Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: I was born and raised in Seattle so I’ve been exposed to incredible music my whole life. I remember my first 45 RPM record player I got for my 10th birthday. It was so cool and came with Jimi Hendrix, Beatles and Rolling Stones singles. I literally wore those 45s out, I played them so much. Seattle is a rock and roll town, and that turned me on to rock and roll music at an early age.
Q: How are you planning on growing your fan base and sharing your music with the world? What message do you have for anyone who is about to discover “La Need Machine”?
A: It’s awesome when we get stories like this in music publications. That helps us grow our fan base. Also, when we get some radio play, like we have recently. But really, the best way to grow your fan base now is if you are good/lucky enough to get algorithmic plays on Spotify!
Our message to people that haven’t heard us is that we are authentic rock and roll and Americana. We play what we would like to listen to, so it spans a variety of different rock and roll sub-genres. Sometimes we tear it up, and sometimes we slow it down for a ballad. In any case, our music has soul!
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A: We are inspired by many artists, but one that caught our attention for inspiration recently was Joan Jett. I was reading on-line about Ted Nugent giving Joan a hard time for being named one of the best guitar players. And I just thought, what a jerk that guy is. We are on Joan Jett’s side so we wrote a song about her called “She Loves Rock and Roll.”
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the song, “Maria.”?
A: Maria is an anti-bullying song. I was watching some kids bully this cute little girl at the park, and thinking about what I should do. Then this cute little boy stepped in and stood up for her. I thought, that is cool, and I should write a song about what happens next. In my imagination they fall in love and stay in love their whole lives.
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?
A: Authentic
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “Maria”?
A: The main challenge we had is that we wanted a South American vocalist for the song because we thought that would fit best. Not an easy task to discover Sebastian and then get him on board. But it was worth it because he just killed the vocal part.
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
A: Help your community. When we started this band we said we were going to make donations to non-profits based on revenue we get from streams, merch, and shows, and we’ve been doing that. We have a number of charities we have been working with, including a homeless shelter, a group that helps disadvantaged children, a group that prevents suicide among LGBTQ youth and others. Our goals are to reach as many people as we can with our music because we like to make people happy.
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
A: Joe Strummer
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
A: Play what you like to listen to. That way you never have to worry whether your band sucks or not because you like it!
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
A: I’m self-taught, so I picked up a few bad techniques I had to break. Get some lessons so you are starting out with a good solid base for whatever you want to do.
