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The Columbus, Ohio-based rock band known as Black Coffee formed in late 2017 and consists of drummer Tommy McCullough, singer Ehab Omran, guitarist Justin Young, and bassist Nick Fratianne.
The band already has a major buzz around them, with major festival appearances at Epicenter and Sonic Temple having taken place this month. Meanwhile, Black Coffee’s first demo, Take One, was released on April 21st following the release of the single “I Barely Know Her" to all major streaming platforms the day before.
While on-site at the aforementioned Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival at Columbus, Ohio's MAPFRE Stadium -- home to the MLS' Columbus Crew -- I had the pleasure of interviewing both Ehab Omran and Nick Fratianne from the band.
Sports-related highlights from our Q&A are below, while more on Black Coffee can be found online.
Are you guys Columbus Blue Jackets fans? Or sports fans in general?
Nick Fratianne: Oh hell yeah. The Jackets all f****n' day.
Ehab Omran: Sup, Bob?
Nick Fratianne: Bob [Sergei Bobrovsky], and my man [Artemi] Panarin, he's the best hockey player alive right now.
Ehab Omran: Actually my favorite sport, surprisingly, is baseball. I'm a big [Cleveland Indians] Tribe fan. They're having a rough season this year with Corey [Kluber] getting his elbow shattered.
Nick Fratianne: I'm a soccer fan, so [Real] Madrid [C.F.].
Ehab Omran: We play FIFA against each other.
Nick Fratianne: We've been playing FIFA [video games] for life.
So finally, any last words for the kids?
Nick Fratianne: If you're a kid out there playing music, not sure how to do it, just get a guitar. If you're already playing and trying to get out there, find somebody who loves music that wants to play. They don't have to be great.
Ehab Omran: Grab a guitar, if you're in high school or middle school, take all the music classes you can. It kind of seems dumb at the time, but it really is useful. Just play an instrument, a real instrument. Don't conform to the electronic stuff. You'll feel it in your soul and you'll know it's there. That's all my advice.
