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It's All Happening! Hosted by Nia Robinson is a show that talks in depth with some of the most elusive artists in the business. Nia dives deep into the underbelly of the music business with behind the scenes Interviews and music with up-and-coming alternative artists from around the world. That's pretty slayy! We also air on 91.5FM KUNV :)
Unknown Speaker 0:00
You're listening to locally produced programming created in KU NV studios on public radio K, u and v 91.5. The content of this program does not reflect the views or opinions of 91.5 Jazz and more the University of Nevada Las Vegas, or the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education.
Unknown Speaker 0:21
This is our very first episode here on 91.5. The rubble HD two, I know some of you may know me from being in San Francisco. I did transfer so we are just taking what we did there. And we're just bringing it out here to the Wild West in Las Vegas, Nevada. amazing city. This city has heart I know people think you know all different things about Vegas, the casinos and the parties, which yes, you know, parties are great, but I really learning more about the history of Vegas, and talking to the people in the different communities here. This is really the city that has heart and Vegas has so much to prove, especially when it comes to the Hardcore scene. And speaking of the Hardcore scene, I have Piper from Roman candle. She is our wonderful guest today. And we're just going to be talking about what is happening with roman candle, any new music happening, just everything. And also they are going to be performing this Sunday, October 1 at American Legion Post age. And we'll be getting into that later on in this episode. For right now I'm here with one of our amazing producers Wesley Knight, right here at UNLV. So he's just really helping us behind the scenes and he is also a part of the Las Vegas hardcore scene. So can you tell me a little bit about the Las Vegas hardcore scene? And you know, you said that you're from Vegas? You grew up here? What was your experience? Like just being in the scene growing up and also just being a Vegas kid? Because I know so many people are like Vegas kids. What? Is that even a thing?
Unknown Speaker 2:00
Yeah. So I will clarify one thing. I am not born and raised here. But I moved here when I was seven. And I've been here ever since. So it's been like, over 20 years I've been here. So I'm like I'm a transplant. I became a local by growing up here. My history and the local scene. started kind of through friends. So me and my best friend Matt. Shout out, buddy. We both got into punk music. When we were like 1011 1213 years old. Wow.
Unknown Speaker 2:36
I'm jealous. I was I was into the 80s when I was like 1011. So I would buy Madonna Billy Idol. Yeah, I was really into the 80s when I was like 10
Unknown Speaker 2:45
That's awesome. I was I was all into like, I was all into like before my time quote unquote, like music and pop culture when I was younger to still still am in some regards. But he and I found like punk rock through he grew up with it with with his dad who is a Vegas native, and was part of the scene as far back as like the 1980s. And so he was growing up on this music and I kind of found my way to it myself. largely by way of like the Tony Hawk soundtracks, like the skater soundtracks.
Unknown Speaker 3:20
Yeah, no, I like every time I talk to someone who skateboards. I'm like, oh, yeah, like, I know, Tony Hawk, and that they like look at me, like everyone knows. But they just look at me with like the blanket stare
Unknown Speaker 3:32
I actually didn't really get to I'm 29. Now, I really didn't have much of the opportunity when I was in like my late teens and early 20s to make it out to shows but because Matt used to play in a in a band. I actually can't say the name because it's not clean for radio. Oh, yeah, it's bad. It really is. I'll tell you later, but they just kind of had like a bit of a, like a half serious kind of band. And because of that, and going to shows himself, he got to know people in the bands of the scene at the time. So this would be back in like 2010. So shout out to the CG shout out to roid rage. Shout out to everybody that ever played at yo Yos, tacos, or any of the other old DIY spots that are no longer around. So my history with the scene nowadays, is just like you're talking about going into shows at American Legion Post eight, going into different all ages, venues wherever they can be found. And being over 21 helps a lot too. But there are so many people who are young, too and they don't have anywhere to go. And I know that our local scene is very serious about a foreseeable At any one thing it's about being a welcome Environment and Community for anyone of all ages. And I'm proud to say that we keep that up. So my history going to shows now is just knowing people in the scene by way of Oh, I knew that guy I knew this person and just kind of making connections so that's how I got to know I got to know awesome people like Cody Levitt, who runs asteroid and records. Zoe who runs Hal house booking and and then we'll mention it before mentioned it again. But black path booking, they are like the power high my estimation, they are the powerhouse for your local DIY, punk rock and hardcore music. They're really like this scene is I think the scene is thriving. There was definitely a period of time where that was not the case. But I think over the last 1015 years or so that that's completely changed. I just love the music. I love the camaraderie I love, like obviously, the music itself, like you just got to love punk music. But I really liked that it's a space for all people to be welcomed, like you're saying, whether whether you are part of the LGBT QA plus community or you're like me, and you're just an ally,
Unknown Speaker 6:27
I love what the scene does, especially for young creatives. It really is an out I feel like it really is an outlet and definitely just a place to go when you're young and also just trying to find what else is out there in the world. And it it really has created so many great things and has really definitely brought people together in a way that I definitely could have never imagined it's such a beautiful thing to see happening in real time. Alright folks, that is just some stuff about me DJ Rob and and thank you so much for our one of our amazing producers and sound engineers here who was also very very well acquainted with the Las Vegas hardcore scene Wesley Knight thanks for joining us very
Unknown Speaker 7:09
welcome. Catch it catch you at the next show of the punks stay hydrated and, and be cool.
Unknown Speaker 7:17
All right, thank you so much. Now let's get into the interview with roman candle. I would like to give a very special thank you and shout out to one of my one of my most favorite people ever and she is also my colleague Sarah Hendrickson, thank you so much. None of this would be possible without you. You are such an amazing person to work with. Roman Candle are a four piece hardcore band from Las Vegas, Nevada, formed in early 2022. They released their debut EP discount fireworks in October 2022. And today I will be speaking to the lead singer Piper about roman candle, what they're up to as well as upcoming shows and more. Right here on 91.5 FM. The rebel HD two. I am here with piper of the band roman candle. How are you today? I'm
Unknown Speaker 8:05
good. How are you?
Unknown Speaker 8:06
I'm pretty good. Awesome. So can you tell us who was all in the band? Like the band members names?
Unknown Speaker 8:11
Yeah, for sure. So there's me. I do vocals. And then there's Bryson, who is the drummer. Jonas does guitar and is also the one who records all of our music. And then Nico is on base.
Unknown Speaker 8:24
Awesome. So you guys are a fairly new band. How long have you been playing together?
Unknown Speaker 8:30
We've been playing together for a little under a year as of this month.
Unknown Speaker 8:34
All right, cool. So your name is Roman candle and I know that has to do with a certain type of firework. How did you come up with a name like that?
Unknown Speaker 8:43
Um, so it's actually an Elliot Smith song. Elliott Smith is like, super sad, like Acoustic Singer. And he's like one of my favorite musicians ever. And he has a song and an album called roman candle. And I suggested that we should cover that song to Jonas when the band first started. And he was like, why don't we just named the band roman candle? And I was like, yeah, that's, that's sick.
Unknown Speaker 9:04
That's cool. I like that. What music or artists has inspired you to make music? Like what are your musical inspirations?
Unknown Speaker 9:12
Oh, that's a good question. I feel like we all kind of collectively pull from a lot of like, late 90s, early 2000s Hardcore, like bands like poison the well and converge and bands like like that. But I mean, there, there are so many, just random influences that we all have to that kind of pour into the sound that we have right now.
Unknown Speaker 9:36
Awesome. Now I also know that you do digital design. That's super dope. Thank you. And I really like I've been stalking you about Instagram. I really liked the one that says art star. It's kinda like the 40s girl. It says art started. Thank you so cool. How did you get started into that? And yeah, just tell me a bit about that.
Unknown Speaker 9:54
For sure. Design is something I kind of stumbled into an accident. So I'm born and raised in Vegas. I went to sector for high school, which is like a magnet school and my major there was photography. So I was doing photography for a really long time. And I kind of had like an idea of how Photoshop worked. And one day I just kind of got sick of doing photography. And I was like, I want to do something else. And I just stumbled across the work of Roy Cranston, who is now one of my favorite designers on Adobe Behance. And I was like, Oh, I know how to work Photoshop. I can make that and then I just kind of fell into this rabbit hole. And it's all I did for like, we want to say like a year straight. I was designing something like every single day, I was just obsessed with it. And it just, I don't know, kind of just stumbled into it, I guess.
Unknown Speaker 10:39
Oh my god, that's so cool. Um, so coming back to the Vegas hardcore scene. There's not that many women or femme presenting people, but it's starting to get you know, more fun power out there more woman power out there. How do you feel to be coming onto the scene with so many other women from bands like surfboard, Star color, Chroma, and so many more? How does it feel to be a part of something like that? It's really cool.
Unknown Speaker 11:01
I mean, I was I've been going to show since 2017. So since like, my senior year of high school 2018 I guess that was yeah, like 2018 and when I first started going, there was only a handful of girls that were that would even go to shows. And there were no girls that were really in bands as far as I knew, at least in this specific realm of hardcore that I was in but now like, there's so many girls that go and they dance and they show up and there's this kind of thing in Vegas hardcore, where I feel like all of the women in the scene really just like get along with each other which is really cool. Like there's no weird beef there's no like, I feel like we're very on the same page and it's really cool to see that and it's really cool to be like in a I guess female fronted band and see how many younger girls are like oh, I want to be in a band I want to front a band because I see you front of band and that I don't know it's it's really special.
Unknown Speaker 11:58
It definitely is and I think it's amazing that you guys are doing this you guys are such an inspiration. And another song that I really liked from your album is a dreamer here it is.
Unknown Speaker 14:00
You with us you
Unknown Speaker 15:10
I remember when I went to my very first function, I think this was like, I think it was like around 2018. It was in LA at this underground venue called the smell. And I first time going there, I was like, What in the world is happening? And I was like, I need to go back. And I made it like a whole thing to go with me and my homies. And we did that until the pandemic happened. Yeah. Yeah, that's super cool. Now, are you about to go on towards burials? Is that what's happening? So
Unknown Speaker 15:36
you know, we're playing a show with burials. We're opening for them October 1, which is on Sunday at Legion, and then we're going on tour with this band called dying wish, which is another they're like a huge female fronted hardcore band. I remember seeing them like, it was one of my first hardcore shows, and like, 2018, I saw them and we're gonna be opening up for them and a couple other really cool bands.
Unknown Speaker 15:57
All right, awesome. How did you get connected with these bands?
Unknown Speaker 16:01
Um, so what happened with roman candle was we played a show at the spot called the barrio bowl. And it was a very short lived little DIY spot here in town. It was just like an empty pool. And there was a video of us that went viral of us playing that it was it was just packed. I mean, there was like a line wrapped around the block to get into the show. And there were so many people inside the pool outside the pool, like it was insane. And it just that video blew up. And the next thing you know, we're getting calls from like, labels and booking agents and managers, and we ended up getting, we are getting a deal with sound talent group. And we're working with this guy named Jake Zimmerman. And he man or not manages he books, a ton of different bands in the Hardcore scene. So that's kind of how we got the distinguished thing. That was our first like, big tour that he put us on. Oh, wow, congratulations
Unknown Speaker 16:50
on going on this tour. And that must feel so amazing. Especially coming from Vegas and putting Vegas on the map and note showing that Vegas is a big city. It's a heavy hitter like New York, LA San Francisco.
Unknown Speaker 17:01
Yeah. And that's like the whole goal with the Hardcore scene in Vegas. I mean, it's not even just a thing. That Roman Candle is doing. Black path booking and all the other bands that play with you know, I guess us and all the all the local shows out here. Like we really tried to put Vegas on the map. It's it's been a goal of everyone's collectively for the past, like five years, and it's really cool to see that it's finally like coming to fruition.
Unknown Speaker 17:27
Yeah, awesome. Congratulations. Now, I also heard that you guys have a few upcoming shows in Santa Ana and LA with better lovers and entry. Can you tell me a bit more about that?
Unknown Speaker 17:38
Yeah, I'm the better lover show. I don't really know how exactly we got asked to be on those. I think that was a thing that Jake handled. I kind of sort of did some design stuff for better lovers when they first like, we're like, oh, we're going to be a band we need something like ASAP the the stuff I did for them didn't get approved. But there was still that connection that was made. And then they're also on the same management under the same management company that we are. So I think it was just kind of one of those you know,
Unknown Speaker 18:05
yeah, so just like works out for Yeah, exactly. Cool. So you guys released your first EP discount fireworks back in October 2022. It's been almost a year and fans want to know if there's any new music coming soon.
Unknown Speaker 18:17
It is in the works. We have are working on a full length right now. There's been a lot of discussions with labels that have kind of been like delaying the process of putting it out but it is I want to say 75% done maybe 50% done
Unknown Speaker 18:37
so excited. Like so many peppers. I was like oh my god. Yes.
Unknown Speaker 18:40
I don't know. See to me, I think that it's it's close to being done. But like to Jonas who is like one of the main songwriters or Vegas, he is the main songwriter. And the producer, like, you know, he records everything he's very like, this isn't even close to being done. But that's just because, you know, he's very detail oriented, and we want it to be perfect.
Unknown Speaker 19:00
Okay. Yeah, definitely understandable. I really liked the songs OG era and survivor's guilt. Thank you. What was the thought process for writing those songs? And what is the band's songwriting process as a whole?
Unknown Speaker 19:13
Um, that's a good question. So I'll do Oh dreamer first, and then I'll tell you how we wrote survivor's guilt. So Oh, dreamer. I wrote the first half of that on guitar. And then I showed Jonas, the riff and he was like, Oh, that's really sick. And then we showed it to Bryson, the drummer and then he added drums on top of it, and then I did vocals last. And lyrically for that I just, you know, a lot of themes of like, childhood trauma, I guess. And then for survivor's guilt, actually, Jonas wrote the lyrics for that, and the guitar part and then we showed Bryson the, you know, those two pieces and then he wrote the drums on top of it, and then I recorded vocals.
Unknown Speaker 19:52
That's so cool. I really liked survivor's guilt. It's honestly one of my favorite songs off of the EP. Let's go ahead and give it a look. Son?
Unknown Speaker 22:43
All right, and is there anything else that fans should know about roman candle or anything you would just like to say
Unknown Speaker 22:48
nothing in particular about roman candle but I just want to give a few shout outs to my Vegas people shout out black path outlook one 800 Dead us Zoe Hell House if you're ever looking for a place to go somewhere to hang out you know a good show to see definitely hit them up. Listen to dreaming Maria and dredge and dissociate and scrutiny all the all the Vegas hardcore bands that are really putting us on the map. Keep showing up and showing out and that's all.
Unknown Speaker 23:18
Once again that was paper for Roman candle. If you are interested in seeing Roman Candle play live and want to experience a local Vegas scene for yourself. They will be playing at American Legion post date this Sunday, October 1, doors open at 6pm and they will be playing with burials altars of Iran dissociate and 1000 ways to die. American Legion Post eight is located on 733 North Veterans Memorial Drive in Las Vegas, Nevada. I'm DJ Robin and that was Roman candle on 91.5. The rebel HD two. This last track I will play for you all is called Mad girls love song. See later.
Unknown Speaker 23:57
She likes almost everything she knows about him. But lots of what she knows is in her own imagination. He's willing to promise the world but he is probably unable to give even himself. What a lovely picture this bride and groom. They might have found each other but instead they've remained strangers. Each is a dream and the others mind. They don't want to accept each other as they really are. They would rather change each other to satisfy their own ambitions. That's why they're doomed to fail.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai