After interviewing Niko Costas as our Campus Celebrity last December, we were impressed at how he balanced school and managing the reggae/rock band he was a part of, Sidereal. Now, just seven months later, we are amazed at how far they have come! Their feel-good, catchy tunes and their obvious love for making music have proved to be enough. With their upcoming gig at The Social this Saturday, I wanted to talk with the band about their success and what it took to get them where they are now.
Q: First off, how did Sidereal get started?
A: [Niko] We got started with myself and my brother Lukas back in 2009. We (Lukas and I) had both been playing music since we were just able to walk, and after 15 years, finally decided to combine forces. After a shift in members over the first year of Sidereal’s existence we picked up Sergio. We had recorded a few tracks at his home studio for an old demo and when the bass slot opened up we knew the guy to call. We had played shows with both Colin’s and Matt’s other bands at the time, with both of them being some of our biggest local influences in the reggae/rock scene. Things luckily fell into place for all of us and they became a part of Sidereal. After a few years of searching, Fall of 2012 rolled around and we finally had our line up.
Q: Hearing your song on the radio, being named The Pier’s “Artist on the Rise”, playing at Blackwater Music Festival, and releasing your debut album are all major feats! What did you guys never lose sight of going through all that? What do you think was most important in getting where you guys are now?
A: [Group Response] Definitely our love for making music. The thing that was most important to getting where we are today has to be perseverance honestly. There are some times where you just want to call it quits, but if you can make it through those rough patches you can accomplish great things.
Q: Where do you guys get your inspiration? Are any of the lyrics about things that have personally happened to anyone in the band?
A: [Group Response] As a group we have two big influences. A lot of our inspiration comes from the bands who we’ve seen and played with over the past couple years, make their way from playing shows with just a couple people to packed venues around the country. Also, our fans are a big inspiration in what we do. The great response we get from them every show and on our Facebook/Twitter/Instagram is incredible, we couldn’t do it without them. Inspiration for the songs come from personal experiences we’ve had which are directly reflected in most of our songs. [Colin] If there’s been a major occurrence in my life, there’s usually a song to follow. Pretty much all of our songs have their specific meanings and stories behind
them.
Sidereal at Jannus Live
Q: What has been your guys’ biggest accomplishment?
A: [Group Response] The two things we’re proud of so far is being featured on one of the main stages at the Blackwater Music Festival playing a set between The Expendables and Pepper. The other would be opening for Passafire at Jannus Live back in January for a crowd of about 1,100 people. We definitely aren’t stopping anytime soon though; we’ve got a lot of big shows in the works for late summer/fall as well as our first headlining regional tour in October/November.
Q: Where do you see the band in five years?
A: [Niko] In five years I hope to see Sidereal touring the nation regularly playing for packed crowds like we’ve seen a lot of the bands before us do.
If you guys haven’t check Sidereal out yet, just watch their music video for “Before I Go” and you will be hooked! Tickets for their upcoming show at The Social are only $8, and you do not want to miss this one.