Author: Natania Reed, Senior Writer
Local Los Angeles garage-punk band FIDLAR is scheduled to take over Sycamore Glen this Saturday, Feb. 11 in a promising start to a music-filled spring semester. They bring with them two supporting acts, Pangea and Brown & Blue, both of which also hail from the greater Los Angeles region.
FIDLAR, which stands for Fuck It Dog, Life’s A Risk – an acronym that coincides perfectly with the band’s self-proclaimed DIY ethic – first formed in the summer of 2009. Singer/guitarist Zac Carp and singer/guitarist Elvis Kuehn met while working at a recording studio in L.A.
“We kind of just started jamming together when we were working at the studio,” Carp said. The two friends later added bassist Brandon Schwartzel and drummer Max Kuehn, Elvis’s brother.
The band has progressed from its very first gig in April 2010 at a local skate park to headlining shows at venues like the Echo and El Rey. The band has even scored gigs opening for prominent indie bands like the Black Lips and Wavves. L.A. Weekly recently listed FIDLAR as one of bands to watch for 2012 and the band’s growing popularity is evident in the size and diversity of its expanding concert crowds.
Despite the band’s rapidly developing fan base and growing critical attention, the members still prefer to play smaller venues and house parties, due to the more relaxed environment and the more intimate connection between the audience and performer, said Elvis Kuehn. Thus, the band plays smaller house shows quite frequently, and enjoys the laid-back and fun-filled community that constitutes the Los Angeles music scene. Despite its alliance with L.A., the band hopes to tour extensively this upcoming year, as it hopes to expand its fan base past the local L.A. scene, said Carp.
Carp, Schwartzel and both Max and Elvis Kuehn take much of their inspiration from contemporary garage bands in the L.A. punk scene, but also cite influences as diverse as Creedence Clearwater Revival and Black Flag. FIDLAR’s music encompasses rowdy aggressive rock that stops short of being chaotic. Though vigorous, the band’s sound always remains clean and controlled. “We would describe ourselves as loud,” Elvis Kuehn said. “Loud and fast.”
FIDLAR released their first EP, titled DIYDUI, in April 2011. Though the record is short and succinct – it features only four songs – it is a perfectly crafted punk-driven collection of garage rock anthems, drenched in energy and attitude. If this record is any indication of albums to come, listeners are in luck. FIDLAR is planning to release their first full-length record later this year, said Carp. The band is still in the beginning stages, but they are already taking an organic approach to the creation of the record.
“We want to do it all ourselves,” Carp said. The band’s studio is located in the house they share in the Highland Park neighborhood of L.A. and the group hopes to keep the project as authentic as possible.
For those who enjoy rowdy rock music, or those just looking to have fun, FIDLAR is determined to deliver this Saturday. “It’s going to be fun and fast,” Carp said. “It’s just going to be good all-around.”
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