Herman Melville’s Moby Dick is a story heavy with an obsession so deep that in the end it brought everyone but the protagonist to their demise.

Monomania revolves around a single or particular idea that eventually ends up sucking other characters in after a time. There is often so much hate involved in the obsession that causes a madness that cannot be reversed. Captain Ahab traveled the seas to find and kill the White Whale. However, a local Jersey City band is asking us to take a different perspective and Forget The Whale.

Last Sunday, I met with Forget The Whale’s Alishia Taiping, Dan Pieraccini, AJ Zienowicz, and Pete Durning for brunch to talk about the release of their first EP What I Tell Myself.

It was by sheer luck that the band members met and formed on November 20^th, 2013 and together they built Forget The Whale. Forget The Whale refers to Moby Dick and Captain Ahab’s inability to take his mind off of the whale which also relates to how most listeners might find a track on the EP that they can’t forget either.

“Once we have something to start with everybody visualizes their part,” said AJ.

The EP begins with “Suburban Outlaw” and the narrator asking the listener to “waste another day” with her as she talks about her beliefs in being a “suburbian outlaw.” Not wanting to be alone, she invites us to listen further into her story. This first track sets us up for a ride that we’ll want to stay on until the very end. Halfway through the song the listener can find themselves on a fast-paced road, almost running with the music.

The story continues with “I Know Where You’ve Been” where the narrator speaks about her ability to reject the love of someone. The narrator expresses her anger, “Well I know where you can go/ That never freezes over; or is ever cold/ Your good intentions will pave the road/ It hath no fury like a woman scorned.” The track reminds of any classic 50s love song with an upbeat tempo and Rock ‘n’ Roll feel.

My second favorite on the EP is “10 Days” in which the narrator is looking to be a part of someone but has to come to terms with separation. This song differs drastically and shows the versatility of Forget The Whale and how they aren’t carved into any specific genre.

Pete explained that the band has a “Very wide range [and] we aren’t genre-consistent. It all sounds like the same band, but we’re exploring genres and excited to branch out.”

The band was truly down to earth and captured their own idea of what it means to be a band in a growing society of artists. “The art movement is a great exchange of culture; I just wanted to be a part of that,” said Dan.

Alishia explained that the band has had a nice journey through their two years together. Forget The Whale has written 12-15 songs and the four songs of their EP are true masterpieces equally capturing many emotions and allowing the listener to venture further into their craft.

The final song on the EP not only concludes the album but captures the different perspective on what was mentioned earlier, “Giants.” The track is my all-time favorite and I’ve probably listened to it about fifteen times over. “Giants” drastically slows down the entire EP almost as if in a way to let the listener know that the story has come to an end with a smooth and bluesy feel.

“Giants” is the story that varies for each listener, but resonates with positivity no matter how you perceive the track. Five times into listening to “Giants,” I found myself most attracted to the narrator’s enlightenment. “Giants” is a song where the narrator talks about being a part of a big chain of history. Dan explained that “People come in and raise us until we’re the next member in the chain, the next role model, that’s me. It’s a chain of how we as human beings live.”

Alishia continued this idea, “Who inspires you? The narrator goes through fears and anxieties, “You can’t leave me like this,” and at the end, the narrator gets that she’s the next member of the story called “Humanity.” Every man has its problems existing as a member of giants.”

Before concluding our interview, I asked each of the band members to explain their perception of “Giants.”

“In more than one way there’s a deeper meaning to “I’m being left to sort out my own issues, find my own way of life,” all those expectations,” AJ said.

Dan spoke jokingly about how the melody was playing in his head through the gremlin on his shoulder. His vision of what “Giants” means is fairly simple, “After turning thirty, where are your role models? Oh, you are one.”

For Alishia, it was more of a private moment for her she explained that it was being left behind feels like (for her it was the parental loss when children grow up), making it a vulnerable moment. “I have two kids and I will eventually have to make that break.”

And Pete concluded the idea of the EP and the track all at once, “It’s a song that embodies our band’s name by not letting one issue drag you down. Human beings writing stories—”

Alishia chimed in, “As we’re figuring out life, we’re trying to figure it all out as well and make it a little bit above average.”

Whether you’re taking a break at work or just want to listen to something out of the ordinary check out Forget The Whale’s first EP What I Tell Myself because after all, “We’re standing on the shoulders of giants.”

 

Like them on Facebook and check out their EP on Soundcloud!

Also, join them for their Christmas Show on December 26^th, Forget Noel!