Punk And Parenthood: An Interview With New Jersey’s Get The Net

Get The Net is a New Jersey-based punk band that evolved from a 2003 solo project into a collaborative three-piece group. The trio, comprising Ryan, Brian, and Kyle, manages to maintain a high-energy sound while successfully balancing their musical ambitions with the busy lives of working fathers. By handling their own recording, artwork, and video production, the members have cultivated a dedicated DIY approach that keeps the project both rewarding and authentic. Ultimately, the band serves as a testament to their shared belief that, no matter how busy life gets, one should always make time for the creative passions that bring them joy.

How did the transition from a solo studio project to a full three-piece band change the way you approached the arrangements on Til House Lights?

Ryan (guitar/vocals): Get the Net started off as a little off-and-on solo project for me in 2003, when I started posting music on Purevolume and Myspace (I know, I’m dating myself). After a handful of singles, a couple EPs and a full-length back in 2018, it was dormant other than a bunch of bare-bones demos that I tracked during COVID and let sit on my hard drive for a few years. The majority of Til House Lights is comprised of those songs that pretty much remained the same structure-wise as the demos, but bringing Kyle and Brian aboard was great for the newer songs on THL because they helped decide the structure and arrangements. Having their input was invaluable and made for better songs. Plus it’s just way more fun jamming out songs together with a band then doing it myself.

What was the most surreal moment of standing on the Crossroads stage after it had been a primary goal for the band?

Ryan: Playing Crossroads was surreal, magical and scary! I’ve seen countless shows there over the years and Andy Diamond and co. have really made that place a Central Jersey punk clubhouse. It’s a special place. When Kyle and Brian joined GTN and we became an active performing band, my ultimate goal was to one day play there. Well, after our first show, we got asked us to open for the Lawrence Arms at Crossroads in June 2025, and I was overwhelmed to get the call. I tried playing it cool with Andy on the phone but I was freaking out inside. We put a lot of work into our set so when we hit the stage I felt ready, but it was still overwhelming. Plus, the Lawrence Arms sold the place out so we played for a big crowd, which made it extra intimidating. There were a lot of faces out there looking back at us! We did our thing though and felt great about it.

How do you manage to maintain a high-energy punk rock output while balancing the limited spare time of being working dads?

Ryan: This is by far the hardest part about the band - just finding the time! All three of us have kids and busy lives, and we’re lucky if we can squeeze in an hour to jam on the weekends. Luckily, we all live close to each other and my basement is set up to play, so the guys show up and we hit the ground running and make every minute count. Kyle in particular is the busiest guy ever with all of his kids’ sports, so he’s always on the go but somehow makes it work. We all have amazing wives that hold it down and let us act like high schoolers. They’re the best. We also just got extremely lucky because a fantastic new rehearsal space opened in Metuchen called The Greenhouse Music Co. which enables us to play for an hour at night during the week after we put our kids to bed. That’s been a lifesaver since our weekends are always packed.

Brian (bass): A lot of tea for late night rehearsals.

Kyle (drums): Riding NJ Transit. It gets me so amped (editor’s note: we’ve spent many an hour at the Princeton Junction station - it certainly does get you amped).

What was the most important lesson you learned about the DIY process while handling everything from basement tracking to music video production?

Ryan: DIY is the name of the game for us. It’s how I’ve always done things and it’s how I like doing it. I am by no means a recording engineer, but I’ve taught myself enough over the years to do simple tracking on a laptop with some microphones. Nothing fancy and nothing complicated, just simple recording and editing. We tracked the whole album like that in my basement, then I sent it off to the incredible Steve Sopchak who mixed and mastered it for us.

Same thing with the music video. I’m by no means a film editor, but I hired a great videographer (Jack Harmis) to shoot some footage of us at Greenhouse, then I threw it all in iMovie and cobbled together a music video. Now I’m trying to learn how to make Instagram ad videos. Not my strong suit at all but it’s fun learning new things and just going for it. Whether it’s reaching out to blogs and zines online, making videos, recording the music, handling the art layouts, or handling all of the various other tasks that come with recording an album, it’s fun to get in there and start figuring things out, and see what sticks. It’s much more rewarding this way.

How did your 7-year-old’s involvement in the Not the Way artwork influence the band’s visual aesthetic moving forward?

Ryan: We released four singles last year and I asked each of my two kids to draw the covers. I didn’t give them any direction or ideas, just the song titles, and whatever they drew, I scanned into Photoshop and used. I was definitely inspired by Teenage Bottlerocket to use the same layout and band logo, but each time I used my kids’ drawings. It just made it super fun and something I got to share with my kids. It gave them ownership of the project and they think its the coolest thing ever that they can pull up their artwork on Spotify and show their friends!

What was the specific element Steve Sopchak brought to the mix that finally made the record feel like it had come to life?

Ryan: Steve is an absolute wizard. I was lucky enough to meet Steve years ago and we became fast friends. He’s an audio magician and a frequent collaborator and co-writer with Ice Nine Kills and Motionless in White, but then he’s also down to work on my little projects. He’s the best. In short, Steve brought this project to life. Like I said, I can do basic tracking in Logic but that’s about it. I know nothing about plug-ins, EQ, compression, or any of that stuff. I don’t mess with it at all. I set up the mics (with Steve’s guidance via text), hit record, edit and comp tracks, and that’s it. Once the tracking is done, I send Steve the files and he does his thing. It’s night and day as far as what I sent him and what he sent back. We’re extremely lucky to have Steve in our corner; he’s our not-so-secret weapon.

Brian: Kyle and I wanted the bass to feel like we were being kicked in the chest. When the mixes came back after that tweak, I was convinced it was ready.

What is the one thing you hope your kids take away from watching their Dads build a basement project into a successful active band?

Ryan: My kids are 8 and 11 and the main thing I want them to take away from seeing their 41-year old dad play the same type of punk rock that he played when he was 16 is that life is too short so you should just have fun. If something makes you happy, then you need to find the time to do it. Even if it’s just for an hour a week. We do this band for one reason, and that’s because we love it. We’re extremely busy with work, our families, and everything else that comes with adulting, but we squeeze this in and make it happen because it’s fun and makes us happy. Simple as that.

Brian: If you’re passionate and serious about something, invest the time. Go for it.

Kyle: Anything is possible, even for old dads. But in all seriousness, don't give up on the things that you're passionate about. Life's too short to not be happy.

Since the band name is a Wayne’s World reference, which specific character from the movie best represents each member’s personality on stage?

Brian: Kyle is definitely Cassandra. Just so easy on the eyes. I am definitely Ed O’Neil’s character, and Ryan is Rob Lowe.

Ryan: I’m Del Preston, Kyle is Phil, and Brian is Milton.

Kyle: I'm Neil, Brian is T-1000 and Ryan is Stacy.

Anyone you’d like to thank?

Ryan: Our wives! They are so supportive and awesome, and we literally could not be a band without them. To read the full list of people we want to thank for helping us along the way, you’ll have to pre-order a vinyl copy of our new album, Til House Lights, which comes out on June 26 via Bright & Barrow Records, and is available for pre-order NOW at getthenet.bandcamp.com (see what I did there?)