By Sean Maldjian, Contributor

Meet Joe of gas station.

In this interview with Gas Station., a three-piece emo/math rock band from Buffalo, NY, we get to know Joe, John, and Rob, the members behind the recently released EP "Meshes of the Afternoon." We chat with them about their music and their influences, as well as their favorite topics to write about in their songs. They also reveal how their band name came to be and why they added a period to it. Check out this fun interview to learn more about the up-and-coming Gas Station.

A self-portrait by, Joe of gas station.

Would You Rather...

have an enormous set of antlers or seven-foot-tall stilts for legs?

Antlers. That’d be sick.

Some Questions with Joe of gas station.

Hi everybody! Thank you for taking some time to stop by our blog. Can you tell us a little more about your project? Who is gas station.?

gas station. is me (Joe), John, and Rob. We released our first EP, “Meshes of the Afternoon” this past April.

Who would be your dream collaborator?

Not entirely sure to be honest. Like anyone else, I have a slew of artists and musicians who inspire me or whatever you want to call it, but I guess I never really think of it in collaboration terms (edgy, I know). Maybe Brian Eno. Feel like anything Eno’s involved with is pretty sweet.

I’m always a big fan of intentional spelling and punctuation. What was the inspiration behind the definitive “.” At the end of your band name?

John was in the midst of making our social media handles, and nothing was available without the period. So, I figured we’d annoy people and make the name even dumber than it already is with the period.

Plus, I’m pretty sure there have been other bands with the name Gas Station, so why not add a period and make it all lowercase to “stand out,” as they say? We haven’t regretted it yet.

If you had to impersonate a celebrity who do you think you could pull off the best?

Steve from Blue’s Clues during his prime. His drip is unmatched.

Your music blends elements of emo and math rock. Can you tell us about some of the bands or artists that have influenced your sound?

I’ve always dug bands like Sunny Day Real Estate, Cap'n Jazz, Modest Mouse, The Appleseed Cast, etc., and have wanted to start a project in that vein for a while. I thought an emo/math project with some elements of noise rock could be intriguing. Finally, I had some downtime at the end of last year, and John and Rob were down. We’ve been writing since, and it’s been fun.

What are your favorite subjects to write about in your music?

John handles everything on the lyrical side. Many of the lyrics are just John writing down words and phrases he likes and flowing them together. As John has said, some have meaning, while others just sound like they have meaning.

"Meshes of the Afternoon" is the title of your latest album. What inspired the title, and how does it relate to the themes explored on the album?

I’m a big movie guy; some titles are from movies I enjoy.

A Stroll Through Butterfly Lane refers to Hirokazu Koreeda’s 2008 film Still Walking and the symbolism of a butterfly—peace and contentment—joined with a family who gets together every year to remember their beloved eldest son.

May’s Eyes is a reference from the film Chungking Express, and the protagonist from the first half of the film after he got dumped by his partner and, during a voiceover, said: "In May's eyes, I'm no different from a can of pineapple.” Pretty emo, eh?

As for the title itself, it doesn’t relate to anything theme-wise on the album. The name refers to the short silent film from 1943 by Maya Deren and Alexandr Hackenschmied. It’s pretty trippy, and thought the name would fit perfectly for a record. I imagine I’ll keep borrowing movie titles and references for this sort of thing.

What was your most memorable performance, and why?

Unfortunately, we haven’t gotten a chance to play live yet since our EP just came out, but we have plans for our first show in June that’ll be announced soon.

You're based in Buffalo, NY, a city with a rich music history. How has your local music scene influenced your music, if at all?

Pretty much everyone involved in Buffalo’s music scene will tell you how special it is right now. So many great bands doing their thing, and everyone’s very supportive of each other. It rocks. Shoutout Del Paxton, Smash N’ Grab, Violent Way, Big Dog, Exhibition, JEWELTONE, Personal Style, Autoignition, Final Declaration, Speed Dial, Science Man, Deluxxe, Fatal Visions, Post Prom, Pilot-Field, and so many others. Also, go Bills and go Sabres.

If you could give one animal species (besides people) the ability to fly, which would it be? Why?

Flying sharks would be amusing.

Any final comments? (This is your electronic soapbox for one last answer.)

Thanks to everyone who checked the EP out. We have some tapes and shirts for it on our Bandcamp and a music video for Never Could Be Any Other Way. Check it all out, and new music will happen sooner or later.