november 2022 

REVIEW & INTERVIEW: HALF PAST LATE

A MONTHLY ARTICLE WRITTEN BY JUDE LEWIS, EDITED BY HAYLEY FAJERSKI

I’ve been following Half Past Late for about two years. The first time I saw Half Past Late was at my very own backyard at what we dubbed The Backyard Bash, a small party at my house, during COVID. They are a five-man pop punk powerhouse. John Morgan is their front man doing lead vocals, Adrian Jones on rhythm guitar and backing vocals, Brendan Potter on lead guitar, Djeffro [Sean McNamee] on bass, and Nathan Santa on drums. Since The Backyard Bash they have grown exponentially in audience and skill, playing at almost every Akron venue to performing downtown at Lock 3 for the Punk Rock Flea Market over the summer. Half Past Late is currently gearing up to play their EP release show at The Rialto Theatre on Saturday, November 12th.

They’ve changed their lineup since we first met back in 2021. They got Djeffro back as a bass player after letting Christian Teodecki go and added lead guitarist Brendan Potter to the mix. While I preferred Christian’s stage presence to Djeffro’s, I think Djeffro is a better fit overall. Christian has since founded a new band, [REDACTED], and has been busy writing new music. Their new lead guitarist, Brendan Potter, is an absolute monster who I’ve had the personal pleasure of getting him down in The LabTM (what I affectionately call my basement) for a jam session. Brendan joined about a year ago and really shows off, tastefully, with his flashy licks and intricate solos. I believe that Half Past Late has found their sound in the last year, tuning into a hell of a live show with a raw amount of energy with the addition of Djeffro and Brendan.

So far, they’ve only released two singles: “Limelight” and “Peachy Sweet.” “Limelight” is probably my favorite song. A raw pop punk thrash that touches upon the uncertainties of youth and aspirations of being famous in the limelight. I really connect with it on a personal level, sharing the same anxieties when I first heard the song two years ago. Here are my favorite lines,

When chasing the spotlight, I feel free

And when I get there, I'll start to believe

But like I said man, that's just a dream

And the only one in my way is me.

Unfortunately, the track suffers from a lackluster recording. The drums are the worst offender, the kick is way too thumpy and the hi-hats and crashes are crunchy. The bass is also non-existent in the mix. Thankfully, the song has been rerecorded, remixed, and remastered. John has sent me snippets of the new version and every production critique I have is thrown out the window.  The rereleased version is coming out on their debut EP Better Late Than Never! on Saturday, November 12th.

“Peachy Sweet” is on the opposite side of the Half Past Late spectrum. In almost a mocking way it sticks its tongue out at “Limelight” and chills out. Clocking in at about four minutes it’s a groovier almost psychedelic rock track that really focuses on Brendan and Adrian’s guitar work with a kick ass guitar solo that is a treat to hear live. It also really exemplifies John’s vocals and ability to write catchy lyrics while also providing some great imagery for the listener. It is a completely different vibe that I really love and either direction Half Past Late takes with their sound I think they can do well. “Peachy Sweet” is also being rereleased on their debut EP.

I invited John to lunch at Paninoteca in The Rialto Living Room and asked him some questions to gain a bit of deeper insight on the band.

  • How did Half Past Late form? When did you start writing music?

    • “Well, if I’m being honest, it started with Adrian and I jamming together. DJeffro joined us, hanging out. It all came together when Dylan, our long-time friend, introduced us to his cousin Nathan. That’s kinda where the original four came from. We were all friends at the end of our freshman year of high school. It’s been almost 10 years. “

  • What is the band’s biggest musical influence?

    • “My biggest influences if I just had to narrow it down to three, I would say Fallout Boy, Sublime, and old Kanye.”

  • What was the bands biggest challenge in recording the EP?

    • “Man, that’s a great question for Adrian and Potter. Those guys put in so many hours. Just constantly at Potter’s, we would practice, and they would be up in Potter’s little area for five to six hours after practice, till like one or two in the morning every night. I guess I would say the biggest challenge would be how much longer it took than we expected. We all got a little impatient the longer it took… August, September, October. We finished the first week of October, we were kind of rough. Hats off to Adrian and Potter, because they put in the work to make sure it is right and that its good.”

  • What’s your favorite song of Half Past Late’s?

    • “My favorite? Well of everything that’s gonna be released “Peachy Sweet.” Of everything that we play? Probably “Ashes” and that’s because I wrote it in thirty minutes. I pulled over at a park because I had a little inspiration. It was actually the morning after Russia invaded Ukraine and I thought the world was gonna end so I put everything that I was thinking on paper... it just flowed out. I did some editing on it and we put it together in like two days. And it’s so f****** much fun to play, we’ll play it three- or four-times during practice because it’s so much fun!”

  • Do you like the Akron music scene?

    • “For the most part, everybody’s a good vibe. I’d say hi to 99% of them if I saw them on the street. There’s a couple people on the outskirts I would walk right past.”

  • What has been your favorite gig so far?

    • “People who know me and have been to shows they would expect me to say Lock 3 [The Punk Rock Flea Market] or PorchRokr. Those were great, a lot of people at those. But the best gig I’ve ever played, like the most fun I’ve had, probably The End of Summer Bash at The Outpost in September of 2021 or Musica in April. That was different and so much fun. They were a lot of fun man. The Buzzbin show in January that was nuts so much fun too. I think you and Brandon were there.”

  • Who are your favorite local artists to play with?

    • “I would say… that’s tough. I like playing with so much different groups. The Liquid W’s are definitely up there, those guys are f****** excellent. I really enjoy Olivia and The Bells; you guys are a lot of fun. I can ‘t wait to play with [REDACTED] when you guys start playing shows that’s gonna be dope. Guys like The Stereotypes are cool. Sector-442 is dope. Honestly, I love playing with a lot of the guys around here.”

  • What’s your dream lineup? Locally or ever?

    • “Locally? How many bands 3 or 4? If I could get those group of four on the same lineup that would be great. Where’s Winona Now?, The Liquid W’s, Olivia and The Bells with Half Past Late to close it out.”

    • “I’d go Fallout Boy, We Came As Romans (before Kyle passed), Blink-182, and if I had to go with some older punk probably Misfits or Sex Pistols.”

  • What’s your favorite Akron venue?

    • “Either here [The Rialto Theatre] or The Vortex, they both have their own aesthetic. The Vortex is a little bigger, but The Rialto is prettier ya know?”

  • What does the future hold for Half Past Late?

    • “We’re gonna do a couple singles, maybe three or four. I’m not sure if we’re gonna do another EP or an album. I’m pushing for an album personally because I have a whole concept in my head. I’m pretty sure I’m the only one who wants to do an album, it’s a lot of work! One thing I did tell them [the other members of HPL] if we do an album it’s gotta be thirteen tracks. It’s my lucky number.”

  • Where does Djeffro’s nick name come from?

    • When we were in high school Djeffro’s hair was really short not long how like it is now. It was super curly and looked like an afro, so we started calling him “jeffro.” The spelling evolved over time at one point it was Geofro and now it evolved into Djeffro where the D is silent like Django.

  • What’s a bonus fun fact?

    • “The logo on the EP, the one I got tattooed right here, you see how that’s bent right here? It’s actually an inside joke from way back with my entire friend group. So, when Adrian was six or seven, he was playing with a knife and sliced his pinky and now he can’t hold it up. We would all go shred *makes skater hand gesture* and when he would do it his pinky would fall down. My entire friend group is super close, there’s like 12 of us and we’re all getting it [Adrian’s poor hand] tattooed.”

Interested in seeing them live? Half Past Late is playing at 7pm, Saturday, November 12th here at The Rialto Theatre to celebrate their debut EP release, Better Late Than Never!, with Houses & Hotels and Wednesday Demonstration. Physical presale tickets are $10 and be purchased directly from bands or can be purchased at the door day of show for $15. Online tickets are also available at therialtotheatre.com Come on down and celebrate!

Give Half Past Late a follow at @halfpastlate.official on Instagram or on Facebook under Half Past Late. Their music can be found on all major streaming platforms.

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