Names and Ages:Jordi James – 17
Josh Biondillo – 18
Scarlett Stevens – 18
Nick Gardner – 18
Label: unsigned
Albums/EPs: Golden Revolver
Favorite Animal: Canine
San Cisco, previously known as King George until a conflict with another King, have a fun, indie pop, summer-feel sound. Consisting of three guys and one gal – Jordi (guitar & vocals), Josh (guitar & vocals), Scarlett (drums), and Nick (bass) – San Cisco make their music in Fremantle, Western Australia.
Friends since school (and even as far back as childhood), these four playfully worked on music by themselves until the right combination came together for them to begin San Cisco. Quickly and surely, they have begun to make ears turn as they gain popularity down under. Developing their sound from a folk-acoustic bedroom melody to a more “alternative beach pop” sound, San Cisco have sculpted their sound into a tune enjoyable for everyone.
Working around the time of their youngest member Jordi – who is currently enrolled in year 12 (equivalent of US high school senior year) – skateboarding, and N64, they have finally released their first EP: Golden Revolver. This 5-track EP displays the development of San Cisco’s sound. From an almost garage rock-like sound in “Solitude is bliss” to the fun, indie pop sound of “Golden Revolver” and even back to their acoustic sound in “John’s Song,” San Cisco showcases their musical flexibility.
To start off, “Golden Revolver,” arguably the most developed and impressive song on the album, has brought San Cisco the most praise and success – including their very own music video. With a fun indie-pop beat and enticing vocals, “Golden Revolver” shows all that San Cisco has to offer and gives their audience a reason to stay for more. Another track on the EP, “John’s Song” brings us back to the acoustic/folk sound of San Cisco in the beginning. For most of the song, the vocals carry the listener through the life of a working boy escaping from his troubles. About halfway through the song, San Cisco’s more audacious and expressive vocals break out. The listener can really feel the emotions coming out in the chorus.
It’s an adventure listing to the whole EP as San Cisco explores their musical curiosity. It’ll be interesting to see what they can do once Jordi graduates and they can devote all their time to music. Take a listen to “Golden Revolver” and “John’s Song” below. Also follow the download link to see the full EP.
“Golden Revolver”
“John’s Song”
“Like” them on Facebook
Download the EP on iTunes
Read the full interview below:
How did you guys form and when? How old are each of you? And are you signed to a label or unsigned?
Everybody in the band has been friends for years, Jordi and Scarlett are childhood friends, Josh and I were in the same year at school and Jordi was two years below us, so it was only natural for us to start playing together. Jordi was making music with Scarlett for a while before they even thought of forming anything and it wasn’t until the discovery of some masterful guitar work on Josh’s behalf that the ball began rolling, from that point onwards things have snowballed.
We’re all 18 years old, with the exception of Jordi who is 17, which means he’s currently enduring the gruelling battle of year 12. We are currently independent.
So if we understand correctly, you guys used to be called “King George?” What prompted the change of name? And where did the name “San Cisco” come from?
There is a band in Melbourne called King George, I believe they declined our offer to coexist thereby bringing the name issue into the spotlight. However for months leading up to this event there were murmurs of discontent circling about the name, so a name change was welcomed with open arms. But it’s never as simple as that. Everyone brought a few names to the table until it became a futile task trying to get everyone to agree on one name, so there seemed to be only one option… a Facebook vote. San Cisco got the most votes, and with a little more encouragement and convincing it stuck.
What genre would you guys define your music as?
This is a question i have never really been comfortable answering, simply because I still can’t quite put my finger on it. We’re more and more rapidly moving away from our folky roots and producing more faster moving songs, probably due to an increasing number of songs written with the whole band in comparison with songs written by Josh or Jordi in their bedroom with an acoustic guitar. Perhaps if I we’re forced into placing out music in a genre I would say its almost alternative beach pop, but i could be wrong, so don’t hold me to that.
Who are your inspirations and which artists would you say have had the most influence on your music?
There is a mutual love for bands like Beach House, Vampire Weekend, MGMT, The Black Keys, Local Natives and The Beatles, but each member has separate tastes; Jordi is bordering on solely hip hop, but will occasionally tolerate other genres, Josh is a big MGMT, Tame Impala and Pond fan. Scarlett is Black Keys, Arcade Fire and Grinderman, actually Scarlett would have the best taste in music out of all of us. I love Motown and Soul music or anything with that influence, so anything from Otis Redding and Al Green to Herbie Hancock and Quincy Jones.
You guys are still graduating high school. How do you find time to make music?
It’s just Jordi graduating, however he’s a rather important member, so things are starting to slow down with year 12 beginning to get hectic. We’re down to one rehearsal a week and even then it’s only for an hour max. Yet we’ve almost finished writing another song, so I’m not sure how that works, but it does, so no one’s really complaining.
Have you guys set a release date for your EP Golden Revolver?
Yep. It’s out!
You guys recently came out with a music video for “Golden Revolver.” Where did you guys film it and how did the whole filming process go?
The video was filmed in Margaret River, actually in THE Margaret River in the south west of Western Australia. Matt Saville and Tom Crammond did the filming/editing. It was a pretty tight knit video clip, we all stayed in the same house, ate the same food and spent every second together, the whole experience was great fun and everyone is really happy with the final product.
Living in Australia, how do you try and spread you music to such places as the US? Does internet play a large role in the spread of your music? Do you think Australia as a country has a large effect on your music?
The internet most certainly plays a large part in getting our music out there, as I’m sure it does with the majority of artists. We’ve got great management, actually the best management, so a lot of the music spreading is done by them, although in saying that we just wrapped and posted over a hundred EP’s and sent them across Australia to radio stations, magazines and newspapers. We all really enjoy living in Australia, but it’s more the music and our upbringings that influence the music we play.
What’s your guys’ favorite animal and why?
Well, we all have dogs with the exception of Jordi, so i’m going to say the dog, simply because we all love our dogs. Obviously Jordi doesn’t, maybe one day he’ll understand.
What music do you guys listen to especially recently?
Almost everyday something new is added to this category but albums like Kanye West My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Kings of Leon Come Around Sundown, Little Dragon Machine Dreams, Pond Frond, Beach House Teen Dream, The Black Keys Brothers and Local Natives Gorilla Manor stand out.
What are your plans for this year and after you graduate from high school?
This year we’re playing a few gigs. We’re recording another EP in July, we’re constantly writing new songs and waiting for jordi to be free.
Thank You San Cisco
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