(May 9, 2008) PCM's Kristyn spoke to C.J. Baran of the up-and-coming boy band, Push Play. And get this: He actually took the time out of his day at school to give us a phone interview! What a young, dedicated guy! The band is touring, promoting a new album and finding success with many young, female fans! Feel free to check out Push Play's MySpace page to learn more and listen to some sample songs off the new album, Deserted.

Kristyn: Hi C.J., how are you doing?

C.J.: Good, how are you?

K: Not bad. Where are you at right now?

C.J.: Actually, I'm at school (laughs).

K: Oh, okay. Can you tell our readers a little bit about yourself? How did you first become interested in music?

C.J.: I've been really interested in music since I was about nine. I got really into Blink 182, that was my first introduction into the music world. I begged my mom for a guitar, got one and took lessons. I actually didn't really like the guitar at first. I did a bunch of pretty big gigs when I was about 10 or 11. Then, I was with Nick, who is the bassist of the band now, and we decided to do something more serious. We went to the studio to try and find who we could use, a real solid musician and drummer. Then, it just eventually became the four of us.

K: Okay, so according to your Facebook page, it seems like a lot of fans are petitioning for you guys to play on shows like Ellen, Oprah and The Today Show, how do you feel about this idea? Playing on live TV?

C.J.: Oh yeah, we are so excited. It's so cool.

K: I see that your debut album, Deserted, has been getting a lot of great reviews, how happy have you been with the feedback?

C.J.: We've been really happy. We were really nervous for this because we did the whole CD in my basement. We wrote every song, produced it on our own and got it mixed. Then, it suddenly was on the pop charts on iTunes, it was awesome.

K: Well, it sounds amazing for it being recorded that way. It's amazing what people can do at home now without fancy equiptment. I see that you are still unsigned at this time, are you label shopping at all or happy with the way things are going?

C.J.: We have pretty much had meetings with every major label, they've all approached us. But we've got a great team now and like how it's going, too.

K: Well, a sold out show at Irving Plaza certainly gives you guys some bragging rights.

C.J.: Yeah! That was really cool.

K: Where do you see the music heading and where do you see Push Play in that picture?

C.J.: We want to be headlining Madison Square Garden in two years, it's definitely a mission. We are just working upward and getting more and more fans hopefully.

K: If you could share the stage with any one band, who would it be?

C.J.: We'd love to play with Panic At The Disco, I actually just saw them last night. They were unbelievable, besides them, Maroon 5 is awesome too!

K: They are good. Are you planning any upcoming touring?

C.J.: Yes, we are. In August. As of now, it looks like it will be our own little headlining tour playing smaller clubs and stuff like that. You never know what might come our way.

K: What's your favorite aspect of playing a live show?

C.J.: The energy and crowd response!

K: What have your fans been like? Any crazy experiences yet?

C.J.: Oh yeah, a bunch! There was a whole group of fans with signs at the Chicago airport, I felt like The Beatles. It was so cool.

K: How do you feel about MySpace as a way to with stay in touch with fans?

C.J.: It's unbelievable, we owe so much to it. It's a great way to talk to people.

K: How would you describe or classify your sound to a first time listener?

C.J.: We are kind of like a pop/rock band.

K: What are the challenges your band has faced already?

C.J.: Definitely getting booked places and taken seriously, especially since we're still in high school, which is really hard for us. Still keeping up grades but playing in a band. We've been doing weekend tours so we don't miss a lot of school, it gets tough but it's not terrible.

K: How did you come up with the name Push Play?

C.J.: We were all in the car, on our way to Borders to look up some cool band names and get ideas. I'm dead serious. And one of us goes to put in a CD and I was like, "Just push play." We were all like, "Whoa." That's it!

K: It's works and it's catchy! It was a light-bulb moment? What do you like doing in your spare time? Any sports fans or gamers in the band?

C.J.: Steve and Nick are huge hockey fans, they will be at every Islander (New York) game they could be at. We like to go into the city and shop and look at different stores. I'm hard to shop for!

K: What's next on the horizon for you guys?

C.J.: We already started writing for the next album and recorded a few songs. We are working with some really good producers and songwriters as well. Giving it a big radio push! We want to reach out to everyone, middle school to college age. All our songs come from personal experience.

K: Can you tell us one thing about yourself that we may not already know?

C.J.: I'm Student Council President at my high school.

K: You're a busy guy! We wish you the best for the future and hope to hear from you guys!