Quick Hit Band Interview: Weslee

Weslee at Chinatown Summer Nights

Interview with the band. Enjoy:

How would you describe your music? I would say our music is a reflection of the vibe/place we are in at the time we are writing it. I mean us as people don’t have just one mood so why should our music, haa.

You mentioned you moved to Los Angeles from London? Did you consider any other US cities and what convinced you to go with Los Angeles? I actually moved to New York from London! It honestly took me a couple years to finally make the move from NY to LA. Always seen myself as more of a city girl, but the west coast way of life is growing on me.

Quick Hit Band Interview: The Dead Coats

The Dead Coats at Redwood Bar

Interview with the band (with Lormin Warner). Enjoy:

How would you describe your music? Genre-wise, I would describe it as experimental punk. We really love incorporating different genres into our songs and challenging ourselves to see what we can do next. Merging the old rock and roll with the new, bringing our own vibrant feel. Keeping our honest, genuine-selves into our music is important to us, in a world where being honest and genuine seems all too foreign. We always incorporate humor into our music live and in our albums. People have told us that our music, no matter the venue, brings a sensation that we are playing to them in their bedroom, exposing our souls for them so see.

You mentioned that the Redwood Bar was your last stop of your tour. Do you have a fun story from your tour? In San Diego, we played this cool place called, "The Che Cafe," where this guy who came to the show brought this giant loaf of bread. He got us all to sign the bread-loaf, and gave the bread a good life. He sent us pictures of the bread being tucked into bed and being read to. The bread had a good life.

We have a song called "Celebration Time," where we do quick-stops and our bassist, Joe, does funny snippets. At the Redwood Bar, Joe actually called his Mom during one of those snippets and told her that we were on Cash Cab. He told her that money was at stake and that he needed to know the person who invented Lego. Fortunately, his Mom thought it was hilarious when we explained later that we were never on Cash Cab, but instead we were on stage in Los Angeles playing a gig.

Own Q&A. How do you keep your live performances so interesting? We love new ideas and gimmicks. We all have these different versions of ourselves we will bring out; whether that be our drummer undressing into a complete fishnet-underwear set on stage, our singer bringing audience members onto the stage while throwing around a stage prop-head or covered in blood. Even hiding our drummer in a storage container and bringing him on stage secretly has been an option. Every show is completely different and we love to inspire and entertain our audiences while keeping our own sense of how to do that.

(Interview was first posted on CaliforniaRocker.

Quick Hit Band Interview: The Adjacents

The Adjacents at Shaken Vanity Block Party

Interview with the band. Enjoy:

What's the story behind how the band formed? The band started as a phantom entity between both Louis Medina (guitar/vocals) and Anibal Colmenares (guitar/vocals) around their high school year in 2012. They both met each other in Hawthorne High School and have been going through a revolving cast of members since that year. Everything changed in the beginning of March 2019. Jesse Sanchez, who happens to be Louis’ cousin, joined on bass and Jack Flynn joined in on drums. They are now a four piece unit called The Adjacents.

If the band wasn't pursuing music, what do you all think you might be doing in its place? It would be going back to school to further pursue personal interest. Jack Flynn already has a degree from Merced University. Louis has his Associates in English but stopped to pursue the band. Anibal would have attended school for film while Jesse would have gone for Journalism.

Own final Q&A. What does The Adjacents as a band mean to you? It’s what you want to achieve and strongly know what you believe in.

Quick Hit Band Interview: Rambling Ways

Rambling Ways at The Satellite

Interview with the band. Enjoy:

What is currently influencing your sound? As far as songwriting goes, we’ve been playing around with the sounds we’ve always loved a little more freely lately. Like trying to let the songs breath and sort of have a pulse of their own. And with influences, it goes way back to being inspired by the greats like Credence Clearwater Revival, Cat Stevens, Fleetwood Mac, Dylan, Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton , etc etc. but there’s also bands from now like Kings of Leon , Gary Clark Jr., and Lukas Nelson that get us going.

How has the band grown together as a group? We’ve grown together in a lot of ways, between different genres of music and just in our personal lives that made us really own our vibe and hone in on the sounds we want to create. The fun thing about our band is that we’re family. We’ve known each other since we were little kids growing up in Miami so it’s easy to read each other and it’s just enhanced through music. There’s nothing better than making music with the people you’ve known your whole life.

Quick Hit Band Interview: I Speak Machine

I Speak Machine at The Satellite

Interview with the band. Enjoy:

How would you describe your music? The best way I ever heard my live show described was the Doris Day wrangling a ton of synthesizers. Not sure what that says about the songwriting, but I’ll take it. I’d describe I Speak Machine as dark, melancholic and sometimes a bit juvenile/childlike. Great for headphones and smoking weed.

How would you like your music to impact people who listen to your music or see you play live? Create a brief escape route, like exiting off a highway on a long road trip at 3 am; to stop time a little. I know I’m not for everyone, but I hope to bring a bit of joy.

Quick Hit Band Interview: mmmonika

mmmonika at Chinatown Summer Nights

Interview with the band. Enjoy:

What inspired your band name? The band sat down all together for the first time sharing a meal made by a lovely woman in the mountains named Monica.

What motivates you to write your music? Depression and friendship!

Own final thoughts: the band's favorite food is Costco churros.

FOMO and Satellite Nights 2020

It was the annual FOMO and Satellite Nights week to kick off 2020. For me, it was off to 3 of the nights. I wish I could have gone out another night, but I've been stuck with a lingering cold since Christmas and decided it was best to limit my outings. Of course, it probably would have been best if I just stayed home during all the whole week, but then I had FOMO.

My first stop was to The Satellite on Monday to catch the first night of WASI's residency. I selected this night to catch WASI, because I also wanted to catch Sugar Rum Tantrum. Prior to this night, I had previously seen Sugar Rum Tantrum back in 2018 at Broke LA. I was eager to catch another set, because lead Melinda West makes the accordion sound melodic. To me, the sound from an accordion is jarring, but she plays it in a certain way that makes the sound very pleasant. The one problem with her set, after her first song, she put the accordion to the side.

Sugar Rum Tantrum

Shira put on one nice performance. Time was spent on the floor with legs kicking in every direction. Punk Crush closed out the night with pop punk sounds. They were given praise by the audience for the anime cartoons that were playing behind them. As for WASI, the fun part of their set is when they invite their friends do dance with them. Up on stage for one song was Melinda West and a couple other friends. As the song progressed, Holander (who was DJing) was brought up, as well.

Shira

There is an amusing note about Holander. Last band up that night was Punk Crush. They were wanting to start their set, but the DJ music was playing. The band seemed to be trying to get Holander's attention so that she'd shut down the music so that they could start their set. Holander, meanwhile, was having too much fun dancing.

WASI

Punk Crush

Next up was the Echoplex on Tuesday. I'd just been there Friday night for Ariel Beesley's birthday party so all the security guards at the Echoplex were like, "Oh, you again." I was there that night to catch Boy Deluxe. Boy Deluxe is the new iteration of Ever So Android. They announced the name change in late 2019 and I believe they played one or two sets under that name. I was eager to catch them for the first time and it was great to catch them during FOMO. I was going to take off right after their set (cough cough, due to my cold), but decided to stick it out to catch Hello Forever and A.O. Gerber. Hello Forever had the women coming out to catch this folk band with a lead singer who has -- what I'd describe as -- mountain man sexuality. A.O. Gerber had that singer-songwriter vibe going. And was enjoying the fact that this was the first time she ever got to play the Echoplex as the lead musician (not backing someone else up).

Boy Deluxe

Hello Forever

A.O. Gerber

I didn't head out Wednesday or Thursday. I was tempted to go to Zebulon on Thursday night to catch The Tissues, but just didn't have the energy to do it.

Maybe I should't have gone out Friday night, but I did anyways, returning to The Satellite where I caught Twin Oaks, Bandie and Wax Charmer. I walked in on Twin Oaks as they were playing. Maybe I missed half a song. They started out the night with a mellow sound. The audience didn't mind. There was a solid fan base there for the set. They mentioned that their lyrics were on the sadder side of the scale. To me, Bandie was the find of the week. Their pop sounds were brilliantly composed. Closing out the night for me was Wax Charmer who knows how to put on a show. Shot after shot I took, I was thinking, that's a nice pose.

Bandi

Wax Charmer

Twin Oaks