The Q-Tip Bandits, formed at Berklee College of Music, stopped by the WERS studios for Wicked Local Wednesday. WERS' Risa Tapanes sat down with Leo Son, lead vocalist and guitarist, and Claire Davis, vocals and bass guitarist, to talk about their beginnings, their influences, and the story behind the band’s name.
How did you all meet and when did you start performing together?
Leo Son: Claire and I met at a recording session for one of our friends who’s a producer. He makes electronic music, and wanted live instrumentation for it, and he got us all together for a rehearsal. I remember, if you know that song “The Joker” by The Steve Miller Band, that was the jam we were playing — it was just a one, four, five, really basic. And for me, music is always meant to be simple. Something that’s simple, that’s beautiful, that’s played together. Everything has its place, and nothing’s there to show off. And, I think for the first time while at Berklee, it’s just so intimidating. It was really nice just to do something simple and play.
I remember after that session, a bunch of us in that group went and got breakfast. Claire and I both love the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and that was a conversation we got into. Then we got together to jam... and the group at the time was called Erroneous Monk and The Q-Tip Bandits, but that was a completely different configuration. We had a cellist, a hand percussion, and a saxophone, and then it just turned into a rock trio. It felt right to have it simplified — in the realm of ‘as simple as we can make it’ where we can get a message across. I think the group of people we found just happen to fit that mold.
What does “The Q-Tip Bandits” mean?
LS: Oh man! The Q-Tip Bandits... I used to tell this elaborate story. I’m gonna save myself the energy, and your ears, but really we were just shooting the sh*t and it just came up! I just said, 'The Q-Tip Bandits' and the cellist we were playing with at the time, and the drummer from the original configuration, were like, 'That’s a great name, but maybe for a different project.' Then the first show we played, I was just like, 'Hey, we’re The Q-Tip Bandits,' and it just landed.
At first it was an elaborate story about gremlins, and the wilderness, and big storms, but now it really just means cleaning people’s ears out, ya know? There’s a lot of things out there... for me, personally, everything has its place in music and everything has its purpose. But for me, I wanna be in the side of things where our music is helping people and it has a message and it’s not just noise for the ears to be pleased with.
How would you describe your music?
Claire Davis: We’ve gotten a lot of different labels for our sound, none of which have really been accurate.
LS: It’s hard to put a label on it, really! I love hearing the example though. I like hearing how people interpret it.
CD: We’ve gotten reggae-jazz...
LS: Reggae-jazz! The other day, we heard pop-punk-ska, and I was like, 'cool.' We’re like the Red Hot Chili Peppers with the horn section — angst-y, ripe — these are things that have been thrown out that we sound like.
CD: I think to describe us in a flavor would be indie-strawberry Pop Rocks.
LS: Yeah! You know, it’s got the sweet, but also a little kick to it!
What are some other bands or artists that you collectively gain inspiration from?
CD: Well, this man really loves Hippo Campus!
LS: I love Hippo Campus!
I was thinking that because Hippo Campus was in the WERS studio a couple of months ago, and listening to you guys, I said “I can see them touring together!”
LS: Yes! That’s what I’m saying! Jake, Nate, if y’all are reading this interview, I’m about it.
CD: In terms of local acts, we love our boys from Los Elk.
LS: Yes, they’ve been really cool. Just getting to know the guys, even at a very brief level, they just seem very down to earth, and that’s something we want to emulate. There’s also Gentle Temper, I love them! Ryan and Marion are so cool. I’m happy to know them. But yeah, those are definitely two groups we like, musically and personally.
What has been your most memorable performance as a group?
CD: I think our Red Room one!
LS: I think every band only gets a full-band show once, right? And that was at The Burren for us a little over a year ago. It was the first show we played together as a group. And we talk about how music is supposed to give back, and this whole idea of the community behind music, and how it’s not just an art, not just a face... this is a community and the songs are supposed to bring people together. We sold out that room on a Sunday night, and that was the least of my expectations. I did not think that would happen, and then people showed up, and people wanted to be a part of it. That meant so much to me.
And our Red Room show too! So many people just trickled in that we didn’t even know, and it was one of those things like, 'I think we’re doing something people wanna hear!' It’s incredible because it really just started because I just needed to play some music, I need to write something. I need to make something that helps me get through the day, and to have it connect with so many people is incredible.
CD: The Red Room show was also the first show that we played with the horn section. We didn’t have the horn section until around a half a year ago, maybe a little more than that. So horns are relatively recent to the sound, and I think they’ve added a lot.
LS: Yes, love The Horn Boys... er, Horn Men. They prefer ‘Horn Men’!
Do you guys have any upcoming shows in the Boston area that we can see you at next?
LS: Yes, Thunder Road on Thursday, September 19. We are playing with The Group Activity and Whale Tail. We’ll be headlining the night.
