Funk/rock/pop band Green Inside has been bringing its fresh sound to gigs on the local scene, including a few stops at Quinnipiac University.
Members Seth A. Thulin (vocals/acoustic guitar), Lorin Pellegrino (bass), Rich Mirakiam (electric/acoustic guitars) and Steve Tobey (drums/percussion/vocals), formerly known as Seth Adam Band, are the talent behind this energetic band, each from the New Haven area.
Thulin, Green Inside’s unofficial spokesperson, explained how things gelled for Green Inside. “Rich and I had been playing in this one band for about seven years, and during the last two years that with that band, I was also part of a cover band with Lorin,” he said. “I just got sick of it. I wanted to be a singer/songwriter.”
The three decided to take their talent elsewhere and form the Seth Adam Band. However, there was one problem, the missing drummer.
“During our last gig with the cover band, Steve came up to us and did some off the cuff percussion,” Thulin said. Tobey impressed the guys with his performance and once they discovered he played the whole drum kit, he was in. Then came the name change. “The deeper we got playing together, we decided that it wasn’t fair to be named after one member. So we kicked some ideas around,” Thulin said.
“Steve and I liked `Green,’ and Lorin liked `Inside,’ so we stuck them together. The name has a lot of positive connotations, like living and breathing, and we like to portray that in our music.”
Green Inside appeared at Quinnipiac three times this semester. The band opened for rock group Angry Salad during its first on-campus performance.
“When we were asked to play at Quinnipiac, it was the first time in a long time we did something like that,” Thulin said. “We play lots and lots of bars which are basically like meat markets. There’s usually a lot of people, and it’s a place for them to get drunk and hookup.”
Green Inside has been both surprised and pleased with its Quinnipiac audience. “The students were there because they wanted to be entertained,” he said. “It was something to break up the monotony of college life. They listened, honestly listened. It seemed like they enjoyed it and appreciated it.”
During all three performances, Green Inside played songs from both the recently released, “Live in Studio A” and its up and coming album, which is currently being recorded. Green Inside’s has a unique way of releasing new music. “Instead of throwing 12 songs on an album, we come out with a disc about every four months with three or four songs on it. This way we always have something new and fresh and our album doesn’t have as long of a shelf life,” said Thulin with a laugh.
As for Thulin’s favorite, “We have a song on our album `Live in Studio A’ called `Madison,’ and when I wrote it, I was having a stressful summer,” he said. “I used to love going to the beach as a kid, to Hammonasset. That summer I hadn’t been able to get there, so I wrote the song and reflected on the simple things in life.”
Thulin said that both writing and singing “Madison” is an escape for him. “I couldn’t go there, so I wrote a song about it, and when I sing it, it reminds me of innocence and no responsibilities, when you’re a kid with out a care in the world.”
In the meantime, Thulin and the band will keep recording. What is Green Inside’s focus this summer? “We want to keep playing and touring and hopefully expand our audience to Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island and more of the Connecticut area,” said Thulin. “We’re focusing on making our concentric circles bigger.”
For more information about the band and its upcoming schedule, check out www.greeninside.com.