SoCalIndieMusicians

Written by Jasmine Lowe, for the 26

Lights from a projector cast a grungy scene of four local Southern Californian musicians in, what appears to be, an abandoned structure in front of a packed bar in Pomona, California. The crowd erupts in cheers as the song, “Vindictive,” by the band, Frequency Within, begins to play, and the picture comes to life to reveal the indie/alternative rock band performing their song from their debut album.

The band members, Erica Torres (Vocals, Guitar), Jenna Alonzo (Vocals, Guitar), Oli Navarro (Bass), and Jeannette Lawler (Drums) successfully released their new music video, “Vindictive,” from their “Blissfulmess” album at Dba256 Bar & Gallery in downtown Pomona, California. The foursome played the video, which was filmed and directed by K Enagonio Photography, to the crowd after performing a highly energetic and engaging set that got the crowd dancing.

Frequency Within’s sound has been compared to The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Killers, My Chemical Romance, and Nirvana. The band noticeably has an American Southwest influence of alternative rock with a sound that brings in elements of punk and a dash of grunge. The set, along with the previous acts, was streamed live and followed three other talented bands. However, the music video was only shared with the crowd that was there at the show in person.

“We’re local, and we’ve had so much support from so many people around us,” said vocalist and guitarist, Erica Torres. “They seen us from ‘Golly Gee Wiz,’ they’ve seen us grow up…So that constant support I want to give back and be like, ‘hey guys be a part of this milestone with us’ because this is home. This is our hometown.”

The band had come a long way in a short amount of time debuting their first album, “Blissfulmess,” just months after finding their current drummer, Jeanette Lawler, buckling down to write the music, and then touring California, Arizona, and Nevada extensively.

“Honestly, coming out of a band that I was in for like seven years, we never really got to do long tours, or anything like that,” said drummer, Jeanette Lawler. “We went out to Arizona and came back, and that’s about it. So when I came to this band, I made it known that we need to go on tour. We need to do this. We need to get our name out there.”

The members of the band find artists, such as Tegan and Sara, inspiring for their rise from an acoustic indie band to what could be argued as a household name. They each had the same mindset, loved the idea of having a female drummer, and clicked with Lawler immediately. After Jeanette auditioned for the spot as the last quarter of the three-quarter female band, they knew right away that she would fit in perfectly.

“When she walked out, we all looked at each other like—yeah,” said bassist, Oli Navarro who was referring to the awe at just how well the music major from Cal Poly Pomona, not only played the drums, but connected with the existing members of the band formerly known as Golly Gee Wiz.

The band also stresses the importance of representation and how when they were younger they, often, didn’t see themselves represented as much in the music industry.

“When I was young in high school I didn’t know any other female guitarists, at all,” said guitarist and vocalist Jenna Alonzo. “And now I see it more, especially since I’m around musicians all of the time, but there are definitely more now, and I would like to see that continue to grow.”

“We are for women having strength,” said Torres. “I have a little sister, and when she sees me on stage, I want her to say, ‘damn, women are allowed to be strong like that. Women are allowed to be loud, and we have a voice.’ So I definitely want to push that envelope as well because the music scene, it is changing, but it’s still a man’s world.”

The band is currently writing their next album, and they see themselves being involved in music for the rest of their lives. Their passion for music, their friendship, and respect for one another is definitely something special that will keep this band together and headed toward a bright future.

04/15/15

Austin tricked Josh into drinking his piss today at band practice. He was a pretty good sport about it all things considered. I gotta say, I gained a lot of respect for Josh in that moment. He took that warm Polar Pop of piss like a champ, and I applaud him for it. Had I known Austin would have tricked him like that I would have had the recorder going.                                                                     

04/16/15

I can’t shake the feeling of not fitting in with Phantom Party. It’s a feeling that has been creeping on me for some time now. No matter what happens, I can’t shake the sense that I just don’t belong. Not on a creative level necessarily, but rather, on a personal level. I keep waiting for them to kick me out or abandon me at any moment. I would never leave, and this is the best thing that has happened to me in a long time, I just feel like no one likes me or wants me around. I try and reassure myself with the knowledge that I am the new guy, and that these guys have been close friends for years, but that only goes so far to making me feel any better. It’s really just my own paranoia and anxiety gnawing at every positive aspect of my life. Everything I observe, in order to become perspective, must first filter through a kaleidoscope of fear, paranoia and uncertainty, which ultimately dead ends me into a chasm of self doubt and nervous anticipation.

 04/24/15

The demo has officially been completed. Well, ish. Josh is currently going over some of the leads and vocals, just tightening everything up, making it perfect. I, up until last night, was extremely worried and upset about how everything sounded. I approached practice yesterday with great trepidation, fear and apprehension. I thought Gabe’s guitar work sounded like shit. He’s a good dude, but not a very strong guitarist. I think it’s pretty clear to all of us that he is the weakest link musically. Josh had to go over some of his parts to make everything sound right. 

I arrived at Austin’s simultaneously to Josh, and we all ran up to Austin’s room to set up. Gabe arrived a few hours in, and we all ran through the set a few times, with small interjections during which he Josh taught Gabe what to play. After a successful runthrough or two, we split up and made a mad dash to Josh’s to start tracking guitars and vocals. We arrived at his place around 4 or 5pm, when I realized I forgot the flash drive, containing all the raw Audacity Project Files. So, I drove back and caught Austin before he was set to leave for work, retrieved the flash drive, and hauled ass back to a belated start. After some problems setting up speakers to the computer, I got a call from Austin saying he was outside. Our man called off work at Wal Mart to record with us. Definitely a good omen.

Gabe was up first, and actually did much better than I expected. We were all floored with how well the recordings sounded thus far. Austin’s speakers (that which we originally heard the recordings through) didn’t provide a very true rendering of how it all actually sounded. It was around this time that confidence began flooding in to drown my self doubt. Gabe made it through his parts with a Squier Jaguar obtained through our mutual friend Nathan, and I ordered us a Pizza Hut Big Dinner Box. Austin and I left shortly after to retrieve the $25 monstrosity containing 1 medium meat lovers, 1 medium cheese, 8 boneless wings, and 5 cheese sticks.

It was a fucking grand feast.

On the eve of the release of our 8th studio album, Love You To Death, I wanted to take a second to tell you something important. Nearly every interview I do starts with the journalist asking abouttwo things: my relationship to my sister, and our fans. Without hesitation I always say I have no interest in being in a band with anyone else. I feel deep pride in Sara’s work and I’m inspired by every song that magically arrives in my inbox from her. Being identical twins has ensured we stand out, has given us each a built in backup singer, but most importantly it gives us a reason to keep pushing ahead. This is a family band. I can trust Sara implicitly and she knows I have her back all the more for it. And with each new achievement (even just the achievement of writing and recording our 8th record) I feel intense pride that we have done it together. Next, our fans. I can emphatically say that we have the coolest audience anyone could ever ask for. Without fail you stand behind us, no matter what we do. No matter the style of production we use for our records. No matter where we tour, venues big and small. No matter the wacky clothes we choose or the absurd hair cuts we try out. No matter the mistakes we make, the wrong notes we hit, the lyrics we forget or the rambling stories we tell. You are there. And for that we owe you everything.