MEET DOLPHINS ON ACID: YOUR NEW FAVORITE SURF ROCK BAND
Photo taken by @ryder.schwartz on IG
Dolphins On Acid is a trio consisting of Max Wayland (Guitar/Vocals), Koosha Jones (Bass/Vocals), and Lance Walker (Drums)." The band draws inspiration from their hometown, San Diego, cultivating a unique blend of indie and surf rock. Let's see what they say about the band's history and what we can expect in the future!
Photo taken by @gracet0m on IG
TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE NAME "DOLPHINS ON ACID."
"So the name Dolphins on Acid derived from an actual NASA-funded experiment in the 60s where scientist John Lily was tasked with figuring out how to communicate with Dolphins! His bright idea was to administer LSD to a dolphin and a human in hopes that it would help them communicate. This did not work, by the way. (Max) My friend and I were just in conversation about this experiment, and the words Dolphins on Acid came out, and we knew that was the band name as soon as we said it."
HOW DID DOA FORM?
"DOA formed out of old and new relations! Max and Lance (singer and drummer) were in a band together almost five years prior to DOA. When Max started writing for DOA, the first call he made was to Lance, and he was in, after a few beers, of course. Koosha later joined as DOA's 3rd bass player after the band's Instagram caught his eye. We were in need of a bass player, and he reached out! Once Koosha joined, our sound and songs really developed into what you hear today, and we kind of really got off the ground with shows, too. "
WHAT OTHER MUSICAL ACTS INSPIRE THE TYPE OF MUSIC YOU MAKE?
"I think we all have similar but different tastes in music. We all love bands like Incubus, Muse, Tool, and Zeppelin- the classic rock band that came before us, really. I (Max) think I'm the only one that really listens to 'indie' music bands like The Frights, Surf Curse, and Hockey Dad. Those are the bands that I saw in concert as a teenager that really inspired me to play live shows. Lance is a rock and roll king, loving bands like Tool, Queens of the Stone Age, Muse, etc. Lance has a heavy-hitting drum style that comes from listening to heavier rock, and it marries well with our indie sound. Koosha probably has the most unique taste in music, listening to bands like Black Flag, and Pantera, but then he will show us a classical Spanish-style song or house music. He also DJs a bit, haha."
Photo taken by @ryder.schwartz on IG
FAVORITE LIVE SHOW EXPERIENCE?
"I think our favorite live show experiences have always been the shows when we get the crowd going real wild. Every show we play seems to keep getting better and better, and the fans seem to just get more wild. We love it, and we are gonna keep it up for them. So, simply- we love connecting with fans at our shows through our music."
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE IN THE SAN DIEGO MUSIC SCENE. IS THE MUSIC HERE EXCELLING MORE SO THAN OTHER MUSIC SCENES? OR DOES IT NEED TO IMPROVE IN ANY WAY?
"The San Diego music scene is quite unique. It has everything. You can go to a dinky lil' DIY backyard show that goes absolutely nuts, or you can go sip some beers and watch Mapache at the Belly Up. As far as our genre of music, I think it's the perfect place. I don't know what the scenes are like too well in other places, like Santa Barbara, for example, but it seems like San Diego has the most to offer as far as types of venues, diverse bands, plenty of colleges and college show opportunities, and a REALLY dedicated fanbase. San Diego rips."
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR LATEST RELEASE, "DOLPHINS ON ACID LIVE IN STUDIO (BEACHBREAK SESSIONS)," WHICH CAME OUT ON SEPTEMBER 15, 2023. WHAT WAS THE EXPERIENCE/PROCESS LIKE?
"Our BeachBreak session was recorded with our good friends at The Music Company in Pacific Beach- our absolute favorite musical hub. We definitely love playing live shows more than anything and feel like it's a little harder to chill out and play our music in a studio setting. However, TMC made it the most inviting and comfortable space to do this. Beers, breaks, and banter were all-inclusive, and we didn't feel rushed or stressed at all throughout the process. Jack, Kurtis, Abby, and Ted at the Music Company just wanted the best possible content to come out of this session, so cheers to them for bearing with us."
Photo taken by @gracet0m on IG
WHAT MADE YOU CHOOSE WHICH SONGS THAT AREN'T ALREADY OUT TO BE PLAYED AT THAT LIVE SESSION?
"We went into the BeachBreak session knowing that these songs were going to be out on Spotify, so we wanted our fans to have more to listen to. We are currently recording our first real EP with Danny Cosmos (drummer of Blankspace) and one of my (Max's) best friends. We wanted to play songs for the BeachBreak session that weren't going to be on the EP, aside from bunny guts, so that fans would have more to listen to. "
WHAT CAN LISTENERS EXPECT FROM YOU GUYS IN THE FUTURE?
"The future for DOA looks exciting. Fans can expect bigger and better shows to keep coming their way. It's probably a SoCal tour in the books soon, too. Additionally, we are consistently writing and recording, and we aren't too far away from dropping some new tunes. Feels like we are at the beginning of something much bigger, and the fans keep on giving us all their love and support, so we just want to keep them stoked."
Photo taken by @sanchez_productions on IG
