Indie rockers ready for four-song extended play
Sammy Pond said he’d be the first person to admit a lot has changed since he started his band the Red Light Commandos in fall 2012; changes that helped him and his bandmates take third place in the WhySound battle of the bands this past spring; changes that helped the band write and record a four-song extended play set for release on Nov. 9.
“This all started off as an electronica project,” said Pond, the group’s lead vocalist. “It’s easy to see things are different these days.”
No longer favoring electronic instruments and computer-generated clicks and tones, the Commandos have developed a sound Josh Mikesell, the band’s guitarist, called a “progressive indie-blues” type of rock.
“It was just Sammy before,” he said. “He was doing a solo thing and playing a live show. He wanted a guitar player, so he contacted me because we had known each other for a while. I wasn’t very hyped about it since it was techno, but I was just doing it because it was my first project.”
Soon after their first live performance together, both Pond and Mikesell realized things had to change if RLC was going to continue.
“I was frustrated after the first show and I could tell Josh was pretty frustrated too,” Pond said. “It’s not easy to perform that type of music in a live setting. There are too many variables that the artist can’t control – sound levels and whatnot. It was a fun idea but it just didn’t work out.”
Additional musicians were needed to solidify the band’s sound and lineup. Pond immediately thought of Bryan Rieben, a drummer he had performed with in past musical projects.
Pond said Rieben adds a jazzy element to the band.
“Josh and Bryan really clicked,” he said. “They would jam out some tunes and really feed off each other. It really seemed to be pulling all together.”
Rieben has been playing drums and percussion since he was 12 years old. Now 24, he said he was impressed with the 17-year-old Mikesell’s soulful skill with a guitar.
“He’s a child prodigy,” Rieben said. “We definitely don’t want to lose him.”
The next step was finding a reliable bass player, Mikesell said. Colton “Colty” Anderson, then-roommate of Mikesell’s cousin, fit the criteria perfectly.
Pond said Anderson is a very rare kind of bassist who is able to play anything from jazz to metal. Adding a trained ear and his input to the dynamics of the band’s songwriting, Anderson completed the lineup in February.
“When it comes to the bass, my influences are all over,” Anderson said. He said a variety of players have shaped his style, namely jazz musician Jaco Pastorious, Alex Webster of metal group Cannibal Corpse and Christopher < span data-scayt_word="Wolstenholme" data-scaytid="22">Wolstenholme of symphonic rock band Muse.
“I think we all have diverse musical backgrounds,” Anderson said. “We all dig on different styles on different levels, but we find common ground along the way.”
But finding common ground isn’t enough sometimes, Anderson said. The biggest challenge the band has faced is finding a time to practice that works with each of the members’ busy personal schedules.
Anderson tries to balance his commitment to RLC with five other musical projects he’s also a part of, in addition to his studies as a USU student. Mikesell, still a student in high school, focuses on obtaining his diploma and some college credits. Pond dedicates himself to his job. But Rieben said he has to work very carefully to find time for his career, his band and his marriage.
“I have a bachelor’s degree in social work and I’m working out at Sherwood Hills Recovery Resort,” Rieben said. “My wife is totally cool with me doing music and everything as long as I don’t have band practice on a day when she’s available. She’s going to school getting her master’s degree, working full time and doing an internship, so when she has the time available, I’m with her.”
It’s a delicate balance, but anytime he’s not either at work or with his wife, Rieben is with his band.
Despite the scheduling conflicts, the bandmates said they are looking forward to seeing how far RLC can go, especially after their disc gets released.
“I would love to go on tour if we got to the point where we could,” Rieben said. “Obviously we need to make sure we’re making some money. Musicians don’t make a lot, but if I could bring in something then I think it’d be really fun. I’ve been doing music for a long time. Of course I want to go on tour and get recognized for the hard work I’m doing.”
Anderson is willing to go wherever the band takes him but he hopes to inspire local fans to become more supportive of the entire music scene.
“We just want people to come to shows and support every band playing that night,” he said. “There’s more music than just us. I know people want to finish watching the news or whatever, but I promise it’ll run again 14 times. Come to the whole show, stay for the whole show and support local music.”
Pond, who serenades crowds in a lofty voice reminiscent of Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, noted he did not have high expectations for the project when it began as his electronica solo effort. But like the music itself, his outlook has changed as well.
“I really believe that when you’re in the right band, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” Pond said. “That’s exactly what we have now. Josh, Colty and Bryan collaborate really well together and bring different dynamics to each song – louds and softs, tempo changes, ups and downs. It really adds to the emotional level we try to put out. That makes it fun and interesting for all of us and, hopefully, entertaining for our fans.”