Cardiac Arrest (WoodysProduce Remix)
There’s no denying that Woodland Hills four piece Bad Suns are on the up and up. With gaining radio love and backing from Vagrant records, these fellas are taking their post-punk sounds to the masses. With that in mind, we wanted to get a few quick questions answered by frontman Christo. Check out what he had to say about being influenced by The Cure, who their dream collaboration would be, and the always present but never use BBQ sauce.
TMN: Hey guys! Thank you so much for taking some time to answer a few questions for us. We loved your show in Denver! Let’s kick this off by talking about your journey up until this point. How did you guys start off?
Christo: Gavin and I met in school. Aside from that, we all met through music and jumping around from band to band.
TMN: What were those early times like? What were you guys writing about?
Christo: Miles, Gavin, and I have been playing in a band together for five years now. We’d have band practice every day, after school. From the beginning, it was apparent that we were all people with the same level of passion for playing music. We’ve always kept at it, and we’ve worked at getting better, over the years. By the time we met up with Ray, our friends were applying to colleges, or already in college, and we were set on making this band work.
TMN: One thing that was undeniably apparent was the set of lungs on Christo. Good god. Did those come from years of vocal practice or was god just smiling down on you the day you were born?
TMN: Let’s fast forward to signing with Vagrant. That’s one label that has to be overwhelming to get an email from. Not only have they carried some massive names in punk music, but tons of notable indie rock acts as well. Talk to us about that moment.
Christo: It was great, as you could imagine. The fact that record labels were reaching out, at all, was surreal. As soon as we met with them to get to know one another and discuss the band, it was clear that we were on the same page.
Christo: I have to thank my dad for introducing me to that music, at a young age. We all listen to so many different kinds of music that have influence on us as well. The Cure was one of the first bands I fell in love with; Robert Smith’s melodies have remained with me, since then.
TMN: So, as we mentioned before, you guys are signed onto Vagrant. One thing that we love in this era of music is the collaborative nature. Is there a particular label mate that you’re looking forward to working with?
Christo: I’ve never really given that much thought. It would be very cool to work with Alexander Ebert, one day. He strikes me as an extraordinary modern musician.
TMN: Following up on that, if you could pick your dream collaboration with any person in music, who would it be?
Christo: We’ve all been listening to a lot of Tycho over the past year or so. He’s coming out with a new album that we’re excited about. It’s all instrumental music, but it’s really beautiful and sonically interesting. Maybe one day he’ll let me sing on a song. I think that would be an awesome collaboration.
TMN: Let’s touch back on this current tour that you’re on. How has the reception been city to city? Did it seem like certain cities had a grasp on your music more than others?
Christo: We recently wrapped up our first ever tour of the US. It was a blast. Certain radio stations, in certain towns we visited, have already been playing our songs on the radio, so that would definitely be evident at shows. In Kansas City, we had a room full of people singing our songs back at us. That was insane.
TMN: With festival season coming up, we have to ask, what’s “the one” that’s on your bucket list? Lolla? Coachella? Bonaroo?
Christo: To be honest, they all are. We’re from Southern California, so Coachella is a huge deal to us. That was the first big music festival I had ever gone to, back in 2011, and it changed my life. Gavin was there with me; it had the same impact on both of us.
TMN: Before we get into some random questions, lets wrap this portion up by talking about what’s on the horizon. What can your fans and our listeners expect out of you moving forward?
Christo: We’re in the studio, working towards the completion of our album, which should be out in the summer. We’ve never been more excited about something. We truly believe that this album will be something special. We’ll also be touring all year.
TMN: Ok, let’s switch gears. First and foremost, we would like to know what 80’s movie you guys would appear on, had you been releasing music back then?
Christo: Less Than Zero. I read the book, years ago, but only just watched the movie the other night. Such a surreal and provocative depiction of that specific culture happening in LA at the time.
TMN: If you could collab with any 80’s pop artist, who would you choose?
Christo: Honestly, probably Danny Elfman, during Oingo Boingo’s “Dead Man’s Party” era. He’s a genius, and my gut tells me that would be an exciting studio experience.
TMN: We’re guessing you guys are around the same age as us, so let’s talk 90’s. Who was your first celeb crush? Kelly Kapowski? Jenny McCarthy? Dish up some deets.
TMN: What are some weird touring rituals/superstitions you guys have?
Christo: Honestly, there’s nothing like that. When we’re at home, we’re spending all of our times together, anyways. Touring is just an extension of that, for us. It’s the same group of friends, playing music together as we would, except now we’re getting to travel as well. It’s pretty great.
TMN: Name three things that are always in your fridge, no matter what.
TMN: Alright, last but not least, the question we ask everyone. If your music were an animal, what would it be?
Christo: I had an odd dream last night. My swimming pool turned into a murky portal, and all of these weird animals were filling my yard. Amongst them was this obnoxious hybrid-fish/bird/lobster creature. FUCK that thing, definitely not that. I’d say Bad Suns is a lion. I’m a horoscopic Leo, so that might have some influence on my thinking. The rest of the band are all Libras. Still, I think our band is a lion.
