BOTB ‘24 - Santa Barbara
Artist Spotlight
Exclusive FTY Interviews by Emma Speicher
Five Santa Barbara bands kick off the 2024 Shabang x Free the Youth Battle of the Bands tour with The Framers nabbing a performance spot at the Shabang Music Festival in May. Here is a spotlight for all the talented artists who competed at the first stop on tour…
Winner Winner (Vegan) Chicken Dinner:
Franky Sansone
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Jake Morenc
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Jesse Prior
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Allison Corwin
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Oliver Chavez
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Franky Sansone ⋆ Jake Morenc ⋆ Jesse Prior ⋆ Allison Corwin ⋆ Oliver Chavez ⋆
The Framers are Isla Vista staples, all members getting their musical start from Guitar Hero 3 and contributing each of their diverse musical backgrounds to the Framer’s variety-filled sound. They said this about their music,
“We’re trying to play faster, harder, louder than everybody else. Trying to start pits wherever we go.”
When writing their music, The Framers focus on creating emotional story lines that both resonate with and excite listeners. Their top song, “Cheater,” gives audiences a punch to the gut but also a sense of giddiness because of the pure relatability and rawness of the track, giving no choice but to dance.
The most important thing to The Framers is the sense of community they get from the music scene and its ever-rotating cast of characters, this is the advice they gave to new and upcoming people within the scene:
“Don’t be afraid of failure, you have to have more tenacity, you just gotta put on a show. Have that connection in the community and bring people together with your connection.”
We haven't seen the last of The Framers just yet, we’ll get the scoop fresh off of their performance at Shabang in May!
Christian Pelonis
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Tyler Kelly
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Ben Badillo
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Christian Pelonis ⋆ Tyler Kelly ⋆ Ben Badillo ⋆
The Loc Dawgs - Christian, Tyler, and Ben - are a Santa Barbara based grungy, sludgy rock n’ roll band, genre-bending from the classic Santa Barbara surf rock sound. With heavy inspirations from everything from hardcore punk legends like Black Flag and Minor Threat, to classic rock like Queen, Loc Dawgs blends their influences into their punchy three-piece dynamic.
If there is one thing about Loc Dawgs, it’s that they’re tried and true towards maintaining integrity within their music and creating a fan base that is genuine. From high energy mosh pits to catchy riffs, Loc Dawgs is a name you won’t soon forget.
Diego Rodriguez
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Drew Hooper
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Ross Mantor
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Will Agtang
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Diego Rodriguez ⋆ Drew Hooper ⋆ Ross Mantor ⋆ Will Agtang ⋆
In Minishoppingcart’s words, they create wholesome family rock for those over the age of eleven, attracting a slew of mothers who consistently ask for pictures after the show, in their words:
“Your average Minishoppingcart show is always super sweaty and super horny”
Minishoppingcart’s origin stems from an old Minecraft user tag and a shared love for playing in bands, which led them to play their first show in a boiling 100 degree warehouse in Simi Valley, CA. Through the tumultuous yet rewarding band life, this is what they say to new and upcoming bands:
“We need to be making music accessible, making the scene welcoming and making it friendly. You gotta be inviting, always help the homies out and remember where you came from. ”
Caden Lane
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James Lloyd
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Miles Carter
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Joe Vlietstra
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Caden Lane ⋆ James Lloyd ⋆ Miles Carter ⋆ Joe Vlietstra ⋆
Dawn Patrol represents the surfy, beachy rock we love from Santa Barbara, encapsulating the soul of Friday night backyard DIY house shows in the legendary Isla Vista scene. Their music, according to them, strikes the ultimate Isla Vista chord,
“We are definitely chill beach cruise rock, time travelling; pitted, barreled, you know, shacked”
In classic indie band fashion, they met in a parking lot and hit it off instantly. With a rampant drummer drought in the scene, they were enchanted by the chops cooked by Joe, promptly hunting him down in the parking lot, and then evolving into Dawn Patrol. The band is a heavy hitter when it comes to shows, rendering their passion and determination from the crowd,
“When people sing songs that we wrote and we see people in the crowd singing them, it’s like, holy shit, they actually like it. They know it, they listen to it on their own. And it’s like, alright, we just want to keep making more of it, see how far we can go. ”
Zachary Gavin
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Ayden Craymer
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Everett Katab
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Edaan Friedman
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Zachary Gavin ⋆ Ayden Craymer ⋆ Everett Katab ⋆ Edaan Friedman ⋆
Manners as a genre is SoCal TweenWave and Happy Hardcore according to the band, they’re “not like other bands.” Their first show together was an act of fate, the old drummer bailed on the gig and Friedman was notified less than 24 hours prior to the gig and the band has been together ever since.
A slew of unexpected characters have cruised many a Manners’ show, including Mötley Crüe drummer, Tommy Lee:
“Shout out Tommy fucking Lee, shout out Tom. He rolled up on a bike. He’s just like, you guys are lit.”
Celebrity cameos aside, here’s what the best part of playing is for Manners,
“Just connecting with the audience, I mean, honestly, we really much prefer playing house shows and DIY shows, because we just like feeling the energy with everybody. People fucking screaming our songs that we wrote two years ago, and fucking just enjoying it with people. Keep DIY DIY.”
Huge thank you to all the bands who played and applied for the Santa Barbara Battle of the Bands and everyone behind the scenes.
Special Thanks to our lovely photographers, Henry Ludlow and Liam Paul
