No Service Project: press

Review: Return To Paper

No Service Project's 'Return To Paper'
Genre: Ska/Punk, with a dash of reggae
Length: 30 minutes (approximate)

You haven't heard of this band, but that's ok.
If I had to describe this EP in three words, I would say "catchy", "relaxed", and "clever". I'm going to come right out and say that this is one of my favorite releases, so I'll try not to be biased.
Lets start on the good, the whole flow of this EP needs a mention.
It starts off fairly excitingly and does a great job of setting up the mood early.
'The Placebo Effect' is a five minute long intro which makes it sound repetitive, but the opening track is one of the best here. The EP starts off strong, climaxes at "Kick", then slowly mellows out, it's a perfect tone all the way through. "Ugly" is a bit weird and experimental though. Every instrument (including the singer's vocals) stands out.

The guitar is soft while staying edgy and many of the riffs are overlapped, making it sound more full and melodic. There's a lot of ska-ish upstrums too. The singer sounds...well I don't even know who to compare him to. Just listen for yourself. He's not amazing or anything, but hes not bad by any means. There is good backup vocals as well. The bassist is exactly what you'd expect from a band with some ska in them, ska is nothing without a good bassist. It's only a big focus on the later tracks though, which is a bit unfortunate.
The drums are a bit complex while still setting the beat. If I had to pick one instrument that compliments this album, I'd say guitar, but drums are a close second.

Lyrics here aren't amazing. While they're great at exploring the overall topic, the topic is what's bland. Songs about taking risks, loving life, good weather, and no regrets, while good, are nothing revolutionary. They're what keeps this album from being truly great.
The production is phenomenal, especially for a band no one's ever heard of. I implore you to take a chance, download this and listen with an open mind.

Key Tracks: "Kick", "Return To paper", "Not The Place".

Rating: 4/5

The No Service Project aren’t nervous about their upcoming show, even though it’s been a year since they went on hiatus. They’ve been spending their time wisely, though, with a new album on its way and two new members — Oakum on guitar and Donavanik on keyboards — to bring up to speed. In between practices and spreading the word, I caught up with them during a photo shoot to get the scoop on how they were doing and what their plans are.

It’s been a while since they’ve been on stage. As the axiom goes: out of sight, out of mind. Are they out of mind completely, though? Has the world forgotten about the No Service Project? Adam Witner, on vocals and guitar, would disagree.

“I don’t necessarily think people have forgotten about us. We may have slipped to the back of some minds, but I think over time every band grows in popularity — even if they take a year off to work on a record like we did. Kids are still out there, rockin’ to the old shit, and spreading the word to their friends. That’s the biggest favor any band could ask for,” Witner said.


Bands go through changes as they mature and grow over the years. As Witner points out, “Our music hasn’t changed…in the sense that it was never consistent.” Changes, it seems, are what the No Service Project are all about. If a day can make a difference, though, imagine what a year can do. To go into such isolation, working on nothing but the way you sound in a studio, changes can be expected.

“From record to record,” Witner said, “there are very distinct differences in our music that are impossible to ignore. ’Return To Paper’, however, has probably been the biggest change in sound thus far.”

It was clear to me, from this interview, that I was looking at a band of focused, matured individuals who each brought something new and different. Something that, when combined, made a great sound.

“We’ve been through a lot since our last record was released, and every moment of the past three years have inspired our writing in every way. We’ve grown as people, musicians, artists and as a band. Most importantly, I would say our personal tastes in music have grown ten fold,” Witner said.

When asked about future plans, Witner had this to say: “This band has been the backbone to my life for the past seven years. If I were to say that I’m not going to do everything that I can with this project, I’d be selling myself short, patronizing my band mates, our fans, and the many, many amazing people that have helped us over the years.”

Again, it was clear to me that I was dealing with people who genuinely loved doing what they were doing. From time to time you find a band of world-weary souls who seem to keep on, even though they feel there’s nothing much to go on to. The members of No Service Project don’t give me that impression at all. Everyone of these guys — from Conrad on bass and vocals and Fairchild on drums, to Donavanik, Oakum and Witner — are fun to be around. Collectively, their infectious charisma makes it easy to kick back and enjoy the music. They may be older and wiser, but not gone; not forgotten.

Skalloween, a yearly Halloween ska show, has been a staple of Wilkes-Barre all-ages venue Cafe Metropolis for the past eight years. This year’s Skalloween show, celebrated on Nov. 1, features the ska bands The Big Green, Fridge Full of Popsicles and No Service Project. The show will feature the return of No Service Project to the Metropolis stage after the band had not played at the venue for several months.

No Service Project members Joe Conrad (bass), Tim Fairchild (drums), Joe Oakum (guitar), Drew Donavanik (keys and percussion) and Adam Witner (vocals and guitar) have a bond and a chemistry that is undeniable, and that may be why No Service Project has survived now for seven years.

“We have been together since October of 2001, so that’s over seven years now,” said Witner. “Will we stay together? Well, I quit the band twice a year, but I’m still in the band. Despite the many, many hard times we’ve been through, I have nothing but complete confidence in this project, especially now with the new members (Oakum and Donavanik). The chemistry between the five of us is indescribable. We all love it!”

In the band’s years together, No Service Project has not become stagnant by releasing the songs with the same sound and feel. According to Witner, the band’s sound had changed quite a lot, and he explained why that is.

“People tend to become attached to the way a band sounds the first time they hear it, so a lot of people get upset when a band that they like changes,” Witner. “But imagine wearing one shirt for the rest of your life, you either outgrow it, get bored with it, or both. As a band and as individuals, we have matured dramatically in the past few years, and our music is the catchy soundtrack to all of it.”

But despite changing its sound, music made from the heart is a constant for the band. No matter what the songs sound like.

“Well, the music and the lyrics are two separate beasts,” explained Witner. “Every member has a unique yet incredibly vast taste in music. The music-making process is somewhat of an orgy of creativity and art. Lyrics are usually my way to get things off of my chest. Anything meaningful to me that I’ve experienced, and held onto, tends to find its way in.”

Originally from the Hazleton area, No Service Project has moved to Philadelphia, and the band feels that the move has helped it by leaps and bounds.

“We did in fact originate from the Hazleton area, but most of us have been living in the Philly area for the past few years,” said Witner. “Relocating the band here was simply the intelligent thing to do. This town just makes more sense to me. Is a comparison between the two places really even necessary? I mean ... really?”

Despite moving from the area, the band still finds Cafe Metropolis to be one of the best places to play because of the fans who attend the shows. And it’s a place where the band has some of its best sound thanks to the venue’s very own in-house soundman.

“We’ve always thought of Cafe Metro as our home turf. Even though we’ve moved, it still holds that nostalgia for us,” said Witner. “The people that come to our shows there are some of the most dedicated and enthusiastic people we’ve ever had the privilege to perform in front of. I consider them all friends. Plus, Metro has one of the best sound guys in the world, Mr. Donald R. Hosey Jr.”