This week’s Indie Band of the Week comes to us from Los Angeles, California. Dead Day Revolution just released their debut album On Our Own on April 5th and they expect great things to come from it. So enjoy this weeks Indie Band of the Week!
Who are you and what is your role in the band?
I’m Mike Sandoz and I sing and play guitar for the Los Angeles rock band Dead Day Revolution.
How did the band get started?
Back in late 2009 I met Skeeter through his sister Zoey shortly after moving to Los Angeles. He was playing in some other bands at the time. We all started hanging out and decided to jam together with songs that I had written on acoustic guitar. It kinda went from there and by December we had decided to form Dead Day Revolution with Zoey on bass, Skeeter on drums and myself singing and playing guitar.
Who are your influences and how do they play a role in your sound?
Our influences are all over the place. Skeeter grew up listening to big band players like Buddy Rich and 1970’s punk bands like the New York Dolls. I think that really comes out in his aggressive but tasteful drum sound. I have been into artists like The Cure, David Bowie, Smashing Pumpkins, Fuzz to singer songwriters like Townes Van Zandt and crooners like Roy Orbison. I think the thing I try to pick up on most of all are how each singer use their unique voices to make something cool.
What has been your most meaningful experience being in this band so far?
Well, its been a culmination of small victories over the past few years. Before I moved to Los Angeles I had never been in a band that actually went out and played shows. In all reality I thought that the dream of playing music and putting yourself out there would never escape my living room. Now as I am looking back on the things we have accomplished it gets harder for me to tell myself that it’s not happening. Our debut album has been a labor of love, with many delays in its release. This was my first studio recording after all. “On Our Own” sounds great thanks to our producer Larry Goetz, and will finally be available on April 5, 2016 via iTunes, Amazon etc. There were a lot of learning experiences in this process, as well as mistakes and missteps along the way but we got through it. This past year we were able to work with Director/Producer Dean Gold on creating amazing music videos for “Bury My Soul” and “Vampire Blues”, which are two songs off the album and can be seen on our webpage. It took us about a year to complete them. And more recently we have been getting some radio play in the States and abroad. Nothing has come easy for us…and it brings up the thought that the most meaningful experience is the entire experience, with all of the valleys, self doubt, and failures that we have to overcome.
Favorite memory from a show you’ve played or a place you’ve travelled?
One that that makes me smile is the time we played a last minute show in Los Angeles with Whitey Kirst (Iggy Pop). He had just gotten off the plane and didn’t have his guitar rig so he asked if he could use mine for his set. Now as most guitar players, I take pride in my sound and modify my guitar amps to get the sound I want. Whitey was totally blown away after playing my rig and asked “Me” how I got that sound. It’s pretty cool to get a nod from an accomplished musician.
What do you hope to accomplish with your music?
Going back on meaningful experiences you would think that the victories that we have had would somehow quell the appetite for success, at least momentarily. But it doesn’t. How much success equals success? That’s difficult to answer when you are the one pushing yourself to achieve more. Do I want to be famous or win a Grammy? I don’t know because I don’t believe that the hunger to become “better” would go away. You hear celebrities talk about the emptiness all of the time. All I really want right now is to go on tour and begin recording a new album, to be able to create and live from our creations and to tell myself with confidence that I am an artist, a good songwriter and an inspiration to someone. That’s all hard to do and probably why I chose to be this. I’m stubborn like that.
Something about you that no one knows?
Over the past couple years I have become obsessed with cats. We have three now at home: Walter White, Don Draper and our newest addition Furiosa, yes she is missing a paw. There are probably more cat photos and videos on my phone than I should admit in public. The coolest thing about them is that they all have such different personalities and it takes work for them respect and trust you.
What is next for the band?
Right now we are focusing on the promotion of the album release “On Our Own” (buy it!) and we are planning a tour. With the momentum that has been building up we would like to “get outta town” and play in front of all of your faces, that would be wonderful.
Anything else you want to add?
“On Our Own” is available on iTunes right now for pre-order. Be sure to watch and share our music videos for “Bury My Soul” and “Vampire Blues”. And last but not least, if you like what we do then request us on your local rock radio station!
