Straight out of Deltona, Florida, meet Billy Smolinsky, whose up and coming band NoMore Truh-Bowl is comprised of him as lead vocals and guitar, and Jeremy Jowais as drums and bass.
I had the pleasure of meeting Billy while I was doing media coverage for the 2017 Annual Hurricane Party music festival at Sanford, Florida’s West End Trading Co. in support of our local independent bands.
During Billy’s down time he’s either spending time with his girlfriend, Rachel and his young son, Brody, or at jam sessions with friends in the local music community.
Billy currently opens up his lakeside home for his bi-annual party, Reggae on the Lake, which features a lineup of local bands from North Central Florida.
Billy has taken the time to share his journey with our readers, and here’s what he has to say:
AltWire [Omayra Lopez]: First of all, thank you so much, Billy, for taking the time to do this interview with us! I’m super excited to see the direction you’re headed and so happy to share your story with with our readers at Altwire!
For those who haven’t yet heard of you, can you please tell us a little about yourself, your musical style and any other fun facts?
NoMore Truh-bowl [Billy Smolinsky]: Our band, NoMore Truh-bowl is brand spankin’ new. We’re actually not fully complete as of the moment we have had our struggles with finding a full time bass player. However, I am the vocalist and guitarist with my buddy Jeremy at the drums and bass (for recording purposes). We like to call our style “surf punk reggae.”
AltWire [Omayra Lopez]: What was the inspiration for your band’s name?
Billy Smolinsky: We went with the name “NoMore Truh-bowl” out of sort of tribute to the Bob Marley classic but with our own twist of spelling and subliminal meaning.
AltWire [Omayra Lopez]: Was music a part of your life growing up?
Billy Smolinsky: Playing music was not a big part of my life growing up. I have not been playing very long, however Jeremy has been playing for almost his entire life so he brings a solid background of musical experience.
AltWire [Omayra Lopez]: What lead you to your musical journey? How did you decide this was your path?
Billy Smolinsky: It was really a just a bad breakup that left me devastated, yet super focused on getting over it and rising above it, and growing from it. Music was THE key to that.
For Jeremy, it was his dad that gave him the skills he has today, since he was a toddler he’s been on the throne.
AltWire [Omayra Lopez]: What’s it like being a single dad while working on your music?
Billy Smolinsky: My life as a single dad has not been easy to do, especially with as young as I am. However, it’s a blessing that I am thankful for every day! I don’t miss much of anything in his life and it feels incredible. He and I share a great bond in the way that we can share interests. He digs music just like I do, and he wants to be a drummer. So of course, that was his latest Christmas present. He’s an inspiration for me to pursue happiness and conquer dreams. It’s a strong bond and I am already working on a song about it.
AltWire [Omayra Lopez]: Your girlfriend, Rachel is with you at all music events, and supports you at your shows. Could you please tell us a bit about her and how she’s helped you?
Billy Smolinsky: It’s helpful having someone supportive like Rachel, who has been there for me since before I could even sing and play at the same time!
AltWire [Omayra Lopez]: What’s your writing process like?
Billy Smolinsky: When it comes to writing our songs it’s simple and I would say almost lucky sometimes our first single ” No Trouble Around ” literally just started as a quick warm up progression off the top of our heads that we ended up falling in love with.
AltWire [Omayra Lopez]: You host a bi-annual event in your home, Reggae on the Lake, please tell us about that.
Billy Smolinsky: ROTL is something that just kinda happened when I threw my house warming party. I bought a house on a lake and nicknamed the party, Reggae on the Lake, since my band and Summerlong were both playing and jamming all night. It was a great time even after the music stopped! I wanna do it twice a year and feature four bands every time. One in May, and one in December!
AltWire [Omayra Lopez]: What personal hobbies do you enjoy when you’re home or off the stage?
Billy Smolinsky: When we’re not playing music we are usually just chilling, staying outta trouble!
AltWire [Omayra Lopez]: What is the greatest advice you’ve ever received that‘s helped you on your journey so far?
Billy Smolinsky: The greatest advice I was ever given was to play as hard as you can while on stage whether there is 3 people or 3000 people, always give your all.
AltWire [Omayra Lopez]: What’s in store for the near future?
Billy Smolinsky: What’s in store for NoMore Truh-bowl in 2018? We’re gonna lock down a solid bass man, complete our demo that we’ve started, and play some shows with our fellow local bands, Vibe It Up.
AltWire [Omayra Lopez]: Is there a message you would like to send to your fans and our readers?
Billy Smolinsky: Hey man! you play bass?
Well, we don’t a huge fan base (yet) but we’d like to, without being too cliche, to say we’ll always stay true to our words and to stay positive in a world of negative happenings.
AltWire [Omayra Lopez]: Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us!
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