Music Bugle Exclusive – Q & A – Ted Felicetti Of Don’t Panic

By Nicholas Jason Lopez

Inspired by alternative rock mainstays like Bayside, Millencolin, Foo Fighters and No Use For A Name, the mission objective of Northeast Pennsylvania punks Don’t Panic has always been to just make genuinely fun music.

After a year and a half of touring both the U.S. and U.K. alongside acts like Less Than Jake, Bowling For Soup, The Ataris, The Spill Canvas, Face To Face, Alien Ant Farm, Lit and Mest, the group dropped their third full-length ‘Setting Up To Fail.’

Founding vocalist/guitarist Ted Felicetti – who named the group after his favorite Douglas Adams novel – has called this latest release the culmination of the most matured version of their writing abilities and that the band has finally stepped out into their own.

The Music Bugle had the opportunity to talk with Felicetti about how the band looked to differentiate ‘Setting Up To Fail’ from their previous two albums, what he enjoys the most about playing on tour and much more, which you can check out below.

Music Bugle – How would you describe Pennsylvania to someone who has never been there before?

Ted Felicetti – Cold as hell in the winter. Hot as hell in the summer. Tons of trees and winding roads and where we are from in the Poconos, you have to drive 15-20 minutes everywhere to get anything. You better find a good hobby when you’re a kid. For the majority of us, that hobby was music.

Music Bugle – With your third full-length album ‘Setting Up To Fail’ out now, how did you look to differentiate it from your previous releases?

Ted Felicetti – We didn’t really intentionally try and differentiate, but I think that just usually naturally occurs. The band grows and the people in it grow and change. Then, the music we make reflects that. I think we definitely made a conscious effort this time around to allow ourselves to play to our strengths songwriting-wise and not try and fit any expected mold or expectation musically any of us or our fans had when going into it.

Music Bugle – What do you enjoy the most about playing out on tour?

Ted Felicetti – For me, there are a few things. Number one is getting to try all of the awesome food we can find. Nothing beats when the four of us find an awesome place to get something to eat and just sit around with a few beers trying to make each other laugh. Meeting and seeing all of the amazing people who come out to see us play, wearing our shirts, or singing along to the songs is also quite exhilarating and fulfilling.

Music Bugle – You guys were on an almost decade-long hiatus at one point. What were some things you noticed that changed in the music industry upon coming back from it?

Ted Felicetti – While we did stop touring as much and making new music for quite a while, I actually continued to work a job within the industry, so in some ways, I did get to watch as things changed. However, on the artist side, when we got back into this full-time, I think the thing that really struck me as the most different was the almost complete disappearance of physical media like CDs and the extreme importance of streaming services. Also, how exceptionally important it was to be constantly creating new content on social media pages. It is exhausting! Honestly, harder than any tour I’ve been on.

Music Bugle – That being said, would you say that social media helps or hurts musicians?

Ted Felicetti – Ultimately, it helps them as it exposes them to such a massive audience you would never reach otherwise, but this absolutely comes with a price. People focus now more on social media posts and making dumb videos and way less on honing their actual craft, writing songs, playing their instruments live and rehearsing, so short-term, it makes everyone accessible, but we are going to have a large generation of musicians who can’t perform their stuff live genuinely because they are never actually working on that aspect of it, or use too many crutches when recording.

Music Bugle – Who are you listening to right now, music-wise?

Ted Felicetti – I am always listening to Foo Fighters – their first 4-5 records – and Bayside. The new Menzingers stuff is pretty good. Also, the new White Reaper album is pretty amazing. Ben Kweller and Butch Walker have amazing catalogs I’ve been digging into. Now and then, I’ll dip into some stuff like No Use For A Name and Millencolin as well when I’m driving.

Music Bugle – What’s a quote that motivates you to keep doing what you do?

Ted Felicetti – “Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today.” Man, what an important thing to remember. It’s really hard for a lot of people who are stuck in that grind of trying to impress everyone, when all that really matters is how much you have improved compared to your past self.

Music Bugle – What shows do you binge on in your free time?

Ted Felicetti – I have become a big podcast guy. However, as far as TV shows I love to binge, there are a lot. “The Simpsons” Season 1-8, “Seinfeld,” “Roseanne,” “The Golden Girls,” “All In The Family,” “The Boys,” “Breaking Bad,” “Bob’s Burgers,” most of the Marvel shows, “How I Met Your Mother,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Better Call Saul.”

Music Bugle – Where do you go when you feel you need a break?

Ted Felicetti – What’s a break? I don’t think I have taken one of those in four years.

Music Bugle – What do you feel is the next step for the band to take?

Ted Felicetti – I’d really love for us to get more big support tours in 2024. Continue building our base in the US, as well as get back over to the UK. Mostly just tour, write more music and have a great time with our friends. We are really trying for the most part to just enjoy today and not worry too much about tomorrow. This is all about having fun for us.