For this early summer-time entry, I sought out the summer sound of Echolyptus, my current favorite Santa Rosa band.
I met its members for a smoke-sesh rap-sesh outside their house in Roseland, which contains their rehearsal space and their recording space, Thorn Rose Studios. Their current smoke-sesh lineup includes Jaz Pa!ge, the singer, rhythm guitarist and principal songwriter; Cesar “Crow” Lopez, drummer, recordist and studio engineer; and Kevin Santucci, lead guitar. Their newest member, Ella Hoffman, subs for former bassist Chris Olney.
Currently, Echolyptus is tuning up for a West Coast tour with sludgy Santa Rosa shoe-gazers Ulyssescfm. They also have a new EP. Scan the QR and listen to their sound while skimming this. I recommend “U+Me=Infinity.”
CH: You have a new album. Congratulations. What’s the album name and lead single?
EL: Girl on Rose Avenue and “U+Me=Infinity.” Though people have been digging the groovy dark funk of “Backseat.” We would say the self-titled song, “Girl on Rose Avenue,” holds the energy of the entire EP.
CH: A candidate for SoCo song of the summer. What’s the sound of the album?
EL: We have the flexibility of switching stylistically. The album has the ethereal dreaminess of dream pop but also punk, post-punk, gothic, surf and garage sounds. It’s got a lot of flavors in there!
CH: What are the album’s influences?
EL: B-52’s, The Police, Broadcast, The Sundays, Bam Bam Zounds, The Cranberries.
CH: Doubtless, you will continue to influence others. How was the album written?
EL: Jaz wrote the lyrics and the core rhythm guitar parts, and the band noodled on them until the songs became what they need to be. We give each other notes.
CH: What is the message or the journey of the album?
EL: The songs were written by Jaz between 18 and 26. They hold the energy of pain, anger, feelings of abandonment, self-doubt and grief, processing really difficult friendship and relationship losses and hard breaks.
CH: The struggle, and you can dance to it. What destination does the album arrive at?
EL: A place of accountability, acceptance, self-forgiveness, and the other, self-support and love.
Click here to listen to the whole album. Echolyptus needs more followers and collaborators. They are open to co-writing songs, hopping on bills, recording your stuff at their Thorn Rose Studio and collaborating every which way, especially with musicians in the area and double especially with POC-fronted bands rocking the alt space.
cool!! attractive group, lovely sound.
Ecolyptus is also one of my faves! Check them out, they rock.