LA four-piece Transviolet describe themselves as small-town kids, having all moved to the West Coast to commit to the band they formed on online. Lead vocalist Sarah met Mikepan on a musician networking site and, roping his highschool friends Judah and Jon in to play guitar and drums, the quartet made music Postal Service style for a full year before relocating and finally meeting IRL. Cue a tour with Mikky Ekko and fans in the form of Harry Styles, the band are putting the finishing touches to their debut album. In town for their first ever headline London show (their joyous pop is well worth a watch and Sarah’s voice so full of sparkle that it’s surely deserving of its own ASMR channel) we talk LA, movies and the US election with the singer. Here are 10 things you should know about Transviolet…
1. Their name represents how they feel about state of the world.
“We were sitting around the living room with books on mythology and poetry one day, determined to pick a band name (as this had been no easy task for us). Judah came across this poem by Charles Bukowski called ‘When The Violets Roar At The Sun.’ It goes, ‘They’ve got us in a cage, ruined of grace and senses, and the heart roars like a lion at what they’ve done to us…’ It spoke to me so plainly about how we (the band) felt about the world, how our own apathy has led us to this haphazard way of existing- devoid of reason or purpose, just fumbling around the streets with our heads in our phones, passively falling into the future without any real stake in it. We want to be active in designing our future. We believe that our generation can learn to live mindfully, and peacefully and evolve, thus ‘trans’ as in short for ‘transcendence’. To sum it up, Transviolet is transcendence into a new, violet awareness. We loved that idea, so it stuck.”
2. Sarah had lived in 14 different cities by the time she was 18.
“Being the daughter of an entrepreneur, I had a nomadic adolescence and I was very lonely, so music was the only constant. Without music, I’m not sure where I would be. Even now it’s the only thing that feels like home. For me, creation is happiness. It’s how I process my thoughts and emotions. It’s how I make sense of the world around me”
3. The band are firm believers in using their platform for good and admire others for doing the same.
“The Beatles are a band we really look up to. I often find myself quoting John Lennon. My favourite one is “A dream you dream alone is only a dream, but a dream you dream together is reality.” Also, All You Need is Love is the ultimate pop song.“
4. They didn’t like LA at first but soon found it to be a magical place where anything and everything is possible.
“You just have to find your people! It’s a city full of dreamers. Being surrounded by artists and people who are risking everything to do what they love – how could anyone not be inspired? Actually, I wrote a song about it called LA Love, which will be on our full-length album we are releasing in a couple months.”
5. When it comes to the US election, they’re with Bernie.
“None of us have much faith in the US political system – it’s hard to when time and time again, candidates do an about face once elected. From what I’ve seen, it seems that presidents are puppets, with a wealthy few pulling the strings. Personally, I will be voting for Bernie Sanders, because I believe that healthcare and education are an innate human right, and especially because we need to put the limits back on campaign contributions in order to give the power back to the people. There is an obvious conflict of interest and it needs to be addressed immediately.
How can you trust a president to decide whether or not we should go to war, when the man selling guns is the one who got him into office? How can you ensure that our government is doing everything to keep us healthy, when their campaigns are paid for by an industry that profits from us staying sick? How can you count on a candidate when they have been funded by corporations that contradict the very platforms they run on? Believing that a candidate has no obligation to scratch the backs of those who have given them millions of dollars in campaign funding is foolish.
Bernie is the best option because he is the only viable candidate who hasn’t been bought, but we will have to do a lot more than vote to incite any meaningful change.”
6. Their single, New Bohemia, is about a community of free thinkers who believe that each person has the right to pursue the life they want.
“We will not fight the war of our fathers. We will not be divided by a media that relentlessly pits us against each other. We are not our race, or our religion, our gender or our sexual orientation. We fight for the rights of our fellow man- to be able to dream, and love and live as they wish. Although we may have different backgrounds and beliefs, we understand that deep down, we are all the same. We all want to love and be loved. We all want to be free.”
7. The best advice Sarah has ever received came from her senior year English teacher, Mr. Bertolette.
“He told me to think critically, and to never be ashamed ask questions.”
8. On their flight to London they collectively watched Sufragette, Spectre, Planet of the Apes, The Martian, The Theory of Everything, Ex Machina and The Legacy of Alexander McQueen.
“We highly recommend the last three.”
9. If their forthcoming album was a movie soundtrack, it would best fit…
“…a suspense thriller involving goats, aliens, and Bollywood dancing, starring Chevy Chase. I think the reason is obvious.”
10. They have good advice for aspiring musicians…
“Know who you are. If you don’t know yet, keep writing. If you think you know, keep writing.”
Transviolet play Hoxton Bar & Kitchen on 10th February