Tuesdays at Garcia's just got a whole lot heavier. Tuesday Night Rocks features headliner, Striven, joined by a plethora of local rock 'n' roll, metal, and pop rock musicians the last Tuesday of the month. We sat down with Striven member, Greg Capra and learned what it takes to form a metal band in Westchester, and how jam bands and metal heads alike can share the stage. Each Tuesday Night Rocks will be different from the one before. Are you ready to rock? We'll see you there.

Striven has played Garcia’s numerous times, the last being an opening set for Chris Taylor Brown of Trapt, but now, you’re having your own residency for three months. Where did the idea stem from, and why at Garcia’s?

After the successes of both the Euphoria Mourning Chris Cornell Tribute & the Trapt shows, promoter Josh Cohen reached out to us asking if we’d be interested in performing on a more consistent basis at Garcia’s. Performing at a premiere music venue was something we originally planned to accomplish & we achieved that goal. For Striven, Garcia’s is like home, all 4 of us have attended various shows in the past, and are good friends with the staff who work at The Capitol Theatre and Garcia's. With prior experience in performing at venues across the U.S., we know that when it comes time to take the stage at Garcia’s, we’re ready to bring the energy & give everything we’ve got for our fans.

In this residency, you’re featuring three different genres of local bands between the three different shows, pop/rock, metal, and rock n’ roll. Of course, there is going to be kickass bands including Mary the Station, Carbon, and Valence. How did you come to get to know these bands and what do they add to this growing local hard rock and metal scene? To you, is this scene growing exponentially?

We know all of these bands from the local and regional music scene for the most part. We have known Valence and Rise to Burn for nearly a decade. All of these bands are full of energy and are all about the music. In my opinion, each of these bands hit a sweet spot when you see them live. You can tell who some of their influences are, while they maintain a signature sound. All of these bands pour their heart and soul into their music, and they take what they do very seriously. How can you not respect that? Striven is honored to share the stage with all of them. As for the local hard rock and metal scene is concerned, I definitely believe it's growing. We're all hungry to perform for the rock fans through out the county. We know which markets are essential for us to perform for, but at the end of the day we know that if we all devise a plan to grow the local rock scene in Westchester County good things will come out of it. When someone you've never met before comes up to you after a gig and complements you on your performance and ask if you are playing again, that proves to me that there is a demand for hard rock and heavy music. Music fans just need an outlet to experience it live and that outlet is Garcia's.

Riffing off of the previous question, how does Striven’s locality to Westchester county form the basis, or identity of the band? What is so unique about Westchester that makes it the breeding ground for some of the best musicians?

It's something in the water, lol. No, kidding aside, Westchester County will forever be my old stomping grounds. I grew up in Thornwood, NY to be exact, and I was born in Port Chester Hospital. The four of us are collectively from Westchester, Putnam Valley, and Connecticut. Striven began in 2003, and the name was conceptualized here. By definition, our band name means "to struggle in opposition" and I'd like to think that the basis of our sound stems from experiencing life's hardships, but also rising above and beyond, creating opportunity out of struggle. The members of Striven are either Irish or Italian, and our collective desire to create and perform can be attributed to growing up amongst Irish and Italian families. There are musicians in in this area if you seek them out, and I can attest in saying I've performed with a variety of musicians in Westchester. I believe the music schools, practice studios, and Sam Ash Music Store have contributed to increasing musicianship throughout the county

For Striven, there has been this upwards progression that has evolved significantly from 2011, most notably including touring in support of Puddle of Mudd and Fates Warning. As both musicians and people, how do you feel you’ve personally grown since your inception almost seven years ago? Are there some long-term goals you’re setting up to achieve coming into this seventh year as a band?

Having shared the stage with Puddle of Mudd and Fates Warning was beyond a humbling experience, as we have the utmost respect for them. Both bands have contributed to molding our original sound. The four of us have continued to invest ourselves into this machine called Striven, and we have certainly had our share of setbacks, I know we have learned a lot about ourselves individually and collectively. Conflicts and lineup changes have happened in the past, but the musicians who want to serve a role in this band have proven it at every rehearsal, recording session, and show. We're at a very exciting point in our career as musicians. Over the last 7 years we have built communication and camaraderie within Striven, and I'm not sure I'd personally be where I'm at as a musician with out that. As soon as we hit that stage, I know it's go time and we have to deliver our best. It's a fight and we come out swinging. As far as goals, we are in the midst of recording, scheduling future shows, pursuing music festivals, and writing new material.

You guys are hard at work on working on your first EP for 2018. What is the current state of that EP and what can fans of Striven expect from this new set of music? Are there any tunes you're most proud of on this EP? If so, why?

We are mid-way through the recording process, we are anticipating to release our single, "Close To The Edge" in April, with the complete 5 song EP to be released mid-spring/early summer. Our fans can expect to experience heavy, aggressive, riff-driven songs consisting of harmonized vocals, melodic guitar, groove-driven drumming, and tasteful contoured bass-lines. From a lyrical standpoint, you can expect to hear lyrics referencing life's hardships, our individual experiences from the past and present, losses and accomplishments. Out of all the music we have created in the past seven years, we are most proud of "Taken Away" and "Dark Days." "Taken Away" was written in the memory of the late guitarist, Dimebag Darrell of Pantera and Damageplan. I will never forget the day I, along with the rest of the heavy metal world, found out that he has been killed. It is an event that our band will never forget, and this song is not only our way of processing such a senseless act, but as a tribute to him, Pantera, Damageplan, and the legacy of Darrell. "Dark Days" is definitely one of our proudest accomplishments in terms of the songwriting. From beginning to end, it's a song of uncertain, pivotal moments taking you through a rollercoaster of emotions to where perseverance is rewarded with achievement.

Going back a few months, you hosted the tribute to Chris Cornell here at Garcia’s, which still gives us goosebumps. As musicians, how does it feel when you see the passing of some of your musical heroes and inspirations? Also, considering the vast number of musicians retiring from touring, do you believe that a new musical revolution, spearheaded by young bands such as yourself, is on the horizon?

Headlining the Euphoria Mourning: Chris Cornell Tribute show was not only an honor, but cathartic. There are not words to express what a tremendous loss it was when Chris Cornell passed. Cornell wrote and performed some of the most timeless, defining music from the Seattle grunge-era. It's no secret he battled with depression and substance abuse throughout his life, and I think he was able to turn his struggles into something beautiful that hopefully helped him and his listeners cope with moments of hardship and despair. I was honored to have recently traveled to pay my respects to Cornell's grave at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Cornell was, and is one of the top 10 best vocalists of all time and there is so much the music world can learn from him. It's almost surreal to think of some of the great, prolific songwriters and musicians that have passed too soon. As a musician, I will never forget when I first heard Layn e Staley of Alice in Chains singing "No Excuses," Andrew Wood performing "Stardog Champion," or the blistering solos of Dimebag Darrell in "Cemetery Gates"and lest we forget Ronnie James Dio, Cliff Burton, Randy Rhoads, Lemmy Kilmister, Peter Steele, Tom Petty, Chester Bennington, Greg Allman, etc. Some of the greats leave us much too soon, but their music lives on and it will be given the respect it deserves. I believe a new music revolution is upon us, and it's up to bands of all levels to kick the door wide open and make a statement in rock 'n' roll.

You’ve overcome both lineup changes and hiatuses, which obviously is a difficulty for most bands, however, you’ve been able to overcome and strive for better. Do you believe these past experiences have made the band stronger? How did you overcome these difficulties to be the band you are today?

Of all the hours, days, months, and years searching for the ideal bandmates, I knew in the back of my mind it was just a matter of time before crossing paths with musicians of similar influences and visions. Back in 2011, that person was, and still is my brother and drummer, Conor O'Leary. I met him through a mutual friend of ours and we just clicked immediately. Not only were we into similar bands, but we share a similar brand of humor, appreciation of music gear hosted by the NAMM convention, and we just have good communication within the band. When we became friends and eventually bandmates, it made me realize that if you're patient enough, you can make some pretty solid, raw music with musicians just as hungry as you are. Once we confirmed we wanted to remain in a band together, despite going through various lineup changes, I eventually crossed paths with our guitarist, Liam Murphy and eventually bassist, Steve Riccio. Both Liam and Steve have given everything they have to this band, and I honestly couldn’t ask for more from them. We all have careers, relationships, pursuits etc., so considering we’re all able to collectively make this band work blows my mind. This lineup has had moments of not seeing eye-to-eye, but the one thing we’ve come to realize was necessary for us to continue and become successful was open communication. We shoot to have consistent band practices and speak with each other on a daily basis. At times, each of us have expressed our opinions whether we collectively agreed or not, but we are at a point where we have chosen to commit to this band. We expect a lot from each other, but realize it’s for the greater good. We are stronger than ever and it’s all due to respect, acknowledgment, consistency, and our desire to perform.

Individually, what are some of the best live music experiences you’ve had in terms of listening to other bands? Who has stood out to you as both an adept musician and live performer?

I purchased tickets to see Guns N’ Roses in 2016, and at the time my car was in the shop being repaired. So, I had borrowed our band van, i.e. the STRI-VAN (see what I did there?), and that beast of a vehicle unfortunately went into hibernation mode and broke down. To make a short story long, I never got to see Guns N' Roses in New Jersey, was in a week dispute with Ticketmaster before eventually getting my money back in re-purchasing Guns N' Roses tickets in Orlando, FL where The Cult opened up for them. A buddy of mine from a band called Assault and I took an epic rock n’ roll road trip to Florida. Easily one of the best live shows I had ever been to. Metallica: Big 4 at Yankee Stadium was another insane, killer show. Pantera opening for The Black Sabbath Reunion back in 1999 (I believe) was an amazing show. Alice In Chains always put on an amazing performance. I’d like to say Jerry Cantrell of AIC & Bumblefoot (Guns N' Roses/Art of Anarchy/Sons of Apollo) are beyond comprehension as far their musical abilities.

Garcia’s is known for its extensive jam band history of course with its name stemming from the great Jerry Garcia. Do you see similarities or points of intersection between jam bands and metal?

I have nothing but respect for jam bands. You look at The Capitol Theatre and Garcia’s, and it's the official Dead Head mecca. I mean, a showcase venue that is a staple for jam bands and metal bands alike? I had the privilege of seeing Testament and Slayer at The Capitol Theatre, and by mere coincidence, Richard Christy of Iced Earth, Death etc. was standing right behind me rocking out. If you don’t know who he is, Wiki him ASAP as he is one of THE best drummers in hard rock & heavy metal. With jam bands and metal bands, I do see similarities in terms of technical playing, they’re both just technically different from a creative standpoint. Jam bands are more improv based, where heavy metal music is more concretely structured, but guitar solos allow for slight deviation of notes played. If Okily Dokily can start a heavy metal band, let’s see more hybrid jam metal bands as well.

Lastly, what do you hope to bring to audiences throughout this three-month residency that will differ from your previous Garcia’s performances?

I look forward to increasing our crowds, seeing crowd reactions, and overall putting on the absolute best show that Striven can perform!