everyone laughs)
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Rich: It was till about 2013! (everyone laughs) I’ll let Henry take it from here.
Henry: So 2013… I started having headaches and blurred vision. It turned out I had a significantly large brain tumor that required a surgery or two and radiation treatments. So the band was on hold till about 2015. That’s when we recorded our “Reprieve” EP. I felt like I had a second chance at life so the title felt fitting.
Rich: Then you can add other dashes of “Real Life.” Henry got sick, Matt actually went to Berkley, Boston for a year. That was rough. But through it all, you keep your head down and your feet pumping.
Nick: You kind of learn about yourself. Who you are as a band. I feel like we came out stronger. (everyone nodding)
Please tell us about Always The Alibi.
Matt: 2019 has been a busy year for us. “Ain’t Another Girl” is featured on a new video game called “SCUM.” So we’ve been getting traffic from that. “After All, I’ve Done” was used in a Huawei commercial. More of our music was featured in the KeSPA Cup eSports competition in South Korea. It’s all good stuff!
Rich: And it’s been crazy to get traffic from Europe and Asia!
Henry: We also recorded three new songs this year. We’re releasing each one as a single with its own video. We released “Off The Grid” first in the spring. So you can check that out on our YouTube channel. We just filmed “Running In Circles” over Labor Day weekend. It’s more cinematic compared to anything else we’ve done. More ambitious. We’re really excited about releasing this one. I think it’s going to be something really special. (band nods)
Matt: So “Running In Circles” will be released this October, then we work on getting the last one, “Remember This,” out there. I think, like Henry said, “Running In Circles” is going to be big for us. (band nods)
Nick: I’d say to someone who hasn’t listened to Always The Alibi, they can expect lyrical hooks and good melodies, big drums, and a lot of tasty, textured guitar work. A lot of stuff happening right now is pretty synth-driven. Hip-hop and pop are big. So I feel like we catch a little criticism for being more guitar driven. It just goes against the grain of what’s “in” right now. But it’s who we are. We won’t change that.
Rich: Yeah, and we used to get discouraged by that. But I think we’ve finally come to that place of acceptance. It’s just like, “Look. This is who we are are.” We’re just going to lay it out there. And when you’re real, I think people respect that. (band all nodding)
Matt: They all seem to like us at our shows! (everyone laughs)
Henry: I like us! (more laughing)
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Henry: I don’t think I’d change anything. Maybe I wish I was a little more patient sometimes. Well… maybe I’d change the whole tumor thing. (band laughs)
Rich: I wish we could go back to before Napster! (everyone laughs) But seriously, I don’t know that I can answer that. Every decision we’ve made has to lead us to where we are now. It’s been a very organic and steady journey. And it’s been a steady climb up. I wish some things could happen faster, or bigger, or with more notoriety and fanfare. But as a band, we’ve made solid decisions that continue moving us forward… At least, that’s “Always The Alibi.” (band groans, laughs)
Contact Info:
- Website: www.alwaysthealibi.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/alwaysthealibi
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/alwaysthealibi
Image Credit:
Full Band images: Fez Hussaini
Main photo and Solo images: Kathy Tran
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