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From Ranney Lower School Band to An EP Release

Anthony Abboud ‘25, Ethan Bodner ‘25, and JD Leidersdoff ‘25 have been playing music together since they were in Ranney Lower School. This week, their musical aspirations are hitting a high note, as they release their first EP “All the Parties I Drove You To,” as a band, October Man, along with bandmate Ian Neill. October Man’s release show will be on November 1 - tickets can be purchased here. 

The band has recently been featured in Spin Magazine and B-Sides & Badlands.

From the early beginnings at Ranney Lower School to their first EP release and media coverage, these talented Panthers are reaching exciting new heights and achieving dreams that they set forth very early on. 

Below, the band answered questions ahead of this exciting new release:

What is the band's backstory- when was it formed, who's in it, who plays what? We formed at Lakehouse Music Academy in 2016, with current members: JD Leidersdorff (lead singer and guitarist) and Ethan Bodner (lead guitar). Over the years, we’ve gone through many members, now rounded out with Anthony Abboud (drummer), who’s been a part for seven years, and Ian Neill (the bassist), who joined in early 2024. We’d gone by Spanish Pigeon Cheese from 2018-2023, and finally changed our name to October Man after a 1940’s movie (and because we were ashamed to say our actual band name anymore).
 
What genres do you most associate the band / your music with?
Indie Rock, Alternative Rock, and Pop Rock
 
Can you list everything that the band has released so far?
Matchstick, Vessel, and Dandelion
 
How do you see the band fitting in the larger music industry, scene-wise, etc?
October Man will step into an indie landscape, following in the footsteps of New York bands like the Strokes and LCD Soundsystem, hoping to first hit small clubs like the Mercury Lounge and the Barbary before graduating to bigger theaters like the Hammerstein Ballroom and Union Transfer. We hope to meet some other great bands and form relationships with them and form our own scene with them, similar to early 2000’s bands like the Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Interpol. We’d love to be college radio station staples, connecting with fans that are our age.
 
Talk about this new single and the forthcoming EP? 
Dandelion is the third single we’re releasing as a band, and it’s JD’s favorite. Dedicated to his younger sister, he compares her to a dandelion. He goes from seeing her as a typical annoying younger sibling to a lifelong friend. A powerful chorus and a glorious solo in the bridge make the song easy to jam over and over again. The upcoming EP, All The Parties I Drove You To, has the four core songs we’ve played at every show for the past few months and will not likely leave the set list any time soon. It combines inspirations from Vampire Weekend, Radiohead, Pinegrove, and Modern Baseball.
 
Who produced and engineered it? What have they previously worked on?   
Evan Rudenjak produced and engineered the song, with Winston Roye also producing. Evan Rudenjak has engineered for Via Crowe, Butterfly Garden, Padraic’s Joy, Teen Idle, and other great bands in the Asbury Indie Rock scene. Winston Roye has played with Soul Asylum, Shakira, Jewel, Ace of Base, Broadway Musical Pits such as Rock of Ages, and many more.
 
How do you want listeners to experience it? 
For the EP, although most of the songs are rockers, they’re all mostly somber in lyrical nature. Excited to jam out while still being sad and feeling the lyrics are how they should be experienced. For Dandelion, I’d like for people to empathize with the feeling of having a younger (or older) sibling that you don’t have the best relationship with, and I think most people can buy into the idea lyrically, while still jamming out.
 
What are some of the standout lyrics on this single for you? 
Dandelion-“You’re yellow and wild, was a weed then in my life” in the first half of the final chorus contrasted with “Now you’re white and you’re full, such a perfect little flower” at the end of the final chorus
They encapsulate the feeling and tone switch of the song and work well with the dandelion and plant metaphor.
For the EP: Vessel-“And when I close my eyes, that’s what I’ll see, With your head on his shoulder, his hand on your knee” The final chorus’s lyrics paint a great picture of watching a relationship from afar, heartbroken that you’re on the outside looking in.
 
We hope our lyrics will translate to our fans in whatever way fits them best. Music resonates in such different ways for everyone and it’s important that we write our music through what we are feeling in the moment while giving someone the feeling of empathy when they hear it for the first time. 
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Ranney School

235 Hope Road
Tinton Falls, NJ 07724
Tel. 732.542.4777
Our mission is to know and value every child, nurturing intellectual curiosity and confidence, and inspiring students to lead honorably, think creatively, and contribute meaningfully to society.