Indie rockin foursome The 131ers are set to release their new album "Nothing's As It Should Be", this summer. But before that happens, two tracks off the album, were made famous, by becoming singles for the release. There is one called "Rome" and the other is called "Face On". The whole band gathered to disclose the matters about these singles, it's accompanying album, and why they want to write more music, and play as well.
1. What are your names and what do you do in the band?
The 131ers are Kaleb Davies (vocals/guitar), Ryan Dawson (drums), Chris Graue (bass), and Greg Wilmot (guitar).
2. Do you have any nicknames for each other?
Kaleb- In some circles I go as Kale - I’ve been known as cookie. It’s a long story. I call Greg "Gregg" sometimes.
Chris- For a while we were calling Kaleb "Cookie" because of an awkward date he went on. He didn’t think it was as funny as I did, so I made it our warehouse’s Wifi password for a while so he had to explain it to everybody. We also call Ryan "Rain Man" because it’s kind of a slant rhyme and he really can’t communicate with humans.
Greg- I sometimes call myself "Kool Kat."
Ryan- CGraue, Kale, G-money.
3. How would you describe your music in 3 words?
Chris- I’m so sorry.
Kaleb- Tuneful happy sad.
Ryan- Tuneful pop rock.
Greg- It is very.
4. You will be releasing your new album "Nothing's As It Should Be" on June 15, give us your best sales pitch as to why someone should check it out?
Kaleb- Are you also sick of the bullshit? Cause we’re not. Buy our bullshit. June 15th.
Ryan- I truly believe it’s different from anything you’re listening to on the radio right now, and that’s probably a good thing.
Greg- It’s good noise for your ear drummys.
5. The songs "Rome" and "Face On", early single releases that have also been turned into music video for this album, what made you choose those two songs? Any plans for more videos from this album?
Kaleb- We got WAY too many videos planned. Ask Chris. And as far as releasing Face On and Rome first - we just got those tracks back from our mixer first. Destiny. Fate. Timing.
Chris- Face On got done first because Ryland Steen (drummer of America and Reel Big Fish) took a shine to it and produced it for us early on. Rome ended up being our anthem for Puerto Rico, so it needed to come out on our charity compilation (check it out at www.afdrmusic.com). We plan to do SO many more videos that I might die, but it’s OK because there are PLENTY of bass players in the world.
Greg- They started out as jazz numbers that we adapted into rock and roll. Together they were a 37 minute opus that we cut down into two songs. I wasn’t aware there were any videos made.
6. What is your favorite song off the record and why?
Kaleb- I really like OG Food. It’s a really fun song to play live and it represents a really chaotic series of events in my life that I can laugh about now when I look back on it.
Ryan- Crazy because it makes me wanna dance.
Chris- Close My Eyes snuck up on me as a contender for the title. It wasn’t supposed to be any good.
Greg- “Whip It” by DEVO.
7. You guys are a newer band so many people might not know about your history. Would you be able to delve into it a little? How did you meet, how did the four of you come together?
Ryan- I was forced into going to a Young the Giant concert with Kaleb whom I hated at the time, we bonded over a cute girl and the rest is fate.
Chris- I operate under Beetlejuice rules, so when the guys said my name three times at a practice once, I appeared and never left.
Kaleb- Well. Chris was my drama camp counselor. He’s been grooming me for years. I met Ry in high school in track. And I still haven’t really met Greg. Do you know where he is?
Greg- I wrote a short story about a band getting together and then it came true. We met in the meat market that I imagined we would.
8. Where does the name the 131ers come from?
Greg- I think it has something to do with agriculture.
Kaleb- 90's indie rock always came up on my iPod with an error code under the genre. So Neutral Milk Hotel and Bright Eyes were always listed as "131" in Genres on my iPod. 12 year old Kaleb really thought this name was a good idea for his future band.
11. What are your favorite bands/artists and where does your musical inspiration come from?
Ryan- I listen to a little of everything but a surprising amount of rap. I think as a drummer you can learn a lot from the world of hip-hop. Grooves change and move so quickly. I’ve incorporated a lot of these ideas into our music.
Kaleb- Bob Dylan, Neutral Milk Hotel, Jack White, Arctic Monkeys, The Cure, Oasis, Chance the Rapper, Kanye West - lately I’ve been listening a lot to the new Kali Uchis and Cardi B records. Really I guess my musicality comes from my parent’s music - 70/80’s brit punk and pop and then classic rock from the states. I also grew up performing in a lot of musicals so I think the tension in a lot of our songs stems from that. As far as inspiration goes I just write about what strikes me that day, issues in my relationships, issues within myself. I’m big proponent of the idea that a song needs a conflict. You can’t just write about this world filled with flowers and pretty girls. Good music is setting that candy pop dream land on fire.
Chris- I listened to a lot of ska and punk growing up, so I always liked to play really expressive parts that do more than support the root notes or create slight tension in the song. I always feel like my job in songs is to take the generic stuff to an interesting place or to find a comfortable box for the out-there stuff to reside in. Reel Big Fish, Five Iron Frenzy, Descendents, Less Than Jake, Ozma, Cat Empire, RX Bandits, Tarantula AD, Rage Against the Machine, and Suburban Legends were probably some of the albums on heaviest rotation while I was growing up.
Greg- Most just barbershop quartets. Not quintets though. That’s junk.
10. What are the plans for the 131ers for the rest of 2018?
Kaleb- Touring, writing, more touring.
Ryan- World domination.
Chris- Leave no french fry uneaten.
Greg- 2018? I just got used to writing 1997.
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