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DoubleView with Dig the Kid at Monster Energy's Aftershock Festival 2014

9/28/2014

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Dig the Kid

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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. 
PictureBassist 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.    

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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.

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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. 

PictureLisa 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.    


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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.”

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.”

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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.

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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. 


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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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Interview with John 5 of Rob Zombie at Monster Energy's Aftershock Festival 2014

9/20/2014

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JOHN 5 AT AFTERSHOCK

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Prodigious guitarist from the age of seven, John 5 has played with the likes of David Lee Roth and Marilyn Manson before finding his place as Rob Zombie’s lead guitarist. His skills run the gamut from heavy metal to bluegrass to beach rock and classical guitar, and he switches between them seamlessly. He has released seven solo albums, and listening to them is an awe-inspiring experience. After just a few minutes, you have to wonder, “Could this all be from the same person?”

I caught up with John 5 at the Aftershock festival in Sacramento just before he and Rob Zombie put on a mind-blowing performance featuring ghoulish backdrops and a killer guitar solo spanning across several genres over the course of a few minutes.

So how are you?
I’m well. I’ve just been doing these shows and this will be the last part of …the tour, and then we’re going to finish the new Zombie record, and Rob’s going to do a new movie. I’m going to be doing the soundtrack with him on the movie, 31.

How long have you been on tour?
I don’t know. A long time. I love being at home; I do a lot of recording when I’m home. When I’m home too long, I like to be on the road; when I’m on the road too long, I like to be home.

Are you excited to play Aftershock?

Oh yeah. Here’s the thing—not to give you stock answers—I love this part of the country, I love being in California. I’ve been all over the world a thousand times, but I love Northern California…It is a real treat to be here.
I just put out an instrumental record called Careful With That Axe, and I’m going to be doing a streaming concert as soon as I get off tour, and it’s this Pay-Per-View thing, and people can see it all over the world. We’re going to do three concerts: one for the States, one for Europe, and one for the Pacific Rim…and that’s on October 18th, so it’s going to be really cool.

Are you going to change how you perform to target the different audiences?

No, I’m just going to play my instrumental songs and do what I do. It’s the first time I’ve ever done anything like this. It’s going to be cool, and Chris Broderick from Megadeth is going to host it.

Where did the idea come from?

People ask me to tour, and I have no time to tour, so I just thought, oh, I’ll cover the world with just a few shows.

You have done seven solo albums, and you don’t really stay in just one genre. Where are you pulling all these influences from?

I just sit on the couch and I play. I love to just hang out and play guitar, play different styles. It’s just like eating the same food, you get tired of it and you need a variety. And that’s how I am with music, too.

Your parents supported you as a kid in music as long as you received a good education. Did that make you resent education?

Well, I would play these nightclubs, and I would get home really late. My mom would say, “As long as you get up for school the next day, you can do it.” So, I always did. I never dragged or smoked or anything, so she was very trusting.  I would say it worked out really well, because here I am.

What is it like to work with other legendary people?

Some of my idols growing up are some of my greatest friends today, and it is really an honor to be a part of a certain bands’ history. If you’re writing songs and music with them, it’s great. It’s a real honor. And it’s weird sometimes, cause you’re thinking, I had this guy’s posters on my wall when I was young and now I’m writing a song with him. I never wished it when I was a little kid—my dreams never went that far. I just wanted to be a session musician. It’s incredible, it really is a dream come true.

The album that you recorded with your band 2wo (two), have you ever thought about releasing them?
I never really did. It’s the same with Loser [band he formed from 2005-06]. I didn’t ever even think about it, really. I had this choice to continue on with Loser or join Rob Zombie, and I think I made the right choice. Ten years later, it’s the greatest thing I’ve ever done, being in the Zombie band. I wouldn’t change it for the world.

So you find that the people in Rob Zombie are just great people?
  They are my brothers. I get offered all these things, but I would never do anything else but this.

How do record labels treat you?
I don’t deal with labels any more. I just do it all myself, and it’s probably the greatest decision I’ve ever made in my life. It’s unbelievable. I have never had as much money as I do now. Labels, they take eighty, eighty-five percent, and the artist gets nothing. It just been one of the smartest things I’ve ever done.
It was frightening, because my whole life I’d done everything through record labels, but I thought, Let me just try this and see what happens. And it just took off… To give you an example, a record label will give you an advance on a record, and then that’s really all. I’m still making money on one of the first albums I’ve ever done, so it’s just the right way to go.

What advice would you give a small, up-and-coming band who’s trying to do it themselves?
I would say to just try and get yourself out there as much as possible… Just get out there and play live. YouTube, social media, Facebook, that stuff is so useful… The most important one is TuneCore, it’s where you put your music on there, and ninety-nine percent of the [money] comes back to you. It’s great; TuneCore is incredible. They release your record and it goes all over the world.

If you could interview someone, some artist, who would it be?

I’d probably want to interview Eddie Van Halen. I know Ed, but I would like to interview him.

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If you don’t know any of John 5’s solo works, it’s definitely time you look it up. Mind-blowing guitar solos intertwined with expert riffs and skilled banjo playing mix into some amazing records that are definitely worth listening to. 

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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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