Quick Hit Interview: Magic Bronson

Magic Bronson at The Hi Hat

Interview with the band (via Matt). Enjoy:

What's the story behind how your band started? Me & Mike both lived out in the suburbs in Agoura and Thousand Oaks & knew each other through different bands we played in at the time. I was in an indie hip hop band playing bass & he was drumming for a few different groups. I ended up running into him at a local bar one night in 2011 and he invited me over to his dad’s garage studio to hang out and jam sometime. We started recording & writing the first day we got together and realized we worked together really well in the studio and had a lot of the same influences and it kind of just took off from there.

What struggles has the band had to over-come to get to this point as a band? I think mostly just staying positive and trusting the process. For us, we know if we are always writing & recording good things will happen. Sometimes it can be hard to find the right people to take you to the next level or step, but if you keep at it and put out good songs people will hear them and be willing to help.

Final thoughts: People always ask us where the name Magic Bronson came from: We’d been trying to figure out a band name for months and couldn’t come up with anything. We knew we wanted a play on something, but weren’t sure what. I had recently seen the movie “Bronson” with Tom Hardy about the London criminal Charles Bronson and Magic Johnson has been in the news a bunch because he was going to become a part owner of the Dodgers. In Mikes backyard one day while taking a studio break, I just blurted out what about Magic Bronson and it just stuck. We didn’t find out about Action Bronson till about 3 months later, but people liked our name so we kept it.

The Hi Hat: Purple Bite night

Purple Bite highlighted some of their current and former clients this past Friday night. The night was filled with variety of sounds and the crowd was filled with familiar faces.

Alicia Blue started the night off with some singer-songwriter sounds. I just recently saw Alicia Blue at a Wild Riot event at El Cid. I didn't even know she was playing The Hi Hat on this particular night and when I saw her coming on stage, I was thrilled. There is something magically about her vocals. And she had the comment of the night, "I've always been an old soul. Interestingly, all my recent boyfriends have been younger than me."

Alicia Blue

Dyllan has a pop sensibility. I happened to cross paths with Mikel of Purple Bite in late April and asked him about his new clients. He mentioned Dyllan. So yeah, I won't lie, Dyllan was one of the main reasons I showed up at The Hi Hat for this event. You can tell she has a passion for music and I can't wait to hear her throughout the years.

Dyllan

Molly Moore is someone I saw last year at Chinatown Summer Nights when she was singing in a band called Cosmos and Creature. Her set on this night brought the dance tunes to The Hi Hat. And I noticed that her guitarist brought her own fans with her. Just before their set was about to begin, a couple friends came over to the stage and gave her some waves and love.

Molly Moore

Magic Bronson turned up the funk volume. Or is it funk? I find it hard to describe their music. It is a sound that makes you want to Pogo dance. It is a sound that makes you want to form a mosh pit. Though no one formed a mosh pit, you could see folks in the audience having big smiles and going just a bit wild in their dance moves.

Magic Bronson

Georgi Kay is someone I've seen on various bills throughout Los Angeles for a while now. I've also seen her hanging out at various venues. I've just never gotten a chance to catch a set. Well, on this night, I got to do so. She's a one person show with her electric drum, computer and vocals. It was one enjoyable set.

Georgi Kay

Closing out the night was the Yip Yops. The Yip Yops have gone from a four piece to a two piece as two members of the band decided to head off to college. Yep, this band is still very young. I believe when I first came across the band, at least one of them was still 16. On this particular night, the floor lights flashed bright and the music was electric with slamming drums and guitar riffs. We'll have to see if they stick with the two piece or eventually add in new members.

Yip Yops