{"id":5975,"date":"2024-04-09T09:14:15","date_gmt":"2024-04-09T13:14:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brie.hunter.cuny.edu\/hunterathenian\/?p=5975"},"modified":"2024-04-11T09:06:03","modified_gmt":"2024-04-11T13:06:03","slug":"how-one-flyer-and-a-singers-passion-created-a-goth-band","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brie.hunter.cuny.edu\/hunterathenian\/2024\/04\/how-one-flyer-and-a-singers-passion-created-a-goth-band\/","title":{"rendered":"How One Flyer and a Singer\u2019s Passion Created a Goth Band"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"width: 610px;\" class=\"wp-video\"><video class=\"wp-video-shortcode\" id=\"video-5975-1\" width=\"610\" height=\"343\" preload=\"metadata\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"video\/mp4\" src=\"https:\/\/brie.hunter.cuny.edu\/hunterathenian\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Making-a-difference-by-being-different-1-1-1.mp4?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/brie.hunter.cuny.edu\/hunterathenian\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Making-a-difference-by-being-different-1-1-1.mp4\">https:\/\/brie.hunter.cuny.edu\/hunterathenian\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Making-a-difference-by-being-different-1-1-1.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With lip piercings, purple eyeshadow and pitch-black hair, Tyler Jack Coffino tapped his mic briefly, rocking back and forth. Giving a small smile to the crowd that gathered at FirstLive, a studio space in Brooklyn&#8217;s Bushwick neighborhood, he excitedly awaited his cue to sing the song he\u2019s most proud of: \u201cSavior,\u201d a song about a conflicted soldier in love with his prisoner of war.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cLift the hands from your head and say a prayer for the dead,\u201d sang Coffino, who prefers to go by TJ.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When he\u2019s not singing about complex world issues, TJ doubles as a junior at Hunter College, majoring in Political Science. While he dreams of a life on stage, TJ knows that isn\u2019t sustainable just yet, and instead, hopes to get involved in his community through politics and music.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cMusic is, first and foremost, a self expression [for me],\u201d he said. \u201cSinging, specifically, has always been an intimate way for me to share a piece of myself with the audience.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s why he loves his band <em>Miss Teen America<\/em> and what they represent. With lyrics reminiscent of popular bands like the Cure, and a front man with uncanny similarity to Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance, TJ\u2019s band <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">combines talents of five NYC-based men who look to share their passion for all things Goth with the world.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5978\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 279px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-5978\" src=\"https:\/\/brie.hunter.cuny.edu\/hunterathenian\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Screen-Shot-2024-04-04-at-1.11.05-PM-min-min-247x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"269\" height=\"327\" srcset=\"https:\/\/brie.hunter.cuny.edu\/hunterathenian\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Screen-Shot-2024-04-04-at-1.11.05-PM-min-min-247x300.png 247w, https:\/\/brie.hunter.cuny.edu\/hunterathenian\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Screen-Shot-2024-04-04-at-1.11.05-PM-min-min-310x377.png 310w, https:\/\/brie.hunter.cuny.edu\/hunterathenian\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Screen-Shot-2024-04-04-at-1.11.05-PM-min-min.png 548w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 269px) 100vw, 269px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">TJ dressed up as Gerard Way, the lead singer of My Chemical Romance. (PC: TJ Coffino on Instagram)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>After all, that\u2019s what brought them together in the first place.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The band originated with TJ and bassist Vic Vermin, who posted fliers all throughout New York City and Hunter College, that read &#8220;Do You Want To Be In A goth Band?&#8221;\u00a0 After over 10 auditions, they found four other members to form the band last May.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5979\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 310px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-5979\" src=\"https:\/\/brie.hunter.cuny.edu\/hunterathenian\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Screen-Shot-2024-04-04-at-1.26.41-PM-min-min-300x263.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"263\" srcset=\"https:\/\/brie.hunter.cuny.edu\/hunterathenian\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Screen-Shot-2024-04-04-at-1.26.41-PM-min-min-300x263.png 300w, https:\/\/brie.hunter.cuny.edu\/hunterathenian\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Screen-Shot-2024-04-04-at-1.26.41-PM-min-min-310x272.png 310w, https:\/\/brie.hunter.cuny.edu\/hunterathenian\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Screen-Shot-2024-04-04-at-1.26.41-PM-min-min.png 550w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Miss Teen America poses with their \u201cDo You Want to Be In A Goth Band\u201d posters, announcing the launch of their band in May 2023. (PC: Msteenamerica on Instagram)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI feel very accomplished that this was an idea Vic and I had and that we ourselves, and no one else, made it happen,\u201d said TJ.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Growing up on Long Island with Jewish and Italian roots, TJ said he has always experimented with who wants to be \u2013 from trying new hair colors to getting different piercings \u2013 but has always stuck true to his beliefs and mindset.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI have known him since he was young, and thought he and his family were rad,\u201d said Hunter Junior Sean Belenky. \u201cHe\u2019s basically the same as he was then as he is now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since he was young, TJ has lived by this idea of doing things himself, and walking to the beat of his own drum. He\u2019s had a lot of fun defining what Goth means to him, which is much more than just dressing a certain way.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cReally, I got my lip piercings because they seemed cool,\u201d he said. \u201cI don&#8217;t think that you need to necessarily dress a certain way to prove you like something.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Looking forward, TJ is hopeful for the future of his band, and can\u2019t wait to do more shows with even bigger crowds. For now, he hopes to continue writing songs that convey important stories.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI have very strong ideas for what I want in the music, and the same thing for what I want for this world,\u201d TJ said. \u201cAlthough, I can kind of make a difference in one and not the other.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">***<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Readers can keep up with TJ on his band\u2019s Spotify and Instagram (@msteenamerica).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; With lip piercings, purple eyeshadow and pitch-black hair, Tyler Jack Coffino tapped his mic briefly, rocking back and forth. Giving a small smile to the crowd that gathered at FirstLive, a studio space in Brooklyn&#8217;s Bushwick neighborhood, he excitedly awaited his cue to sing the song he\u2019s most proud [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":117,"featured_media":5979,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5975","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brie.hunter.cuny.edu\/hunterathenian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5975","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brie.hunter.cuny.edu\/hunterathenian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brie.hunter.cuny.edu\/hunterathenian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brie.hunter.cuny.edu\/hunterathenian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/117"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brie.hunter.cuny.edu\/hunterathenian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5975"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/brie.hunter.cuny.edu\/hunterathenian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5975\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6053,"href":"https:\/\/brie.hunter.cuny.edu\/hunterathenian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5975\/revisions\/6053"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brie.hunter.cuny.edu\/hunterathenian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brie.hunter.cuny.edu\/hunterathenian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5975"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brie.hunter.cuny.edu\/hunterathenian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5975"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brie.hunter.cuny.edu\/hunterathenian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5975"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}