Since the release of their first E.P. Der Spazm has been nominated (by fans) for a local Sacramento SAMMIE award for Best Post-punk, invited to play at the 2011 California International Marathon, opened for Girl In A Coma at Harlows nightclub, featured in the music magazine SUBMERGE, played a radio set at the UC Davis radio station KDVS Studio A, and selected as the CMJ Sonicbids Spotlight Artist of the Week. Quite the impressive resume for an indie upstart from Sacramento. We recently chatted with the group about their best gig, how they find and enjoy music, and where you can see them next.
When did you decide to make a career/focus of music?
We had all been involved in music for quite a while now, some of us playing in different bands around town, but I really don’t think any of us felt serious about taking our music further until we completed our line-up in 2010. It was exciting for us; the sounds we were able to create came with such ease. We really connected; we had this ability to jam for days and then turn around and create fun intricate songs.
When we finally saved up enough money to record our first E.P. ‘Thousand Days’, it really gave us a new perspective on the music we were creating. It gave us the ability to really listen to our music, aside from live recordings and videos. We knew we had something special and had to share it with people. We have been getting a lot of positive responses to it, and it has given us the confidence to see how far we can go, we know we are just going to keep growing and it makes it really exciting to see what kind of music we will continue to create.
What’s the best gig you ever played?
We really feel the most exciting gig we have ever played was our E.P. release show on September 24th at Old Ironsides in Sacramento, CA. We had been together for so long without a proper recording, so this was a huge moment for us. We all knew that people would finally be able to hear us in a new way, they would finally be able to sit back and get lost in our jams, and hear them as they were meant to be heard (not crappy live recordings).
It was also the best gig because we had so many friends and family there to support us. Mister Loveless and The Babs Johnson Gang came out to help us celebrate, and they really put on a show! We were so honored to have them there playing with us. And it felt great to be on a stage with so much history, where bands like The Brian Jonestown Massacre and Girl In A Coma have rocked out. It was an absolutely special night for us – Best gig ever, hands down!
Back in the day, most people found music on the radio or MTV. Obviously, today there is a plethora of ways to hear about new music. How do you find new bands or artists that you like to listen to?
The possibilities to find new music these days are amazing. There are so many outlets. We are always finding new bands on Pandora, and places like Bandcamp make exploring music fun. Exploring profiles on Facebook and Sonicbids are good outlets for us. And of course we are always hearing new music at our shows or by going to local shows around town, and from each other!
What’s the most challenging thing about being an emerging artist personally, for you?
I think for us it’s just finding the funds to get out and do a real tour. There are so many ways to promote on-line, but taking the music to the people is costly. Transportation, hotels, and food costs add up. We are a complete DIY band, so we hope people will support us by purchasing our E.P. so we can save up and go out on tour next year.
What’s your next big gig coming up? When/Where?
Our next gig will be here in our hometown back at Old Ironsides with a couple of great bands, Razorblade Monalisa and The Alcohol Plague on January 27th, 2011.
We are also working with a booking agency to play some shows out in San Francisco. If all goes well, we will work with them to put a tour together heading up into Oregon and Washington, and then back down to southern California next year. Be on the lookout for us on the West Coast!
Check out more on Der Spazm here.
