Don't Panic Frontman Ted Felicetti Talks About Self-released 2020 Singles & Year-end Album (The Witzard Interview)

What happens when you mix a couple of guys who grew up touring in Punk bands, but listening to Classic & 90's Rock? We don't know either... but the outcome seems to be Don't Panic; a Rock "N" Roll band through and through. Formed by Ted Felicetti (vocals/guitar,) Keith Slader (bass,) A.J. Larsen (guitar,) and Anthony Paesano (drums) the band started from a mutual love of just making great fun music, free from the restraints of focusing on being commercially viable. Drawing heavily on influences, like Foo Fighters, Lit, White Reaper, Millencolin, Tom Petty, ELO, Face to Face, Butch Walker, RIVAL SCHOOLS, and many others. Don't Panic's first music video for their song "Fall of '99" was released everywhere March 20, 2020 with a new song released every six weeks for the remainder of the year.

I. What prompted Don't Panic to re-form around 2019 after an extended hiatus?

Ted Felicetti: It had been a long time since I had played a show or went on tour. We went on a hiatus in 2012... so, it was seven years of no touring, no shows, and, honestly, being pretty distant from the music community in general. In the spring of 2019, my brother, Rob (who is the bass player in the band Bowling for Soup) invited me to tag along on their US co-headline tour with Reel Big Fish. So, I purchased a flight, met them out in Florida, hopped in the tour bus, and proceeded to have the most fun I have had in over 10 years... when I got home, I realized how much I missed writing songs, playing shows, and making my own music. I called the guys up and everyone was on board to get back at it.

II. How does the new iteration of Don't Panic differ from the My Fairweather Friend (2009) era of the band?

Felicetti: I guess, the biggest differences would be first that our main focus became on just writing great music and having fun. If it's not fun, then, we are not gonna do it. We are all in our mid-late 30's; we have careers and lives outside of Don't Panic, so we, literally, only are spending time on it because it's something we want to do. Second, I'd say, musically, we've become much more open to trying new things, as well as not being afraid to lean into playing some styles of music we grew up on and things we have not done before.


III. So, what have the Don't Panic fellas been up to during Quarantine/Lockdown?

Felicetti: We've, honestly, been trying to stay busy. The band itself has been doing acoustic streaming shows on Facebook & Instagram, we stream the band hanging out playing trivia, we did a full concert live from the recording studio, and have been recording new songs and some other material. I, personally, have been spending more time doing podcasts, interviews, home improvement projects, and watching 90 Day Fiance. A.J. [Larsen] & Anthony [Paesano] have been working their jobs, respectively. A.J. is a sound engineer at a recording studio and Anthony a Black Jack dealer at The Casino. And Keith [Slader] has been gearing up for his move down South and working on his writing.

IV. What prompted you guys to release a new stand-alone single every six weeks since February 2020? Why release them as separate singles, rather than a cohesive EP?

Felicetti: I have to give the credit for this to my friend, Jaret Reddick from BFS [Bowling for Soup]. I originally wanted to release a full album and he strongly suggested we stretch our content out throughout the entire year instead. People's attention spans have been stretched to capacity, so having something new all year long has really been a huge boon for keeping our band front and center in our fans' minds. With an album or EP, a lot of songs get lost in the sauce... and we are so excited about each song we release, we want to make sure each gets the attention it deserves.


V. How was your latest music video for "Regret Is A Terrible Roommate" created?

Felicetti: It was shot from each of our homes on our iPads and phones. Then, we sent all of the footage to our friends [at] Ionic Development, who, then, edited and spruced it up.

VI. What were some of the primary sources or inspiration and influence behind your "Fall of '99" music video?

Felicetti: I got the idea, initially, from one of my favorite movies, Back to The Future. In the beginning of the movie, Marty's band auditions for the school battle of the bands and they are turned down because it's "too darn loud." So, I knew I wanted to parody that in some way. Then, the concept of us playing all of the characters and using silly costumes, etc. was taken from the Foo Fighters' "Learn to Fly" music video. So, that was, basically, the ground work.


VII. How were your Official Lyric Videos for both "No Time for Second Chances" and "Sheep In Wolves Clothing" created?

Felicetti: The "NTFSC" ["No Time for Second Chances"] lyric video was, actually, made by a kid in Indonesia that I found on Fiverr. "Sheep In Wolves Clothing" video was made by a guy named Jason Keith out in Texas.

VIII. What's next for Don't Panic... are there any more singles to be released or is "Regret Is A Terrible" your last release for the time being?

Felicetti: Lots of stuff coming up! We have a new song coming out in six weeks from now on Sept. 4th and then. another single coming out on Oct. 16th. Then, on Black Friday in Nov. the remaining four songs we recorded will be released, along with all the music we released this year as a full LP. We are going to continue doing streaming concerts and acoustic shows, as well as band hang outs, etc. online from our social media, as well, throughout the year until we are FINALLY allowed to get out and start touring and playing shows again.