Breakout band to release new EP spring of 2012

Bryn Pennetti
Reporter

Recording and editing from the comfort of their homes, Seniors Jamie Fairchild, along with Peter Murphy and Norwalk Community College Freshman Stefan Broski, sit at a Mac as they touch up sound tracks and tweak solo parts. In a process that takes weeks, the three students rely on their ears to lead them in the right direction.

The Token Mantra is a local New Canaan band on the rise. Jamie, Peter, and Freshman at Stefan came together in the late fall of 2011 to form the band by bringing their variety of musical talents into one cooperative group. From basic beginnings to a promising future, The Token Mantra is a metalcore band thankful to their fans and focused on their careers.

Long time friends and past band-mates, Jamie, Peter and Stefan sparked the idea of forming a new band. By placing a mixture of words and genres together, The Token Mantra was born. Each has their own talents that help the band grow, “The rough instrumentals are all composed by Jamie, and as the vocalist, I write the lyrics, “ Peter Murphy said. Both Jamie and Stefan also play guitar while the background instruments are composed electronically.

The band was recently endorsed by online clothing company, Arkaik Clothing. “The clothing line had an application for those interested in endorsements and Peter came across it and sent one in with a link to our music,” Jamie said. “ We thought we might as well give it a shot and to our surprise, we got a follow up email just hours later saying we had been accepted into the endorsement program”.

Music is a big part of each of the band member’s lives as the inspiration for their image and sound comes from several different sources. “There are a ton of people who have inspired me,” Jamie says. “They include artists like Spencer Chamberlain, Dallas Green, Kurt Cobain, and

Billie-Joe Armstrong.” Peter, however, brings in a more hardcore side to the genre of music, identifying his sources of inspirations from bands such as The Word Alive, Of Mice & Men, and Woe, Is Me.

Jamie has been in several bands, including Band Night famous Sun Stand Still. However, his main focus is on The Token Mantra. “The band is important to me because it is a way to push myself writing music. Since I need to constantly write music, I’m also constantly improving and learning more about my own ability,” Jamie said.

As for Peter, his main focus is perfecting the bands lyrics. “I always go by this, ‘Anyone can write a song in a matter of hours. It takes time, effort, and dedication to write a masterpiece,’” Peter said.

Guitarist Stefan Broski, though attending classes at NCC, spends time with the band several days a week to work on the EP. “ I love being in the band because I really look forward to preforming with [them]on stage,” he said. “Not only are they my bandmates and extremley talented musicians, but they’re my best friends to boot!”

Fans of the band are excited to see them progressing and anticipating the release of a great album. “The Token Mantra are doing a great job with the new EP, it sounds sick!” Junior James Shannon said. “They have some pretty intense break downs in their songs.”

The Token Mantra’s EP will be out by March and features several tracks including “A Great Place to Get Murdered” and “Farmer Joe And the Fun Guy”, a personal favorite of vocalist, Peter Murphy. “It’s going to be on the Facebook page. Free download,” he says.

Their future may be bright, but is still undecided. With all band members planning to or already in college, continuing their careers is still a big option. “Who knows what The Token Mantra has in store? I certainly don’t,” Stefan said. “Whatever we do have in store, we’ll be sure to keep everyone guessing!”

To visit their Facebook page and to download the band’s new EP, click Here.