“The song was largely motivated by the kind of two steps forward, one step back feeling that we have in our lives, working demanding jobs and trying to do what we love. While we were trying to figure out a narrative to set this to for the video, we went to a Denny’s in Santa Barbara after a show. There was a waitress working the night shift, putting up with drunks and rude customers, but she kept her cool and soldiered on. She didn’t seem bothered in the slightest, like she was tapped into a kind of peace with the world. The working-class hero isn’t always the person who gets ahead, but the one who never gives up.”– The 131er bassist Chris Graue
We’re pleased to bring you the premiere of The 131ers’ music video for their song “Rome” (watch it below). This song is available on a compilation supporting hurricane relief in Puerto Rico. Please consider donating to help out: www.afdrmusic.com
The single is also available for purchase/streaming through iTunes. Spotify, Bandcamp, and all other major digital distributors.
About the band:
Neon. Rust. Chemical plants and railroad tracks. Industrialized particulate set ablaze by the setting sun. These common sights litter the east side of the township of Torrance, CA. This is also the birthplace of the vibrant indie collective, The 131ers.
Founded in 2012, the band has grown from a two-piece blue-veined American folk project to a full scale quadraphonic tour de force. The solid foundation of friendship between founding members Kaleb Davies (vox/guitar) and Ryan Dawson (drums) permeates every note, eventually shepherding fellow members Chris Graue (bass) and Greg Wilmot (guitar) into the fold. The 131ers have claimed their own unique genre-bending sound by successfully infusing rock n’ roll with funk, edge, passion and soul.
The band came together in pieces. Kaleb and I met in high school Track and Field. We hated each other at first but ended up bonding over the band Young the Giant and started playing music together. We would actually ditch track practice, buy taco bell, and go rehearse at Kaleb’s house” – Explains Ryan.
Modern yet vintage, the sonic pleadings flowing from Kaleb’s brain triggers unbridled nostalgia that seems to force you to look over your shoulder while simultaneously compelling your spirit forward to the unknown future. The pulsating rhythm from Ryan hijacks your heart rate, while you are propelled by Chris’ bass line, while Greg exposes one infectious riff after another.
“We’ve tried to force ourselves to write songs or prepare material to bring in and show the others, but it never works that way. The songs are really born in rehearsal. Someone starts playing something, then someone else piggy backs on their idea. Then we argue about structure and ideas for a really long time and usually throw the whole song away. But sometimes after we fight for a while, we all end up agreeing on something, and Kaleb goes away and writes the lyrics when no one else is there to bother him” says Chris.
The name of the band comes from an error in early mp3 tagging technology. These files carry data including title, artist, album, and more. The genre tag options were severely limited, and many artists found themselves unable to fit neatly into any of the boxes they could check. Several of these artists would leave the field blank, generating an error displaying “131” in the genre column of music playing software. As a child, Kaleb noticed that several of his favorite artists carried this error and would later go on to call their box-breaking sound “indie rock.” 131 later became the short code to define this genre in mp3 tags.
Following up their 2016 debut, self-titled album, the band has been gearing up for their sophomore release. Recorded mostly in their self-built warehouse studio, they’ve enlisted talents such as Vince Walker (Suburban Legends) and Ryland Steen (America) to help produce. Their first single and video, “Face On,” premiered in May 2017, with a full album coming June 2018.
“Our music is definitely influenced by Southern California. A lot of our favorite bands are local, Chris is also involved in making music videos for a lot of SoCal bands which lead to Vince Walker, singer of Suburban Legends, coming in to produce our new album” says Kaleb.
In August of 2017, Kaleb and Ryan found themselves caught in the middle of Hurricane Irma during what was supposed to be a vacation in Puerto Rico. They had to participate in preparation efforts with people they had just met and now call friends while they rode out the storm in a hostel. When they returned home they deeply wanted to find a way to help so they founded Artists for Disaster Relief, an organization they set up to bring musicians together to fund charity efforts around the world. Their first project, Arecibo is a compilation album released in January 2018 via Pledge Music with all proceeds going to Friends of Puerto Rico.
The band has also taken the reins as organizers, bookers as well as performing at the Avaline Music Festival which will take place May 25-28 at Avaline Ranch, located near King City, California. A fundraising event for the Guidry Foundation, an arts and education charity. Four days of camping, swimming in a natural water hole, hiking and live music on May 26 and 27.
Look for the band to crisscross the country in 2018 in support of their new album, Nothing’s as it Should Be, to be release this June.
Connect with the band:
Official Website | Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
