Bug Bath
he WHO SEEKS weevil Will find it
Exclusive FTY Interview by Emma Speicher
Bug Bath - Photo by Trevor Castillo
Bug Bath, Reno’s own legendary six-piece buggadelic power band featuring Brigdon Markward, Sandy Pena, Bijou Bell, Dylan Greist, Draven Carter, and Julian Jacobs, blaze the trail out of Reno and into international waters on their tour with Modern Color this summer playing the Outbreak Fest in Machester.
Bug Bath is renowned and respected by the Reno music scene for their pure unadulterated talent, unforgettable sets, and diverse bill of shows, ranging from indie to hardcore. As decorated veterans of the scene and the inspiration for many new and upcoming bands, here’s the buzz on Bug Bath…
Since Bug Bath’s conception nearly ten years ago, they’ve taken to the stage with the likes of Mannequin Pussy, Scowl, and Mom Jeans, to name a few. Bug Bath’s musical origins vary:
Brigdon: I started playing guitar when I was 12 or 13, then I started playing shows in Nevada City - where I'm from. I moved up to Reno for college and started volunteering at the Holland Project, which led me to play more and more shows.
Sandy: I started playing guitar when I was 12, but I've always loved music and then I started getting into the music scene because of Brigdon actually!
Bijou: I started playing music when I was a little girl! My mom and dad are professional musicians, so I would just sit in the studio with them. I moved here to go to college for jazz drumming and classical percussion, and then I started playing in a whole bunch of bands!
Julian: I started going to basement shows around the same time I started playing music. Started playing guitar when I was nine and started going to shows when I was like 13. I eventually got super into music from the local alternative radio station!
Draven: I was always into music, started playing guitar when I was like 12 or 13, pretty much out the womb. Then I started playing drums out of necessity.
*Dylan was working his adult job at the time of this portion of the interview
Photo by Trevor Castillo
“Being a musician is worth it. It’s fun playing shows, hanging out with your friends in different cities, and meeting new people! But also playing music gives you a sense of accomplishment, especially when people appreciate and are excited about what you’re doing, it makes you feel good, it feels like you’re doing something worthwhile.”
Taking inspiration from emo indie rock like Jimmy Eat World (culminating into playing the big stage with them in the Summer of ‘23) and Teenage Fanclub, Bug Bath has evolved to be a group of diverse instrumentalists that transverse genres in the name of art and community:
Bug Bath: “In the Venn diagram of Reno's scenes and genres, we kind of have a little bit of everything. It's cool seeing young heads who we don't know and we aren't friends with yet showing up and knowing all the words and stuff. Our friends are all in the crowd too, it’s so cool.”
Bug Bath has embarked on countless tours in the United States but also into international waters. While the tour life seems all rainbows and butterflies, hauling ass cross-country in a van rented from a part-time-barber-part-time rocker isn’t always the easiest:
“My favorite part about being in a band and touring is hanging out with my friends...and my least favorite part... is hanging out with my friends because sometimes everyone needs to use the bathroom...at the same time.”
Apparently, coordinating a shower schedule is one of the less attractive things that come with touring because - allegedly - some members fall asleep before their turn in the queue. Nonetheless, traveling and being among friends far outweighs the weight of the shared bathroom.
Balancing music and personal life is difficult and requires constant communication, says Bug Bath. Sometimes it means sacrificing personal time, pushing the limit at work, juggling other musical projects, or dividing band practices. However, through joint coordination, the balancing act culminates into the successes and tenacity that Bug Bath is renowned for.
Photo by Trevor Castillo
Bug Bath’s staunch promotion of mixed bills has garnered high turnout from all scene genres and is a local favorite. Your average Bug Bath show is nonexistent, each one is a snowflake of novelty and have developed into one of the most sought after musical acts in Reno and beyond:
Brigdon: “Draven's got a signature move. He takes his shirt off. It looks tough.”
Draven: “Yeah. I also like to grab the stick like this *grips stick in a super odd way.*”
Bijou: “You're not supposed to do that but yeah, that is a signature move.”
Julian: “I just have bad posture. I do the Scott Pilgrim thing where you hunch over. It kind of looks tough though.”
Sandy: “My move is having no move, I’m just vertical.“
Draven: “My favorite thing that Dylan does is in one of the songs where he. doesn’t play, he always turns his head and nods at me.”
Dylan: “When I'm closer to the drums, Draven does this crazy super groovy drum thing. And then I’ll lock eyes with him and just get into the music. It's a beautiful moment.
Photo by Trevor Castillo
When it comes to musical inspiration and writing their music, Bug Bath pays homage to 90’s indie (even borrowing a lyric or two), specifically Jimmy Eat World, 1995 Weezer, and the Strokes, but also many local bands including Julian’s other band, Spitting Image, as well as Surf Curse, Skinwalkers (no longer together), Pissmixer, Slate (no longer together), and Charity Kiss (Brigdon’s adoptive stepchildren), to name a few.
They describe their band as a “Bijou and Brigdon Feelings Band” as the majority of their music is written by the duo and fully harmonized with the rest of the band:
Brigdon: “A start to a song will pop into my head and I'll just kind of sing a little part in my head and then I'll go find my guitar and write a part to it. I'll try to build around that. It usually starts with a hook or a melody that gets stuck in my head.”
The dynamic may be changing with their upcoming album. They say that in their new music you’’ll be able to hear a new-ish country twang and more of a “noisier” sound to wear their influences on their sleeve.
Photo by Trevor Castillo
Some advice from Bug Bath to upcoming musicians:
Brigdon: “I think as long as there's places that young people can go to shows and play shows at, starting a band will always be possible. All ages shows are important, I first started playing shows when I was like 15/16, that was before I was even really allowed to go to shows that I wasn't playing. That was really the only thing that got me into music and kept me in music - it was being able to go see my friends play and be able to play more shows.”
Bijou: “There are little communities like the Holland Project and like Girls Rock Reno! I teach at that camp, it's all younger girls and we teach them how to play any instrument, start a band, and then those bands will grow. It's nice to get people in contact. If they want to play in a band, introduce them to the people at the show or in the community. Just be nice and support each other.
Julian: You don't need to play in a band to love music, you just need to be given avenues to share your love for music, that’s why community radio is really important. Shout out KWNK.
Dylan: You just have to show people that going to shows is fun and then they'll want to do it because they’ll see it’s a good time. You gotta get people to a show first. Once they're there, you just gotta show them that it's fun.
Bug Bath has some exciting moves coming up, releasing new music soon, and playing the Best Friends Forever Festival in Las Vegas this October. Catch them at a local Holland Project show before then!
Follow along on Bug Bath’s adventures here:
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