One thing about me is that I love media depicting Los Angeles. Whether it’s the song “TV Star” by Butthole Surfers or Gregg Araki’s cult film “Nowhere,” something about it scratches an itch in my East Coaster brain.
LA band Jawdropped’s debut EP, “Just Fantasy,” is no different. Released in April of this year, it’s a power poppy, observational look at the band’s home city and the lure of potential fame and fortune that comes with it.
The 5 song EP serves as an anthology of sorts, with each song representing its own little story about LA. The final track, “Star,” tells the tale of a Hollywood hopeful who finds herself, as per the song title, “living like a star.” The accompanying music video features an excited fan winning the “Jawdropped Music Video Contest” and shots of the band hanging out around Hollywood.
“Fantasy,” another track on the EP, talks about the cynicism and self-doubt that occurs when trying to chase your dreams. The music video, directed by Hunter Milano, shows auditions for a fictional film called “Hollywood Fever Dream” (a title that perfectly encapsulates the EP’s themes).
Despite the clear power pop influences, Jawdropped’s sound incorporates some heavier, ripping elements, as well as a self-described whimsy, that sets them apart from others in the genre.
The band is currently composed of vocalist/guitarist Roman Zangari, vocalist/tambourine player Kyra Morling, Drummer Cook Lee-Chobanian and Bassist Sean Edwards. They’re signed to Angel Tapes, an imprint of the legendary Fire Talk Records.
In May, I was able to catch Jawdropped, along with bands Shower Curtain and Bedridden for the Angel Tapes showcase at Night Club 101 in NYC. After witnessing their electrifying, dare I say “Jawdropping” performance, I knew I had to talk to them.
This interview was edited for clarity
How did you guys get started as a band?
Roman: We all kind of knew each other from the LA music scene and had been playing in different projects and stuff for the last few years, kind of playing some of the same shows. Our bands would open up for each other and that kind of stuff. I had another band a few years ago that was kind of fizzling out, I guess you could say, and I wanted to start a new project. I had a batch of songs that didn’t really suit the other band and we got an offer to play a show and I kind of thought it would be a good opportunity to get to do those songs. I talked to Kyra about it first and then kind of reached out to Sean and we started to put the pieces together and work on those songs specifically for this show. It went really well and it kind of just snowballed from there.
I feel like we all knew kind of early on that there’s something there that was worth pursuing. So, kind of happened organically, but that’s kind of what it’s all rooted in.
Now that it’s been a little over a month since your first release, how do you feel? What kind of reflections do you have looking back?
Roman: I feel good. I don’t know, I feel pretty stoked about how the EP has been received so far. It’s been really flattering. I feel like we’ve got a pretty good reception, which has been nice. And yeah, we put a lot of work and blood, sweat, and tears into it. So, it’s very validating.
Kyra: I mean I think that our expectations for it…we recorded it before we even decided to put it out with Angel Tapes and Fire Talk so it’s kind of been a long time coming in this way where we’ve been waiting for this kind of moment and the reception’s been really nice. But now, I think upon reflection it’s been awesome. It’s been a crazy awesome month, but now we’re kind of ready to get back back into the studio and release more stuff.
Speaking of the EP, I’m really interested in the hairless cat on the cover. What’s the story behind choosing that?
Roman: Honestly, I just saw it on Instagram. It was like a painting by this guy, Jake. He’s based in LA, he’s a painter. Not a friend of ours, but we had a few mutual friends and I was just kind of struck by the image. I thought it was kind of captivating and creepy, but kind of cute at the same time. We had a friend, AJ, he did the text and layout for the cassette and stuff. He had some thoughts about the artwork being this kind of representation of opulence or something because it’s a super kind of expensive cat to have, these hairless cats. They’re like these purebred designer pets.
Cook: Are they really?
Roman: I think so, yeah.
Cook: It’s less of a regular cat, you think it’d be cheaper.
Roman: You would think.
But there’s obviously some themes of the kind of LA glitz and glamour throughout the EP or at least poking fun at that. So I think there’s a way to kind of tie it into all of that.
That actually leads into another question I had. The EP has this theme of Hollywood lifestyle and striving for fame, especially in the Fantasy music video and in the final track, Star. Is this based on things you’ve experienced or seen being from LA?
Kyra: You guys should take it away, I mean, you grew up here. I think people that have grown up in Los Angeles are differently wired than people who have grown up in other cities.
Cook: Yeah, I should say that I’m actually not on the EP recording. I was sort of a late addition to the band, but I’m from LA though, so I can say from an outsider perspective that it’s pretty accurate. A lot of people you meet, especially in this kind of creative circle… I would say it’s accurate. Good job, guys.
Roman: Yeah. No, definitely. That’s I think so much of the music world or just kind of maybe arts in general in LA is people that move there with this kind of dream of being famous or successful or whatever. And there’s so many kind of pitfalls and cliches that come with that. And it’s so easy to fall into that kind of stuff. And yeah, I mean, you see it every day. I think it’s pretty ubiquitous.
Definitely observational kind of stuff. I mean, I think we’ve all probably had our moments of kind of indulging in some Hollywood cliche celebrity bullshit but I feel like hopefully we’re kind of looking at it as an observer rather than a partaker always.
Kyra: I also think on the EP too there’s all these different characters in this way, whether we’re talking from our own perspective or observing. I also think Los Angeles is an additional character that keeps weaving itself throughout all the songs. So it’s kind of this omnipresent…cause also we live here and we’re engaging with it but I think with any kind of major city there’s so many characters and different walks of life. Even just walking down the street there’s so many different sources of inspiration.
Roman: Yeah, I would say also as much as it is observational and kind of like poking fun at those cliches and those tropes and stuff I don’t think it’s like punching down. I feel like we’ve all had our moments of kind of falling for those traps as well. So, there’s a little bit of each of us in those kinds of stories. It’s not all just poking fun at the people around us or our friends or whatever. We’ve all kind of had our moments of getting swept up in the kind of chaos and debauchery and stupidity that is whatever path to fame that you find yourself in in LA.
What was the process of recording the Fantasy music video like?
Kyra: I have a great friend…super talented friend named Hunter Milano…who I’ve known for 10 years. I knew that we had a series of music videos that we wanted to do to kind of put out those visualizers and it just seemed like the best fit for that music video. We rented a space that…It’s somewhere in Hollywood or it’s kind of in an in between area…but there are these rehearsal rooms that I’ve been to that I’ve seen plays in and rehearsed in and so we rented one of those and then just kind of took the idea and filmed it in there.
But yeah, I mean, we named the EP Just Fantasy from a line from that song and I think we wanted the opportunity to kind of encapsulate all these ideas that we’ve kind of been talking about and also this imagery that comes up a lot in the EP and put it into a music video and also get all our friends together and just have fun.
Roman: Yeah, we got to have everybody come and we didn’t really give anybody any heads up. We were just like “Show up here at this time and we’re going to do a mock audition.” Everybody read the lyrics to the song and kind of just tried to put their own spin on it or whatever. So, it was kind of funny to see how each person did it.
How do you feel about the LA music scene? Do you think it’s influenced you at all as a band?
Roman: Maybe not the music scene currently, but I think there’s a lineage of LA art artists and stuff that have influenced us, even going back to that whole Laurel Canyon thing in the 60s.
*Sean enters the call*
Sean: What are we talking about, LA?
Kyra: Yeah, dude.
Sean: Yeah, it’s grim. I’m just kidding.
Roman: No, I mean Sean’s right. Yeah, I don’t know. I think it goes to what Kyra was saying earlier. I think LA as a concept or as a place has a presence on the EP and throughout all the songs. It’s less of a sonic thing, like it’s not really a specific sound, but I do feel like there’s a kind of hard to identify… I hate to say vibe… but that’s probably the best word. There’s a LA vibe that I think bands and songwriters and stuff from Los Angeles have. I think we tried to kind of align ourselves with that a little bit, but it’s less about trying to emulate a specific person or a specific scene. I feel like we kind of are just doing our thing and I don’t really feel like we fit super perfectly into any of the little niches of the LA music scene right now. It has its pros and cons, but I think it’s something that we’re pretty adamant about.
Sean: I think you hit the nail on the head. I feel like in the 90s there’s a lot of stuff, like songwriter shit that was interesting… even Everclear …and Rooney wrote some great pop songs.
There’s a lot of great shit in LA in terms of especially psych rock and heavier stuff and then hardcore music and that kind of thing…In terms of exactly what we’re doing, it’s a little bit of a purposeful departure from a lot of our peers and friends and stuff. I think it has a lot to do with what we’re interested in and are interested in as a group and why we decided to do a band together rather than with other people because it was something we were all interested in doing… writing song songs and Teenage Fan Club style or Lemonheads, Big Star…that kind of thing which a lot of people are into but not a lot of people are doing bands like that. I think because it’s kind of hard and it’s easy to be corny or something or not do it well and then it can come off kind of whack.
I think if you shoot from the hip, you’re going to fire true, aim straight.
I’ve read that you guys find being a good live band to be important. What are some of your favorite shows you’ve played so far/some of your favorite venues?
Roman: We all like the Lodge Room a lot in LA. We haven’t played there collectively in this project, but I think at least Cook, Sean, and myself have all played there in different bands. But it’s a great place to play. It’s a great place to see a show too. It’s just a really beautiful venue and a really nice size room.
Personally, I thought our show at [Nightclub] 101 in New York was one of my favorites that we’ve done. It was really fun and just a great crowd. It’s always a treat to play in New York too because it’s kind of a nice change of pace from LA. So that would be it for me I think.
Kyra: Sorry, I’m co-opting this, but now I’m curious. What was everyone’s favorite show that they saw last year?
Roman: Yeah, me and Kyra saw Avery Tucker play at Zebulon and it was amazing. That was a really great show. I love Zebulon and I think it’s a really great place to see music in LA and play also. That was a standout for me for sure.
Kyra: Remember we saw Mary Timony too? That was good, at the lodge room.
Sean: I don’t think it was last year, but the best thing I’ve seen in a while was Cindy Lee at the Echoplex. I think that shit was just insane, the last thing that kind of blew me away. And then I got to see Sexy Red at Camp Flog Gnaw after I played and…it was the sickest shit of all time.
Kyra: I’m sure. I’m jealous.
Cook: Favorite thing I saw in a while was DIIV. They really put on a show. There’s a whole thing with the video they have in the back and stuff and they played for an hour and a half and they’re just a really good live band.
Roman: Sean, Kira and I got to see Evan Dando play solo I guess a year ago, maybe a little bit over a year ago…That was pretty incredible. I mean, it was chaotic as fuck and just kind of a train crash or something where you’re like, you don’t really want to watch, but you can’t look away. It was just gnarly and funny, but he’s amazing and the songs sounded so good and he’s just captivating, it was like just him on stage. I feel like he played for two hours. He did so many songs. That was a really special standout I would say.
What are some of your musical and aesthetic influences as a band?
Kyra: Lemon Heads, Teenage Fan Club. I don’t know, Power Pop. I think personally for songwriting style, I really love Sheryl Crowe or Liz Phair obviously. I think also for…I don’t want to say the word whimsy but I’m going to say it, whimsy… I think Fiona Apple can make a song out of anything.
Sean: Sheryl Crowe for sure is sick. Those early records are I think underrated. Like they’re heavy, they’re rock records. But yeah, the Vaselines too and obviously instrumentation wise like Dinosaur Jr. I think we try to thread the needle a little bit.
My co-worker’s laughing at me right now. I’m in the warehouse. *Sean pans to show the warehouse*
Sean: I think kind of threading the needle and finding a through line between Dinosaur Jr. type shit and then Liz Phair or something, especially with the songs that Kyra sings. It’s this kind of heavier louder kind of ripping band with some whimsy built into the lyrics and how the songs are put together and stuff. A little bit of that Vaseline’s energy. Kind of slightly nursery rhyme in a way too.
Kyra: Oh, Built to spill!
Roman: I think that sums it up. I mean, we’re definitely a song centric band. So, all of the great songwriters of the American tradition. I think Neil Young, Lucinda Williams, that kind of stuff is a big influence even though it’s maybe less transparent in some of the songs.
Kyra: I think we all listen to a lot of music and a lot of different types of music and different genres and stuff like that. I think just basically anything that sounds good.
So, you’ve kind of talked about getting back into the studio and you played a few unreleased songs at the Nightclub 101 show. Are there any plans for future releases you can share? Anything in the works?
Roman: Yeah, I think we’re going to put out a song in the fall, like a single. It’s one of the ones we played at that show, and it’ll kind of be a followup to the EP. We’re hopefully going to have a full length out, probably the beginning of next year. Fingers crossed.
Sean: We’re in the lab big time. We got fucking hits on deck.
Leave a Reply