On The Rise: Meet Hollywood’s hottest band “Poe The Passenger”!
The Hollywood Influence Mag had the privilege of interviewing one of the upward trending band in Los Angeles. Our in-depth-interview with the band members about their humble beginning and current success in the music world. Here’s what they had to say.
It’s a pleasure to meet the band. Can you tell us a little about yourselves? Each member please tell us your name and a little about each of you.
Nice to meet you too! What’s up, We’re Poe the Passenger, a Pop Rock band creating an Alternative Music community based on authenticity and sustainable sources that spans much farther than the state lines of California. Poe the Passenger is Matt, Trent, and Jeff. Matt is the wildcard on bass, Jeff is the socialite front-man, and Trent is the man behind the beard… and behind the drums.
You guys are the new hot band in Hollywood. Please tell us how the group was formed and how long have you been performing?
Well thank you! We’re flattered. It’s exciting to see the exponential growth of the band… spreading like wildfire not only in the greater Los Angeles area, but internationally! At the core of Poe the Passenger are three like-minded friends. However, to any outsider, we might be mistaken for brothers. Although we came from diverse backgrounds, we believe we were brought together because of the similarities we share in family, community, authenticity, and love. Jeff brought his Chicago roots to Los Angeles about a decade ago, while Matt and Trent both met while taking some of the same music classes at Pasadena Community College. By random coincidence, we all crossed paths at a Roller Derby and bonded over our love for Dinosaurs. In the five years that have flown by, we’ve developed a strong foundation through music creation and making a difference in the community; taking the Hollywood music scene by storm with our infectious energy. We are proud to have clocked upwards of 150 shows, honing our live set into a visually captivating and socially uniting event our Poe Fam will love to attend. Our supporters are hoping to see us on opening tours with Palaye Royale, Nothing But Thieves, The Hunna & other Alt Rock groups in the headlines throughout 2022.
Can you tell the readers out there what it is like to be a rock band in Hollywood?
We often think of the Hollywood music scene as a jungle that is tough to navigate where everyone is wandering around with a megaphone seeing who can make the loudest sounds and cut through the noise… if you’re lucky enough the public might hear you beyond the trees. In other words, it’s crowded, but extremely vast with exciting twists and turns. We feed on the environment. Challenge creates drive and drive creates opportunities.
Can you tell us the story behind the group’s name “Poe the Passenger”?
“Poe” stems from the poet Edgar Allan Poe. Jeff’s late father basically moonlighted as a poet, which was unbeknownst to most of his family. His family sent him some of his poetry collection, which included a compilation of some of Poe’s short stories. One of the poems said something like “I went as a passenger, having no other inducement than a kind of nervous restlessness which haunted me as a fiend.” It really struck a chord with him. The metaphor that we are all passengers on our way through life sheds light on the ideology that we must cherish the rare moments we have. We put two and two together, and that’s how we stumbled upon the name Poe the Passenger.
What genre would you classify your music?
Genres are so fluid these days. You start in one during a writing session and eventually it bleeds into another. We like to follow the saying, “Good songs are universal… Genre is just a texture”. We try not get too weighed down by one aspect of our creative style, but for interview purposes we are a polished Pop Rock band with Alt Grunge tendencies. Imagine if Panic! At the Disco had a baby with Linkin Park, but it was fostered by Twenty One Pilots and The Killers, then later was put up for adoption by Nothing But Thieves and trained in a dojo under the wing of Normandie… and occasionally Arctic Monkeys came over to spar.
Which group would you say is the most inspirational to you?
This is such a tough question, but currently we’d have to say Arctic Monkeys has been our biggest inspiration. Individually we all find inspiration from different corners of the Alternative Spectrum. Jeff strives for longevity akin to Green Day with catchy and classic Pop Rock melodies, Trent pushes the boundaries of edgy rhythms and riffs similar to Underoath, and Matt looks for fat bass tones and hooks that get your blood pumping like Muse.
Where can we find more information about the upcoming tour?
You can navigate to our website poethepassenger.com/tour to see all the details of our Summer Tour starting June 2nd and find the exciting places we’ll be visiting later in 2022. We’ll be playing the most energetic songs we’ve ever written and partying in a city near you!
Where can people buy your music?
The best way to support the band is to purchase our music and merchandise through our website poethepassenger.com. The music industry is ever-evolving, but going directly to a band and buying from them is the best way to support their craft. You can purchase our Debut Album ALINEA exclusively from our website before it is released to Streaming Platforms this Summer.
Please list your social media outlets.
We are heavily involved with our communities on Instagram and Tiktok under the handle @poethepassenger! Give us a follow and we’ll follow you back. We love responding to personal DM’s and getting to know our supporters from all over the world. Afterall, this is more than music… It’s family.
