Just because a band leave the OC for greener pastures doesn’t mean we’ll stop thinking of them as Locals Only material. Case in point: Voxhaul Broadcast. After years of honing their skills in San Clemente, the band headed to LA in 2008. These days, their sound transmits from the raucous LA bar scene, the taste-making frequencies of KCRW-FM 89.9, and from a small stack of EPs that burn and wail with every ounce of rock & roll soul they can muster. The stages they perform on are getting bigger. So are the crowds shouting out the lyrics to their songs. Alongside their friends Local Natives and the Union Line, the band have matured and continue to chart new levels of buzzworthiness. Following their well-received Rotten Apples EP, they are set to wrap up their debut full-length, Timing Is Everything, sometime in June. Utilizing the sorcery of producers Chris Thorne (Blind Melon) and Tom Biller (Silversun Pickups, Sea Wolf), these OC emigrants—made up of guitar-wielding front man David Dennis, guitarist Tony Aguiar, drummer Kurt Allen and bassist Phillip Munsey—are devising new approaches to a classic sound.
OC Weekly: What would you say to people who see you guys as following in the footsteps of your friends Local Natives or the Union Line in terms of exposure to a wider audience?
David Dennis: I wouldn’t say we’re following in footsteps. We’ve definitely been on tour together with all those bands, and they’re all good friends of ours. So as much as they’ve rubbed off on us, it’s really hard to follow in any band’s footsteps because everything about being in a band and trying to play music for a living is unpredictable as hell. There’s no real path.
Tony Aguiar: Even if we tried to do exactly what those bands would do, it would be a different result anyway.
What are some highlights you guys have had recording your upcoming album? Have you learned anything new about yourselves?
Dennis: In the past, we’ve done a lot of live recording because that’s just the kind of band we are. But we’re starting to realize that every song can benefit from taking time and finding what sounds complement the song better. So we’re trying to branch out in the recording process, too, and not just do everything live—even though that works for us really well and that’s the way we’ve always done it. That’s the way they did it in the ’60s, and we love a lot of that music, how honest it is.
Timing Is Everything—that title sounds like you have a message to convey. Why did you choose that for the album?
Aguiar: We [recorded] the Rotten Apples EP, and that was just some demo we did. We never intended it to be an album or an EP or even have half the success it did. So for us, [Timing] is our first album. We’ve just been doing EPs and demos, and now we’re finally putting together an album, a solid work of material that we’re really happy with.
Do you feel it’s important to be known as an OC-based band despite relocating to LA a few years ago?
Dennis: I’ve never really thought where we’re from was too much of a big deal. I’ve lived in so many different places over my life that where I’m from doesn’t really matter to me. Honestly, when I hear a record or a band I like, the first thing I wanna do isn’t look up where they’re from.
Voxhaul Broadcast perform with Big Bad Wolf, Honey Pie and Jameson at the Gypsy Lounge, 23600 Rockfield Blvd., Ste 3A, Lake Forest, (949) 206-9990. Fri., 8:45 p.m. Call for cover. 21+. For more info on the band, visit www.voxhaulbroadcast.com.
Hey, Orange County/Long Beach musicians and bands! Mail your music, contact info, high-res photos and impending show dates for possible review to: Locals Only, OC Weekly, 2975 Red Hill Ave., Ste 150, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Or e-mail your link to: lo********@oc******.com.
This column appeared in print as “Live From LA, OC Or Wherever They Are.”
