Fight from Above Flying High On Success7 Comments

The objective: Rock out in front of a packed house and make sweltering hot, 113 degree days a distant memory in their appropriately titled, 2nd annual  “Kill Summer Show.”

For nine months, most people crave the onset of never ending days and magical nights characteristic of summertime. But for the Los Angeles based, indie/rock band, Fight From Above, “killing summer” is indicative of a re-energizing of the creative processes. A starting anew.

Four enigmatic, incredibly talented musicians make up Fight From Above; Justin Miner, the vocally versatile front man whose curly afro is one of the biz’s most stylish set of locks, lead guitarist Jeremy Miner, who is Justin’s brother and is quiet but charming, Justin Krook…known simply as “Krook,” is the bad-ass bass player who escaped Michigan’s cornfields to become a rock star, and drummer Dave Schechtman, who, as the band’s most talkative member, is the “unofficial” spokesperson.

Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Fight From Above adorers in a crowded Viper Room on Sunset Blvd, I witnessed a most sensational performance as the band entertained with tunes from their current album, LA Kids.

Their style infuses bits of well-known bands like Muse, MGMT, The Kooks, Death Cab for Cutie and Phoenix, but Fight From Above, even as new kids on the block, already has a solid fan base; 80% of the crowd knew most of their lyrics and the other 20% pretended to know for the sake of looking cool. And the fact that LA weather plummeted from record breaking heat to cool, fall temperatures within days of their “Kill Summer Show” proves that even the forces of nature are yielding to this band’s command.

So I was stoked to meet the guys.

What is the story behind why you guys call yourselves Fight From Above? Who came up with this name?

We’re actually not at liberty to talk about it. It’s a very mysterious situation, you know? And everyone always asks us. But we really can’t say. Gotta make sure we keep the mystery behind it!

So you’re pleading the 5^th on how you got your name, but you can tell me about your influences. Across the musical spectrum, what kinds of and whose music inspires you most?

We’re really inspired by bands like Phoenix and Broken Social Scene.  Of course, we are influenced by the greats – Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, Rolling Stones. But even though we’re a rock or indie band or however you label us, we can’t deny we listen to and like a lot of music. One of our favorite records this year, for example, was from Janelle Monae.

Many musicians seem to still be finding their voice with the release of their first album. But your first album, LA Kids, seems to be right on the money in every aspect.

Well, that’s because we stayed true to what we set out to accomplish and that was to make an album about the coming of age in the very bazaar city of Los Angeles. Originally, we are from all over – Miner and Jeremy are from Maui, Krook is from Michigan, and I [Dave] am from New York – and LA Kids is a kind of manifesto of what it means to survive in a city with no substance.

You probably get a lot of “You sound so much like …” Do the comparisons offend you, and how do you set yourselves apart from other bands whose sounds might be similar to yours?

It’s probably pretty important for a new band to establish its sound as one-of-a-kind.  We don’t make this a conscious effort, but we try not to follow too closely in other bands’ footsteps. When it comes to the writing process, we try to stay away from songs about relationships because that can become a crutch. When it comes to the composing, that’s an organic process for us where we all contribute. When it comes to creating our “sound,” we really don’t know how we get the end result. Ultimately, it’s hard to categorize our sound, and that’s what sets us apart.

Everyone at your show knew the words to your songs, so clearly, you guys are a big deal. When was your “Aha! We’ve made it moment?”

We’re still waiting for the BIG moment, but it was cool to hear one of our songs on KROQ radio [in Los Angeles] while we were filming our video for “Between The Curves.” Our music was also featured on The Hills, so that was cool, too. It’s a common misconception people have – that because you have an album or a video, you’ve “made it.” All that’s really great, but we’re still an unsigned band, and getting signed is one of our biggest goals.

Winning awards – AMAs, Grammys – are some of the ultimate markers for success in music.  How important is it for Fight From Above to achieve those kinds of accolades?

Success is relative, and you have to define success for yourself. These days, winning a Grammy is a dubious distinction. What is most important to us is that we can make a living playing music. We want to look out into the crowd and see thousands of people. When we can fill up the Hollywood Bowl for a show,  that will be success for us!

The boys are currently busy writing their follow-up to L.A. Kids and playing shows to road-test the new material. Their music has been featured on L.A’s KROQ 106.7, STAR 98.7, Rock The Vote, as well as MTV’s “Real World” and “The Hills”.

Songs like “Between The Curves” will have you at the first listen…and look. Check out the official music video:

Still, nothing on the record quite compares to seeing them live, where the band has developed an undeniable reputation for passionate, frenetic live shows:

For more info on this truly talented band, visit:

www.fightfromabove.com

www.myspace.com/fightfromabove

www.sonicbids.com/fightfromabove

To purchase songs from their new album, “L.A. Kids”, check it out on Amazon below:

Be sure to check back for more of the latest news, reviews and interviews from Erica Renee Davis right here on Positively Celebrity.

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