{"id":193440,"date":"2025-06-18T04:11:20","date_gmt":"2025-06-18T04:11:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/193440\/"},"modified":"2025-06-18T04:11:20","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T04:11:20","slug":"take-it-or-leave-it-on-blink-182-why-i-love-at-the-barrier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/193440\/","title":{"rendered":"Take It Or Leave It on Blink 182: Why I Love : At The Barrier"},"content":{"rendered":"

NY\/NJ Punk outfit Take It Or Leave It blend their own original material with punk-styled covers, built to connect with a crowd from start to finish. They\u2019ve built a reputation for tight, energetic shows and for keeping things personal, whether it\u2019s on stage or through livestreams. The band proudly calls their sound Pasta Rock, a nod to how \u201cTIOLI\u201d (Take It Or Leave It\u2026) sounds like \u201cravioli,\u201d and like any good plate of gabagool, it\u2019s loud, a little messy, and made to be shared. Pasta Rock forever \ud83e\udd18<\/strong><\/p>\n

Rhythm guitarist Mario Frascone from TIOLI joins us to share the love for Blink 182.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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FEELING PART OF IT<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t really remember a version of myself that didn\u2019t love Blink-182. Their music was one of the first things that made me feel like I had a place, like there were people out there who thought the way I did, who weren\u2019t afraid to be loud, weird, emotional, or honest. Blink-182 didn\u2019t just introduce me to punk rock, they made me feel a part of it.<\/p>\n

It probably started with Dammit or something off Enema of the State, but it really clicked when I heard The Mark, Tom and Travis Show. That live album changed everything. The songs were faster, filled with grit, and the banter still makes me laugh. I quote it to this day, pretty regularly might I add. Even if the original version of a song comes on, I add in the banter myself. It\u2019s a part of me now. The whole thing had this energy that made me want to start a band, so I did!<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve traveled all over my area to see Blink-182. SPAC, Connecticut, Virginia, and nearly every New Jersey stop. I\u2019m even seeing them again this fall at Bethel Woods with Alkaline Trio. The Skiba era brought something different to the band, and I genuinely liked what Matt added. It gave the songs a new edge and showed how the band could evolve without losing their identity.<\/p>\n

SHAPING THE WAY<\/p>\n

Each member shaped the way I think about music. Mark\u2019s bass lines can be simple or complex in the best ways, adding melody without ever feeling forced. Tom\u2019s stage presence gave me the comfort to be myself. He\u2019d mess up, laugh, and keep going. That meant a lot to me as a performer, both then and now. And Travis, of course, raises the bar for everyone. His intensity and precision are impossible to ignore. When I hear a new song on the radio, I can instantly tell if Travis is the featured drummer. His sound is so defined.<\/p>\n

Out of everyone in Take It Or Leave It, I\u2019m probably the most influenced by Blink-182. It shows in how I write, approach melody, and use humor on stage. But that influence doesn\u2019t make us sound like a carbon copy of them. It just helps shape the flavor of what I do within our songs. Everyone in the band brings something different, and Blink-182 is a part of my voice in that mix.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

RE-IMAGINING BLINK 182<\/p>\n

I also love hearing how other artists reimagine Blink-182\u2019s music. I\u2019ve listened to classical covers of Feeling This, soft pop versions of Dammit, all of it. We even borrowed their version of Dancing with Myself for a gig once. I love how fluid music can be, so hearing covers of their tracks as well as hearing them cover other songs gives me the confidence to be creative in whatever direction we want to go in.<\/p>\n

Blink-182 didn\u2019t just inspire me to pick up a guitar. They inspired me to keep going with music when it got hard, to laugh at myself when I needed to, and to take chances even if I wasn\u2019t sure how it would turn out. They\u2019ve all struggled but they are still making music decades later. That\u2019s why I love them. Always have, always will.<\/p>\n

Our thanks to Mario for the detailed insight into one of his inspirations.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a live performance of Therapy, captured under the tent at Porchfest 2025 in Montclair, NJ. \u201cIt was hot, it was loud, and it was worth every second,\u201d they say. The studio version drops later this year.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Take It Or Leave It online: Facebook<\/a> \/ Instagram <\/a><\/p>\n

You can read more from our extensive archive of Why I Love pieces from a wide array of artists on an even wider array of subjects,\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Keep up with At The Barrier:\u00a0Facebook<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\/\u00a0X (formerly Twitter)<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\/\u00a0Instagram<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\/\u00a0Spotify<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\/\u00a0YouTube<\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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