Interview with Sydney Sierota of Echosmith

I first heard of Echosmith because of their YouTube covers of many different popular songs. I was immediately drawn in by young Sydney's powerful vocals and the band's ability to put a great twist on songs, as opposed to trying to sound exactly like the original. Fast-forward a couple of years later, I bump into them earlier this March at Warped Tour Kickoff Party. Not only were they there, but they performed! Finding out that they were going to be playing on the tour was great news. Even better news was when they stepped on stage and even I was surprised at their sound. The band of siblings may look like they're too young to know who they are and what they're playing, but appearances can be deceiving. When I ran into Sydney and her brothers again at Warped Tour in Pomona, she promised we'd have some interview time soon, and she kept that promise. Hopefully you'll enjoy what she had to say.

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You probably get this question a lot, but do you think that it's a benefit that you guys are starting out at such a young age?

Yeah! I mean, I think there are advantages and disadvantages to being so young, and in this industry. I feel like there are definitely more advantages. I think it's been working really well. One, we have the rest of our lives to try this. (laughs) And two, I think people appreciate that we're young. Especially if they hear the music first. People really think it's cool. Even on Warped Tour, I really realized how awesome it is that we're pretty much the age of the people attending, which is really cool because when we talk to them it's like we're friends already. We're on the same level. It's kind of cool to see that, being used to talking to older people obviously, and we have older fans, but it's cool having fans that are your age and so young that you can really connect with automatically. And I think that they can really appreciate that too. Some people have said, "Oh that's so cool that you're actually doing something with your life this young." and I'm happy that I'm doing that, too, because I don't know what else I would do. I think it definitely has been working really well and I wouldn't want to do it any other way. And I think this is the way to do it, at least for us. It's been working way better than we could have expected.

Does it make things better or worse for you that you're all in the band together as siblings?

Actually, believe it or not, I think it's better. we've grown up and been with each other for 14 years - all four of us. Growing up together and we've been learning how to deal with each other for 14 years. Not every band can say that. We've been together 24/7 so we definitely know how to be together, but also how to have fun. It definitely takes a while to get to this point, but we're finally there. And obviously we know what pushes each other's buttons and all that stuff that everybody would know, but we've definitely gotten to the point where it's like, "Yeah, that's not really cool to do when you're on tour." So it works good because we really know what to do and what not to do with each other. We know each other so well and we're all really on the same page. We grew up listening to all the same stuff, so with music we're on the same page. We're pretty in sync with each other. And we like each other. That doesn't always happen with siblings or with bandmates. It's really cool, I like it.

What influenced your band's name change?

We're going through a transition stage anyway, and our music was evolving and we as people were evolving, and we were going through a transition in every way. Since we had a new sound and felt different, we all were thinking the same thing, that we should change the name so it could be a new chapter for us. And the other name felt a little young and "blah." The new name was cool because we all finally liked the same thing. It's cool because it's one word, easy to find, and the domain name was open! So that's always helpful when you're looking for names. It worked really well and it has a nice ring to it. When you're making a band name, you're thinking about it so much. Once it's already your band name, nobody really cares. They like your music, they're going to like your name usually. So that's how we decided to change it.

I first heard about you from YouTube long before the Warped Tour this year. How do you feel that your YouTube covers affected your early career?

I think YouTube covers are really cool and interesting and a good way to find bands. I've found bands myself that way. I think that we've had a decent amount of response from that and a lot of cool fans, but it's also important to post original stuff too and not just post covers and get stuck in that world. Which I think we're doing, so it's okay. In general I think it works really well, we got a lot of new people and it was fun to do some of my favorite fans songs and make it our own. It's a cool way to be creative.

The album cover artwork got some amazing response this past week. How are you feeling about the completion of the album and the upcoming release?

I'm so excited. It's so cool that we got to post the cover and it feels extra real now that we did that. Like I said, we're all so proud of it. We were writing for two years. We wrote 80 songs probably, and now it's down to 14 for the deluxe. It's finally done, we've done our first record. We have always dreamed of this. There are three songs out from the Summer Sampler, but it's really exciting to be like, "Wait! There's more. There's more for you to hear. There's more depth." I really like this record, because I've listened to records myself and gotten confused, thinking that one sounds like that one, or which one was that? I wanted to make sure that didn't happen with our stuff. That was one of my things. That happened, every song is different. Not one song could be compared to another. They're all definitely related, in the same family, and you can tell they're all from the same band, which I thought was really important. But I'm excited for it to be out for real and for people to hear it and grasp it. It's so exciting! It's our first record it should be. I think people are usually this excited for it. I feel really good and confident about it. People have already have great responses to the three songs. I think it's going to do really well. And the record has even more depth to it and other sides to us. So I'm really excited. We've had listening parties before shows where we have pizza and listen to the record or a few songs off of it, and people are loving it. It's so encouraging to see fans really appreciate all of our music.

And you seemed to have really great response on Warped Tour as well!

Yeah, it went so well. It's crazy, I didn't know or expect it to go like that because we're different. But I'm really happy that it wasn't what I expected.

What's been the most difficult thing that you've had to overcome? And how has that helped you grow?

Wow, that's a good question! I think just being young and accepting that. We haven't had that many crazy things to go through as a band, especially since we didn't really put anything out before our Summer Sampler and this record. Because there are so many bands that have to deal with their first, FIRST record that they aren't proud of. And they hate it, the sound isn't what they like. We're really happy that in the six years we were a band, we didn't really post anything. Or release anything. So that makes it easier not to have a rough patch to get past that record, which I think is usually a band's problem. Just being young is an interesting thing. I think now we're at good age and it's really working well being this age, but definitely at first some people hear we're young and kind of say, "Eh, I dunno..." and I mean, I even do that sometimes and I'm in a young band. It's dumb but it's a natural response sometime from people, to be like, "Oh, they're only..." or "The drummer is 14. Ahh, they must suck." That's what a lot of people think. But we turned it around and made it a good thing. I'd rather pleasantly surprise someone and end up being great, than the other way around. and they expect us to be great because we're young and then we suck. That's the biggest thing we've had to overcome. And the way you take pictures and do photo shoots, that makes a difference. The kind of poses you do. You have to be careful when you're so young. But I think we're definitely working with it now and knowing what to do and what not to do. So it's better now.

As for the writing aspect of the album, what were some of your inspirations?

For the album, we were writing for two years. A lot of that was developing and I think this album shows our perspective on life in general. Life inspired us. That's what should inspire songs. What you go through, what you're doing, how you feel about life in general. I think that's really important. You can tell how someone feels about life by their songs. Like with how it sounds, and what they say... But, I think we're all really positive and excited about life. I think you can tell that in the songs we have and the lyrics. We're not super  excited, energetic, upbeat in every song. There are some songs that break it down and get real. It's so simple, but it's really true - life just really inspired this album and we were just being honest about life and there wasn't anything super crazy, so it's not like "this situation inspired this album." Just growing up and living life is what this album is about.

What has been the most amazing moment of your career so far?

Jeez. That's a great question! It's so hard. I'm going back and forth between two situations. I would probably pick Detroit Warped Tour, which was in the middle. And that was a show that almost got totally shut down. Or one of the few, because there were a couple. But there were thunderstorms, windstorms, they even thought there might be a tornado. All of this stuff... and then everybody had to go inside. Every band, every fan, everybody had to stay inside this building for like an hour for protection. We were supposed to go on when they called everyone in. And then an hour later, we got a call saying, "Hey! You guys are first up on your stage. Go set up right now and play in 5 minutes!" So we freaked out and ran over there. It was the best show we played on Warped Tour and maybe even ever. We were on the Ernie Ball stage with 600 people there. They were so into it. Not just there, bu so into it and singing along and passionate about it. It was so cool to see that. I mean I have videos of people singing "Cool Kids" Every single person was singing it. It was so insane to see that. A little bit of a shocker but in a good way getting to see... people really like this band. We really were appreciating that. It was sort of a "wow" moment that I had on stage. I was so inspired.

What would be your dream collaboration?

I definitely would pick Chris Martin from Coldplay. He's just so good. Everything he does is so good. He's always inspired me. The way he writes songs and doesn't really follow any rules. It's so great. I would die to collaborate with him. I wouldn't die, but I think it would be pretty great.

Warped Tour Kickoff 2013 - Club Nokia - March 28, 2013

Brian Marquis, Scutterbug Photography

The evening started off with Brian Marquis looking sharp in a fancy shirt and tie, playing a captivating acoustic set, with lights that made the stage look like space, and one the crowd seemed to be waiting for. He's one that will make Warped Tour's Acoustic Basement worth visiting. (Also the man who created and runs it, for those who don't know!) Later realizing the show started and ended with acoustic sets made the whole night feel kind of cozy, even though the entire venue was totally packed. Echosmith (signed to Warner Bros. Records) was a pleasant surprise, as when they stepped up on the stage, the delicate, young female lead singer, Sydney, and her three accompanying young male band members seemed almost timid and very innocent looking. Sydney's outfit almost looked out of place with such a sweet face! I can say the crowd was probably not expecting such a strong, versatile voice to come out of such a tiny little lady, just the same way that I was surprised the first time I heard them. They rocked out and got the crowd interacting and moving around. Although I personally think Sydney's voice is perfect for acoustic performances, the band's performance was one of my favorites of the night. The show continued with one of the most amusing bands likely to have ever graced a fairly big time stage, New Beat Fund. They're California locals and had something

New Beat Fund, Scutterbug Photography

different going on than most Warped Tour concert-goers, Club Nokia, and myself have ever seen - a man in a ghost costume dancing on stage. Although they seemed out of place with the rest of the performers of the night, their lackadaisical performance seemed to be quite well received. They got the audience laughing and involved in their set, which seems to be rare of a newly emerging band or one that the crowd isn't familiar with.

Dia Frampton, Scutterbug Photography

It was an ultimate pleasure to see up close and personal performances by NBC's The Voice beautiful alums: season 1 runner-up, Dia Frampton (also of Meg & Dia), Juliet Simms, (also of Automatic Loveletter) and Charlotte Sometimes. The crowd seemed to be quite a fan of the strong, female vocal talents of the night. There's just something about that versatile ability that never seems to let you down - and all of these ladies' performances were impressive as usual.

Dia Frampton looked stunning as she took the stage with her usual raw, uplifting, soulful voice and subsequently wooed the crowd (which seemed to be dominated by men) with more than her good looks. Although The Voice may not be everyone's favorite in terms of television, it's safe to say she was appreciated nonetheless.

Juliet Simms, Scutterbug Photography

Juliet Simms is known by her many different forays into the music business, and being the singer for Automatic Loveletter is just one of them. It definitely gave her an advantage to be well known by the audience, many of whom were looking forward to and hoping for the "big" performances. (She showed up with boyfriend Andy Biersack of Black Veil Brides, who will also be on Warped Tour 2013.) 

Her voice has always seemed to be haunting and aggressive, in a way that has set her apart from many musicians, and even sitting down on a stool down stage, she brought her powerful voice that filled the room.

Charlotte Sometimes was a singer who I'd never had the pleasure of hearing before, but the crowd sure seemed to know her - they were whooping and cheering like crazy before she even started her set. Kicking off her shoes, and getting comfortable, she took the stage by storm with confidence - her voice loud and far reaching. She sounds a lot like Fiona Apple, who funny enough, Charlotte told me earlier in the evening during her interview, is one of her musical inspirations.

MC Lars, Scutterbug Photography

MC Lars, who I've been a personal fan of for years, got on stage wearing a Zelda Atari game around his neck, had his laptop rap station set up, as well as being accompanied by Andrea Blunt, on the violin. Not only was it surprising to see how many people in the audience knew MC Lars and his music, but at first there were murmurs and comments about why Lars would have a violin player/back-up singer with him and how that would fit in. As usual, he seemed to wing it and have the confidence that he could get away with anything. He played a few fan favorites,
including Flow like Poe, The Raven, Download This Song, and Hipster Girl. 

His fascination bordering on obsession with Edgar Allen Poe is both amusing and perplexing to some, but it sure makes for interesting "laptop rap." The beach balls he had bouncing around with notes and faces taped to them rounded things out for a very interesting set.

Big Chocolate, Scutterbug Photography

DJ Big Chocolate, like MC Lars, had a bigger fan base than one might realize before he got on stage. Apparently his listeners have traveled down the coast from Seattle, because the crowd was super psyched to hear him and his extra-long set. Not the type of music you would typically expect to hear on a big Warped Tour stage, but nonetheless an interesting set. As he says on his SoundCloud, "Forever evolving or always getting bored," Big Chocolate always seems to be up to something different. While his set may not have been everyone's personal cup of tea, especially those who were there especially for Chiodos (which there were many), we all know people like to have different types of music to listen to and it was certainly fun to mix it up from all of the female vocalists performing.

Gin Wigmore, Scutterbug Photography

Gin Wigmore, New Zealand native rocked the stage with a full band (she's better known as a singer/song-writer) and her sassy voice and moves. It's hard to speak for everyone, but it wouldn't be a shock if many were surprised to hear that she was much more than a pretty face. It was an enjoyable combination of the cheerful music paired with her accented voice. She's been compared to Amy Winehouse, a connection that certainly seems to fit well. Besides having absolute star quality, her songs are like earworms in the sense that they made a lasting impression after the show.

Craig Owens, Scutterbug Photography

Attendees seemed to be most excited for what would be the last two sets of the night, Chiodos and Craig Owens acoustic. Unfortunately, one of the members of Chiodos could not be there due to reasons I'm notat liberty to release, so Craig put together a 3-part acoustic set and had the crowd crooning along to well-known songs from Chiodos, as well as a personal favorite, "You Told Me You Loved Me," from Cinematic Sunrise. 

All in all, it seems that this was a great sample of the diversity that will be displayed at Warped Tour 2013 and all of the up and coming artists that show-goers will be discovering. Despite the controversy that the bands playing the last few years have not lived up to expectations of previous years, it's still exciting enough for people to come out to Warped dates and see what these artists have to offer.

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You can check out all of the above bands and artists on Facebook at the clickable link through their names, and check out the page for my talented friend Lan Nguyen (all photos above) on her Facebook at Scutterbug Photography.


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