Dig the Kid
Drummer Lisa Mongelli
For those of you who read every one of my articles, you probably have noticed by now that I usually start with an introduction that describes the genre of the band and praises their unique qualities. That is not in any way a bad choice for a lead; however, this is not exactly applicable for Dig the Kid, whose goal is to sound like an across-the-genres playlist on shuffle.
Bassist Ian Lasater DTK aims to provide a variety of sound for their listeners. “We all come from the same place,” says Todd. “The discussion was that when people listen to music, they don’t listen to full albums…they say, ‘Alright, two songs, I’m done with this band.’ [We thought], what if we could create a band [where] you wouldn’t have to hit shuffle?
“We’re all open to suggestion,” continues Todd. “Bringing in something, bringing in change. We don’t get stale with, ‘That doesn’t sound like a ‘Dig the Kid song’.’ We don’t know what a ‘Dig the Kid song’ sounds like. It’s just played by the same three musicians.”
In the past two weeks or so, I have seen Dig the Kid perform twice; once at Monster Energy’s Aftershock Festival and once at a show sponsored by Bebe at the Village Recording Studio. Both times, the musicianship of guitarist and lead vocalist Cory Todd, drummer and songwriter Lisa Mongelli, and bassist Ian Lasater blew me away.
“We’re all open to suggestion,” continues Todd. “Bringing in something, bringing in change. We don’t get stale with, ‘That doesn’t sound like a ‘Dig the Kid song’.’ We don’t know what a ‘Dig the Kid song’ sounds like. It’s just played by the same three musicians.”
In the past two weeks or so, I have seen Dig the Kid perform twice; once at Monster Energy’s Aftershock Festival and once at a show sponsored by Bebe at the Village Recording Studio. Both times, the musicianship of guitarist and lead vocalist Cory Todd, drummer and songwriter Lisa Mongelli, and bassist Ian Lasater blew me away.
Guitarist and lead vocalist Cory Todd
Todd’s voice is remarkable, reaching up to higher ranges and pouring out sweet tones to match their diverse sound. Lasater—though constantly wearing a serious expression—is a joy to watch on stage, achieving the status of one of the most active bassists in rock and roll. Mongelli sweats out happiness and a sense of belonging the second she steps foot on the stage. Sporting a total “rocker-chick” hair cut and a stage presence rivaling that of Nothing More, she should be on your list of drummers to watch.
When you see Mongelli perform, it becomes evident that she releases all her tension, stress, and struggles through intense drumming and all-out performances. The elation written across her face when she’s seated behind the drum kit is awe-inspiring.
When you see Mongelli perform, it becomes evident that she releases all her tension, stress, and struggles through intense drumming and all-out performances. The elation written across her face when she’s seated behind the drum kit is awe-inspiring.
Ian Lasater posing for a photographer
I spoke with Dig the Kid well after their set on Saturday at Aftershock. Having made rounds of every media outlet to speak of, one would assume they’d be bored out of their minds with answering the same questions over and over again. However, the attitude DTK approaches each interview with is expert, displaying enthusiasm through to the last syllable.
Never have I felt more welcomed by a band than when I was interviewing Dig the Kid. My mood lifted a thousand feet and I could not possibly have enjoyed myself more.
Never have I felt more welcomed by a band than when I was interviewing Dig the Kid. My mood lifted a thousand feet and I could not possibly have enjoyed myself more.
Lisa Mongelli beating up her drum kit enthusiastically A large part of Dig the Kid’s varied sound is that each member of the band can play another instrument. “I play bass and drums,” says Lasater. “[Lisa] can play bass and guitar, and he [Cory] can play bass. We switch off during the show. The fact of the matter is, [Lisa] plays drums differently from how I play drums. So, if it’s a song where she’s sitting there and decides, ‘you know, I’m just not feeling this. I kind of want to play guitar.’ We’ll just switch it. And it totally moves things in a different direction.”
This is absolutely true; go to a Dig the Kid show and you will undoubtedly see instrument switches at least twice, featuring Lasater on drums, Todd on bass, and Mongelli on bass or guitar. As an audience member, this bit of the show is particularly enjoyable and provides a continually interesting performance.
This is absolutely true; go to a Dig the Kid show and you will undoubtedly see instrument switches at least twice, featuring Lasater on drums, Todd on bass, and Mongelli on bass or guitar. As an audience member, this bit of the show is particularly enjoyable and provides a continually interesting performance.
Dig the Kid fans at Aftershock
Dig the Kid is a band with a lot of depth. Speaking with them, I could feel the sense of family and the strength of support for each other. Todd said, “For everyone, this band was something we needed. For Lisa, she needed something where everyone was involved, everyone wanted to do it, and it had a life of it’s own. For myself, I had kind of retired from music and I didn’t want to do it—it was the biggest mistake I made to say I didn’t want to play anymore. And for Ian, he was just kind of lost.”
Ian Lasater adds in, saying, “The band that Cory and I had was my life, and I actually ended up getting married, and I had this other life; when it all ended, I just thought, ‘I don’t know what I want to do in my life.’ Cory, being my friend, said, ‘Dude, you got to come jam.’ And that brought me right back into it.”
Ian Lasater adds in, saying, “The band that Cory and I had was my life, and I actually ended up getting married, and I had this other life; when it all ended, I just thought, ‘I don’t know what I want to do in my life.’ Cory, being my friend, said, ‘Dude, you got to come jam.’ And that brought me right back into it.”
Each member of DTK plays a different role in making the band run like a well-oiled machine. “It works out really well,” explains Lasater. “Cory does the artwork on our website and posters, I’m handling all our videos…and Lisa has all the business down and handles that—along with all our managers, of course.”
Mongelli agrees, knowing that DTK would not be the same if they weren’t so independent. “What I think is cool is that each one of us has a really big strongpoint, and we save a lot of money. Because, if you know how much a graphic designer costs…what we have spent on posters, art, and t-shirts and film, videography, and everything in the entire two years of our band, probably it would be three to four grand,” Mongelli laughs. Continuing, she says, “Everyone is a leader; there’s not one person who’s the head of us or anything like that…We have built a really strong foundation, which a lot of bands don’t know how to do…The makes us a family, and not just a band.”
Despite the functionality of DTK, there are obviously still problems along the way. However, Lasater firmly states, “There is no breaking this band up. We have been together through thick and thin, and have had some down and out fights…sometimes we’re in a big group hug crying because we’re so happy.”
Mongelli agrees, knowing that DTK would not be the same if they weren’t so independent. “What I think is cool is that each one of us has a really big strongpoint, and we save a lot of money. Because, if you know how much a graphic designer costs…what we have spent on posters, art, and t-shirts and film, videography, and everything in the entire two years of our band, probably it would be three to four grand,” Mongelli laughs. Continuing, she says, “Everyone is a leader; there’s not one person who’s the head of us or anything like that…We have built a really strong foundation, which a lot of bands don’t know how to do…The makes us a family, and not just a band.”
Despite the functionality of DTK, there are obviously still problems along the way. However, Lasater firmly states, “There is no breaking this band up. We have been together through thick and thin, and have had some down and out fights…sometimes we’re in a big group hug crying because we’re so happy.”
Mongelli and Lasater
Every band needs a game plan, and DTK seems to already have their next year and a half or so cut out for them already. “We recorded in the Village,” says Todd. “We recorded four songs for the first chunk of the record we’re releasing on the sixteenth as an EP [Can be bought now on iTunes!]. While that’s out, we’re going to be doing a radio campaign. While that’s going on, we’re going to try to tour for sometime next year and spend time in the studio finishing the record. We have five songs that we want to add to it. We’re really excited about how everything sounds.”
This interview was done prior to the release of their EP, but it is out now and it is filled with absolutely fantastic and fun music.
This interview was done prior to the release of their EP, but it is out now and it is filled with absolutely fantastic and fun music.
Cory Todd
Many people don’t know this, but the GRAMMYs plays a huge part in helping out small bands get themselves on their feet and touring. DTK are members of the GRAMMY Foundation, and are extremely thankful for all the help they’ve been given. In fact, Mongelli has an amazing story about her experience with the Foundation. “Actually, two of the people who are the head of the LA GRAMMYs, Kelley [Purcell] and Yvonne—we met them at a thing called Sunset Sessions…and now we keep in contact with them. So, the last few times we’ve been in LA, we’ve stopped by their office and told them about the new album, and they’ve been very excited.
“We just happened to be at a pre-GRAMMY party and…we’re actually on our way to tour, and all these big bands are playing. We didn’t know Jeff [manager] or the Village at the time, so we kept telling them, ‘Look, if any band drops out, Dig the Kid will totally play.’ We kept putting that out there all night. Well, a band did drop out, and there were about five minutes…everything was all set up, we just needed our guitars and drumsticks. So we go up there, we don’t have any of our pedals, we didn’t even tune. We go up on stage, and I announce, ‘We’re not supposed to be here but we’re going to play anyway.’ Well, Jeff, the owner, came up to shut us down. He was so mad, because we weren’t scheduled to play and he wanted to go home. He said [later], ‘you guys hit those drums, those guitars rang, and Cory’s voice sang, it just blew my mind. And I’m a jaded old man, I’ve been with everyone from Fleetwood Mac to the Foo Fighters, and I think you’re going to be the next big band. I want to help you.’ So now he’s our co-manager and executive producer on the next album…it’s nice to have the GRAMMYs as our friends.”
Todd then points out something that truly is amazing. “When you’re a kid, you see [the GRAMMYs] on TV, you hear about it, and you see the artists. You think that’s unattainable, way out there…and we’ve met with Kelley and Yvonne, and they’re always open, always there for us. It’s been nice to know that it’s not something that’s unattainable. It’s something that’s very real. Right now, we’re on a little bit of a campaign, we believe that we’re going to get there.”
Mongelli declares, “In 2016, we want to be up for a GRAMMY for the 2015 year. So we believe that 2015 is going to be our year, and we have a lot of people in the GRAMMYs who love our music and follow us. They’re crossing their fingers for us as well.”
The GRAMMYs does amazing things for artists and young people aspiring to be a part of this hectic industry. Dig the Kid has all that it takes to become the next big thing: fun music, dedication, energy, and the ability to dream big. So, help them out in achieving their goal; go listen to their EP and tell everyone about them. They’re not only amazing musicians, but also genuinely good people.
Dig the Kid rocks, and it’s time you rock out to their music.
“We just happened to be at a pre-GRAMMY party and…we’re actually on our way to tour, and all these big bands are playing. We didn’t know Jeff [manager] or the Village at the time, so we kept telling them, ‘Look, if any band drops out, Dig the Kid will totally play.’ We kept putting that out there all night. Well, a band did drop out, and there were about five minutes…everything was all set up, we just needed our guitars and drumsticks. So we go up there, we don’t have any of our pedals, we didn’t even tune. We go up on stage, and I announce, ‘We’re not supposed to be here but we’re going to play anyway.’ Well, Jeff, the owner, came up to shut us down. He was so mad, because we weren’t scheduled to play and he wanted to go home. He said [later], ‘you guys hit those drums, those guitars rang, and Cory’s voice sang, it just blew my mind. And I’m a jaded old man, I’ve been with everyone from Fleetwood Mac to the Foo Fighters, and I think you’re going to be the next big band. I want to help you.’ So now he’s our co-manager and executive producer on the next album…it’s nice to have the GRAMMYs as our friends.”
Todd then points out something that truly is amazing. “When you’re a kid, you see [the GRAMMYs] on TV, you hear about it, and you see the artists. You think that’s unattainable, way out there…and we’ve met with Kelley and Yvonne, and they’re always open, always there for us. It’s been nice to know that it’s not something that’s unattainable. It’s something that’s very real. Right now, we’re on a little bit of a campaign, we believe that we’re going to get there.”
Mongelli declares, “In 2016, we want to be up for a GRAMMY for the 2015 year. So we believe that 2015 is going to be our year, and we have a lot of people in the GRAMMYs who love our music and follow us. They’re crossing their fingers for us as well.”
The GRAMMYs does amazing things for artists and young people aspiring to be a part of this hectic industry. Dig the Kid has all that it takes to become the next big thing: fun music, dedication, energy, and the ability to dream big. So, help them out in achieving their goal; go listen to their EP and tell everyone about them. They’re not only amazing musicians, but also genuinely good people.
Dig the Kid rocks, and it’s time you rock out to their music.
 | Zoe Adler is a music journalist from Long Beach, California. Besides her website, which is her pride and joy, she works with the GRAMMY Foundation and the Long Beach Independent. Additionally, Ms. Adler is a musician, spending half of her time playing the flute, piccolo, trombone, and marching baritone. She has been with TeenView Music since the very start and hopes to make something of it in the future. |
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