Many bands spend years playing dive bars and basements before performing at a legitimate concert venue.
Not Filler.
The local rock act — guitarist William Ridzon, singer Cameron Morris, drummer Auden Stevenson and bassist Joey Greenfield — played its first-ever gig two years ago at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as part of the High School Rock Off.
Initially, the group drew inspiration from classic rock acts such as Led Zeppelin and Queen. Eventually, its sound morphed, and it adopted what Ridzon refers to as “an '80s alternative sound.”
“We like bands like Wallows and the Regrettes and Foster the People,” says Ridzon via phone. “We really like those modern rock bands.”
Right before the pandemic hit, Filler remotely recorded “Piece of You,” a catchy new single with a jittery guitar riff. It's garnered just over 30,000 streams in the past two months.
“All four of us go to different colleges in different states, so during the school year, it’s tricky to write and record music,” says Ridzon. “So that song was all written and recorded remotely. We were able to pull it off, and that has become one of our biggest songs. That was really well-received. That was a turning point for us. It’s definitely influenced by Vampire Weekend.”
Since then, the band has recorded a music video for “Piece of You” and written and recorded a new single, “Pocket Change,” which comes out on Friday. The mid-tempo song benefits from soft vocals and breezy horns.
“['Pocket Change'] was written while we’ve been back in Cleveland,” says Ridzon. “We had this guitar riff that we worked off and then went through different phases of what the sound would be. It’s a little funkier compared to our usual sound. We added some horn parts, which is kind of new. It’s a little different for us. It’s a high-energy song and has a summery, feel-good vibe to it.”
While the band isn't able to tour at the moment, just a few days ago, the group hosted a backyard concert, and it recorded audio and video for the show.
“We can’t really play shows right now, but we want to keep the live music thing alive,” says Ridzon, who adds that group hopes to record a new LP this summer and release it sometime in the fall. “We figured we would set up our gear, and we have a friend who helped us record the whole thing. We had a half-hour set of all originals. It was a nice way to make the most of what’s happening right now.”
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