PropertyOfZack got the chance to speak to Jeff Wendle of The Composure (featuring members of Punchline) not too long ago. Jeff and I discussed the band’s debut album, the delay in its release, working with Mark McClusky and Mark Trombino, touring plans, the future, and more. Enjoy and read up on it below!

For the record, could you state your name and role in The Composure?
My name’s Jeff and I play a bass and sing a little in The Composure.
 
Strings Attached, the band’s debut record, was finally released on November 23rd. How has the reception been so far?
Amazing! Sometimes it really seems as though every person that hears the record or comes out to a show has positive things to say, and that’s really all we can hope for. We are starting to play more and really branch out, so to speak, so hopefully we can keep that ball rolling. So far, so good!
 
The album was released via Modern Short Stories, which wasn’t much a surprise, but has the relationship between you two been solid to this point?
It’s been great. We’re family. MSS is run by Steve and Chris from Punchline. Paul (Menotaides, Vocals/Guitar) and Cory (Muro, Drums/Vocals) both play in Punchline. Strings Attached being our first record, it just made a lot of sense to look to them for a solid starting point. So yeah, it’s amazing. We spend a lot of time together, and all get along great. They’re as much a part of The Composure as any of us.
 
There was talk way back in early 2009 about the album and that you guys were working with both Mark McClusky and Mark Trombino, so what really took so long?
There were a few different things, but nothing that most bands don’t face. Financial problems and getting a solid line-up squared away were the main issues. Also, this wasn’t your typical debut in the sense that most bands first album is usually just a collection of the first 10  songs they wrote together. There was a lot of writing, re-writing, and demoing before the songs were actually tracked for the record.
 
The band sent an email to Mark Trombino as a kind of Hail Mary, but can you talk about how it actually was working with him?
Unfortunately, I don’t think the band ever got to actually meet up and physically work with him, but everything was still great! It’s amazing that he took the project on in the first place, and then we loved everything he did with the songs. You always hear these great things about him, and our experiences did nothing but prove them all right. We were really fortunate to have him be a part of it.
 
The Composure released the music video for “Stop Now, Start Again” not too long ago. Was it fun shooting that?
It was really great. We did it in our hometown of Pittsburgh at a local venue. It felt less like a band shooting a video with some fans there, and more like the band, the crew, and all of our friends just hanging out and working on this project together, and I think that shows in the video. There were no actors or anything like that. Those types of parts were all done by our friends, and they all did an amazing job. We were really lucky to have so many naturally well-rounded and talented friends step up to the occasion to help us out.
 
Considering the record began so long ago, it can only be assumed that new material has been written. How much new material, that’s not present on the record, is out there?
We’re one of those bands that is always writing. There was never a time where we stopped. So we were writing while the album was being pressed even. Every member can write on their own, and most of us are coming from bands where we were the dude that wrote the majority of the material. It’s great because with so many ideas on the table, you really have to push yourself to write something amazing if you even want it to get a second glance. Unfortunately, I don’t know how many new songs there really are, but I can say there’s always a lot. We play every single day, so there’s always some time to write regardless of how busy the schedule is looking.
 
Is it possible that we see a second release in maybe an EP form in the not too distant future?
I would say that is possible. It’s something we would love to see happen. Hopefully things work in our advantage enough so that we can make something like that happen.
 
How would you compare the evolution of the writing style from the beginning of the band to where it is now?
Probably the biggest difference is that we’re thinking about the big picture more these days, if that makes sense. Sometimes it’s a little easy to get carried away and end up with parts that are maybe a little too much to easily digest. We’ve really gotten a lot better at being able to step back and view things as they are, and from there decide what’s really important to the song, and what needs to be cut or added regardless of how fun something may be to play.
 
The band only has one show booked for the rest of the year in Ohio. When might we see some more dates?
Well, actually, to be honest, there’s been some last minute changes. Today is the 16th and we have 4 shows left this year! Tomorrow, the 17th in Toledo, OH, the 18th in McHenry, IL, the 26th in Cleveland, OH, and the 28th at home in Pittsburgh. Most of our current plans for the New Year are based around touring, so hopefully we’ll get to announce a significant amount of dates soon!
 
Should we expect more constant touring in 2011?
Absolutely.
 
Is it possible for us to see any b-sides from Strings Attached released?
Yes! We’ve been discussing this already actually. It’s definitely something that we want to do before the next release. The details, when and in what format, is what we’re unsure of.
 
Thanks so much for your time, is there anything we should be on the lookout for?
Shows! We want to come to a cool venue near you, play some songs for you and your friends, and hang out. So please keep checking back at  www.TheComposure.com [4] for when those shows are going to be. We’ll prepare the music and you bring the friends. Thanks for everything!