I recently got the chance to chat with the up-and-coming band Fallen Riviera during the Santa Barbara stop of their tour. They are a witty and good-looking crew–honestly, these guys could suck and I would still fancy them. When have you ever joked about being half-pelican or what the hot sauce scene is like in England with the band before their show? (Member Will is from England–apparently, Tabasco is as far they go across the pond). Anyways, the guys were nice enough to answer a few questions, and even gave me a copy of their CD for my listening pleasure. Good news: they rock, they’re hilarious, Aviv plays some mad tambourine (and has a cool lip piercing), and they’ll be coming back to SB soon! (To check them out, download the new album on iTunes–I recommend “Limbo Town” and “Not Coming In”).
Her Campus: Give us some background on the band–i.e., how did you guys meet, come across your token Brit, and how long have you been together?
Fallen Riviera: Steve and I (Will) met while attending the Berklee College of Music in Boston four years ago. We went to Los Angeles to record over Christmas break and it went so well that we decided to leave school and move to LA to form Fallen Riviera.
HC: Out of all of the places that you’ve played, which location was your favorite?
FR: That’s a difficult question! Let’s first say how much we enjoy playing in Santa Barbara. You guys have a beautiful city and an amazing campus. You know what, let’s say Santa Barbara is our favorite town to play, and you guys can follow the rest of our travels on Twitter and Instagram!
HC: How long did the album take to make, and what is your writing process?
FR: We wrote the album last summer, and it took us about three months to record. The writing process varies from song to song. Sometimes, I’ll come in with a lyric or Steve will come in with a guitar part, and it starts from there. We have the type of writing chemistry where you can lock us in a room for a few hours and we’ll more than likely have something to show for it! We really work hard to write the best songs we can, and then try to do them justice by working with great producers like Wyn Davis and Ken Scott.
HC: Who do you guys draw inspiration from, and what bands do you consider yourself similar to?
FR: We all come from very different musical backgrounds, which makes writing and recording a lot of fun. As a unit, we are all inspired by The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, and people like Stevie Wonder and Elton John. We have been compared to The Killers and Coldplay, but we like to think that we have our own unique sound.
HC: What is your favorite song on the new album and why?
FR: My favorite has to be “Those Times are Gone.” It expresses the frustration of leaving your youth behind by reminiscing about childish behavior. In fact, we just released a video for the song and you can check it out on YouTube!
HC: If you could choose anyone to collaborate with, with whom would it be?
FR: Great question! Dead or Alive? Well, Freddie Mercury would be amazing! He was an incredible songwriter and an even better performer. Still living, I would love to write a song with Adele. I love her passion, and her voice is one of the best in the business.
HC: Do you think that you’ll incorporate more tambourine in the future…possible tambourine solos at shows?
FR: After years of attending Tambourine Performance School (TPS), there will be much more in the upcoming shows. No solos though–at least not until I have mastered the art of Maypole dancing!
HC: Will you be coming back to SB soon?
FR: We will be back in SB in the early spring, so keep up with our Facebook page and our website for all of our tour dates. Can’t wait to get back!
HC: And finally, if each member of the band was a different animal, what animal would each of you be?
FR: Since we are a band, it might look bizarre if we were all different animals. I love the thought of us being team critters though. Let’s go with skunks! I think spraying would be a great ingredient to add to the live show!