Model Rockets is no stranger to the music scene around Kent, Ohio. In fact, they’ve been touring the area for the last couple years under the name ‘Colorblind.’ The band currently includes Fletcher Dunham on vocals and rhythm guitar, Ryan Betts on lead guitar, Joey Devitto on bass and Andrew Cappuzzello on drums.
I sat down with members Fletcher Dunham and Andrew Cappuzzello to talk all about the new name, new sound and new music video the band just released.
Why did you decide to change from Colorblind to Model Rockets?
Fletcher Dunham: So, I think we first started toying around with the idea for a name change a year ago. There are actually a lot of other bands called Colorblind and they are all starting to be active right now. We started getting tagged in Facebook events and shows that we weren’t a part of, and it got real old getting confused with other bands.
Tell me about the meaning behind the name Model Rockets.
Fletcher Dunham: I came up with the name Model Rockets for a couple of different reasons. First off, it sounds cool. I like the idea of the childhood wonder and imagination of a child playing with a model rocket, and dreaming of space and being an astronaut. That’s kinda how I was when I was a kid. As well as I like the idea of a model rocket in the sense that, you can be a beat up, crappy model rocket but still fly. The model rocket can still fly if you put the effort and you put the care and love into building it.
Andrew Cappuzzello: It’s kinda nice too, because I think as a band we are growing and evolving in terms of the style of music we’re playing and the types of songs we’re making. I think now that we’ve all reached new parts of our lives with graduating, and me being recently married and things like that, Colorblind is kind of graduating as a whole. Now we’re Model Rockets, and we kinda cleaned up a little bit and plan to put our best foot forward.
Tell me about the evolution of your music from Colorblind to Model Rockets.
Fletcher Dunham: Colorblind we started in high school. The two EP’s that we made, I decided I wanted to branch out from that sound quite a bit. Our old stuff was a bit more pop punky, and we started off sounding a lot like Blink-182. We moved towards a more refined sound, and I didn’t want to be associated with punk music anymore. I wanted to be taken more seriously. Model Rockets is the start of us moving towards a more refined sound, and we’re going for more of a Weezer or The Killers kinda rock and roll vibe.
Tell me a little bit about the new band dynamic.
Andrew Cappuzzello: We all have different strengths and we have a solid lineup that I think musically we gel really well together. Interpersonally, we really connect and I really believe this is our best foot forward. We’re really taking all of our past experiences and ending with a really well polished product that is Model Rockets.
Fletcher Dunham: Andrew and Joey have been a blessing in the sense that, they are on the same level of Ryan and I on how seriously we take our band. We’ve never expected the band to be our lives or our careers, but we always want to be trying the best we possibly can, while still having careers and social lives. We want to be able to take ourselves seriously but not take being in a band too seriously.
Tell me about your upcoming album.
Fletcher Dunham: The album has 10 songs on it and we’re really excited about them. It’s kind of an anthology of a lot of my experiences in college. A couple of the songs on it I wrote sophomore year of college, and the rest were written during my junior and senior year. It covers a long relationship I had, the ups and downs of that. It covers family and death. It covers self reflection and discovery, since college is such a formative time.
Fletcher Dunham: November 14th we announced our name change. We released our music video on November 14th as well, for a song called Weather Beaten Boat, which I actually wrote about two years ago. This all has been a long time in the making. We’re like 95 percent done with the album, with the release date being January 20th 2018. We’re having a release party at Suzie’s Dogs & Drafts in Youngstown. We have really cool bands playing that night like East 9th and Northern Whale.
Andrew Cappuzzello: Of all the bands I’ve been in and worked with, I think Fletcher’s one of the hands down best songwriters that I’ve had the opportunity to work with. It’s just amazing. You can tell, because the first rehearsal I had, I internalized lyrics so quickly because they were so relatable to everybody and I think the album truly is a rollercoaster ride of emotional feelings. It’s truly an honor being in a band like this, and I think Fletcher is just a phenomenal song writer and his lyrics really hit home. I believe they can connect with a lot of people. At the end of the day, that’s what you’re trying to do with music.
Watch Model Rocket’s latest music video for “Weather Beaten Boat”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCy4Q3MB8pU&feature=youtu.be
Check out Model Rockets on social media:
Twitter: @modelrocketsoh
Instagram: @modelrocketsoh
Facebook: @modelrocketsband
Bandcamp: Model Rocket