Erupting onto the L.A. rock scene in the Spring of 2012, Vattica is a progressive and hard-hitting trio of organic indie-alternative rock. Infusing a fresh and unique sound into a widely accepted & sustainable genre of music, this powerful triumvirate instills a transcendent illumination of rock – incorporating hooky, striking guitar riffs, memorable vocal melodies and a commanding rhythm section of dynamic variety and complexity, solidifying the band as a dominant and arresting force to be reckoned with. The entire band took some time to discuss their latest EP release and the progress they have made since forming.
1. What type of band are you?
Alexander Millar (Lead Vocals/Guitar): We are a rock alternative band that enjoys long walks on the beach and burritos.
Joey Jane (Bass): I've heard us referred to as a "Punk-Rock Muse".
Prentice (Drums): Wedding cover band for hire! We WILL bust out "White Wedding" at any given moment!
2. Where are you guys from originally?
AM: Prentice and I are from the San Francisco East Bay, and Joey is from Connecticut.
3. How do you think being in LA changes your sound?
AM: It makes you focus. There are so many talented bands here.
JJ: I think it puts a dirtier edger sound to your music. Hollywood is a wild world and there are a lot of stories to share through the music.
4. How did you come together?
AM: Prentice and I met a long time ago during a failed expedition to Mars and moved here to Hollywood. Joey had 471 warrants out for his arrest in CT, so he moved here to lay low. Don't tell the cops.
JJ: I answered an ad on Craigslist on a friends laptop at 3am it happened to be these guys.
5. What’s the origin of the band’s name?
AM: It's a completely made-up word; it means us. We wanted something totally original, that way when you search for us, we're all you get.
JJ: We made it up after about 400 names were thrown around.
6. Do you ever feel the peer pressure of being a 3-piece band?
AM: Not until this moment, but now that you've asked me I have started to break out in a cold sweat and OH GAWD THE HIVES OH THE BURNING NO!!!!!
PD: Never, I prefer a trio. It's less complicated, and we've found a way to sound more full and complete than most four or five piece bands.
7. You guys have a unique sound, which bands would you say influence you the most?
AM: We're really influenced by a wide range of music, each of us have overlapping but varied musical tastes. Some bands we really love are Green Day, Muse, 30 Seconds To Mars and U2.
JJ: Motley Crue & Guns N Roses are the bands that made me wanna move to LA but I listen to a lot of pop and like to draw inspiration from all different genres.
PD: As a drummer, I'm very attracted to a moving beat. 99% of the time, that beat is found in pop or funk music. Heavy Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Prince fan, but still have an affinity to rock, like Our Lady Peace, Motley Crue, Steel Panther etc.
8. What's it like being a DIY type of band?
AM: Hard, but that's how every band starts out. We are the hungriest, hardest working indie band I know.
JJ: Well, if I knew what that meant I could answer that question.
PD: "Do it yourself" Good job, Joey.
9. Tell me about the new single.
AM: It's called "Run, Baby". We recorded it with Chris Lucas Roscoe and Cody Hahn and shot a video for it, directed by our good friend Thunderwood from 9 Electric, which we are planning on releasing April 10th.
JJ: It's a song and you should hear it.
PD: It's everything you want in a rock song and more.
10. Is this a concept EP?
AM: All of our music is "concept" in that you're not going to find a bunch of songs about going to clubs & getting drunk, ya know? We try to write about events/situations/feelings in life that have meaning. There are already so many songs out there about "partying like it's the last night of your life"; not that there's anything wrong with a good party, it's just that there's so much more to life and the human experience than getting fucked up night after night. The trick is to write about it without coming off as pretentious or preachy, which can be a challenge. I try to write our lyrics in such a way that they're as relatable as possible, even if the song is about something highly specific to me. Music is such a personal enchantress, the same song can mean entirely different things to different people depending on the context in which they incorporate and absorb it into their lives. While each song we write absolutely has something we're trying to communicate, we also aren't trying to force our ideas/opinions on anyone.
JJ: Actually you're right haha.
11. What are your songs about? (What specific themes do they cover?)
AM: As the lyricist for the band I am constantly writing down thoughts and ideas, you never know where a good line might come from. However, the music we all create together usually dictates what each song is going to be about, in that once we get a cool musical idea that we're grooving on and I hear a melody, I kind of just know what it's supposed to be about lyrically. The best way I can describe it is that it's like my brain is a radio that is only picking up static and all of a sudden something just clicks; I receive a transmission and then I know what the lyrics should be about (laughs). I know that sounds really new-age and TOTALLY pretentious, but that's how it works.
PD: I actually have no clue. But they sound bitchin, and the drums are crashing and sound like sex.
12. Do you write your own songs? (Discuss the songwriting process in detail.)
AM: Yes, we write all our own songs; I write the lyrics and the whole band writes the music. Usually what happens is one of us will come up with a riff/beat and we will all work on it for a few minutes to see if it sparks a melody. We write really efficiently, so we can tell if something is or isn't going to work fairly quickly.
JJ: Yeah, unlike most bands these days.
13. What are your expectations for the new single?
AM: I just hope that people love it, and rock out to it on a regular basis.
JJ: For people to buy it.
PD: We set the bar so damn high with our last single "Cannibal". After you sell dozens of records in a large market, such as: Earth, it's hard to top that. Though, we feel very confident in this new song to
perhaps double that "fingers-crossed"!
14. What are your plans for new music?
AM: We are almost done writing for our record, and will be going into the studio very soon to record a full length.
JJ: Kick your ass harder and make the melodies stick in your head, maybe make you produce children to the songs.
PD: To create them, trap them in a computer like we are ghostbusters catching the Scoleri brothers, only to release them after our "containment unit" becomes so full of bitchin-ness that the unitexplodes. It then forces the songs in to the invisible airwaves causing everyone that comes in contact with them, to dance, fornicate and play scrabble. It will be apocalyptic.
15. What are your upcoming plans for this year?
AM: Recording and touring. Oh, and successfully creating an army of Bat-Weasels.
JJ: I wanna make a record, tour the country, meet many more women, drink much more alcohol.
PD: Exactly what Jane just said, but look bitchin while doing it.
16. Anything else you'd like to add?
AM: Like us on www.facebook.com/officialVattica
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