There’s a new band in town: Retrophile! Retrophile formed after the band RuHaa! broke up and consists of members Zach Watkins, Cristian Gutierrez, and Nick Zimmer, though other performers pop in from time to time. Retrophile is an indie rock band with influences of blues, rock, and pop. This band is following in the footsteps of other greats in Athens’ new wave of music, and I talked to member Zach Watkins to learn more.
HB: Where you have performed so far? Where do you like to play most?
ZW: This band has played at UGA HEROs Opening Kickoff, Gamma Sigma Sigma’s bid day, Kappa Sigma’s Notre Dame tailgate, and The Foundry. Both Greek events and venues are fun to play because the atmospheres are very different from one another. The bigger the crowd the more fun the event!
HB: What does the band mean to you? Why did you join/start the band?
ZW: We all just love to play music and perform. We wanted to keep doing that even though our last band broke up. This band really allows us to spread our creative juices, which is something we all love to do.
HB: Where do you see the band in ten years? Dreams/goals?
ZW: As with all bands, it’ll be amazing to get signed and be able to play for a living. However, I think we will be happy if we are still playing together and enjoying it in 10 years.
HB: What are some of your favorite songs to perform?
ZW: We have some original music that we love to perform that’s very close to our hearts. Some standout songs are “Leslie”, “What Can I Say?”, and “Breathe.” Covers-wise, we play a lot of different stuff, but one cover we like to do is Chet Faker’s version of “No Diggity,” except we put a pretty unique spin on it.
HB: What are you currently working on?
ZW: Currently, we are working on releasing a double EP. We have 5 of our 8 planned songs written so far, and hope to release them all soon.
HB: Any upcoming performances we should know about?
ZW: No official shows yet, but we are currently working with bands to book some shows soon. Stay tuned!
To learn more and hear some of their music, follow the band at RetrophileOfficial on Instagram and Facebook.