w main st interview

Michael Dicostanzo and Matthew Taleghani founded their band w main street on the banks of Virginia Beach the summer before their freshman year at Virginia Commonwealth University. The guys, now roommates at Gladdings Residence Center, a dorm facility for VCU freshmen, recorded and released their debut album Summer Rain this past September. COVID-19 has hit our world and musicians hard, but these two have found ways to work around the looming pandemic. From socially distanced outdoor shows in Monroe Park to recording a live session for WVCW radio station, w main street has had a successful first semester. Read below to hear what the guys had to say about dorm room recording sessions, social media and music, and how the two came together.

How did you two meet?

Matthew: We met over the summer on the VCU 2024 instagram page.I saw his post, so I messaged him. We talked for a little and then decided to be roommates. We live super close to each other so we decided to hang out a bit over the summer. The first time we hung out, we didn’t have any intentions of recording a song together.

Michael: The only thing we were planning on doing was to hang out at the beach. We had some plans to jam and ended up recording Fear of Love that first day.

Matthew: It took about 4 or 5 hours, but we figured it we could do that what’s going to happen when we live together? So we decided to go ahead and start the band.

What does the recording process look like?

Michael: I have a software that came with the interface I have, we do all the recording and mixing ourselves.

Matthew: I don’t know anything about recording or mixing, I let him do all that.

Micheal: I have a little bit of experience, I got a bunch of recording equipment when I was around 15 or 16. Basically through trial and error we’ve figured out what sounds good to us. A few songs we started recording at my house in VA beach and then we finished them up here. But the majority were recorded in our dorm room.

What inspired you to play music? Have you always been playing?

Matthew: My mom influenced me musically and artistically Whether it was piano lessons, which I started around 1st grade, even dance lessons, musical theatre, all sorts of stuff. None of it ever caught my attention, I never really enjoyed it too much. But, I’m very grateful for all of it because it got me into music. Quit everything after a little bit, but then I did percussion in band in middle and high school. By junior/senior year, I tried singing a little bit. I got a ukulele and had an acoustic guitar and I just got into it. There was a small band at school that needed a singer so I tried it out and now here we are.

Michael: On my end of things, my dad was a huge influence he’s a very musical guy. I have an older brother who picked up guitar when he was super young, and I wanted to have something like that too because my dad played and now my brother did too so I started out with drums when I was around5. I still take lessons even now. I picked up the guitar around sophomore year of high school. Just looking for something new and different.

What or who inspires you to play music?

Matthew: We both have our own influences and music preferences but they go really well together.

Michael: I inherited the classic rock trait from my dad, so you (Matthew) have more of an alternative background

Matthew: Just basic shit, like I’ve never been a music head. Like I just got Spotify premium, but I wish I listened to music more. I get in the car and turn the radio on, just the alternative station. I like Coldplay, 21 Pilots, which is weird. But they’re a big inspiration.

Michael: In our music I think you can definitely hear a combination of alternative and classic.

Going off of that question, who are your musical influences?

Michael: For me, its a lot of old head music. Led Zeppelin, Allman Brothers, Grateful Dead, Rolling Stones.

Matthew: Alt guys like 21 Pilots, The Black Keys, Coldplay, Cage the Elephant. Very basic alternative bands.

How do you feel social media has impacted the band?

Michael: I’ve been in a couple bands in the past and I’ve never really been in control of the instagram pages for them.

Matthew: A good way to put it is, you can have good music but if you don’t have a presence on social media, if all the puzzle pieces aren’t put together well you miss out on a lot of potential.

Michael: As much as it sucks, the look is a big part of it. You can have great music, but if you don’t have the look you’re not going to get as much recognition.

Matthew: You also kind of have to fake it until you make it, in a sense. We try to make it look as official and legit as we possibly can.

How would you describe your sound? If no one had ever heard of your band or the bands you are influenced by, how would you describe w main?

Michael: Genre wise, alternative, blues, classic rock kind of stuff. The chord progressions themselves are most alternative but the solos over them are heavily blues influenced.

Matthew: It’s just a modernized, fresh, new feel of vary classic guitar licks and solos. It’s hard to explain our sound.

What sets your sound apart from other musicians?

Matthew: For lack of humilities sake, I think we’re both very good writers. I think that we can write super well. I know that I can write better than I can sing.

Ilse Grace: Want to know what I think? Adapting to COVID and recording and being a band straight out of your dorm room.

Matthew: Thank you, we work with the resources we have. t’s just a lot of fun. We have so much fun doing it it doesn’t feel too serious. What sets us apart is our writing, our social media presence, doing things from the dorm room, which is not very ideal but we make it work.

What do you enjoy most about playing music?

Michael: It’s like a high, especially live. I think one of the most beautiful things is the creativity that goes behind it. It’s something I don’t take for granted. Being able to share with the world something you created it incredible.

Matthew: For me, it’s incredibly therapeutic. When you are able to put your thoughts and emotions into words for a song, you instantly feel a billion times better.

What do you see of the future of the band?

Michael: We definitely take our academics seriously, we’re here to get a degree. But at the same time.

Matthew: Hopefully we get famous and end up loaded. But we both keep up with our school work, that hasn’t been a problem.

Michael: Hopefully COVID eases up, venues are able to have gigs. Because that’s a huge part we feel like we’re missing out on. We’re working around it but it’s just not the same.

Matthew: The future is uncertain, but we’re here for the long run. We actually just started working on the next album. We don’t want to be a one album kind of band. We’re going to keep doing us and let the world decide.

If you haven’t already, check out W Main Street’s new album Summer Rain available on all streaming services.

Big thanks to W Main Street for hanging out and answering questions.

Interview written and conducted by Ilse Grace Thomas

Photograph by Ilse Grace Thomas