RUSS BLVD: “3” EP OUT NOW!
Photo taken by @tyfoxphoto on IG
Meet Russ Blvd, an indie/pop-rock band from San Diego, California. Russ Blvd consists of 6 members: Tanner Lampugnale from Marlborough, CT (guitar), Logan Perez from Corona, CA (keys/synthesizer/percussion), brothers Jack and John McCain from San Diego, CA (guitar, vocals, bass), Brooke Patterson from San Diego, CA (guitar and vocals), and Matt Montoya from San Diego, Ca (drums). Jack McCain started a solo project under his name in 2018 before eventually changing the name to Russ Blvd in late 2021, which brings us to where we are now with the band. Let's take a look at how Russ Blvd originated, memorable live show moments, and what they have in store for the future!
Photo taken by @sanchez_productions on IG
TELL MORE ABOUT THE NAME "RUSS BLVD."
"John and I grew up in San Diego, CA, with an alley and a large park right outside our backyard where we spent a lot of time playing outside. We also spent a lot of time learning our instruments in our garage, which we often opened up to help deal with the heat. Our garage opened up right into the dirt alley, whose official name was Russ Blvd. And since we spent so much time during the formative years of our musical lives essentially playing on Russ Blvd, we thought it would be a good name for a project eventually."
HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT FORMING YOUR MUSICAL PROJECT? WAS IT DIFFICULT OR EASY FOR YOU TO FIND PEOPLE TO WORK WITH?
Jack answers this: "Originally, I changed the band's name from 'Jack McCain' to 'Russ Blvd.' when I moved to New York in late 2021. While I was in New York, I played a few shows as Russ Blvd, but Russ Blvd came more into its full form when I moved back to San Diego. Upon moving back to San Diego, John joined the band as our bassist and writer/producer. The other members began to fall into place after this. We are friends with a lot of great musicians and are super lucky to be surrounded by so many that it was sort of easy to get skilled players to join us."
John chimes in: "I'd say that it's always been pretty easy to find people to work with over the past couple of years because San Diego has so many talented musicians, but the fact that some band members only live in San Diego seasonally mixed with the fact that we are all in other bands makes things interesting, to say the least. Sometimes, you never quite know who you're gonna see playing with Russ Blvd…or what instrument they are going to be playing. Luckily, we have hit a nice stride recently with an amazing group of friends that has allowed us all to form stronger bonds and continue building better chemistry with each show."
Tanner says: "Russ Blvd has been a bit of a revolving door at points, but it seems like we're finally getting a solid group together. Honestly, it's just fun playing with these guys, so that's what drew me in."
Photo taken by @omgnikka on IG
WHAT IS YOUR MOST MEMORABLE LIVE SHOW EXPERIENCE?
John says: "I'd have to say our last two shows at Soda Bar. We played there on July 30th with The Diz and Westpark, and prior to the show, Logan, Tanner, and I had an incredible jam at their house that left me feeling really inspired. That night, our set definitely went in a different direction than normal and was probably the most fun I've ever had on a stage. When we came back on August 17th with Connor Kelly and the Time Warp, we picked up where we left off and played what was, without a doubt, our spaciest set yet. Mixed with the crazy lights from @gonzoliquidlightshow and an incredible headlining set by Connor Kelly and the Time Warp, it was a great night. We were also able to record that set and release it as a live album, which made the night even more special."
Logan also reminisces on their most recent Soda Bar show: "My most memorable live show experience was the show we just played at Soda Bar with Connor Kelly and the Time Warp. It was a ton of fun to play because we got a sick liquid light show from @gonzoliquidlightshow. Connor Kelly and the Time Warp also killed it that night!"
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE SAN DIEGO MUSIC SCENE? DO YOU THINK THE SCENE EXCELS OR LACKS IN ANY WAY?
Tanner answers this: "The scene down here truly has been so great to me. In my experience, there seems to be a great sense of community, and everyone, for the most part, is super supportive. It seems like a space where artists truly try to lift each other up."
John also chimes in: "I think San Diego's music scene is insanely underrated. You can probably only count on one hand the number of cities in the whole country that might be a 'better spot' for a musician. Everyone here is supportive of one another and insanely talented. San Diego is overflowing with not only great music but amazing art in general. I hope to see more and more art coming out of San Diego in the future."
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR MOST RECENT RELEASE, THE EP, "3" THAT CAME OUT JULY 1ST, 2023. WHAT WAS THE RECORDING PROCESS LIKE?
"This EP was interesting recording-wise as I think all songs were recorded in different places and with different processes. Some songs utilize live drums, others utilize programmed drums, and some use a combination of both. We got experimental with a bunch of interlude/intro tracks for each of the songs to give the EP more of a flow and to make it fun to listen to in order all the way through."
TO LISTEN TO THE EP "3," CLICK BELOW.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SONG OFF THE EP?
Jack answers this first: "My favorite song on the EP is probably 'Los Primos.' That was the first song John and I had made together from the writing process all the way through production, and it didn't turn out too bad for our first DIY recording. It's also really fun to play live!"
John chimes in: "My favorite song on the EP is definitely 'Los Primos.' It was the first song I made with my brother from start to finish, and it was a learning experience for sure. It's gotta be my favorite song because of how we play it so differently live. I love it when bands' live shows are more than just what you hear on Spotify. 'Give me something I've never heard before and will never hear again' is what I'm always thinking as a fan, so that's what we try to produce."
WHAT SONG WAS THE MOST CHALLENGING TO BRING TO LIFE ON THE EP "3"?
Jack says, " It was probably 'Know Me.' I had this song I had just written and wanted to record it the same day; I didn't want to wait until I could get into a studio. So I used my crappy old drum kit at home, along with my ukulele, piano, and acoustic guitar, to make the song at home. It didn't take long to record, but since my gear is nowhere near as nice as the studio's gear, it took a lot more production work to make it sound good and keep the DIY sound I was going for."
John says, "The most challenging song to bring to life on the EP was probably 'Los Primos' simply because everything was a first for me. It was my first time not just recording myself playing but then putting it out there for everyone to hear. The recording process was all brand new to me, too. We recorded it over a year ago at Matt's house with the help of his brother Josh and Rommii, the homie. Those studio days were when I learned that I wanted to keep producing music. It was honestly so fun it felt like some sort of high that made 10 hours go by in the blink of an eye."
WHAT IS THE THEME OR OVERALL MESSAGE OF YOUR NEWEST EP?
Jack answers this: "I wouldn't necessarily say that I had an overall theme or message in mind when writing these songs, nor were all the songs written together. John wrote the lyrics for some of them, I wrote them for others, and some we wrote together. Looking back at each song now, though, I would say a theme came through in hindsight. Most of the songs sort of have to do with some form of complications arising through relationship struggles and whatnot. Whether it be romantic or otherwise, relationships with other people can be hard to navigate these days, and I think (at least the songs I wrote the words for) that comes through in the lyrics sort of incidentally. The way I write most of my lyrics is usually by playing through the song and making stuff up on the spot in one take, and most of that take usually ends up being the lyrics I go with, so they're as raw as it gets."
Photo taken by @tyfoxphoto on IG
WHAT CAN FANS OF YOURS EXPECT FROM YOU IN THE FUTURE?
"We have been working on recreating some of our earliest songs that I wrote that were only released on Soundcloud and were way before we had access to better equipment and before we knew what we know now (that's one way of saying the quality of those recordings is terrible). The song we just released, 'Onto You,' is the first of these four songs, so that is one thing to look forward to. Other than that, we will continue to be playing live as always, with our next show being September 10th at Public Square Coffee in La Mesa in San Diego!" says Jack.
John also adds, "Going forward, fans can expect our sound to continue to grow and expand. The more we change as individuals and as a group, those changes get reflected in the way we write, record, and play live. We are currently at full throttle when it comes to recording and releasing new music, so people should be on the lookout for upcoming songs and shows."
Photo taken by @officialmattcruz on IG
