Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your
musical direction?
A: I grew up in Fairview, New Jersey, and music has been a major part of my life for as long as I can remember. I watched MTV obsessively from the day it premiered, and that exposure opened me up to all kinds of sounds. Early on, I got into classic rock — bands like The Rolling Stones, The Who, Rush (Moving Pictures was the first album I ever owned), The Police, and many more. At the same time, I loved all the fun, offbeat 80s onehitwonder tracks, along with the more commercial side of hip-hop like the Beastie Boys and RunD.M.C. My taste was pretty much everywhere. But there were two big moments that really shaped the direction of my musical life.
The first moment came during my freshman year of high school. My sister’s boyfriend left a cassette of Iron Maiden’s thennew album, Somewhere in Time, on our dining room table. I grabbed it, popped it into my Walkman, and listened to it during my evening jog. The second the first track began, I was completely mesmerized. The music was epic, powerful, and unlike anything I’d heard before. That album changed everything for me. I bought every Maiden album I could find and listened nonstop. From there, I dove deeper into thrash metal — Metallica, Anthrax, and Slayer became huge influences. The second moment happened my junior year, after I’d transitioned into punk rock and hardcore. The Ramones were my absolute favorite band at that point, and I went to see them at the New Ritz in NYC. GBH and Warzone opened. Not only was it my first time seeing The Ramones, but it was also my first punk rock show. The moment the lights went down, the energy in the room was electric. When The Ramones hit the stage and the pogoing started, something clicked. I felt instantly like I’d found the place where I truly belonged. That show made a huge impact on me.
Those two moments — discovering Iron Maiden and experiencing my first punk show with The Ramones — shaped my identity and set the path for everything musically that followed.
Q: How are you planning on growing your fan base and sharing your music with the world? What message do you have for anyone who is about to discover “I.D.K”?
A: Right now, our fan base is made up mostly of the people who were with us back in the ’90s and early 2000s. Those listeners built the foundation for what we’re doing today, and we’re really grateful they’re still out there. As we start releasing new music and getting back onstage, our goal is to reconnect with that original audience while also reaching a new generation of listeners. We’re planning to grow the fan base the same way we built it the first time — by putting out honest music, playing shows, and letting people discover us naturally.
For anyone who’s about to hear I.D.K for the first time, my message is simple: check us out with an open mind.
We’re not a band you come to for one specific sound. What we do is a blend of different influences and elements, the same way a lot of bands evolve over time. If you’re expecting something super specific, you might not find that in us — and that’s okay. What you will find is something genuine, something that has its own identity.
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A: Honestly, I always fall back on my roots. The artists who inspired me growing up still inspire me today. When I need to recharge creatively or get that spark going, I go right back to the bands that shaped me in the beginning — Iron Maiden, Sick of It All, Metallica, The Ramones, Fugazi, Rush… all of that stuff still hits me the same way it did years ago. There’s something about revisiting those records that always fires me up.
As far as newer influences, a band I’ve been checking out lately is Drain from California. They’ve got this great energy that reminds me why I love heavy music in the first place. I also get a lot of inspiration from the local hardcore community here in New Jersey. I don’t make it out to shows as much as I used to, but I still follow what’s going on and check out younger bands online. The NJ hardcore scene is really thriving right now, and watching that energy grow — seeing these newer bands carrying the torch — that’s inspiring in its own way. It reminds me how alive and evolving this music still is.
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the song, “Nark 5.”?
A: “Nark 5” actually came out of a period when the band wasn’t really active. Life just happened — families, careers, responsibilities — and things naturally slowed down for a while.
Then one day, Fabio, our drummer, reached out to me with a demo he and our guitar player Mike had put together. It was just this raw track they’d written and recorded, and he asked if I thought I could work some vocals into it. The moment I heard it, vocal patterns started popping into my head right away. It came together surprisingly fast.
Originally, it was a tight twominute punkrock blast, but as we kept working on it, we added more of those signature I.D.K. elements — a stompy, hardcorestyle intro to set the tone, and then a breakdown at the end to give it more weight and drama.
Lyrically, I pulled a lot of inspiration from the recent Star Wars series Andor. I was really into it at the time, and it sparked ideas for how I wanted to shape the story in the song. Even though the lyrics are written from the perspective of the show’s themes, it also gave me an outlet to express how I feel about the current state of the world. So while it’s tied to the narrative of Andor, that feeling of tension, resistance, and navigating dark times is something that’s very relatable to what we’re all living through right now — if that makes sense.
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?
A: If I had to sum up our sound in one word, it would be energetic. But to break it down a bit more: we’re punk rock with a metallic edge, blended with NYHCinspired breakdowns, and topped off with a melodic, fun, and positive energy. It’s aggressive and heavy when it needs to be, but there’s always an uplifting, highenergy feel running
through it.
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “Nark 5”?
A: Nope. I can honestly say not one. Everything ran smoothly from start to finish on this one.
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
A: For us, the message behind our music is pretty simple: we want to create something people can genuinely enjoy, while also giving ourselves — and our listeners — an outlet. Music has always been a release, a place to put your emotions, your stress, your energy, whatever you’re carrying. If someone connects with what we do and feels even a little bit lighter or more fired up because of it, then we’ve done our job. As artists, our main goal is to continue developing and strengthening our own identity. We just want to be known for having a solid, distinct sound — something that feels undeniably like I.D.K. Whether it’s the melodies, the heaviness, the energy, or the attitude, we want people to hear a track and instantly know it’s us.
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
A: For me personally, it would be David Bowie. He was such a fearless artist —
constantly reinventing himself, pushing boundaries, and creating music that felt both timeless and completely ahead of its time. Collaborating with someone that visionary would’ve been incredible.
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
A: My advice is: don’t stress about “entering the industry.” Focus on your craft and the people you create with — whether you’re in a band or working on your own. That’s where the real value is.
Make music because you love the process, not because you’re chasing a specific outcome. The industry side is unpredictable, and not everyone is going to “make it” in that traditional sense — but that doesn’t mean your art stops being meaningful.
What matters is building something that feels authentic and lasting. If you stay true to the creative side of it, you’ll always have a way to express yourself, regardless of whether there’s a business machine behind it. And honestly, being able to keep creating — with or without the industry — is what really counts.
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
A: I’d tell my younger self to relax. I carried a lot of unnecessary angst back then, and it made everything feel heavier than it needed to be. I’d remind myself to loosen up, breathe, and enjoy the moment more.
