“All his songs are about girls,” Ariana says, pointing to Arizton.
“That is not true!” he defends. “Theo, tell her that’s not true.”
“Or they’re about sad things,” Ariana concedes.
Theo: “Sad things about girls….”
So goes the playful jabs between the young members of the band, The Phonetic Disasters, a teenage indie rock band born from several different bands at West High in Torrance.
West is school with a lot of talent to choose from. “It’s like Glee, but instead we’re in bands,” singer Ariana Evans says with a laugh. “Like, everyone’s in a band with everyone.”
The group has been playing together for about a year and in that time has steadily grown more in sync.
The band consists of Ariana Evans, 18, primarily on vocals, Alissa Clark, 17, primarily on vocals, Arizton Pamplona, 16, on Guitar, David Kim, 17, on drums, and the most recent member, Theo Camacho, 17, on bass.
Their primary instruments only scratch the surface of their talent. “I also play a mean concert tambourine,” jokes Camacho. Pamplona sings, Evans sometimes plays bass, and Clark plays the melodica, a keyboard type instrument that is powered by air through a mouthpiece and sounds a bit like an accordion. It’s an instrument that signifies the variety and creativity among the band. “If you wrote it, you sing it,” is the general band principle.
Many of the members grew up with music, either being classically trained, like Arizton on guitar and Alissa on piano. Or they started learning on their own in their early teenage years, often taking lessons from parents and family friends.
They have come together to write beautiful melodies with interesting dynamics and unique harmonies. The female harmonies blend so well that Evans and Clark could be mistaken for sisters.
The songs they write sound well beyond their years. It could be because their biggest influence is, as one says, “The Beatles, definitely.” They all nod in agreement. But they are greatly influenced by nineties alternative rock like Radiohead and Nirvana, even reaching back to 1940s big band and hardcore screamo music.
They band was first widely discovered at the Fat Face Fenners Fishack open mic. In front of a full crowd, including their parents, family friends and other local musicians, their bright sound resonated through the room. Everyone stopped what they were doing. Cameras went up and camera phone video rolled to capture this fresh new band.
Now they are gearing up for their first Hollywood show at famed venue, Genghis Cohen.
Are they stoked to play? “Any performance makes me excited,” says Camacho. Evans elaborates, “We have a lot of chances to perform around here, but moving out of our comfort zone is cool.”
Genghis Cohen has played host to huge bands and breakout stars alike. It’s a cozy room, with pew-like seating and great sound. It’s the perfect place to start playing in Hollywood. Evans explains, “We want to play more towards LA, places that are farther so we can build up a fan base.”
It will be a great location to showcase their light and upbeat original songs and creative cover songs. Ariana Evans sounds like Ingrid Michaelson with a warm and clear tone. They have such a refreshing sound. Listening to them is like taking a cool bite of watermelon on a warm sunny day.
But don’t think their bright songs are filled with fluff. Ariana’s song, Detour, is filled with a particularly high level of urgency buried beneath soprano notes. “One time I was just driving and I didn’t feel like going home so I took this ridiculously long route home that wasn’t necessary,” she goes on to clarify. “I have an awesome home! All my songs are about being somewhere that isn’t where I already am.”
That feeling of wanderlust captures a lot of people, regardless of age. That “relatability” is what makes their music so enjoyable. It has relatable adult feelings coupled with a youthful melodic optimism.
With so much promise and so much talent, what is ahead for The Phonetic Disasters?
Foremost, they are in the process of recording. Not in a fancy studio but “with Theo” they laugh. “He has a lot of good recording equipment!” Pamplona declares. With technology today it’s more possible to produce at home than ever before.
They’ll keep having fun showcasing their music through creative videos on youtube, like the recording they made while driving in the car on a sunny afternoon which starts with a parent friendly question, “Is everybody buckled?”
And since most members are still in High School, there is school work and activities to focus on. Alissa will focus on volleyball and David will probably change his hair radically again as he seems to do each year.
Oh, and of course Battle of the Bands is coming up. “It’s November 2nd!” says Camacho excitedly.
As for the eldest member of the group, now attending El Camino College, “I have no back-up plan” says Ariana. She wants to pursue music any way possible. “I can’t appreciate music passively” she shrugs, “So I have to create it.”
The Phonetic Disasters perform at Genghis Cohen on Fairfax on Friday, Oct. 19 at 9 p.m. and at Coffee Cartel in Riviera Village on November 5.
