Penny Fountain is a band from the Tampa, Florida, area that encompasses multiple music genres, including alternative rock, hard rock, modern rock, punk, and EMO. The band recently released a new single, “White Whale”, and it’s a perfect combination of all the band’s musical styles wrapped up into ones song.
Members of Penny Fountain include: Xavier Wilkinson (lead vocals/bass); Tony Massaro (backup vocals/guitar); and Joel Lopez (drums). The three were high school friends who formed the band back in 2018. They began recording with the Del Couch Music Education Foundation, and started out playing shows locally in the Tampa area.
Tony says the band name Penny Fountain and the name of one of their first songs share the same story in how they came to be. “One day in 2018, I was at the Brandon Mall thinking about a name for our ‘new’ band. I was listening to music and ‘Early Sunsets Over Monroeville’ by My Chemical Romance came on. I was sitting by one of the fountains in the middle of the mall and heard the lyric ‘pennies in colder fountains’ and something just clicked for me. I thought, ‘What if we called the band Penny Fountain?’ and I just remember really liking that name. When I got home, I finished a song that I had been working on for the band, and I called it ‘Brandon Mall'”.
Penny Fountain released a debut single, “Brainz”, in July 2019, and subsequently released a music video October 31st of that year. In March 2021, the band appeared on the reality show No Cover, where they performed on the stage of The Troubadour in Los Angeles. The show was a great learning opportunity for the band, and they used that experience to help them evolve into the band they are today. Kellin Quinn, lead singer of the band Sleeping With Sirens, was their mentor for No Cover, and Penny Fountain would love to collaborate with him in the future. Musical influences for the band include Smashing Pumpkins, blink-182, and Bring Me The Horizon.
Despite being a young band, there is already a cool history behind Penny Fountain. As the band says, “Even though we are relatively young, we have a plethora of stories we can share.” One of their favorites is when they were playing Tampa Mini Fest at New World Brewery. They were packing up their gear after their set outside when all of a sudden, the back door opened and the bouncer kicked a guy out of the venue. “When the door opened, we saw all this smoke pouring out of the venue. The bouncer just kept yelling at the guy and telling him to get out. The guy had two sparklers in his hand and put them on the ground. We’re all looking at it wondering what’s going on. Then seconds later they both catch on fire and two big ass flames just like shoot out like six feet in the air. That show was wild. The entire venue was completely filled with smoke. It turns out that the man decided to light fireworks during his second song of his set inside of an indoor venue and it did NOT go well. That was some of the funniest shit we’ve ever seen.”
When it comes to the song creation process for Penny Fountain, lyrics are written by Tony and Xavier, while all three band members write the music. The whole band has input on all projects, so it’s a cohesive joint effort on everything they put out. Each song is credited as being written by Penny Fountain. The band believes that it is important to create and perform as a unit rather than as individual members. As Tony says, the band members are more like brothers than friends, which is why they work together so well.
The new Penny Fountain single “White Whale” was recorded at Del Couch Music Foundation’s studio and was mixed and mastered by Kyle Jeffcoat from Chasing Airplanes. The Del Couch Music Education Foundation is a non-profit program run by Del Couch to help youth musicians gain experience and knowledge about the music industry. The foundation offers free access to music education, recording equipment, and mentorship.
The band describes “White Whale” as a song that “evokes emotions of longing for something that can never be obtained. The vocals and guitar riffs create a desperate plea to gain back what was lost, while the synths generate a haunting, ethereal melody and a dreamlike ambience”. The song starts out with mellow vibes but picks up with heavier guitar riffs and thunderous drums. Xavier’s vocals are soft at the beginning but get more intense as the song proceeds. I love the vibe of this song. It makes me happy and takes me away to another world where I just get lost in the music. To me, that is what makes a great song.
To go along with the single, Penny Fountain just released a great lyric video. It was put together by Matthew Jacques of AnuvaMedia. According to Matthew, the band wanted a spooky vibe with graves included, and he incorporated those requests perfectly in the video.
Penny Fountain has several shows coming up in July:
Friday July 14th with RichGxth in Miami
Friday July 28th at Neverfest in Sarasota
Saturday July 29th NASCAR Aloe Mansion Show
The band is currently working on their latest single, with plans to release it this summer. There will also be two more singles along with accompanying music videos before the release of an EP sometime this fall.
Penny Fountain recently became part of the MASSIVE MEDIA MS family. Massive Media will be handling booking and management for the band.
You can find Penny Fountain on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Linktree, and the band’s website.
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