Local Band Shady Lane To Shine at Library Concert Series

This week's Spotlight on Toms River music shines on Shady Lane, one of the bands scheduled to perform at the next 732 concert series at the

The Toms River-based band will perform March 15. Vocalist and guitarist Todd Picht said the band's gigs often surround summer breaks as the members are away at their respective schools for much of the year.

However, worlds collide and the band is together for the Thursday show. Toms River Patch sent over some questions to Picht to learn why everybody wants a Shady Lane.

Q: Give us some straight-up About You type stuff. A brief history of your band.

I started playing under the name Shady Lane when I was in high school, and back then I was solo. For a few years I continued to play solo, other than occasionally being joined by friends for some shows. In 2008, I left New Jersey to continue college in Virginia, where I played some, but not much. During the spring of 2010, I asked two longtime friends, Scott and Jamie Fischer, if they would be interested in playing with me over summer break.

In earlier years, our schedules never lined up properly, but it seemed as though we could finally work something out. So the two of them joined the band as bassist and drummer and the three of us played as many shows as we could during the summer and winter of 2010, and by early 2011, we’d recorded a 7 song demo which we released on BandCamp, iTunes, Amazon, etc. In the summer and winter of 2011, we brought in two more members: Gina Picht, my sister, and Rob Civile. Gina plays the keyboard. Scott moved from bass to lead guitar, and Rob took his place as the new bassist.

We all put together and learned a set of about 7 or 8 songs within a week or so, and played a few shows as a 5-piece. The hardest part of playing shows, for us, is the fact that Gina and I are at school in Virginia for most of the year, so we can mostly only play during breaks – winter, summer, spring, etc. – which greatly limits how much momentum we can build up at any given time. But come summer, school will end for us for good, and we’ll definitely be able to put a much more concentrated effort into the music.

Q: What is the current line-up of your band and when did you form?

The band technically formed in 2004, but the current line-up was finalized in the summer of 2011. We are: Todd Picht (guitar/vocals), Gina Picht (keyboard), Scott Fischer (guitar), Jamie Fischer (drums), and Rob Civile (bass)

Q: What genre would you describe your music as/what bands have you been compared to?

We would describe ourselves as some amalgamation of indie rock and pop, mixed with hints of folk. We can go from playing acoustic sets with just an acoustic guitar, upright bass, melodica, and minimal drums, to full electric sets with electric guitars, keyboards, and full drums. It’s always been hard for me, personally, to pin down my music with any particular genre. And as far as I know, we’ve never been compared to any other bands, but I’d be really interested to hear what people say.

Q: What is your favorite place to perform at on the Jersey Shore and why?

We’re more familiar with smaller venues, but we’ve played shows at the in Toms River and Bar-A in Belmar, and both of those places were pretty cool. One’s a big open room, and the other is, well, a bar, but they each had their own unique feel to them which made them a lot of fun.

Q: Any recent news from the group--new music, big shows, upcoming tours?

No big news yet, but we’re working on plans for the summer – stay tuned!

Q: What can we expect from a live show?

This will probably sound a little cocky, but one thing you can definitely expect is enjoyable music. We’re all very serious about musical quality and content, so we put a lot of effort into being tight and playing our best every time we get in front of a crowd. Apart from that, though, we’ve got a fairly diverse range of music, so you’ll never hear the same song over and over again. We like to stay fresh and on our toes, so to speak, when it comes to songwriting.

Q: What are some of your biggest musical influences?

We get influences from so many different bands and artists, it’s impossible to list or even think of them all. But for sure, we’re influenced by Bright Eyes, Relient K, Switchfoot, Five Iron Frenzy, Kevin Max, and Cursive.

Q: What does your upcoming show calendar look like? Where can we hear your music?

For now, our only upcoming show is 732 on March 15, but we are definitely looking to add more shows in the near future. You can check out our music in a lot of different places, but the easiest is probably on our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/shadylanemusic

Q: How do we find out more about you?

We’re everywhere. Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/shadylanemusic), MySpace (http://www.myspace.com/shadylane), iTunes (http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/bacaba-demos/id419405500), YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/shadylanemusic). Facebook is probably the easiest and quickest way to learn more about us.

Q: Anything else to add?

We’re really looking forward to playing March 15, and we’re excited to see everybody there!