Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with Black Out Sirens
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
Ruben: My earliest memory is when I was 3 and I was listening to a Jackson 5 cassette tape with my mom in the car asking who was singing it. I vividly remember it being I want you back and ABC. I also remember going over to my cousins house and I was probably about 5 and he would play Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Deftones to fall asleep too as well as Dubstep like Skrillex.
Diego: My earliest musical memory was falling in love with the Beatles through one of their compilation CDs that my parents bought for me and my brother.
How did your passion for creating music begin?
Ruben: In High School My Friends and I at the time would make dumb rap songs and they were really bad. It taught me how to make music and doing covers was also fun.
Gabe: Late 2022, I think I was 18-19 years old. I was kinda late to the music game, but that was when I went to my first concert (MCR). Something about how those 40 year olds rocked on stage and genuinely had fun made me want to pursue music.
Diego: After watching a live video of The Frights I wanted to become a musician which lead me to stealing my brothers bass.
What’s the story behind your current music project?
Ruben: Pretty much Gabe and I got bored and wrote an album.
Gabe: Long story short, we HAD a full album on our spotify that we released when we were basically a 2-piece. Later down the line we decided we’ve grown so much as musicians and so much has happened that our old music does not reflect our best work and decided to scrap and rework everything from the bones.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
Gabe: Smashing Pumpkins meets Foo Fighters with MCR as the mistress.
Ruben: Our Project has Everything From Foo Fighters to Deftones. Other Major Influence include Weezer, Smashing Pumpkins, Joyce Manor, My Chemical Romance. Especially with this upcoming album we’ve been taking a lot from My Bloody Valentine and Title Fight. We even take from the Beatles and The Beach Boys in terms of Harmonies and Chord Progressions.
Diego: Foo Fighters and MCR if they were cringe
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
Gabe: I need to wait for the finished product before complaining about the song.. I’m really indecisive and stubborn when we write and now I know to just trust the process.
Diego: I learned how much time recording takes so I just prepare myself mentally for that now
Ruben: Just listening to what the song needs rather than feeding my own ego trying to write complicated stuff. If a song doesn’t work in its simplest form it doesn’t work at all.
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?
Gabe: My phone. And pain. Both are the common denominators in my writing process. Diego: Beer, cigarettes, weed and In-N-Out. My bass too I guess.
Ruben: I feel like My Yamaha Acoustic is my number one tool to write with. I also like physically writing lyrics down in a book as my brain just organizes better that way.
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
Gabe: Not sure if it counts but Dominic Fike’s always my #1 indie artist. Diego: Taxidermy by Clarion
Ruben: I’ve been really enjoying the Artist Ovlov. Their album AM is really good and I love the lofi sound of that album.
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?
Gabe: In nearly every way. A lot of what we write stems from personal experiences, whether it’s a single lyric to an entire song.
Diego: I’m just the bassist this is question for Ruben and Gabe
Ruben: I feel like personal experiences have affected my music in general, rewriting lyrics and songs to fit how I’m feeling at the time or even just writing how I’m feeling is how I write most of the time.
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
Gabe: Some things are just canon events in everyone’s lives. I went through it, so if you did too then that proves the canon event theory.
Diego: The feeling of “fuck yeah”
Ruben: I guess that no matter how much you feel alone you might never really be alone even if you feel that way. That there are people going through something similar.
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
Diego: Patience and learning to sleep on any couch available to you Ruben: I guess perseverance I’ve wanted to give up so many times and I still haven’t.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
Gabe: Madison Square Garden – A lot of my favorite artists have played there and it’s the biggest venue I can name off the top of my head. If Reading Festival still exists, that too.
Diego: Glass House pomona. P-TOWN BABY!!!
Ruben: Maxwells in Hoboken, The Glass House I guess im not focused on the place but if the vibes are there.
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
Gabe: Bring Me The Horizon. Love their music, and they’re always collabing with other smaller artists.
Diego: The Beatles. I need whatever shit they were on.
Ruben:I would have loved to pick apart John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s brain or even work with Brian Wilson.
Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links)
Spotify, Instagram
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
Gabe: Some kind of tour, whether it be across the country or just a west coast tour. Touring in general sounds amazing.
Diego: Getting paid for gigs
Ruben: I wanna release a full album, maybe tour if it’s possible.
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?
Gabe: That I secretly want fanfics written about all of us. Bonus points if i’m a priest, or if it takes place in some sort of Mythology.
Diego: That I’m beast af
Ruben: Idk they can figure that out.
