Cali-based Latinx surf-rockers 3LH have been winning hearts and ears following the release of last year’s Silver Dream Road on My Grito Industries. The band took a minute to Roll the Dice and chat with TGEFM about their sound, their future and who’s impressing them musically now.
Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview! What should our readers know about the members of 3LH, your history, your sound and what you stand for?
(Rafa) We (Favian bassist, Kevin drummer) started the band as a three piece in high school (punkish, ska-ish, alternative-ish) however quickly realized we wanted to capture a more unique sound in general. After adding a fourth member things just naturally started falling into place – once Johnny joined the group it was pretty badass – we were finally firing on all 8 cylinders on a ratty surf wagon. Johnnys first show with us was in a dingy dive bar in Las Vegas, that night is pretty unforgettable for all of us.
I think 3LH means something different for all of us but for me it’s something that I have grown up with and have grown so attached to, to it stands for home, I know wherever I find myself in life whether its good or bad, I can come home to 3LH and forget about everything and just be myself surrounded by my favorite musicians.
What album or band or significant singles made you go “Yeah, this is what I want to do” Not just an influence but who or what was the catalyst?
(Johnny) Best Coast Crazy for You and JFA‘s Blatant Localism. To this day those albums give me a rush of excitement. Their “summer” chords made me want to pick up a guitar and just strum.
You got your starts really diving into covering other artists. What artist’s music has taught you the most? What’s the difference between those covers and your more recent foray with 3LH originals? What’s the biggest pro and con to covers and originals
(Favian) I wouldn’t say there is one sole artist that has taught us more than the other. We’ve gotten to learn the importance of energy when playing on stage to creating fun, catchy riffs. The most important thing learned I feel is to have fun with the creative process and not to force something. The thing is, covering various styles contributes directly to how we create originals. It’s really cool when muscle memory takes over and we start making these subconscious connections to different sounds and end up creating some interesting stuff. That’s definitely a pro. A con when it comes to covers might be just sticking to one or a few artists that share the same sound, it really limits the creative process.
Nobody can deny the world has been changing drastically over the last few years. Where do you see the future of music, both for 3LH and also for the scene at large transitioning in light of these events?
(Johnny) There’s no telling for certain. Whatever the future, It’ll be positive. We are all having different experiences at the same time which will definitely shape us and what we create. I feel so long as we continue to be conscious of others and the world changing the scene will adapt for the better.
One of our obligatory questions in these interviews also tends to be the one I have found most important on a personal level. Who are some bands on your radar that TGEFM readers may not know about, but you think they should?
Definitely check out Strawberry Fuzz, McCharmlys, Archer Oh, Los Shadows, The Offtrax, Los Ratones Atomicos, Selkie Boy.
These artists are making moves and most likely inspiring the next wave of up and comers.
I’m sure I’m missing a few but you’re more than likely to discover them going down the rabbit hole.
What’s next for 3LH?
(Kevin) We want to continue growing as a band and as friends and there’s no better time to do that than going on tour hopefully by the end of this year, if not, early next. We do have a couple recently recorded songs and intend on completing a full album as well as creating some video content soon!
Was there anything I missed that you’d like to share or dive deeper into with our readers?
(Rafa) We’ve been in this band since we were kids, Johnny joining later but still all of us being gigging musicians at such young ages – growing up it gets so much tougher to get together with everyone having full time jobs and all, I think we all appreciate the time we do get to spend together and we don’t take any of that for granted – I feel our music reflects that!!
Roll of the Dice is a short interview format with a variable amount of questions. A pair of dice is rolled and the total, between 2 and 12, is the amount of questions we can ask. All questions are given to the interviewee(s) at once, and no follow-ups are allowed. The interview may be lightly edited for content and clarity.
Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed’s musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he’s self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/
