A Play on Words is an indie rock band located in Clearwater, Florida. They have shared the stage with bands such as He is We, The Scene Aesthetic, Poema and most recently, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. They have to date released two Eps and are currently writing a new album.

I was recently given the opportunity to interview two members of A Play on Words: brothers, Charlie (vocals and acoustic guitar) and Andrew (drums) Foti.

Rachel- Tell us a little about yourselves.

Charlie Foti- Okay. {laughs} My name is Charlie. I'm 18. I play guitar and sing in A Play on Words. And that's about it. I'm a very boring person.

Andrew Foti- My name is Andrew. And I am Charlie's brother. I am 15, and I drum for A Play on Words. And I enjoy long walks on the beach.

RH- How did you guys first become interested in music?

CF- We pretty much always have [been interested in it]. I guess, when we moved down to Florida 7 years ago, we went to this little bookstore and picked up our first CDs there. They were [for] these local Florida metal bands. That pretty much got us plugged into, you know, the underground, indie music scene.

And it all just took off from there!

AF- Yeah.

RH- Where did you guys meet your other band members?

CF- School. They hated school and we hated school, so we clicked.

RH- So, for anyone who hasn't heard your music before, how would you describe it?

CF- {laughs} Hm.

AF- I have no clue.

CF- Yeah. It's like...

AF- Indie, but not indie. And it's rock, but not rock.

CF- Like, indie rock music with breakdowns on the acoustic guitar.

AF- {laughs}

RH- What has been your favorite song to write and record, or perform?

CF- “Look Alive.” Hands down. Yeah, for both of us [it's] “Look Alive.”

RH- What was the inspiration behind it?

CF- {laughs} Hypocritical people. Just people who have double-standards and who preach lies to you.

RH- Just a little while ago, you guys performed with Red Jumpsuit Apparatus; tell us about that.

CF- It was pretty fun! The people at State Theatre got us our show there. They've been really nice to us; helping us out; getting us on some big shows down here.

It was pretty good! We opened for Red Jumpsuit and the two bands that were touring with them, Burn Halo and Seven Circle Sunrise. The crowd was pretty excited when they heard us and I'm pretty sure they liked it. Hopefully. From their response, it seemed pretty positive.

AF- Yeah.

CF- All my brother says is “Yeah.”

RH- Are you guys trying to get signed to a record label?

CF- Not right now. We're more leaning towards just touring and getting our name out, and sort of like, just feeling the local community down here, where kids can just come out and just a bunch of bands can hang and just play shows together, party, just chill. That's pretty much what we're looking for right now.

With the music industry and everything, I don't really see a record label being necessary.

RH- Are you guys working on a new album?

AF- We're writing.

CF- We're writing right now. Yeah. We're working on an EP.

We found a studio and we're just working on finalizing a couple more songs. Then we'll go into the studio.

RH- Who are you two listening to right now?

AF- Four Year Strong. Oh, yeah! {laughs}

CF- Four Year Strong. We just saw them acoustically at a record store down here. Do you listen to them?

RH- I've actually never heard of them, honestly.

CF- Oh! They're pretty good! A Day to Remember; it's like pop-pump with breakdowns and stuff. It's like heavy pop-pump.

I listen to the new Saves the Day CD, Daybreak; it's pretty good. They're like legends! The Wonder Years, their new CD.

RH- Who do you count as your musical inspirations?

AF- I like to drum like more heavy style bands and what-not; like August Burns Red. I like technical drumming stuff; not so much just steady beats. I like to have fun with it.

CF- Yeah, and for me, like the band Brand New; they're pretty good and a pretty big inspiration musically; and Copeland and Saves the Day.

AF- And those are the top three.

RH- What advice do you have for aspiring musicians?

CF- Just always work on your song writing; the chord structures and lyrics. Just keep on working on them and perfect them before putting them out there. Because you'll regret it [if you don't].

Network with people. Don't worry about getting on a record label or getting “Likes” on Facebook. Just have a good time with whoever is at your concert or whatever. Have fun!

AF- You have to really hold on because it takes way more than three years to get anywhere.

Both- {laugh}

CF- Yeah, we've been a band for a long time; well, not a really long time...

AF- I don't know. Whatever.

CF- I'm just rambling.

RH- Do you guys have a special message for your fans?

CF- Thank you.

AF- Yeah, thank you very much.

CF- Thanks for caring! And for listening and buying our music on iTunes (when it was on iTunes).

AF- And “liking” the Facebook page.

Both- {laugh}

CF- Tell all your friends if you would like to! 'Cause that'd be pretty awesome. And thank you!

That's about it. {laughs}