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by Zack Zarrillo & friends
Showcase: Two Cheers
Posted July 5, 201515 notes
By the time this gets posted, most American readers will likely be making one last social media check before heading to a celebratory backyard BBQ.
Whether you’re partying for Independence Day or just basking in weekend freedom, Two Cheers is going to be your perfect soundtrack.
This dreamy indie-rock outfit calls themselves “purveyors of reverb, chorus, and radical color schemes” - and it’s not difficult to see why.
Reverb-drenched vocals and cascading, hazy guitars are the audio embodiment of summer.
Stream “Anchor” below and check out all of Two Cheers’ music on Soundcloud - their Splendor LP will be released later this month.
For Fans Of: Circa Waves, Kings of Leon, Wavves
Social Sites: Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud
Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.
Bryan Akcasu - Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards
Mitchell Dill - Guitar, Bass
Al Aguilar - Bass, Guitar
Bryan Panzeri - Drums
What’s your hometown (or what are your hometowns)?
Bryan A. - Ann Arbor, MI & Los Angeles, CA
Mitchell - Pensacola, Fl
Al Aquilar - Manilla, Philippines
Bryan P. - Boston, MA
How did the band come together?
How long has it been?
I started recording the first Two Cheers album, Two Cheers, in the winter of 2013.
Mitchell and I started playing together and writing the new album Splendor in the spring of 2014. The others joined the band in the fall of 2014. It hasn’t been very long at all!
How have you grown since you started?
I think we’ve grown more confident. We’re the kind of people that beat ourselves up a bit too much and we needed to hear from people that they liked our songs and our live show. Once that started happening, we began to feel less shy and our music became more natural and our performances became less inhibited. We’ve also all become really good friends and we know we can rely on each other for anything.
What sets you apart from other bands?
We are really independent. We write, produce, record, mix and master our music almost completely ourselves at my home studio. No one really influences our sound. So, our new album might not be as polished as other bands’ records, but it is really “pure” because we made no compromises and it sounds exactly how we want it to sound, which is something I think you can hear at least on some level.
What’s the best part about being in your band?
Being able to make whatever kind of music we want to make! My favorite bands have been ones who explored a lot of sounds and styles, and I’d like Two Cheers to be a band that can get away with that. Plus, I don’t really like to tell people how to play because it is more interesting to hear how other people interpret the songs I write. And as we’ve started to get to know each other better, we’ve started to collaborate more. We’ve begun writing a new album that is really going to be a collaboration between me, Mitchell, and Al.
More times than not, influences tend to bleed through. What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?
The Sugarcubes, Real Estate, Wolf Parade, Haim, Hop Along, Jack White, Pixies, Pearl Jam, The Church, Chapterhouse…really too many to even name.
What would you say the band has already accomplished and what do you have your eyes set on next?
I think we recorded a great new record (Splendor) that means a lot to us and our friends. The next step is to get the music out to people which means playing more shows in more cities, getting our other material like music videos and bonus tracks out there, and coming up with more music! We have 30 or 40 songs that we have already started recording that have a very different flavor from either of our records. It’s still very Two Cheers but we take our sound in a lot of new directions.
Thus far, what’s a favorite memory or something quirky that’s taken place with the band (in-studio, onstage, or elsewhere)?
Just for fun, we tried to record a song at this more professional studio and have someone other than me mix the track… As the day went on we started to realize it just wasn’t working for us – that kind of situation is not our thing. We all hated being told what to do and how to play our parts and what instruments to play, and I was getting fed up with not being in control of the recording process. I wanted to play the game though, just to see how it would turn out. Finally, a few days later, the mix came back and it was terrible, and we all laughed about it and agreed never to try something like that again unless the producer was someone who produced one of our favorite records. The best part is that we had a blast re-recording it from scratch at my studio, kind of realizing what a great situation we’ve had where we can all take our time and do exactly what needs to be done! Everyone was relieved. It was a bonding experience and a good lesson.
Is there anything in particular that you’d like people to take away from listening to your music?
It’s music that is meaningful to us, it was a lot of fun to make, we put a lot of ourselves into it, we truly love it and we hope other people love it too. We hope it touches you in some way and hope it makes you want to get to know us. It’s simple music – not very flashy or trendy – but we did it all by ourselves and it changed our lives.
If you could change something about the music industry, what would it be?
Well, I don’t know. The challenges are part of the fun for us. On the other hand, I know that I will only barely be able to make a living from my music with the way things are now. But there are a lot of ways to make money in the world. Two Cheers is more important than that. I’d rather spend my time on Two Cheers and end up on the street than spend time making a comfortable living and not have time to do what I have to do.
How did your band’s name come about?
It comes from a book of essays I read on political anarchism called “Two Cheers For Anarchism”. I just think the first part has a nice ring to it and suggests a sort of celebration – which our music absolutely is.
What’s the biggest mistake someone’s made while playing?
I usually screw up the solo on our song “Hiboux Super.” It’s become a running joke…
Any pre-performance rituals?
Not really. For me, tuning a guitar is kind of a spiritual thing. It’s like I am tuning my soul too and getting ready to perform.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Thank you for checking us out and I hope you enjoy our new album Splendor which is coming out in July. Also, keep an eye out in the coming weeks for the bonkers music videos that we shot last month!