Photography by AJ Loera
Alternative Citizens, a punk rock group of high school friends from Anaheim, just might be your new favorite band.
After experiencing the fun, boyish energy of their set at SOMA San Diego (read our coverage here!), I was eager to find out more about them. Singer-guitarist Zachary John, guitarist Mason Ortiz, drummer Vaughn Blesser, and their borrowed bassist Carson Kaiser had agreed to meet with Chloe and I for what would be my first official interview. Chloe, with her experience and go-with-the-flow attitude, was a much needed complement to my nervousness, for which I compensated with over-preparedness.
When we got the text that the band was ready to meet us, I quickly attempted to mask my nerves and excitement with a facade of professionalism. As we stepped into the green room, I realized that we were sitting right above the main stage as the next act, Sextile, began to perform. Consequently, our interview was punctuated by the repetitive booming of bass as we yelled awkwardly into Chloe’s phone that we were using to record the interview. I tried not to let my nerves get the best of me, but I couldn’t help but think that this setup was less than ideal. Luckily, we all eagerly engaged in laid back, yet thoughtful conversation as soon as the interview began.
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity purposes
Interviewed by Chloe Gonzales & Dylan Simmons
Chloe Gonzales: So first of all, how did y’all feel about the performance?
Zachary John: It was a really good crowd! We did Peachy last year and this year, there was some energy in there that wasn’t there last year. This year we worked a little harder and just kind of gave a little bit more, it was loud!
Chloe: Yeah, I saw that you guys brought someone on stage to sing, did you know him?
Zach: That was definitely not happening last year!
Mason Ortiz: We didn’t know him!
Zach: Yeah, the people knowing the lyrics was definitely not there last year. We were like starting “Suzy Q” and all the phones just went up. That didn’t happen last year.
Chloe: I feel like with a small band, sometimes it’s hard when people don’t know your music, to get the crowd going. How do guys navigate that?
Vaughn Blesser: You kind of have to enter your own realm. You play what you would want to see in a show.
Mason: It’s like when we have fun with it, then the crowd kind of has fun with it. Feeding off the energy of each other.
Carson Kaiser: As long as we love what we’re doing up there and we like having fun with it, knowing that we enjoy it, it’s like…
Vaughn: Synergy!
Dylan Simmons: I get that, it’s so rewarding to see the band also having fun on stage because I know some people just hate touring. Speaking of touring, how long have you guys been on tour?
Zach: We did a couple of shows last week. We got about a week and a half of shows, this is our fifth one.
Dylan: And how has it been going so far?
Zach: Well, this has been my favorite. We have a very weird kind of setup that a lot of bands don’t have where we play shows to ten people, then a show to a hundred people, and then a show over here where it’s like a thousand kids. So, it’s weird and that’s where I just like us trying to stay consistent and still play to that crowd as if they were two thousand kids. It’s important to us. But we’ve been doing that for years of just trying to go hard and make it bigger than it actually is.
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Dylan: How did you guys meet and what inspired you to form the band?
Mason: Well the band was initially formed in high school with Zach and I. And we had two other people, my brother and then—
Zach: We went through a lot of bass players.
Mason: Went through about four bass players.
Zach: So Mason and I started playing in high school and started writing songs. Years went by and we kept on doing the same things and basically just stayed the most consistent, pounding the pavement. Throughout the last two years we found Von, who’s just an amazing musician and a great guy for touring. And meeting Carson too, he plays in a band called Verum.
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Chloe: What do you guys describe yourself as?
Zach: I always say surf rock, surf punk, because that’s kind of what it started as. We’re just a punk band at heart, but we play a bunch of random shit. But, punk band is where we started at and what we keep doing.
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Dylan: Do you guys have any pre- or post-show rituals to get you into the headspace?
Zach: I like talking to people around here. I’m not that social, but when I get to shows, I try to really get social because if I’m having a good time then I start talking on stage and it just feels more intimate. So, I guess treating it like a party, a house party.
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Chloe: What is y’all’s biggest stressor on stage?
Vaughn: Forgetting the words.
Mason: Yeah, forgetting the words.
Zach: Yeah, definitely.
Chloe: Is that why you brought the guy on [to sing]?
Zach: *laughs* Oh man, did he help. I think sometimes I go too hard and just try to get through songs. Also my gear not working.
Vaughn: Yeah, having to share gear.
Carson: So I learned it [the setlist] like three days ago. So like definitely just playing the right stuff. Yesterday was hard because I forgot one of the song names and was like, “Oh shit, it hasn’t started.” We all come in at the same time and I was like, fucked on it. I felt real bad.
Mason: Also getting too drunk. You got to find the middle ground. But also just making sure that you know the vibe is set and that everybody has a good time.
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Dylan: What’s your favorite song to perform?
Zach: We’re doing a Led Zeppelin cover that’s been pretty sick. I really like playing “Hoping” as the first one because it opens up everything and we get to just see kind of who the fans are. But obviously “Suzy Q” is always super rewarding because everyone likes that one and knows it.
Mason: My favorite song to play at the moment is “Suzy Q.” It’s good and it’s good energy. I think it’s a good way to leave the audience with something they can think about.
Carson: Anytime I get to imitate John Paul Jones, I’m stoked, I love playing the Led Zeppelin cover for sure.
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Dylan: If you were a DJ on UCLA Radio, what would your DJ name be?
Carson: DJ Clammy.
Mason: DJ Dis Knee.
Zach: DJ ZJ.
Vaughn: DJ Bob.
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Chloe: Do you want to promote anything?
Zach: I’m thinking about writing two screenplays–supposed to be writing them on tour but I’m thinking about it. Obviously, we got all of our music on Spotify and we have Instagram. We are wrapping up our February tour in the West Coast and then go back out for a couple of shows in spring. Then, we are recording a record with the same producer from last time, Richard Dotson from The Frights. Carson and Vaughn play in other bands as well, Verum and Seconds Ago.
Check out Alternative Citizens’ music below!
