In the midst of the post-punk resurgence, Desert Weather band brings its guitar-driven indie rock to the forefront with an undeniable energy. Before the pandemic hit, they were a fixture on the LA scene, playing gigs at venues like The Troubadour and The Roxy. Then life threw them a curveball.
Frontman Eric Smedberg ended up in Virginia, still cranking out band tunes for Desert Weather. Meanwhile, Rilo Wye, the original guitarist, stayed in LA but started exploring his own musical path. Alex Trudon, the bassist, stuck around in LA too, teaming up with Rilo Wye for some jams.
Adam Dobbs, Aaron Silbering, and Denny Connolly also played key roles in shaping Desert Weather’s sound.
Their latest album, ‘SCRAMBLER’, was cooked up in Virginia with some sweet Warm Audio gear. Neven Skoro from The Wallies handled the mastering, and Rilo Wye pitched in with analog know-how. Gina Fuschetto snapped the pics, and Edward Fletcher captured their vibe.
Desert Weather’s story is all about rolling with the punches and keeping the music flowing. As they keep pushing forward, one thing’s for sure – their tunes will keep the indie rock spirit alive and kicking.
“I started Desert Weather to fill a void that I felt was missing from the music scene in LA. Having lived there for 10 years, and being involved with what was happening around town, I didn’t really see anyone expressing Post-Punk in a genuinely thoughtful way. At the time, all the acts seemed to be missing something. Some bands would sound good but be watered-down performing to a click with backing tracks. Others would sound and seem more raw, but they would not put in enough effort tailoring what they were doing to express something that could easily be shared.
I was inspired to find a balance of writing great frameworks of songs while leaving room for passionate one of a kind performances. I like the concept of having the live performance being a living thing. So, for example, if I get excited while singing a part live and decide to “dig in” on a section with some extra emotion, the band feels it and supports it. To me, great performing is all about offering little pockets of emotions and being able to read how the collective crowd is feeling to capitalize on climaxes together. Tension and release.
This ‘Stay Gone’ EP is the first time I’ve thought about writing Desert Weather songs for the purpose of a recording rather than the purpose of performing. Ironically, you could say ‘Stay Gone’, which I tracked in my bedroom, is much more of a ‘Studio EP’ than the previous release ‘At The Table’, which was recorded in a studio.
Also, ‘Stay Gone’ is the first time I produced and recorded the music without the involvement of the band. When the 2020 pandemic situation hit, I vacated LA to be closer to family on the East Coast. I’m not planning on returning to LA and I have been transitioning Desert Weather to be more of my solo expression. The message, ‘Stay Gone’ is an inward reference to confidently reassure yourself and keep moving forward in your life.
‘Stay Gone’ is officially released into the wild and this video I’m posting features Track 3 – ‘Radio Edit’.
If you like what you see, feel free to spread the word. Desert Weather’s debut record is currently in the mastering process and will be coming soon.”
– Eric Smedberg