Rock, brotherhood and a dream; this is the glue that mends together the band Better Tell Jazzy.

BTJ makes post-hardcore punk music, with harsh vocals and heavy emotion. 

Better Tell Jazzy’s beginnings

BTJ is made up of four kids from the Coal Region. The name is an ode to members’ friend and original bandmate, Jasmine Bodiford. When asked about her, the band agreed she was the “bridge” between the members. 

“She started jamming with us, and her nickname was Jazzy. She left the band after a while to go to college… She basically became our manager for a bit’” said lead vocalist Bennet Elio.

Bennet’s brother and BTJ drummer Ronin says, “Anytime anyone needed anything we would always be like ‘you better tell Jazzy.’”

Bennet and Elio mention how they have had an adoration of rock since they were young.

“It really started with me and Ronin,” says Bennet, “ever since we were little we wanted to be in a band. We had a CD player, and we got a lot of CD’s from our dad… We would play them and I would lip sync to them and Ronin would air-drum.”

Without Jazzy, the band remained a trio. Alongside the Elio brothers was bass player, Nick Amato.

“He was kind of the thing that tied us all together,” Bennet said.

Ronin explains how BTJ was formed about a year before they found their lead guitarist, Anthony Argueta. When they realized Anthony’s skill, they knew they “found their guitarist”.

Their shared love for punk adds a special touch to the band. There is no denying the passion and bond that brings them together. Brotherhood goes beyond just the Elio’s. The members go into how music brought them together, and it’s the foundation of their friendships.

The sound following the journey

BTJ joined forces with fellow Central PA bands Cigarette Yellow, Wicked Wombat, Serene Euphoric Dissociation and Motel Oblivion on the “Make a Scene” tour. Their hardcore, alternative music has been making its way through Central PA, they even performed at Bloomsburg’s own Phillip’s Emporium. 

When asked what their favorite show was, Phillip’s Emporium and their home show at Artisan Alley in Shamokin were brought up. However, Nick brought up a show that encapsulated who the band is; the Albright Center in Sunbury. It was a cold night, and the venue almost didn’t let the band play due to trouble with event insurance.

“We were angry… and we play angry music,” Anthony said. 

Their general inspiration comes from Pantera, Title Fight and Senses Fail. However, each member got into the specifics of what inspires them. 

“For Ronin and I, it would be our older brother Connor. I’m a singer and a guitarist because of him,” Bennet said.

Ronin chimed in and said, “Yeah, my older brother Connor… I give a lot of that credit to Connor.” 

“The big journey started with The Beatles… then I switched to Queen and that era of rock… and then Van Halen,” Anthony said.

“My dad has been a guitar player for longer than I’ve been alive… He switched to bass but I grew up wanting to be like him,” says Nick.

The future of Better Tell Jazzy
The band explains how their goal is to record music, and put themselves out there more. But there’s one thing that makes BTJ stand out; making a music scene.

“Where we come from, Shamokin, a place like that doesn’t really have a music scene and there’s not a lot of people,” Bennet says, “we know there’s an audience around here and we’re trying to pull it out of the woodworks.” 

BTJ isn’t trying to “make it”, but they are trying to give something for people to enjoy.