March 13th, 2021
The garage band formed by brothers Keaton Rogers (lead vocals + guitar) and Kacey Greenwood (drums) have released their third single “In the Valley” from the third album, Fernando, on the last 26th of February. Bands such as Weezer, The Strokes, and The Killers heavily influenced the boys of San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, in Fernando’s creation. Fernando is being released mainly as singles, each accompanied by a video (lucky us).
Are you unsigned? Looking for a label?
Keaton Rogers: We are unsigned currently, but doing the work of a record label ourselves, essentially. Signing with a good label at some point would be awesome, but these days it really is the case that a band needs to get good at not only being a band (good songs, good performances, good recordings, etc.) but also get good at marketing, branding, promoting, advertising, networking, increasing market value, and on and on down the list before a good label will want to sign and work with you. It used to be that a band needed a garage, a bar, and a van, so to speak, to really get started and get somewhere, and now a band still needs those things, but they also need to have their own recording studio, their own production company for videos, and their own advertising firm, to put it one way. At least that’s true if you’re a broke band without any crazy connections haha.
When was the last time you played in front of an audience?
Keaton Rogers: It was a show called “The Green Jelly Fest” at a golf course headlined by Green Jello early in March of 2020.
What would you change in the music industry if you could?
Keaton Rogers: Well, I think there needs to be more of a merge between the streaming world of Spotify, Apple Music, etc., and the recording and production world of music. Think about Netflix and Hulu. They started by streaming other production companies’ content and branched into becoming their own production companies, and now are giants in the industry. More than that, they help generate so much great content for viewers and fans, but also create so much work and opportunity for artists in film and TV. Imagine if Spotify or Apple had their own production company and invested in bands, similar to record companies back in the day, and helped bands record an album in a great studio, make videos, and then distribute them. There’s power in that. It would breathe so much life and wealth into music, for fans as well as artists, and it hasn’t happened yet. Beyond that, when live shows return, bars and clubs need to stop ripping off and taking advantage of poor musicians by paying them in drink tickets or just flat out nothing, at least in Los Angeles. Give bands a cut of bar sales or something. It leads to better bands and better crowds.
How COVID19 screw up your musical plans?
Keaton Rogers: It completely flipped the script, as it did for all musicians. Live shows were no longer an option, and that had been one of the core elements of being in a band for us. We had recently gotten a new van, did two tours around the US in 2019, had a blast, and we’re about to hit the road for another in March of 2020 when that all got turned upside down of course. We went through a lot of pain from that, still do, and had to restructure what it meant to be in a band during this time. Happily, I think we figured something out and are currently in a great place as a band. We turned our practice space into a studio, got some filming equipment, and really dove in on recording, mixing, engineering, and making our own videos. We’re really pushing this idea of “consistent quality content” and pushing ourselves to put out a new single and music video every three weeks. It’s been challenging, but awesome.
And last, how was the experience of recording at 606 Studio?
Keaton Rogers: It was amazing and surreal!! I remember walking in and seeing a bass on the floor, and someone said “Be careful walking around that bass. It’s Pat’s. ” And we were like, “Pat Smear! No way! ” And of course, all the Foo Fighters and Nirvana stuff that was around was mind-blowing for us. We got to use some amps and drum gear that belonged to them, and that was just so cool. They are for sure childhood heroes for us, so moments like that are just so special.
The future of the garage group in 2021 includes live streams and road trips. Considering that their previous album (Season 2) sent out vibes that rock and roll is not dead and the fact that they just keep on improving their sound since the first album (Season 1), we seriously can’t wait to listen to the full duo’s album.
Check out the full interview here:
https://thepluggermag.com/2021/03/13/video-review-raised-on-tvs-lake-song/