Perfecting Their Craft 

• NSFJ

The events of the past couple years have forced us to look at the world differently. We had to take stock of what was most important, and figure out what to do with our time. For local band No Shooting Friends, Joesph, that time was spent creatively, putting together a new album—and creating a new family in the process.

NSFJ made their debut in 2020 with their album Flicker, written and produced at home while in quarantine. The band began with the husband-and-wife team of Dallin Cerva (guitar/vocals) and Jacquelyn Cerva (bass/vocals). They were joined by Dallin's cousin Jamison Cerva (guitar/vocals), and later the three recruited Liz Aponte (drums) to round out the talented group.

Forming a band and putting out an album helped the group navigate the unsure and tumultuous times of 2020. Dallin notes that quarantine was a time for people to reflect on how they wanted to spend their time. The group agreed that NSFJ was a safe haven for them during this period.

"This is my first time being in a band,'' said Jacqelyn. "Jumping into the deep end is how it felt, not really knowing how to swim, but it definitely also saved me," she said. "It was a creative outlet, I challenged myself in ways, and succeeded in ways that I hadn't felt that kind of pressure in a long time. It gave me confidence and helped me through something that could have been pretty dark. And then having this community that we committed to meeting together every single week was something to look forward to, and we became a family really quickly."

Aponte echoes a similar sentiment: "For me, to be able to meet new people, especially like-minded people musically that already had something going was so refreshing for me at a time where you're in lockdown," she said.

Fortunately, the world is slowly moving on from that chaos and uncertainty, meaning NSFJ has finally been able to hit the road for live performances. Flicker was released in July of 2020, but they weren't able to play their first live show until May 2021. Since then, performing live has been something the group has come to love.

"It's a challenge, and there's an adrenaline rush that comes with a challenge," says Dallin, adding that they work hard each day of the week to ensure they're sounding as good as they can while at a show.

A lot of factors go into playing a good show, but the group gives it their all each time they play. "We practice individually, we practice as a group and I think our sound has gotten a lot bigger," said Jamison. "There's definitely been a lot of growth." NSFJ put a lot of work into their live performances, and it shows with excellent on-stage chemistry and a top-notch sound.

Being able to play live shows also means being able to earn some money. With those funds, No Shooting Friends, Joseph recently put out a new EP, The Anchor. They decided to release their next wave of music as two EPs; the second one will be in the works this fall as the group plans to head back into the studio.

This process marks a change from their first album, which was created almost entirely at home. Recording in the studio makes the experience feel more professional, according to the group, but it also brings some added pressures. While working on Flicker, the group could spend months deciding when to tweak something on a song, but it's different in the studio.

"It was more coming prepared, because you didn't want to be the one taking more time on your recording section," Jacquelyn said. "It was good pressure though, it wasn't a negative thing."

The Anchor consists of five tracks perfect for anyone who is currently, or ever has been, in an emo phase. It has a lot of alternative and punk influences similar to that of groups of the '90s and early '00s. There's an otherworldly, sci-fi feel to it, which Dallin said makes it more of a concept album with a narative.

"It tells a story set in a sci-fi world," he said. "It was an idea I had in my head around the time I was writing Flicker, so this was an old idea I wanted to get out." These songs take listeners on a journey as the music swells with exciting and hard-driving riffs along with screaming vocals from Jamison, but then lulls you as Jacquelyn's soft vocals come in as a contrast.

NSFJ had an amazing time putting it together, and it's evident while listening through. Jamison said they love it as a group because it feels like them. "It's something that gets to sound like No Shooting Friends, Joseph with all of our inputs in it. It's really fun to play those songs, it was fun to record those songs and it's fun to hear it as us, that family group of people," he said. "There's Liz's killer drums all over it, Dallin is pushing his voice, Jacquelyn's bass sounds huge and I'm playing weird, slippery guitar riffs that are a blast to play. And I get to scream."

While their first work, Flicker was an excellent introduction to the local music scene, The Anchor is allowing the group to come together and make something they've always wanted. "We hope everyone listens to it, it's a really fun piece of art," said Jacquelyn.

NSFJ posts on their socials regularly, so give them a follow to see where they're playing next (@noshootingfriendsjoseph on Instagram); their show schedule is posted on their website, nsfj.band.