Quick Hit Band Interview: Moons of Mars

Moons of Mars at the Bootleg Theater

Q&A time with the band. Hope you enjoy:

How would you describe your sound? Dark vibe indie pop hahahaha. We have heard so many genre descriptions but I guess it falls under the "indie pop" umbrella.

Is there a specific decision(s) the band has made (good or bad) that it feels other bands/artists can learn from? Keep writing, keep hustling, be open to learning, and celebrate everything (even the small things). Honestly, being a creative, specifically in music can be very discouraging at times. But if you keep the right people around you and work hard, you'll see little glimpses of your rewards from putting in the time. Whether it's getting better at your craft or getting on the radio. Whatever the accomplishment looks like... keep going. Keep working hard and keep dreaming big. You'll get better and the music will speak.

Concert Review: ZiBBZ, Transviolet and Sazzie at The Satellite

ZiBBZ

So the title of this blog is in reverse order to how the bands/artist hit the stage. This was one of those nights that I had circled. Why? I have fond memories of seeing both ZiBBZ and Transviolet from prior years. I saw ZiBBZ back in 2014 when they played at Brokechella (now Broke LA). I saw Transviolet TWICE during their 2016 residency at The Satellite. Since I seldom see bands twice during their residency, I think that has to say something about my impression of them.

Also, I like to make lists of my favorite new bands that I've come across in various years. Both made my lists. ZiBBZ in 2014 and Transviolet in 2016.

Sazzie

Opening up the night was Sazzie. She provided some audience interaction. She spent much of her set either dancing on the edge of the stage or dancing in the audience. While in the audience, she pulled folks near and danced. I swear, there's a little Dr. Seuss in her style.

Transviolet came up next. One thing I remembered about Transviolet's sets was that the lead singer, Sarah, towards the middle or end of the set would jump off the bass drum. I was hoping to capture a photo of that moment. I got caught off guard; however. To start off the set, she immediately got atop the bass drum. I rushed my camera into position, because I knew what was coming next. Then the lights went dark and she jumped. Honestly, even if the lights hadn't gone dark on me I doubt I would have captured the moment as my settings weren't set. Oh well, next time.

What did I miss: Transviolet played mostly new material so New Bohemia, my favorite Transviolet song, didn't make the list.

What did I notice: I took a look at their set list and had a chuckle seeing "Talk" listed a couple times.

Transviolet

ZiBBZ closed out the night. This brother-sister duo opened up the night with a bang and just didn't stop. Well, ok, there was a fun pause. Towards the end of the set, they brought out this toy electric device that had six wires coming out from it. They mentioned on stage the name of the device, but I don't recall what they called it. Anyways, they brought up some volunteers and each was told to hold one of the wires. Then they kicked into their song. Coco (the sister), also holding a wire, would touch the hand of volunteers and different sounds would come out. There were some technical glitches that caused an amusing sibling squabbling, but they resolved it. It was a fun little experiment of science and sound.

Quick Hit Band Interview: Freedom Fry

Freedom Fry at Sunstock Solar Festival

Q&A time with the band. Hope you enjoy:

How would you describe your sound? Our sound is very influenced by all the things we grew up loving. Alternative pop, folk, & obscure one hit wonders of every decade. We love the dry production of the 1970s so that usually finds its way into our songs.

Other than playing in front of a packed crowd, what thrills you about performing live? Getting to see the immediate influence your songs can have on someone in real time is what thrills us most about playing live. Also getting to perform with the people you love.

Do you have a favorite memory or any thoughts about the Sunstock Solar Festival? Our favorite memory of the Sunstock show was when the power went out for about 5 minutes. The audience all huddled in and we did an acoustic rendition of our song Shaky Ground. Everybody in that moment was feeding off each other’s good energy.

Quick Hit Band Interview: The New Pacific

The New Pacific at The Satellite

Q&A time with the band. Hope you enjoy:

How would you describe your sound? We're sonically a super heavy pop rock band. We love really heavy music and great melodies in pop music. On our phone, you'd just as soon find an Acacia Strain song as you would a Carly Rae Jepsen song. It ends up as an almost Thrice-ish heavy handed rock sound. Hopefully the best of both worlds.

What’s the story behind how your band started? We started jamming 2 years ago and just started out as 4 dudes jamming for fun and it just kind of took off into this bigger thing and we started playing shows and doing a bit of touring. Now we're focused on bringing a message of awareness and action in a world that needs heaping doses of both. Times are crazy right now, we're here to take an aggressive look in the mirror and do something about it.

Quick Hit Band Interview: The Americans

The Americans at Chinatown Summer Nights

Q&A time with the band. Hope you enjoy:

How would you describe your sound? How did the band gel together as a group? We write and play rock music, but we met pouring over pre-war blues and folk, so our songs contain remnants of a lot of that stuff. We regularly use old records from the '20s and '30s as reference points when writing together.

Quick Hit Band Interview: Brian Hill and the Noh Starrs

Brian Hill and the Noh Starrs at the Bootleg Theater

Q&A time with the band. Hope you enjoy:

How would you describe your sound? I wouldn't.

One couldn't help but notice your fashion sense as well as how the Noh Starrs were dressed. How did you develop the band's fashion style? Everyone wears what they like.

Quick Hit Artist Interview: Cuesta Loeb

Q&A time with the artist. Hope you enjoy:

How would you describe your sound? A friend of mine once said that my music made him want to run free in a big open field and I liked that. I would say that it is a combination of hard and soft elements that lives somewhere in the world of Dreampop. It's a blend of hard electric guitars, classical elements and ethereal vocals and harmonies.

What's your favorite band song and what makes it the favorite? My new favorite song that we play is a brand new one that's unreleased, called "Annabelle." It's about my parent's Pomeranian, Annie, who is just a light of life. She brings so much joy wherever she goes and maintains that love always through the darkest of moments. And it is just SO much fun to play live. I can't wait to record and release this one.

(Own Q&A.) Do you think you have a message or objective with your music? If so, what is it? I wanna create a dreamy feeling. I love combining soft and hard elements. I love bending the rules and not necessarily sticking to form. I love combining sounds that wouldn't necessarily go together. In terms of themes, many of my songs are reminders of things I want to live by - to be present and live and love freely.