Count Your Blessings

Why don’t you start off by stating who you are and what you do in Count Your Blessings?

mike  miller – the six string bruiser

judson  mattingly – pipes 

antonio  rucci – the six string wizard

mikey green – ol thick string plucker

kenny  smith – skin tickler

 

Give a little history on the formation of the band.

Miller, Kenny (which from now on I will refer to as Dizzy), and Judson, were in a number of different bands together all through out high school. Mikey was younger than us and started playing with Dizzy and Judson after Miller moved to SC. They got a fan base going and eventually gave the other guitarist the ol’ boot . ENTER ANTONIO. As the four were playing together, Miller moved back and filled in for their flamboyant bassist who got the other boot. Miller does a lot of the writing so he switched with mikey to guitar. That’s about it.

 

What was the local music scene like for you guys growing up and how has it affected the music you make today?

The scene growing up in Waldorf, MD was always pretty tame and laid back ….really isn’t the best place for beginner bands which there seems to be a plethora of. The scene round here is hard. You have to venture out into other bands territory, kinda like a game of risk, and win over as many fans as possible . We believe our scene has helped us excel , because it has made us work so hard and push ourselves, and we’re thankful for every fan , they’re the reason we get to do this.

 

How was the name settled upon?

Judson said it and we all let out a big yay, high fived, and had cheetos and apple juice.

 

What’s the story behind how you guys ended up signing with Standby records?

 

well we were selling our cds on the warped tour and the label saw us promoting.they went home checked us out on myspace and saw our statistics and liked us. we were actually on the way to our next warped tour stop so we stopped in there talked to neil the owner and he was real down to earth and a cool guy. plus there’s a batting cage in the office….come on ha that’s sick!

 

For someone who hasn’t seen you live yet, how would you describe your live shows?

Fun , we’re always laughing having a good time on stage. We play hard. Kenny tickles the shit out of some skins yo. You’ll have a good time. promise.  

 

 

 

So your debut album, Like Gum In Your Hair, hit stores in February. What was the writing and recording process like?

A lot of fun of course!I love the cd! It sounds raw…it’s not over produced, it literally is just us and our instruments. No clicks and whistles here! Ha! So when you come to our show, you’ll be like ,”Wow they sound just like the cd!”……and i’ll tap you on the forhead for coming to the show not thinking we were going to.

 

I see you guys will be shooting a video soon. What info can you give on that?

It’s for the song “Friday Night Alone.” It will be shot in Virginia Beach on the Boardwalk.We’re working with Scott Hansen ( A day to remember, Alesana, WILLIE NELSON!) . So we’re excited . It’s our first video. 

 

You guys will be heading out on tour with Honor Bright in a few weeks, are you doing anything to prepare for the road?

 

Well we’re eating like pigs while [we're] home cuz we won’t get the luxury ha. We’re just practicing, gettting a good solid set together, and we’re saving our money! Lifes tough on the road!

 

I hear you guys covered a song recently, do tell.

We really can’t give all the details on that just yet, but believe me we’re dying to get it out there 

 

You all seem like a lively visual bunch, how do you keep the fun in such a sometimes stressful atmosphere?

 

As you get older, you realize how stressful just about everything can be. A lot of us have problems bigger than our band is right now, but playing music is all we really know. I know its all I want to do everyday. So I’ll put up with whatever i have to do this and keep playing for our fans. You gotta do what you gotta do to do what you love.

 

Aside from the videoshoot and tour, what else can we look forward to?

 

Count Your Blessings taking over your puny little planet.

 

Last comments?

Ummm PICK UP OUR CD!!!!! Like Gum in Your Hair. Best Buy_Itunes_FYE_Hot Topic

We would love you oh so much.