Interview w/ The Neighbourhood

Proud to bring you yet another installment in my continuing interview series! Today, I'm particularly pleased to bring to you an interview with an emerging band based out of Newbury Park, CA by the name of The Neighbourhood. You're probably already familiar with them as their song "Sweater Weather" is currently burning up the Billboard Hot Alternative Songs chart, currently in it's 7th week at #1 there and their album "I Love You." is starting to pick up some traction as of late. The members of the band were super gracious enough to sit down for an exclusive chat as we get to know the guys a little bit better personally and get a sense of their beginnings and their fast track to stardom. Here is the transcript from that interview.

Give us your names and your roles in the band?

 Mikey Margott - Bass
 Jesse Rutherford - Vocal
 Bryan Sammis - Drums
 Zach Abels - Guitar
 Jeremy Freedman - Guitar

 How did you guys all meet and when did the band form?

We all met through our local music scene in Newbury Park.  The band formed around a year and a half ago, almost two years now...it's crazy. Time flies.

How did you settle on the name "The Neighbourhood" for your band and how did it originate?

Jesse came up with the name but the American way of spelling it was taken. No matter who you are or where you live, everyone comes from a "neighbourhood".  It's something everyone can relate to.

How would you characterize your music to someone who has never heard of you guys before?

Dark pop is usually the abridged description we will give. We like to call it black & white.

I've noticed in videos of you guys on YouTube that they're all in black and white, what was the decision behind that artistic choice?

We decided early on to do everything in black & white.  It is just as much a part of who we are as our music. It's our vision.

Take us behind the recording process for "I Love You." and what that whole experience was like?

We demoed out a lot of the songs in Jesse's bedroom.  We took the songs to 4th street in Santa Monica & The Gallery in New York to work with our producers Justyn Pilbrough & Emile Haynie. The songs took more of a definite shape in the studio, but we had the overall vision for the record since day 1. 

Recently, your song "Sweater Weather" hit #1 on the Hot Alternative Songs chart, how big of an achievement was that for you and how did you guys all feel after hearing that news?

It's amazing. So crazy to see people getting behind our song on any platform. Truly humbling.

What are some artists that have played a big role in the musicians you are today?

Growing up we liked anyone from Metallica to Otis Redding to N'Sync to Wu Tang. We are a pretty eclectic group of individuals when it comes to music. We don't want our music to sound like anyone else, though.

What do you guys like to do in your spare time when not playing shows?

Ping pong, hang with friends, get tattooed, make music (write, record, etc...), play basketball, go to kings hockey games, when we are home we love to eat at our favorite restaurants (sayka, toppers, sub contractor, etc..).

Lastly, how has being in a band bonded you together and made you guys closer as friends and develop a strong kinship over time?

There's nothing left to hide from each other.  We know each other better than anyone knows us. It's definitely a struggle at first to spend all day everyday with the same people, but we do it at home anyways, so we're used to it.

Thanks once again to Jesse, Jeremy, Zach, Mikey, and Bryan for being so kind and gracious and taking time out of their ever busy schedule to do this interview! Judging from various interviews I've seem them do on YouTube, they seem like pretty mellow and laid-back individuals and their talent clearly shines brightly in their music. For more info on The Neighbourhood, 'Like' them on Facebook here, follow them on Twitter here, and purchase their album "I Love You." on iTunes here and on Amazon MP3 here.