ANTHONY RANERI

NEW CATHEDRALS

"This has been a long time in the making," says ANTHONY RANERI, lead vocalist/guitarist for BAYSIDE, about his solo EP, New Cathedrals. "I'm going to go into the studio and record four or five unreleased songs that I have written over the last three years. I always wanted these songs to see the light of day but I knew they wouldn't work for Bayside."

"Among the guests planned for the recording are Steve Choi (RX Bandits), Davey Warsop (Beat Union) and Jarrod Alexander (My Chemical Romance, Dead Country). "I basically wanted to create an awesome environment in the studio with a couple of good songwriting minds and really good vibes, stir it up and see what comes out," he says about his collaborators.

From the Americana-tinged country of lead track "Sandra Partial" to the reggae of the closing track "Please Don't Leave", it's quite apparent that this EP is no Bayside record. "First and foremost, it should be made clear that Bayside is not only still a band but will always be my priority," he explains. "I have been playing solo shows for a few years now and I’m finally going to release some music that way for two reasons: the first being that Bayside has time off between tours and releases, and I don’t like to have time off. So doing solo tours and writing more music lets me constantly play music without having to take breaks. The second reason is that I love the sound that we have crafted in Bayside and I think that our fans do also, and sometimes I write songs that I don’t think sound like Bayside songs but I really like them. So rather than change the sound of the band that we have come to love, I figured I would release them under a different name."

A companion piece of sorts to his Where's the Band? Tour (an annual live package which features acoustic sets by frontmen of likeminded bands), this release is scheduled to coincide with the 2012 tour which, aside from himself, includes Ace Enders (Early November), Chris Conley (Saves the Day), Evan Weiss (Into It. Over It.), and Matt Pryor (The Get Up Kids). "I have been playing solo acoustic shows for about four years now. I always toyed with the idea of actually releasing some music but never really had the time. It seems like people that have been coming to the solo shows are really interested in a release, so I figured I'd give it a shot."

A truly personal labor of love, Anthony will be in charge of all aspects of the release. "I’ve decided to make this a truly DIY solo project," he explains. "I’m going to be self-releasing all of my solo stuff as Gumshoe Records... from funding everything to having CDs pressed to selling them online and at shows. Any page you see, whether it is my blog, Twitter, Facebook, Bandcamp or anything on iTunes was completely started and is run by me. No label, no management, no employees."

"I have been blessed with the most amazing fans who have supported our band and my songs for over a decade. I wanted to prove that music, musicians and fans are all that matters - not labels and suits. I’m doing this on my own because I know that when a musician makes good music and fans support it, you don’t need anything else."