So, with names like Eve Sol, Rotten Youth, Hucklebuck and Failing to Fly, what comes to mind? What does the name Sonic Cocaine bring to your soul? I had a chance to see Sonic Cocaine at Goatshead saloon a few weeks back, and the presence on stage was amazingly striking. Brodie, the lead man in the band, was a volcano of red molten metal fury. He and the other members absolutely brought the metal genre to a whole other level that night. Celebrating the life of a recently lost loved one, and sharing the stage with other musically talented bands, Brodie and the other members of Sonic Cocaine established the live performance of a metal band into future legendary capacity.
This band is actually a project conglomerate branching from a few other bands. Tastes in musical creativity and the evolution of musical styling begat Sonic Cocaine, as you will read below. Evolutionarily speaking, music has always ebbed and flowed from one spectrum to another. The really neat thing about this band is that they confess the slight changes in their genre and styling, not to keep up with the popularity contest of mainstream music, but to express their maturing personalities in music.
If you have not yet had a chance to see them live, I strongly suggest, no I INSTIST, on seeing them this Saturday, March 17th at Donna Jeans Libations in Glendale. I can’t speak for the performance of the other bands, however I have listened to their tunes and I gotta say I am looking forward to seeing them play too.
Click on the streampad below to listen while you read!But before you see them live, here is the down and dirty with Sonic Cocaine.
Who are you?
My name is Bronson. I'm the singer/lead guitarist/songwriter and leader of Sonic Cocaine. On rhythm guitar we have Marcell, or "Money" as he likes to be called. On bass we have Todd and on drums we have Warren.
What inspired the name Sonic Cocaine?
Warren, Money and I were playing in my other band (Rocking Horse) when I decided to start a new project, which became Sonic Cocaine. The reason I decided to start another band was because of the direction the new songs were going. Everything about the new songs I was putting together was getting crazier. The music was getting heavier and more aggressive than the standard Rocking Horse stuff - which is straight ahead rock. So more than anything, the name Sonic Cocaine was inspired by the heavy music that was coming out of the creative process we were in at that point.
How did Sonic Cocaine get together?
It's sort of a long story but...I've known Money since junior high - he's my best friend. We basically learned to play guitar together growing up. He plays bass in Rocking Horse and switches to guitars in Sonic Cocaine. I'd known Warren from way as well, but hadn't jammed with him until now. How we got him to jam with us was that Rocking Horse was playing in the valley, we had played with numerous bands and we even did a NYE show at UB's in Mesa with Warren and Todd's band, Existence A.D. Well, one weekend our drummer decided to cancel on us. We needed a drummer bad, so we called up Warren, and he learned our set list in three days. Our first show with Warren was a summer show at College Dropouts in Tempe - we kicked ass. So since then, Warren's been drumming for Rocking Horse. So Warren, Money and I have been jamming for about two years now. It only seemed fitting to keep Money and Warren with me when in Sonic Cocaine. Todd came on-board when Rocking Horse guitarist, James, left the band. Todd and Warren are long time buddy and they've jammed for a number of years in Existence A.D. with Warren's sister, Randi. So basically, for Sonic Cocaine, it was a no-brainer for us to add on Todd because he jams bass in his band and he knows Warren's style of drumming, and they sound great together. It just made the rhythm side of playing already tight, and made it easier to work with.
The idea to for Sonic Cocaine was just to have an outlet for our heavier tastes in music. But since Sonic Cocaine has started playing, it's become more of a side project. The sound, the energy and music can very much stand all its own. The band officially played its first show under the name Sonic Cocaine August of last year (2011).
What albums have you released?
We're in the process of recording our first CD ever. We have about 10 songs written and more on the way. We're very excited what we have to offer the listeners and the fans who've been following us since last August.
What drives your music?
Songwriting. Creating. Collaborating. Rehearsals.
Give me an example of your music and lyric writing process.
I do most of the songwriting right now. I do believe that eventually, Sonic Cocaine will get to the point of collaborating as a unit - like actually having everyone in on the creative process. Since I am a guitarist, I do come up with most of the riffs, chord voicings and melodies. Usually I'll just jam without the mindset of creating, but just jamming...and then something will begin sticking in my head; a riff, a melody. If the idea keeps resurfacing over time, it's a telling sign for me that it's something worth building into a song. With lyrics, it's quite different. I'll write based around an emotion and/or something that happened. The approach is something called 'stream of consciousness' - where you just write everything that comes to mind at a given point, and later on, maybe a day or two or even weeks later, you read everything you wrote and try to make sense of it. For me, I use that reflection process to organize that writing into lyrics for songs. It's a little limiting too, since I play guitar and sing, I have to come up with parts I can sing and play without breaking rhythmic timing or syncopation. It's a challenge in itself but it's fun, as well.
What inspires your music?
Sharing is what inspires me. Everyone has something to say. This is our way of communicating with the world. It's an ever-evolving process of being influenced and influencing others. I grew up listening to my favorite bands, watching other people jam live and play and it was powerful to me. One day, down the line, some kid is going to discover our music and say, "Now, THAT'S what I want to do!" That's what inspires me.
Does your cultural background give muse to your creative process?
No, not really. I don't think it really does, in fact. We've had many, MANY discussions about this as a band. We've stuck to the belief that, 'Yes, we're proud of our language, culture and heritage. We do strongly believe in our indigenous roots. But we are not going to push that on other people through our music, nor do we use it as a means of entitlement to gain popularity or to build a following.' If people like your music, they'll let you know. If they don't, they'll let you know too. Our belief is that music should be shared with all, not just a select group of people.
You have a strong audience and following. What keeps this crowd with you?
I would like to believe we have a strong following. We're constantly evolving as individuals and we have to keep that same mentality as musicians. Sure, Sonic Cocaine music is heavy-rock, but there are many different way to be heavy-rock. The catch is finding ways to reach out to all the many kinds of listeners there are on any given gig night. There is no formula for creativity. I'm truly blessed to have the team I have right now. They're talented, motivated, hungry and want to make an impact on the Phoenix valley scene. They want to be a force to be reckoned with. In the end, we can't be content with what we have. We have to keep moving forward.
We're not trying to be a bunch of bad-asses either. We're just four regular guys who have fun on the weekends after busting ass at our 9-5's every week HA!
What other projects are you guys working on? I noticed a couple other bands that night that had intermingling members.
I guess that would be the Rocking Horse, Sonic Cocaine thing Ha!
How would you describe the local scene?
I think the local scene is awesome.
Do you prefer playing large or smaller venues?
We've never actually played a large venue.
Do you have a favorite artist to share the stage with?
We all pretty much have different tastes in music. So I think the other guys would have different answers for this question. I'd like to share the stage with Greenhaven from Scottsdale. I always liked them. They're bad-ass.
Whens your next show?
March 17th @ Donna Jean's Libations in Glendale, AZ.
So my friends, DON’T MISS THIS SHOW!! The original music of Sonic Cocaine is not something you should pass up. The band as a whole has an awesomely artistic vision that evolves from their own personal preferences but then gets mixed and baked in a loaf of delicious metal manna. Have a piece this Saturday, in Glendale!! Smother it in yummalicious fan flavored passion and wash it down with some beer.
If you would like to contact Sonic Cocaine please refer to the information below. Happy music making, Phoenix!! I want to express that with everything that has happened in the scene lately, do not let this deter you from supporting local bands. Terrific talent like Sonic Cocaine cannot be lost!! There are other tremendous talent out there that still need to be shared. Find them and share them, and as always live free and die with a melody in your soul.
For booking information:
SONIC COCAINE
C/O: Bronson B. Yazzie
email: sonic.cocaine@hotmail.com
email: brodiebomber@gmail.com
band contact number: 480.406.2000
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