Case Closed

Hey Monster fans,

I’d like to introduce myself as the newest blogger for Indie-Monster. I’m a student at Temple University from where I’ll be graduating waay too soon. I kind of stumbled upon Monster Entertainment but I’m really enjoying being part of the team so far.

If you haven’t heard already, Monster’s own Case Closed has just released a new single titled, “Breathe Slow” in anticipation for their upcoming album Clouds (April 26). Let me warn you, it’s the kind of song you can’t listen to just once- you’ve got to play it at least five times in a row while subtlety tapping your foot like it’s your guilty pleasure. If this is any indicator of Clouds, I think we’ve all got something fun to look forward to.

Case Closed is a self-described Pop/Indie/Rock band hailing from Glassboro, NJ. With Curt Beebe and Dave Schoettler’s vocals, the band is bringing an updated twist to that classic Pop-rock sound that was so prominent in the early 2000’s from bands like Taking Back Sunday and The Early November. The band and I had a chat a few days ago, and turns out they’re also pretty cool guys. Check out the interview below.

Also check out Case Closed at their album release shows, and download their new album Clouds on April 26 through WeAreMonsterEnt.com and CaseClosedNJ.BigCartel.com.

Friday, May 6, 5:00 PM | Wilmington, Delaware
Venue: Rockford Park | Address: Park Drive, Wilmington, DE, 19806
Details: CLOUDS record release show w/ The Ready Set & MORE!

Saturday, May 7, 7:00 PM | Vineland, NJ
Venue: Fuel House Coffee Co | Address: 636 E Landis Ave, Vineland, NJ, 08360
Details: CLOUDS record release show!

Tuesday, May 24, 8:00PM | Philadelphia, PA
Venue: Northstar Bar | Address: 2639 Poplar Street Philadelphia, PA 19130
Details: New Music Series!

What's everyone doing right now besides music?
Curt: Workin’, delivering mulch and pizza. Not at the same place obviously, Haha.
Phil: I go to school part time at Rowan University and I’m working part time.
Dan: I work at Sears Hardware.... Yerpppp
Dave: Workin’ like the rest of the dogs.

(Phil) What’s your major and what do you think the rest of you would major in?
Phil: I’m a business management major, Curt went to school for recording engineering but the other guys don’t go to school.

Tell me about the recording of your new single “Breathe Slow”. What’s the recording process like for you guys as a band?
Curt: The recording process is pretty awesome; we had so much fun up at Jesse Cannon’s studio in Union City. We slept on air mattresses in the live room for a week and really just got a great opportunity to sit down and focus wholly on music and putting out a great album.
Dan: Yeah and when you put the four of us together in a room for a week, let’s just say there’s never a dull moment.
Phil: You can say that again.

How was it working with Jesse?
Dave: He’s definitely a pretty interesting guy. He was so dedicated to the process he stayed at the studio with us and wore the same clothes all week. His assistant Mike Ottienger is great too. He did the majority of the guitar work on the album and his great work really shows through.

The release date is coming up right?
Phil: Yes it comes out on April 26th. We're so damn excited. We finished recording back in early January so we've just been patiently waiting for this moment to come.

What’s everyone’s dream music gig?
Phil: I think I can definitely speak for everybody that we'd all really want to play a big venue with Taking Back Sunday. Doesn’t matter where, although we REALLY want to play the Electric Factory one day… but we'd all definitely want to get on some shows with Manchester Orchestra and be a part of Bamboozle and Warped Tour.
Curt: Really the goal is just to play to as many people who want to listen to our music where ever or whenever that is. We’re just thankful to be making music for people who want to listen.

So did everybody meet in high school besides Dave?
Dan: Case Closed was actually our first band ever. We just formed to play a Battle of the Bands at our high school, but we liked what we had going and decided to keep playing together. The lineup we have now is the lineup we had originally. I guess you could say everything kind of fell right into place. We all graduated together in 2007, and although Dave wasn't playing with us the whole time we were still all best friends.

Who are your favorite unsung musicians? Like a local band or friend you guys think deserves some attention.
Phil: We just recently came into contact with a band from Vineland, NJ that we really dig, they're called Strange Seasons (facebook.com/strangeseasons). We also have our hometown buddies Class 6 (facebook.com/class6), they're a hip hop type of band with some 311 influence. They're really cool dudes and we all went to high school together as well. We're also fans of Man Overboard (facebook.com/manoverboardNJ) but obviously they’re getting all the attention they deserve.

Is there a story behind how you chose your band name?
Curt: I landed on that name as what I would name my band if I ever became part of a group and I kinda forced it on the boy’s haha. Luckily they dealt with it and we just got to be known as Case Closed. When we got older and decided maybe it was time for a switch we just couldn’t do it. It’s pretty funny to have a band name that nobody particularly likes but nobody really has the heart to put an end to the era if it. It works though and as long as the music is good who cares about the name anyway?

Agreed. What’s the deal with upcoming tour dates and summer plans?
Phil: We've got a whole lot of stuff in the works right now. I don’t have a whole lot of specifics at the moment but I can tell you that we'll be doing a LOT of east coast touring and we're hoping to start making our way west. Next month we've got a lot of regional stuff around the area in NYC, Virginia, Delaware, Maryland and Ohio.
Curt: We'll be announcing more in the coming weeks!

Any final words?
Dave: Get money.
Dan: Life’s short party naked!
Curt: Tip your bartender and waitresses.


Alexis Canary
Alexis@wearemonsterent.com