The LA-based duo of Satellite Citi just released the killer new single, “Anxious Hearts.” As the pair prepare for the next steps, they took a moment to connect with TGEFM for a Roll of the Dice interview where they share their thoughts on The Arrival, LiveNation’s updated business model and their influences. Check it out below!
Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview. Congrats, on the success of the “Anxious Hearts” single! Could you tell us a bit about the band, your sound and what you want to represent for your fans?
Shaunt: Thanks ya’ll! We’re a hard rock band from LA and our front-woman Anna is on drums/vocals, and I’m on guitars. We’re joined live by our Spacewalkers on guitars/bass/keys. A lot of our music, especially as of late, deals with highlighting mental health struggles and the importance of being proactive when you do find yourself struggling.
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?
Shaunt: Probably a couple bands for me. The first band I saw live was Muse at the Greek Theater in LA, and I remember that show having a huge impact on me. Grew up with a ton of System of a Down, Tool and Linkin Park, similar to a ton of kids into rock music in the late 90’s early 00’s, but also really got into prog rock/metal later on.
Anna: The first band I saw live was The White Stripes (also at the Greek). I think I was around 11 or 12 years old at the time and I was super inspired to play drums as a young girl seeing them live. I started playing drums around that time too.
Satellite Citi goes beyond being simply a band, as you are also working on a comic book and Shaunt is outlining a novel, and from what I understand there is a significant fandom of the 2016 film Arrival. What is it about that film and the genre that resonates so deeply? How do these other outlets of creativity play into your writing?
Shaunt: Arrival is such an emotional masterpiece. Visually of course it’s breathtaking, but it hits all the emotional beats for me as the viewer. As someone who loves to constantly think throughout watching a film, a Sci-Fi mystery is just inspirational to me, and I love thinking about the extent of what humans can accomplish, and how extraterrestrial life could play a part in our future. There’s a ton of sci-fi ideas and concepts that inspired us both and I think that’ll properly be showcased in our EP Spacewalker that we’ll be releasing next year that will be coinciding with a comic.
We all have a few, what is your biggest regret? A gig you turned down, advice you didn’t take, what one thing do you wish you handled differently as a musician?
Shaunt: Hmm not a ton of regrets, but I would say it’s important to spend twice as much as marketing a new single or video than however much you originally spent creating it. I think people tend to forget a band is a business and like any new startup, a band needs to spend money to grow.
Anna: I know it’s not expected because I’m the frontwoman/drummer of the band but I’m super shy so I would say a regret would be not approaching certain industry people because of my nerves. Definitely something I’m working on constantly to break out of my shell.
The music world has changed a lot over the last few years. What are some of the biggest changes you’ve come across in your time within the scene?
Shaunt: Seeing the recent Livenation changes in regards to merch cuts and giving newer bands a $1500 stipend is likely the biggest change I’ve seen in the past decade. I think it will be interesting to see how independent venues deal with this change, and if Livenation will keep this deal in place beyond only 2023. If so, I think independent venues will need to offer something just as fair to stay in competition, and to give bands a fair chance of not just success but a genuine hope of financial stability in the years to come.
Anna: I definitely think the pandemic changed a lot of things in the music scene. A lot of smaller/independent venues that we loved closed down but thankfully it looks like live music is finally coming back strong.
The world has undoubtedly been going through some shit. What effect, if any, have the cultural (and/or political) landscapes of the last few years had on your music?
Shaunt: Azerbaijan’s continued assault on Armenians in Artsakh undeniably took a mental toll on us and continues to do so. The fact that they starved Armenians by blocking the Lachin corridor and then began a full fledged attack on civilians while the world sat back and let it happen, is really upsetting. As Armenian-Americans, we feel responsible to continue to shed a light on their aggression towards Armenians, and I think we’ve been writing a ton more to try and express these emotions.
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?
Shaunt: Current favorite bands are Spiritbox, Bad Omens, Northlane, Sleep Token, and also have really been into the new Polaris and Currents records.
Anna: I think Shaunt definitely covered a lot of my favorites. On a more local level; Dusk, Against the Sun, Kemikal Fire and Dolly Dagger to name a few!
What’s next for Satellite Citi?
Our new single and music video for “Trouble Flower” will be out on October 18th along with a Lofi remix of the song coming out in November. A ton of more new music is coming in the new year as well!
Was there anything I missed that you’d like to share or dive deeper into with our readers?
Our debut comic, Spacewalker, along with an EP of the same name will also be released next year, produced by David Bottrill (Tool, Muse, Coheed & Cambria).
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/
