Melodime w/ the Brevet
The Mill — Thursday, Oct. 25 at 8 p.m.
Southern California alt-rockers the Brevet released their third album, LEGS, earlier this month — a growl-y, danceable collection of anthems just waiting for a sea of glowing cell phones raised high. The band — Aric Chase Damm (vocals/guitar), David Aguiar (drums/percussion), John Kingsley (guitar), Greg Burroughs (keys) and Julian Johnson (bass) — brings their relentless energy from the West coast to The Mill on Thursday, Oct. 25 when they open for Virginia’s Melodime. Show starts at 8 p.m.; tickets are $12.
Damm, who injects a steady dose of SoCal soul into his vocals, answered some questions for Little Village via email ahead of the band’s visit.
You started out writing for film soundtracks. How does adding layers to someone else’s story differ, in the writing process, from telling your own?
It’s been an interesting road for us. We really weren’t writing directly for film. I think the themes and moods I was writing about happened to fit into those spots. Film has always been in our crosshairs because of me going to school for acting. I think that definitely influenced how I write and what I write about.
In what ways do you feel the Brevet embodies or rejects the SoCal musical aesthetic? How do you carry Orange County with you on the road?
Growing up in a place like Orange County definitely influenced me musically. There have been so many successful bands/ musicians that have come out of there so, as a kid, you’d be listening to your hometown heroes quite a bit.
The title of your newest album, LEGS, is an acronym for “Like Every Great Story.” What do you feel makes a great story? Can you give us one classic and one contemporary example of great stories that resonate with you?
I feel that a struggle makes a good story. We’ve all read or seen those stories of someone gathering the strength to overcome a massive obstacle. One book/movie that comes to mind is Unbroken. Also, I know David is currently watching Gladiator in the back of the van. That one has a pretty incredible story about struggle, strength and overcoming obstacles.
How did you come together with the other members of the band? Do you have a great “origin story”?
We don’t really have some cool story on how we met. I wish I could tell you we all got in a bar fight together or something.
In what ways does live performance inform your storytelling ability?
Seeing an audience’s true, unaltered reaction to a song they may have never heard is the best. It teaches us so much about how it connects or doesn’t connect with them. We’ve learned so much by playing to all different kinds of audiences this past year.
