*Indie Rock Band Edelweiss is the Next Generation

(left to right: Niko Porlier, Tommy Vitale, Tony Young. Back: Coby Porlier)

Foals, Bloc Party, Arcade Fire, Phoenix, Death Cab For Cutie, Modest Mouse. If you don’t know any of these bands, you haven’t been paying attention to the rise of indie rock in the music industry. As of late, more and more indie bands are making their way into mainstream music. After many years of being on an independent record label, Death Cab for Cutie signed to major label, Atlantic records, in 2004. The band’s 2005 album Plans was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album of that year and attained Platinum sales. Just a week ago, Arcade Fire won a Grammy for Album of the Year and two other prestigious awards. Other bands such as The Walkmen, LCD Soundsystem, Interpol, Spoon, MGMT, and The National have also created a buzz recently. What used to be a sub-genre of alternative rock in the 1980s has turned into a worldwide phenomenon.

(left to right: Niko Porlier, Tony Young, Tommy Vitale, Coby Porlier)

One of the bands trying to break this same mold is Edelweiss, an indie rock band from Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. Don’t be discouraged by the name, there aren’t any Sound of Music references in their songs.

The band has only been together for a year and they’re already taking Northeastern Pennsylvania by storm. Ranging in age from 14 to 17 years old, just take a listen to two of the tracks on their Bandcamp or Facebook page, and what you’ll hear is tight, mature music. “We play music that you don't hear every day,” the band said collectively. “It’s unlike anything you hear on mainstream radio, and it's a lot of fun.” 

  "(No) Maxi Single"

The four-piece recently recorded two songs, “(No)” and “Fiasco,” with Jeremy Sklarsky at Threshold Records in New York City--their client list includes Collective Soul, Jónsi (Sigur Rós), and The Morning Benders. If you know what’s good for you, go see these guys headline the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn on February 26th before they start selling out stadiums.

According to Edelweiss ,“[they] are the next generation.”

Check these guys out on Facebook or buy their EP for two dollars here.

The Interview
1) Your music has a great indie vibe—reminds me a lot of Foals and Miike Snow. How do people respond to your style of music, especially since it isn’t incredibly popular in the US? 
Our style of music really sticks out from the other bands we typically play with in Northeast PA. People are usually surprised when we first start playing because the music is so different but end up coming up after the shows to tell us how much they liked it.

2) Because you are so young, is there a certain expectation for you guys when you jump on stage? 
People probably expect something much different from what we end up playing when we get going. Perhaps they don't expect much because of our ages so most of the time we end up surprising people. 

3) How did you come up with the name Edelweiss? 
Niko, Coby and their dad actually came up with the name randomly on a cross-country vacation a few years back in the very early days of Edelweiss; it was just a name that came into our heads randomly.

4) If you can, describe your band in five words. 
We are the next generation.

5) If there were a crowd of 20,000 people screaming your name, waiting for you to appear on stage, what would your initial reaction be? We would probably all smile and look at each other saying, "can you believe this?!"

6) If you could play any venue in the world, what would it be? Glastonbury Festival. Does that count?

7) What do you bring to the table that no other band does? We play music that you don't hear every day. It’s unlike anything you hear on mainstream radio, and it's a lot of fun.

8) Anything you’d like to plug/promote? We're headlining the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn on February 26th with some really great support acts. Tell everyone you know to come out!