Having been together since 2009, The Ross Sea Party has been dazzling crowds in the City of Angels with their infectious brand of indie-rock. The quintent has recently been in the studio gearing up for the release of a full-length. In between writing and recording, Bestnewbands.com caught up with singer Brady Erickson to talk about the band name, how he picked up music and his plans for remainder of 2010.
DK: How did you get your start with music? How old were you and what are some of your influences?
BE: I started playing in bands in Palm Springs when I was 13. It was all generator parties in the desert, where having a giant wall of sound was all that mattered. Over the years, my influences have changed from the huge guitars of Kyuss and Yawning Man to the spacious guitars of Neil Young and heartbreaking melodies of Otis Redding (who I painted an amateur portrait of that hangs in my hallway). Somehow though, those desert roots remain, and I do always come back to those scenes out in the dunes where a few punk kids could take three chords, put every bit of heart and soul into it and (embarrassingly at the time) put tears in my eyes.
DK: What is the origin of the Ross Sea Party? How did you come up with the name?
BE: The Ross Sea is an Antarctic body of water that is known for completely unpredictable conditions. It is apparently nearly impossible to navigate through, though a few brave souls do. I loved that concept, and particularly the idea that we’d throw a party there. People always have a hard time understanding the name when we say it – “The Raw Sea Party?”,but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I like that about it… I know, elitist bastard. I’ve always felt a thoughtful band name with some meaning behind it was ultimately a lot more inspiring than “Black Tiger Collective.” That does sound awesome though, maybe for our next band.
DK: What would you describe your sound to be like?
BE: When describing it, I’ve come up with the evasive idea of talking about what temperature we play at. I think we play at about the same temperature as Band Of Horses or Arcade Fire or Shout Out Louds, although I’m afraid we sound anything like any of them! I’ve been working on a new song with a guitar part that makes me think about the jungle, with fires and weird shit happening in the background. In that, I’d like to think and hope that while our music has an easy sense of melody and harmony, it takes each person listening to an new unexpected place.
DK: What are your goals for the rest of the year and 2011? Do you have any new material coming out? Have you been writing?
BE: For the remainder of 2010- writing, writing, writing. We’re very much into the idea of doing things in waves – waves of shows, of writing, even an occasional wave of getting away from each other constantly. We just finished up with the last push of live shows, and a few of us have been in the studio sharing some bizarre new ideas. I’m off for Vietnam next week, where I’m hoping I can track down a $20 Japanese guitar and work on some ideas in solitude. Will, our bass player, is in Japan, and we’ll likely meet up somewhere in between and see what kind of inspiration has struck. 2011 is looking good. There’s an immediate west coast tour in the works, and we’re actually really excited about getting into some of the peripheral media that I love seeing bands create – live acoustic videos, collaborative online art pieces, whatever sounds appealing.
DK: Are you planning on playing any shows in the near future?
BE: Looking forward to playing our favorite L.A. spot, Spaceland, on an undetermined date in December, then getting ready to hit the road for Seattle and back in the new year.
With a strict writing schedule and a year ending tour, The Ross Sea Party has a busy end to 2010 and with the momentum the band is building, don’t be surprised to hear more from them in 2011.
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