The Local Natives have quickly become one of my favorite musical obsessions. Down-to-earth and amazingly talented, you can’t go to a live show without getting sucked in by the spot-on harmonies and enthralling drum beats. The high is contagious. Meet Andy, Kelcey, Matt, Ryan and Taylor.
JBJones: Let’s talk LA, you guys just moved here from the OC, except for Andy, who was already here… Are you enjoying the move?
Taylor: There’s just so much more going on here – so much more to feed off of.
Andy: Everyone we meet, typically might have a day job, but everyone is doing something really interesting. Everyone is into art, or film, or music. There are a lot of nooks, you have to know about the spot – you have to know somebody who knows somebody who knows a little destination spot, and you find a culture within a culture. You can always find something new.
JBJones: How long have you been together?
Ryan: In some form or another, about five or six years. As we are now, we’re approaching three years.
Taylor: Ryan, Kelcey and I went to high school together, so we’ve been jamming together for a while.
JBJones: Your sound is very folk driven, but also very cutting edge…
Taylor: We definitely have this kind of folkie, baroque instrumental roots sound. The harmonies are very big for us.
Ryan: And the rhythms. I think what differentiates us from other bands is the almost tribal sound to it.
Taylor: A lot of our [inspiration] came from 60’s harmony bands. Like the Zombies, Beatles, Beach Boys…
Ryan: But with a modern twist.
JBJones: You recently played SXSW –
Ryan: The best week of our lives! All downhill from here! It was such a good time and we played NINE shows!
Matt: We played at a house party, a bike shop, two bars…
Taylor: I was so happy because I had always heard SXSW was this awesome place that just gets so crazy, and bigger and bigger each year, and its getting to the point where you’re not going to go there and be discovered, you know? You’re going to go there and some people, from all over, who are already into you, come watch you play; which is neat, but because we did nine shows, by the last show we had these people, who had never heard of us before, creating this little buzz about us–
(Whispers cut him off here. All I hear is “not buzz!”)
JBJones: Edit the word “buzz” out?
LN: Yes. We all hate that word.
(I didn’t, obviously. Sorry guys 😉
JBJones: I think I should call this piece “The BUZZ with Local Natives.”
Taylor: Aww! We all hate the word because it is like a flash in the pan. A buzz band is a lot of hype and not a lot of follow through. We really think we can follow through. We don’t want hype. We just want to prove it.
JBJones: I agree. And you are proving it. I need three words to describe the SXSW adventure. Go.
Ryan: Super fun time.
(Utter disagreement on all fronts for this entry. Somehow the following were more suitable…)
Ryan: No running water.
Andy: No hot water.
Kelcey: Ha! No hot water?
Taylor: We rented a house and the water didn’t work. We didn’t have any running water.
Matt: The HOT water didn’t work.
Taylor: And there was a cat that kept trying to get in.
Kelcey: And the cat had glass in its mouth.
Matt: The stupid cat was trying to EAT glass!
Ryan: He had a glass eating disease, Matt! It was a disease, man.
Matt: Glass eating cat. That’s my answer.
JBJones: I like it. Moving away from glass eating cats and onto fashion, cuz I know this is what you have been dying to talk about. Favorite item in your closets?
Ryan: I’ve got these shoes that I’ve had for like four years. They’re awesome. They’ve got pot leaves on the bottom.
Taylor: Is that why you love them so much? He tried to smoke them one time.
Ryan: Nooo. But I need a second pair.
JBJones: Biggest fashion mistake?
Matt: Does a hairstyle count? There was this time period where I had long hair. I dyed it black…
Kelcey: You did?!
Matt: I had black hair for like six months. My mom thought I was all gothic.
Kelcey: For me, it was junior year, and I had just gotten into the tight pants thing. But I took it OVERBOARD. It was back when, if you are going to wear tight pants, it has to be girls’ pants.
Ryan: No – but did you go into Forever 21 and get the ones with no pockets on the back?
Ryan: I absolutely did.
JBJones: Oh god. Awesome. Who is the best dressed?
LN: Andy.
Taylor: Not that we are on the cutting edge, or anything, but we’ve always kind of done our own thing.
JBJones: You guys always look great. Let’s take a poll. Plaids or stripes:
LN: Plaid. Plaid. Stripes. Stripes.
Ryan: Polka dots.
JBJones: Boots or loafers?
LN: Loafers.
Ryan: What about weed shoes?
JBJones: One vote for weed shoes: check. Favorite place to shop?
LN: Andy’s closet.
JBJones: Future scenario: Big record deal, loads of cash. You still going to wear plaids, or stripes, loafers, and weed shoes? Or will you all go out and buy suits and BMW’s?
Andy: We’re not that type of band!
LN: I’m just not going to deposit the money and make a money suit. Or a gold plated diamonds suit, covered in gold plated diamonds.
JBJones: I want one.
Andy: Wait! We have to buy suits? We can’t just go buy expensive other kinds of clothes?
JBJones: You can! So, last question: What’s the future hold in store for you guys?
LN: Tour as much as humanly possible. We’re going to go to UK for the first time and we’re going to go to Canada for the first time. A lot of touring. A lot of firsts. And hopefully find a home for our album.