Billy San Román is a "slave to two masters."
Being a full-time student at Penn State and attempting to move forward in a band mostly based on Long Island has proven a difficult task for San Román (sophomore-hotel, restaurant and institutional management).
"It's definitely interesting, especially when it gets to the point when your band has the potential to be something besides a side hobby," he said.
San Román (guitarist) and his band, Specie Circular, have a goal to progress from "side hobby" to full-time deal. The group will play its first gig in State College at 7 p.m. Friday at SoZo.
Specie Circular formed about three years ago in the band's hometown of Melville, located on Long Island, San Román said, and since then has had its fair share of member trading and loss.
Performing as an instrumental band until about four months ago, the band recently added a new singer, San Román said, and has adapted to incorporate vocals again.
"Most of our songs were written instrumentally," he said. "So they underwent a lot of changes structurally to better fit having vocal melodies -- and so everything would fit smoothly."
This new singer, Steve Mecca, said with bands, you either make a connection or you don't, and he definitely did with Specie Circular.
The process of creating lyrics for the songs was hastened by the fact Mecca already had "books and books" of poems and lyrics to go off of, San Román said.
"We kind of gave him free range," San Román said, adding Mecca would provide an idea of what each song would be about to make sure they liked everything with the melodies.
"It feels like sky diving because there's nothing under me when I'm writing lyrics," Mecca said. "When it all comes together I really hit the ground."
San Román described the band's music as alternative rock and "semi-experimental."
He added the long vocal hiatus made the band integrate effects into the music, including phasers, delays, echoes and other modulations of the guitar's sound. The band is also adding different aspects to its stage show, San Román said.
He added the band will include more "trippy and spacy" visual effects using different kinds of lights in its State College show to provide more of a concert feel.
"We want when people come see us for it to be an experience, not just going to see a band play a set," San Román said.
Will Snyder, director of SoZo, said he is glad to give this local band the opportunity to perform.
"The way I worked with them was the way I work with any major booking agent," he said, adding he believes these independently run shows are just as beneficial to the venue as a major label band.
"The thing I want to do is have music that inspires hope and creativity," he said. "I am a teaching space as much as a performing space."
The band released a new four-song EP on Jan. 23 that San Román said "really shows the variety of styles that we can hit while still having the same feel."
He said the EP is entitled Expansion because the band is in a time of progression.
"It is a preview to come when we cut the full-length," San Román said.
The band is also planning a tour to promote the new EP, which the band hopes will cover the East Coast from Boston to Florida, San Román said.
The success of this tour may someday affect San Román's status as a Penn State student, he said.
"The general consensus between us is depending on how our tour goes and if we create a big buzz about us, we may try to transfer schools locally," he said. This decision will come down to whether or not San Román will risk working toward a record deal with Specie Circular, or getting a degree.
"This opportunity will only come once and you can always go back to school," he said. "You don't want to wake up one day and think about 'What if we transferred schools and put all that time into and gave it everything we had?' You don't want that what if."
