We were lucky to catch up with Penny Fountain recently and have shared our conversation below.
Penny, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?
We all met in high school and got together to form the band in our commercial music class in 2018 during our sophomore year. But we fell in love with music way before the band was formed.
(Joel) Honestly, my grandpa inspired me to start playing music. He taught me how to play drums at a very young age and I have loved them ever since.
(Xavier) Tony and I have very similar stories. We were both introduced to rock at a very young age by our parents, which eventually snowballed into us picking up the guitar and forming our own music taste. This is kind of funny but we both had a First Act guitar as our first guitar. I remember putting on my first live show in my neighbor’s driveway with just me, that guitar, and an amp.
Penny, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Penny Fountain was formed in 2018 in a small town in Florida by three high school friends, bassist/vocalist Xavier Wilkinson, guitarist/back-up vocalist Tony Massaro, and drummer Joel Lopez. We began recording with the Del Couch Music Education Foundation and playing local shows in the Tampa Bay area. Our early work was written and recorded while we were still students. In July of 2019, we released our first single “Brainz” and released the music video on October 31st. On December 7th of 2020, we released our cover of blink-182’s “Dammit” and in April of 2021, the single “Gas Station Aliens” was released.
Penny Fountain cannot be confined to any one genre as we are a blend of alternative rock, hard rock, and modern rock with elements of punk and emo weaved into our music. Our lyrics have depth and double meaning so that the listener can relate to our songs in whatever way they choose. What sets us apart is our passion for entertaining the crowd with an energetic stage show. Our sound is analogous with Smashing Pumpkins, Teenage Wrist, and My Chemical Romance, and yet is unique unto itself.
In March of 2021, we appeared on Hit Parader’s music competition show, No Cover, where we were able to perform on the stage of the Troubadour in Los Angeles. The show was a great learning opportunity for us as we were able to meet with legends and professionals who shared their wisdom on everything from the music business to song development. We used the experience to help us grow and evolve into the band we are today.
Our latest single, “White Whale”, was released on April 28th of 2023. “White Whale” evokes emotions of longing for something that can never be obtained, searching for the unreachable, a hope that is never fulfilled. The vocals and guitar riffs create a desperate plea to gain back what was lost. The synths generate an eerie, ethereal melody with a haunting dreamlike ambiance.
We are currently releasing singles, shooting music videos, and are in the process of recording their EP, Attack of the Ducks. We presently work with Massive Media artist management and Maritime Gothic Music and Media.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Our latest release, White Whale, almost feels as if it has a curse put upon anything that has to do with the song. Absolutely nothing went as planned for its release. We had a huge outdoor festival style party planned to celebrate the release. We put the whole thing together with the help of only our band manager and our mentor, it was a lot of work and money. We had new merchandise ordered to sell at the event. But something happened to the equipment by no fault of the vendor, and we did not receive our shirts in time for the release party. On the night of the party, a severe thunderstorm passed through and shut the whole thing down before any of the bands were able to play. And to top it all off, the music video that we spent countless hours shooting was able to be release. But we never let any of those let downs stop us from still promoting the single and continuing with our dreams. We now sell our shirts online through our website and have also since released a cool lyric vided for the song. The song is doing great on independent stations.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
If there is a local show for any band, go and give them a chance. The tickets are always drastically cheaper than any big-name concert. Buying band merchandise is the best way to financially help a band. If you are unable to go to any shows or buy merch, then follow and like the band on all of their social media. Engage in their posts and share their content. Suscribe to their YouTube channel.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://pennyfountainband.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/pennyfountainband?igshid=MWI4MTIyMDE=
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pennyfountainband?mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@pennyfountain
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pennyfountainband?_t=8ZAd3wbP72A&_r=1
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3TBdxw47cT2W3CqGS66bDG?si=OGxOJ2QUT-Gh_A9ajx35XA
- Linktree: https://linktr.ee/pennyfountain
Image Credits
Gabe Lugo Photos