photo of Travis Johnides and Jeremy Quitko by Melissa Johnides
Travis Johnides of Bitters and Distractions on Writing Acoustic Punk For “The Threads” and “Punk Rock Christmas”
Long Island-based acoustic punk duo Bitters and Distractions released new single, “The Threads” in October and got the chance to perform it live at a big gathering of bands for Fest 23 in Florida recently. They were supported in this by their Berkeley-based independent label Sell The Heart Records. Vocalist Jeremy Quitko and guitarist Travis Johnides wrote what may be their most reflective track yet with “The Threads,” which was recorded, mixed, and mastered at their homes.
As musicians in their forties now, looking at the relationship between their daily lives and their music, they are both grateful for new opportunities coming their way, and aware that as their lives change, their music needs to continue to evolve, too. I spoke with Travis Johnides about the duo’s acoustic songwriting approach, taking “The Threads” on the road, and also about their 2024 holiday song, “Punk Rock Christmas” which could help just about anyone shake off their troubles and celebrate.
Americana Highways: I know that you all were down in Florida playing recently at a festival. What does that add to your musical lives?
Travis Johnides: It’s the first time that this band has played out of state, so I’m thankful and feel so blessed about that. Though I’ve played out of state with other bands, that was the first time it happened with this band. So there are a lot of reasons why it was so wonderful and great. We don’t take these opportunities lightly. The other area is meeting similar or like-minded bands, and are in similar positions as we are.
We got to see familiar faces and meet new people who are kind of doing the same thing as us and are at a similar point in their lives. Outside of that, we are signed to a record label called Sell The Heart Records, and there were 11 Sell The Heart bands at this festival. That was a wonderful opportunity to meet all of them, and the owner, in person. There was a lot of great energy. The show itself, and the festival itself, went well also.
AH: I hear from a lot of Indie bands how important a conceptual or geographical community it. It can be such a key to longevity, keeping music going over time. Getting to talk in person with other bands is a big deal!
TJ: Right! When so much in this day and age is done on the phone, or behind computer screens, it’s a big deal to talk with someone face-to-face! There were also bands from all over the place, and we got to see a friend of ours who lives in the UK. It was like-minded bands from all over the world in one central location.
AH: I love to hear that. Did you play “The Threads” as a brand-new song?
TJ: We did play “The Threads”! It was only the second time that we had played it live, so we were really excited. I think what we felt when we recorded it was showcased when we played it live, and received in the way that we wanted people to receive it. The response was fantastic the first time that we played it, too. We had a lot of new faces in front of us, watching us play, so I’m very happy that we made a decision to include that. It fit perfectly in the middle of our set.
AH: It feels like a song that comes from a recent journey, from your psychology and feelings these days.
TJ: Completely, that’s exactly what it is. I don’t write any of the lyrics, I play guitar and sing back-ups. Jeremy writes all the lyrics. Our songwriting is a little different from most bands because Jeremy doesn’t play any instruments himself. He’s more of a writer, or a poet, depending on how you look at it. He just gives me pages of lyrics, and then I try to do something with them. Similarly, that happened with “The Threads.” There were sentences, but they weren’t structured into a song, and I made them into verses.
Recently, though, Jeremy was asked what the meaning behind the lyrics were. I rarely ever ask him that, because I don’t want that to influence how I write the song. Sometimes I read the lyrics as being very somber, so I write something a little more sad. And then he says, “No, they were hopeful!” With “The Threads,” I didn’t exactly know what it meant, but it does come from that place that you’re referencing. He and I are at similar points in our lives. We are both in our mid-40s, we both have wives, we both have kids. We both have full-time jobs, but we both also have this passion for music, and being creative, and connecting with people. So, a lot of what he writes about comes from personal experiences in his life.
When Jeremy was asked about this, I was listening intently, because I was interested to see what he would say about this song that we’d already recorded and released! He said that it has to do with the fact that we are at a spot in our lives where we are thankful to have these full-time jobs, and having paychecks gives you the opportunities to do things. Like take vacations and buy homes, and such. But, at the same time, you have this aging body that is not always allowing you to physically do what you want to do with these new opportunities.
To be specific, he was saying that a lot of the song came from his experiences recently where he has more opportunities in life, but then his back goes out, and he can’t do things. It’s interesting that the song is really about being comfortable in life, but not being able to following through on things that you want to do. I thought that was really cool. There are deep experiences there.
AH: Regarding your way of songwriting, and receiving lyrics from Jeremy, does that mean that you only start writing the music once you’ve seen the lyrics? Or do you pick out ideas that you might have had already, like a guitar riff, and sort of “match” the lyrics and the musical elements?
TJ: Generally, no, there’s no pre-existing music. I’m always picking up my guitar, so occasionally I come up with something and think it would be cool to put that in a song someday. But if Jeremy gives me 15-word lines, then the music has to fit that. Only about one percent of the time have I used something that already existed. Generally speaking, my head’s a blank slate, and when I look at the words, whatever comes out on the guitar comes out. Sometimes a three-minute song writes itself in three minutes. Sometimes if something takes too long, we just don’t do it. Or if a song comes along that doesn’t sound the way that we like to sound or feel.
AH: Collaboration is such an intricate thing. It’s so different for each person.
TJ: It is, and especially when you’re a duo. There has to be a lot of “noise” coming from both of us, I think, on stage. When you have a full band, there are extra guitars, drums, and bass, and there’s a lot of energy and sound. But we want to give off all of that, despite us just being two people. Like you’re saying, that collaboration is so important, and it’s even more important because there are only two of us. Things have to give off the right energy, and we have to feel it, or it won’t feel like a punk band. There has to be a lot of connection between the two of us.
AH: Punk music is very emotion-driven, I would say.
TJ: Yes! At least the kind that we are trying to do.
AH: With “The Threads,” the music is a little more wistful, I think, within the context of the other music you’ve done together. And I appreciated that. It makes you think about life.
TJ: Thank you. What’s interesting, too, is that I think if someone would sit and look at our lyrics, I think a lot of our songs are like that, but the music doesn’t necessarily back up that feeling. We’re not hesitant to write softer-sounding songs, but as a punk band, we don’t want to write too many like that. I have a soft spot for softer-style songs. One of my favorite songwriters of all time is Conor Oberst from Bright Eyes. I have such a soft spot for storytelling and music that moves along the storytelling. So I love it when I have an opportunity with a song like “The Threads” where I can be a little more in-tune with a songwriter like Conor Oberst, but also throw in a punk feel.
AH: It’s almost the holiday season, so I want to bring up “Punk Rock Christmas.” This is such a classic song, and the video’s a lot of fun, too. It has a narrative feeling that’s kept very simple.
TJ: Interestingly enough, this is actually only one of two songs of ours that I fully wrote, both lyrics and music. I didn’t originally write it for Bitters and Distractions. It must have been eight or nine years ago. I thought, “There are so many great punk rock Christmas songs, and I want to write one.” I picked up my guitar one day, and this is what came out. We don’t usually write songs fully on our own, but Jeremy just thought it was so much fun, and liked it so much, that I said to him one day, “I’d love to hear how it sounds with you singing it. Maybe we could make it sound like us.” I tweaked it a little, and it did!
The lyrics actually aren’t reflective of my life, at all. Sure, inside my heart, I’m going to have a Punk Rock Christmas, but the whole idea of “not thinking of you” doesn’t fit my life perspective. Sometimes I like to write from a more fairytale perspective. I like what we were able to do with it as a band.
AH: It’s a complete unit, and the video fits well too. Something that everyone knows about the Christmas season is that there are often conflicts and sad things that are accentuated by the holidays. Also universal, of course, are peoples’ experiences of relationships that haven’t worked out, whether you are 15 or 40. But music is something that provides an outlet and a fan community to belong to.
TJ: It’s such a tense time, and it shouldn’t be! I’m giving the song more meaning here than I’ve previously really given it, but it’s kind of like, “I’m going to throw my hands in the air, and I’m going to go have a Punk Rock Christmas! I’m going to go get a tattoo, and I’m going to do this or that, and I’m going to put the fun back into the holiday for myself!”
AH: Right, it says, “Turn off all the overthinking, and just have fun!”
TJ: Yes, that sounds nice. I appreciate that.
Thanks very much for chatting with us Travis Johnides. Find more information on Bitters and Distractions here on their website: https://bittersanddistractions.com/
