[Photo courtesy of Alice Falkowski]

By Jenell Taylor, Contributor 

People in the Daytime are a Cleveland-based alternative indie band with an eclectic flair who recently performed at this year’s ACRN Lobsterfest. The band is made up of close friends John Polace (keys, vocals), Evan Schonauer (guitar, vocals), Anthony Liotta (bass) and Owen Barba (drums). People in the Daytime has released one 70s inspired self-titled studio album and one EP titled All For My Love. I had the privilege of speaking with Polace and Schonauer ahead of their performance. They shared details of the band’s inner workings and inspirations.

[This interview has been edited for length and clarity.]

Jenell Taylor (JT): How do you keep a positive band dynamic?

John Polace (JP): We have to talk about our feelings a lot. If someone is angry or upset, we’ve learned over the years that we have to talk about it in the moment. Even if it feels unreasonable or silly. 

JT: Band therapy?

JP: Yeah, basically. We will literally stop songs and ask “what’s going on?”

Evan Schonauer (ES): It’s always very uncomfortable. It never gets easier. 

JP: In the long run, it makes things feel safer. 

ES: It’s the right thing. 

JT: What does your songwriting process typically look like? 

JP: It changes from song to song for me. 

ES: I feel like for most of it, John and I will write a song and then bring it to the band. Either a finished song with lyrics and music, or as a demo with everything recorded. From there, we’ll just adapt it to the band. 

JP: Sometimes, I’ll get an idea for a specific part first, like a hook or a beat or a bassline. But, a lot of the time it feels like catching an idea that you know is good. 

JT: It’s typically the two of you bringing lyrics to the rest of the band?

ES: Occasionally. There are moments where I’ll collaborate with Anthony, the bassist, on lyrics. There was one time we wrote lyrics together as a band, which is a rare occurrence. 

JT: What song?

JP: “Not Today” is Evan and Anthony’s song. Also, there’s a song – it’s not out – called “I’ll Stay Away” that they wrote together in New York.

JT: What does it feel like to perform and have the crowd know the lyrics to your songs?

JP: It feels crazy and amazing.

ES: It feels awesome. 

JT: Does it feel like a kind of fourth wall breaking?

JP: The first time it happened it was a small-ish room. It was kind of like, ‘Damn, we don’t even have to sing right now. It’s the kind of stuff you live for.’

JT: How was the name People in the Daytime created?

JP: It’s from The Eric Andre Show. We used to be called Funkbox – that was our temporary name when we first started. After that, we came up with a lot of names that weren’t really hitting. We were laying on the floor of our first drummer’s house way back in highschool, and Anthony quoted The Eric Andre Show by saying “I don’t even like talking to people in the daytime.” Hannibal Buress says that in the Who Can Hold the Most Babies skit. It’s kind of evocative and feels nice to say. 

JT: Do you have any methods to amp up a crowd?

ES: I think the best thing you can do is play to each other as if we’re in rehearsal and focus on the energy of your bandmates as opposed to the audience. If it’s a stiff crowd and they stay stiff, it’s whatever, that’s just how it went. But, if you have a good time, then that doesn’t matter. 

JP: If the crowd isn’t giving you what you need to have a good performance, just divert it to playing your instrument or playing to each other. It gives another aspect that brings you joy.

JT: Many of your songs have a bass heavy, bright instrumental sound. Is that by design or purely coincidental?

ES: I think we like to have really colorful and memorable instrumentation. 

JP: It’s partially by design. We wrote and recorded the songs the way we did because that’s how we imagined it, but through the process it always kind of changes. 

ES: We like a lot of stuff from the 70s, and stuff emulating stuff from the 70s and soul, and weirdo sort of catalog music. We like a lot of eclectic stuff, and I think that’s where the general character of the sound comes from, but it’s also our preference as well.

JT: The band released three singles back in November, what did the process look like?

JP: We were working on our self-titled album and Evan and I each wrote a song for it. Then COVID happened and I wrote this song called “Everyone I Know”. We thought, these are cool, they kind of feel like the album, but not. Maybe they could be bonus tracks. And honestly, we tried to make those songs so many times that it started to get kind of grueling. So, towards the end of it, we got into making it a cyclical EP that can perfectly loop.

ES: That song “Come Running For My Love,” we recorded that three big times. Plus a demo. 

JT: Do you think that COVID impacted your song writing process? 

ES: I think it had to, objectively. 

JP: Just in the way that it gave us time to work on stuff that we wouldn’t normally have — during lockdown. 

JT: It didn’t cause you to ruminate too much on the outcome?

ES: I’m never trying to make anything perfect.

JP: I always think when I make something, I’m more capturing a moment in my life — like a time capsule — than trying to make a perfect thing. 

JT: Do you have any tips for bands just starting out in the DIY scene?

ES: If you feel like you can’t get a gig, just email a venue. If that doesn’t work out, email another venue, or call one up — it’s actually really easy to get gigs. 

JP: Try not to self deprecate on stage. I think a lot of bands try to be humble, or are just feeling insecure, but it’s really good early on to present as confident. 

JT: Is there anything else you want people to know?

ES: It may sound cheesy, but just be yourself as much as you can. 

JP: Don’t force yourself to put on a show that you’re not feeling in the moment. Be real with yourself for the moment and let the persona come out naturally. It will be a lot better for your mental health. 

ES: We are also working on a new album. 

JP: It is very different from our last album. It’s shorter and has lore. It’s recorded to tape, and much more analog. 

ES: And the title is six words.