Interview with Valendina at the Brittin Banger
Valendina photographed by @sherifffpepsi
This interview took place on November 2, 2024
Nice to meet you guys. You played a really great set. I'm here with Valendina if everyone wants to introduce themselves.
[Karina] Hi, I’m Karina.
[Chase] I’m Chase.
[Eric] I’m Eric.
[Tommy] I’m Larry. Tommy – I’m in a Lobster costume.
I know. I love the costumes. For everyone reading – you’re missing out on a great costume.
[Karina] It’s always a mystery with us.
This is my first time seeing you guys, and it was amazing. I loved your Paramore cover as well.
[Karina] Aw, thank you!
[Eric] We wrote that song ourselves.
I know! It’s a great song. I just have a couple questions. As a band, how would you guys describe your sound?
[Eric] I mean, I wouldn’t call us alt-rock. I wouldn’t call us pop-punk. We’re somewhere in between those two. I don’t think you can listen to us and say, “Oh yeah. This is pop-punk. Oh yeah. This is alt-rock.”
Definitely, yeah.
[Tommy] We’re a rock band.
[Eric] Ultimately, we’re a rock band, but not like an AC/DC, Guns’n’Roses, rock band. We’re a more modern rock band.
[Karina] The cool thing about our sound is that we all individually take everything we're inspired by and kind of create something that's defined by us.
Where do you all find influence for your music?
[Karina] I’m personally all over the place. I love Boygenius and obviously Paramore. I grew up listening to Fleetwood Mac.
[Tommy] Me and Eric had a band that covered Rush. We listened to Rush all throughout our childhood.
It's a big culmination, yeah.
[Eric] I mean it’s 2024. We listen to a lot of rap music right now. Rio Da Yung OG. If we’re taking a 2-hour drive to a show, I’m telling you at least one of those hours is going to be only Rio Da Yung OG playing. I love rock and metal drums, but there is something about those trap drumbeats that I love.
[Chase] I have a really wide range of influences. From The Black Dahlia Murder to As Tall As Lions, it’s like deathcore to alt-rock.
Poster made by @milkyfuel
I just wanted to ask what's your favorite part about playing a local show like this, where you're in someone’s backyard?
[Tommy] FREE BOOZE!
[Karina] Thanks Larry.
[Eric] The community aspect. I don’t know half of these people here, but I feel like they would go and defend me if they had to. This is such a niche thing because we’re all together and we’re all in the same spot. There’s a lot of respect.
[Karina] I agree. We get to make friendships through this. The connection is so much bigger than just like man to artist. Even the people that are playing right now, they're Shark Earrings. We met them through the scene, and they're some of our best friends now. I think the other cool thing is getting to see other people grow alongside us.
That's what it's all about.
[Karina] It really is. It's just love and support.
How do you guys prepare for your gigs?
[Karina] We practice every Wednesday. Sometimes we want to kill ourselves because we’re exhausted, but it’s worth it. We always end up having a fun time. Okay wait, sorry that I said that. We don’t actually want to die.
[Eric] I mean, we don’t really start thinking about stuff until the week of [a show]. Like, we are not very prepared. I’m dressed as Barnacle Boy, but I didn’t know what I was dressing as until 20 minutes before we left to come here. We didn’t know our setlist until we got to this show.
[Karina] Okay, wait, hold on real quick. As I was saying, we're able to, like Eric and everyone can do that because we practice every Wednesday to make sure that we're ready and good to go. And then from there, we can kind of assess the set list depending on where we're playing and what we're playing for.
You guys played an unreleased song with the place holder name “Sober.” I know you just had a single release recently, are you guys working towards another EP or an album?
[Karina] We’re currently working on getting an EP out. We’re putting a new single out on the 22nd. It’s going to be called “Break It Off.”
[Eric] We’re dropping “Break It Off,” and then you’ll have to stay tuned to find out the next song. We have an EP coming out early next year. Stay tuned.
Okay, nice. Well, you guys played a great set. Thank you so much for talking with me.
Thank you so much. Thank you.
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