JOHNNY CUPCAKES, SJC DRUMS, and FOUR YEAR STRONG
By Stephanie Dubick
It’s always nice to see hometown boys, (and girls), do well; at least that’s the mentality us “Mass-Holes” tend to have whenever locals venture off and achieve success. So when Johnny Earle, owner of the popular clothing company, Johnny Cupcakes, along with pop-punk band, Four Year Strong, and Boston-based, SJC Drums, each started their own projects in 2001, they simultaneously flourished in their own fields on a relatively larger scale; Johnny Cupcakes with stores both in Boston and Los Angeles, (and even one in London), FYS with four studio-albums and millions of Youtube hits, and SJC as the premier drum provider for everyone from Against Me! to Cobra Starship.
Now, ten years later, as these institutions have thrived, and their friendship with one another just as solid, they gave back to the community that first embraced them by throwing an all-acoustic set with Dan O’Connor and Alan Day of Four Year Strong that took place on December 7th at The Lucky Lounge in Boston, MA, with all proceeds of signed items from the band and auctioned drum gear from SJC going towards the Greater Boston Food Band. It was a one of a kind event, “an experiment,” as Danny Poulin, marketing executive for Johnny Cupcakes, expressed it best. “In the end, this may lose us some money, but that isn’t what this event is about. It’s about giving back to the state in which we all grew up in.”
It was also a chance to recognize the recent collaboration between Four Year Strong and Johnny Cupcakes on an exclusive, limited-edition t-shirt that honors the band, as well as the good ‘ol M of A. “We’ve known about the company forever, and I’ve known Danny for a long time now. We met when he was playing in the band, Lions, Lions, from MA, and we played shows together a bunch. The whole collaboration came together pretty quickly. When I had contacted Danny to do something, he replied with ‘I was going to contact you for the same thing!’ I am paraphrasing, of course. It just seemed like it would be really fun more than anything else,” comments guitarist, Alan Day, about the beginning of the collaborative process of the t-shirt itself, now available exclusively online at johnnycupcakes.com. When talking about the actual design of the shirt, Alan discusses the process of getting everyone together. “The design of the shirt was done in-person, over the phone, and over the internet. We had a meeting at the Johnny Cupcakes offices and talked about a bunch of ideas, did face time with the artist over there and then it kinda just happened. We’ve always loved the artwork that JC has put out, so we knew that we would like whatever they did.” Johnny Earle also shared his thoughts as well: “The collaboration with Four Year Strong celebrates the accomplishment and progress of our two Massachusetts-based ‘brands.’ Although we work in different mediums, FYS and JC have achieved success by approaching our respective art forms with similar passion and conviction.”
With the debut of the new shirt released just in time for the holiday season, it’s important to note that only four-hundred of these unique t-shirts will be available, so make sure to order asap for the Four Year Strong/Johnny Cupcakes fan in your family, before they’re gone! All proceeds from shirt sales will be used towards covering costs of December 7th’s charitable event, so in the end, you’ll be contributing to a cause that itself contributed to an even greater cause.
Check out the video below of Four Year Strong’s acoustic set in Boston, complete with violin and cello.
Shot & Edited by Brandon Coughlin.
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