New York alt-rock band, For Lack Of A Term, does not lack the talent when it comes to creating bangers and bops. Recently, I had the chance to catch up with Chris Bearisto (drums) and Arthur Wernham (bass) about their most recent release, comics, the writing process, and more.
Let’s just jump right in. If For Lack Of A Term had a Joker origin story what would it be?
Arthur: Oh, that’s a good one. Well, our frontman is a party clown. That’s one of his occupations. So, he would have an awful day. Like, his regular day, he would have to dress up and entertain kids.
Chris: Just another day for him.
Arthur: Or better yet, I’m going to make this specific to one thing. There was one day he went to a school and these kids were torturing him to take his mask off. So that day he’s having a very similar situation, to where he gets off and he calls me. He’s like “Hey, I just had a rough day at work. I'm on my way to Queens. Do you want to hang out?” Because I’m such a great friend and a great person--
Chris: Naturally.
Arthur: I would reply with “of course, man. I'm on my way.” But well, on his way back to Astoria. His van breaks down and he's looking for a payphone to call for help. He's like waiting because his phone has now died. And he calls somebody for help. He finds out they'll be there within the hour. So he starts walking back to his van, only to find out his things are being stolen. So he's chasing someone across town dressed as a character yelling “Hey, stop!” To where he runs into Chris. Because Chris is in Queens.
Chris: That’s where the story becomes unbelievable, I wouldn’t be in Queens.
Arthur: Chris is in Queens with his girlfriend because they had a little city date night. He’s like “Chris, Chris you got to help me! This man took my stuff!” And Chris is immediately like, “I got you. Let's go get him.” They chase this man all the way uptown. Meanwhile, I'm still on my way to Queens. They get to Westchester, good old Bronxville. That's where it ends. Where our guitarist is hanging out at a coffee shop. I'm just getting to Queen's. “Where are you guys?” Ryan calls me. He's like, “Hey, I got robbed. We followed this guy from Queens to Bronxville.” So I pop a U-turn, now I'm mad. And so they're trying to confront this guy, that you know [robbed him.] They corner him in the coffee shop. They're like, “Give us our stuff back.” He runs out the back door. And that's when I come around and hit him with my car. Now I'm going to jail because I hit somebody with my car. Ryan's already had a rough day. So we're on 10. Chris is annoyed because he just came back from his date night and Conor doesn’t know what's going on. So we're all angry. And that pushes us over the edge and we start to cause mayhem from there.
Chris: Did you pre-plan that at all? That was very well done.
That is just a fantastic story. I am thoroughly entertained.
Chris: A better premise than some DC movies. I would watch this movie.
Just someone write a script, please.
Arthur: I feel like it’s Kick-Ass meets Superbad.
Chris: That’s what I got from it.
Arthur: Yeah, that’s what I was going for. Minus the Joker part.
Now that we have your Joker origin story down, what is the real origin story of the band? How did y’all meet and decide “Hey, let’s start a band?”
Chris: Well, I've known Arthur since third grade. So we kind of just always grew up [with each other].
Arthur: We usually like the same music growing up.
Chris: We both played in, like, band class and stuff. And we, like, obviously kept in touch. But I guess the band kind of started with me and Ryan. We were in a previous project in the city and then that kind of fell through. Then after a while, we reconnected. We were just like, “Hey, do you want to, like, do this again?” So after a few different lineup changes, it always kind of stuck around me and Ryan writing and doing most of the stuff. Then we got Arthur, [the] godsent he is joining in. Then after that, we got Conor and that's been the base lineup for a few years now.
Cool, cool, cool. So, recently you guys released a single called “Jawbreaker” with Another Astronaut.
Arthur: Right on [the] money. Yeah, Nick, they were playing shows with Nick way before I was in the band. I was doing, like, metalcore bands before this. But they were playing with Nick for a while now. Like in different bands playing together, not in the same band. But even when I joined, we kept playing shows with him. He's always been like a super solid dude. We even worked together at one point. Super nice, super down to earth. That kid is like pop-punk to a T. All he knows is pop-punk. That's all he writes, that's what he loves. And it works. It works really fucking well. We got him on that [track] and I feel like that's probably the most pop-punk stuff we have to date, definitely also in the stuff coming up. It was really cool, though. Just because, you know, I feel like our typical writing style isn't pop-punk, but it's not 'not pop-punk.' It's like some weird gray area in between where I feel it takes influences from a lot of different areas of music and like our influences and so on. And so it was cool to get Nick in there and have him hop on the track and throw his flair into really like beef it up in that genre, or in that sound. The way I thought of it was like we won't be on a pop-punk playlist, but we'll play with bands on pop-punk playlists if we're adjacent to the genre.
Chris: Yeah. And if you haven't checked out Another Astronaut, they're just like, really good punk. Kind of reminds me of 90s era Blink-182. They're really good.
For sure. So what was the easiest part about creating “Jawbreaker” and what was the most emotionally taxing part of the writing and recording process?
Chris: That was always kind of one of those songs that started with a riff. So Connor actually came up with the starting rhythm. And then from there, it kind of became its own thing. We wanted to get Another Astronaut on a song for the album. And then we kind of didn't know what song for a while until we wrote this song. And we were like, “Oh, this definitely is what they're going to be on.”
Arthur: Yeah, like fell into place, for sure, and Nick just killed it with the chorus. Definitely, I feel like that was literally the most perfect moment for him to jump into that song honestly. I feel like it kind of literally just fell into place.
Chris: The most emotionally taxing part, I think, was the video.
Arthur: Yeah. I hate shooting videos, and that's why it's emotionally taxing. Because I'm a diva. I need a trailer. I need my space. I need something to drink. I need something to eat. Do not bother me before I'm ready. Do not come get me before I'm ready. I will come when I'm ready. No, but, like, I think that the video is probably the most [taxing]. I feel with the recording process, like when we go in, obviously you want to know the songs and all that, but obviously, some things change. It'll be like, “You know what, maybe we should do this” or “Maybe this sounds better.” Because now you're hearing it all a lot more clearer. Everything's level, and so you're like, “You know what, that actually doesn't sound good in translation,” and so on. And that's where Ryan and Chris really shine through with things like that. As far as writing and everything, I think it was just like butter. It was just super smooth, super straightforward.
Chris: The hardest part about the song was coming up with the name.
Arthur: Oh man, there were some rough ones. I forgot about that. Oh my goodness. One of the working titles that I could not stand was Candy Thunder. I was like, “What does that mean?” No. I was like, “I'll even take Candy. But not candy thunder.” I'll give you anything. That exact assortment. I'll take a bullet before I let that be the name of this song.
Chris: I’ll take a bullet before I let that be the name of this song would be a good Fall Out Boy title.
That is a good Fall Out Boy title. I heard Ryan directed the music video for “Jawbreaker” himself. What was it like to have full control yourself instead of outsourcing to another person who's not in the band?
Arthur: Well, Ryan, actually, the first video that he directed for us was “Make a Decision” off our Recalibrate EP from 2019. Ryan's always been very much into film. He's done a lot of acting, a lot of theater kind of stuff. So like, he does have an eye for those things that we obviously, you know, don't have, which is why we don't direct, but it was super cool. You know, because I feel like Ryan's very, very particular about certain things and certain scenes, shots, and lighting. Again, things we wouldn't even take into consideration. So I felt like it really gave our video a sort of oomph, something that made it pop a little bit. Just a little more concept-driven. It was definitely cool having him take the charge on that just because I feel a lot of times compared to working with other people, like, in my experience at least with other projects, you tell them what you want. And you have this set image in your head or this set way of things playing out. And then you know, sometimes things play out the exact way you anticipate, but it's just like even at that, you know, you get a different end result. I feel like you kind of bank on that one thing and that in turn makes you a little dissatisfied with your final product. It's not exactly how you envisioned it. So having Ryan take charge with like, knowing what we were all like trying to get out of it definitely was a nice change of pace.
Alright, so I have one last “Jawbreaker” question. If you could write an Urban Dictionary entry for your single, “Jawbreaker,” what would you write and why?
Arthur: Fucking tripping on candy. Like literally that's all. That's the first thing that came to mind. It's not even like a regular trip. You know how dictionaries have like, "noun" or "adjective?" I don't want that. I literally just want it to be in parentheses, “Like a serious fucking trip. Like, not acid. Not shrooms. Nothing. Just a serious fucking trip. Like, you will be on cloud nine. You're lucky if you're on cloud nine. You're gonna get on the fucking moon.” In parentheses.
Chris: I think mine would be hard to articulate. But you know when you're drinking and you over drink and you have that one shot where you're like, “Damn, this is the one. This is the bad one. This is the one where I'm gonna throw up now.” That's kind of what I imagined it being. Like, you can eat candy all night, and then when you bite into that jawbreaker, you broke a tooth. That was the one. Or like, you know, for people who smoke when you're smoking, and then you smoke a little too much at one time.
Arthur: Ryan broke his tooth on a Jawbreaker once, so that’s funny.
Chris: So I would like it to be like “Jawbreaker is when you're doing something, and it's the one that's the one that pushes you over.”
I like that. Moving on, what was your favorite part about being in the studio?
Chris: Mine is John.
Arthur: We worked with John Naclerio. Chris’s favorite part is John, and John Naclerio for anyone who doesn’t know is like a recording guru.
Chris: He runs Nada Recording.
Arthur: He's done like Bayside and Senses Fail.
Chris: My Chemical Romance.
Arthur: My Chem’s first album. Yeah. Brand new, Imagine Dragons, Polar Bear Club. Bands that I love. Like, I fucking love Polar Bear Club, My Chem, and Senses Fail. All that stuff. But, he’s super nice to work with. He’s got such a solid ear. He’s so down to earth. It’s not like tense or high stress and all. He’s very fun, very giggly, very playful.
Chris: He's that perfect in-between. He’s not a "yes man," like if you play something terrible he's not going to just go “Oh, yeah, that sounds great.”
Arthur: But he’s also not like a jerk that is going to tell you “You suck. Like why are you fucking here?” I think my favorite part is definitely just the change of scenery, as basic as that is. I feel like you know, with the way the world's been in the past year and change, you know, everyone was home. So when we finally got to break, there was only so much you could do, I was literally looking at the same four walls like my balcony, you know? And it was a cool change of pace [and] change of scenery. And it was awesome because it was like for the first time in a while I had something to look forward to. It was like, oh, we're going to record, we've got new songs, the songs are gonna fucking rip. Just like literally just going to the studio is probably my favorite part, just because it's again, a breakaway. It's nice. Yeah, I think that was my favorite part of the whole endeavor.
Can you describe a little bit about the creative process behind writing songs? Do you always start off with a riff for example, or do sometimes do lyrics pop in your head first.
Arthur: We are one of those bands that are a little bit of everything.
Chris: I know some bands start with just jamming. And then like that jam turns into a song. But we've also had plenty [of] songs where Ryan comes up with the lyrics and then we've formed the song around that. There are a few songs where it kind of started with a rhythm. Kind of like either just Arthur or me on drums or bass. We've had songs that started with riffs, we've had songs that started with like, the idea of the song we kind of just formed our stuff around here. It kind of starts everywhere.
Arthur: Yeah, it's a mixture of everything. I feel like we all obviously like will [go] “Hey, why don't you try this” or “what if you did this” but like for the most part too we all just kind of come up with our own [parts]. Ryan handles a majority if not, all [of] the lyrical [components.]
Chris: Probably like 90%.
Arthur: Ryan handles the majority of that, you know, like, when he helps me out with writing bass riffs. Chris is pretty straightforward with drums. Every time I see Conor we'll practice and Conor will just start fiddling with something. Um, yeah, it's just very kind of like pretty much as we go. It's really just like “okay, we've got this one song, we got this one song, and then we just kind of go along with it.
Alright, so a little bit of a change in pace. In the past you released a hot sauce line, which completely sold out. I'm actually sad because I do not own that hot sauce… But anyways, would you ever release another hot sauce line to coincide with a future song?
Arthur: Oh, absolutely. Well, our hot sauce was a black chipotle pepper hot sauce, right. I want something super hot because this one was more flavorful. So, I want a little burn this time.
Chris: I want one that hurts.
Arthur: It’s like street cred. I want people to be like “Oh we’re playing for that band For Lack Of A Term. Who’s For Lack Of A Term? Oh, it’s the guys with that nasty hot sauce that burns your mouth. I would like that personally. I definitely would do that again. I’ve even entertained the thought of branching out and doing a full supermarket line. Like a hot sauce, maybe a ketchup…
Chris: The band is just a front, we are eventually going to make a deli. That’s where we’re leading with all of this.
Arthur: Like Big Mac sauce, maybe Whopper sauce. We’re just gonna get a jar of mayonnaise, mix it with ketchup or something, and throw a label on it, Term Sauce. Please keep [it] refrigerated, [it] will be nasty without it.
Chris: Will be nasty with it.
So, along the lines of hot sauce. You guys are familiar with the show Hot Ones on YouTube, right?
Chris: Oh yeah.
Which member do you think would be best would be the best fit for hot ones? And which member would struggle the most?
Chris: Well, Conor can’t do it because that boy does not like flavor.
Arthur: Ryan would struggle the most I would say.
Chris: Ryan is just overreacting though. I feel like he could handle it,
Arthur: As for who could handle it the best, I think we both like spicy. I would say one of us, it’s just a matter of who could out-spice the other.
I guess you will have to test it out one day.
Chris: We kind of did it, and it sucks once you get to the end. They're not overacting on that show.
Arthur: I feel like I know at a certain point they're not even getting flavor after doing those sauces because at a certain point your palate is so burnt the only thing you're registering now is heat. Like the sauces are that hot, but they're good.
Oh, wow! Alright, so what can we expect from For Lack Of A Term in the future? Or in the near future? If you are able to share anything, that is.
Arthur: We’re making cars. We’re gonna start giving away cars at our shows.
Chris: Alright, okay, first I’m hearing of it. Actually, we have a single coming out.
Arthur: We’ve got a lot of music. Some videos, some merch, maybe another food item that isn’t hot sauce, and really really really good vibes.
Chris: Always.
Arthur: And we have a couple string of dates coming up that we are setting up and sorting through. We’re definitely trying to kick it into high gear, so a lot.
Looking forward to it! Alright, awesome. So, Shark Tank style, how would you pitch your band to people who are hearing about y'all for the first time?
Chris: Our opening line would be, “Do you ever feel like some bands sound too good? We don't. Stick with me. We're relatable.” Mark Cuban is like “I see. I see.”
Arthur: We're an ideal business decision. We don't just make music, we make sauce. We make clothes. We make fun of people. We make music. I'd wheel in like a shirt with our hot sauce on it. Just to piggyback off his idea, not the bottle of hot sauce, like a hot sauce stain on our white shirt. Like you see this perfectly clean white shirt. With this blemish? We're the blemish. In the music scene. Here you go.
Last question, is there anything that you'd like to say or to wrap things up? You have the floor, you have the mic, whatever you want to say, just go ahead.
Chris: You gave him a podium, he’s gonna go now.
Arthur: Spider-Man No Way Home is going to be a phenomenal film. And you can't convince me otherwise
Chris: I agree.
Arthur: That's it, that's cold cut clear. Cut the interview. It's done. That's all that needed to be said. And that's what I was working toward. That's my trump card. There.
Chris: I'll get a little controversial. Yeah, I hope Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield don't show up in the movie.
Arthur: He’s lying.
Chris: Everyone would be so mad in the theater. I would love it.
Arthur: Realistically though, at no point did they confirm they were in the movie. They did announce [Jessica] Dakak and Jamie Foxx as electro. And people were like “It's multiverse, they got to bring back the other Spider-Men. like no one's ever said these two Spider-Men are in it. It's highly alluded to.
Chris: Tobey Maguire can be on an island somewhere just laughing at everyone thinking he's in this movie. We don’t know.
Arthur: Like in that like that shot in. In Spider-Man Three. He's like looking at his phone smiling, going “They love me.” No, um, please, please listen to us. We have a lot of things coming. We've worked really, really hard, and I don't want to disappoint my mom.
Chris: We are going to need three tickets at least to Spider-Man No Way Home and those cost money. So please stream us. And obviously, a huge thank you to you for having us.
You heard them, go ahead and stream the whole catalog of For Lack Of A Term. The band can be found on all major streaming platforms as well as on social media where you can follow the band for the latest updates on all to come.
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