Ramonda Hammer

Ramonda Hammer got firsties. The L.A. quartet — singer-guitarist Devin Davis along with Andy Hengl, Justin Geter and Danny Louangxay — released the first single of 2016 at 12:01 a.m. today (PST), and it’s a rager. “Goddamn Idiot,” the first single from the forthcoming album “Whatever That Means,” is a muscular throwback to 1990s from a four-piece that calls its sound “grunge-pop” but whose wall of sound might be equally indebted to the British shoegazers from that era. Guitarist Geter certainly knows what he’s about, his leads playing cat-and-mouse with Hengl’s bass lines. The band derives its name from a woman who one was featured on the reality television show “Cheaters.” And whatever the sound, angst never goes out of style, and Davis delivers that convincingly. In one of the album tracks, she screams “I hate that all I write about is how I feel about the people that I care about / and I’ll try to have more depth. … Whatever that means.” To that, we say whatever and ever, amen. - buzzbands.la

Many cash-strapped artists have pursued crowdfunding as a means for supporting their artistic projects only to fall short of reaching their desired goal. It can be deceptively difficult to manage a crowdfunding campaign, and it's easy to overlook many of things that happen behind the scenes to make such a campaign a success. Not only is there a surplus of monotonous legwork, like trying to estimate a realistic budget for the project, but artists must also spend ample time connecting with their fans to convince them to shell out some of their limited, hard-earned money.

Los Angeles-based grunge pop band Ramonda Hammer recently launched and completed a Kickstarter campaign for a brand new, professionally-recorded EP, and with the help of their supportive fanbase (and plenty of hard work and creativity), they far exceeded their initial $4650 goal, giving them enough cash to book a recording session at the legendary Sunset Sound studio.

The band was kind enough to answer a few questions, recount some of the ups and downs of their crowdfunding adventure, and offer a little advice for any artists who may be considering crowfunding as an option.

How did the idea for launching a Kickstarter campaign come about?

We wanted to include people in the album making process, and we needed funding to “kickstart” the project, so it made sense to embark on the emotional rollercoaster that is a Kickstarter campaign. It was supposed to, and did, serve as a way to not only get our fans excited about the album, but let others know that Ramonda Hammer exists and what we sound like. Also, crowdfunding is great because the backers are not just donating for nothing, they get something great out of it, which we think is important.

As musicians, there is never a shortage of different funding needs--merchandise, equipment, studio rentals, touring costs, etc. What was it about recording this EP that you felt was more necessary and worth the time and effort to make it a success?

We do have other funding needs but at this stage, each member of Ramonda Hammer pays for their own equipment and is responsible for their individual transportation, share of practice space rentals, etc. The album is the shared product that we will be putting out into the world to (hopefully) make money off of and gain followers from so that we can continue doing what we love. We wanted to get this album done as quickly as possible because we have certain band goals, like to get sync licensing and radio play. To achieve that, we needed to be able to get professional quality recordings out into the world. We also needed to pay for those recordings in a timely manner, so getting one lump sum from kickstarter after a thirty-day campaign was very efficient.

When considering the different platforms for crowdfunding--Kickstarter, Indiegogo, etc--what were some of your primary considerations, and how much time did you spend comparing your options before you felt Kickstarter was a good fit?

We just always figured Kickstarter was a good fit. Ya know, we looked at the other options but Kickstarter is such a big name that it’s almost synonymous with crowdfunding. It doesn’t sound as daring when you say you’re running a GoFundMe campaign. Also the all-or-nothing aspect was appealing, because our goal ($4,650) was actually the BARE MINIMUM of what we needed to make the album, so it didn’t make sense to try to raise any less than that.

Did you do anything to gauge the interest of your audience to ensure it would be a success, or just jump in and hope for the best?

We talked to our friends WASI who had run a successful Kickstarter campaign a few years earlier. They gave us some solid advice about what to expect and how to prepare. They advised us to consider the campaign as a full time job and I think we really took that to heart. They also assured us that we’d get most of the pledges at the last minute. We should’ve listened… instead we panicked at two weeks in because we hadn’t yet reached half of our goal.

What type of prep work went into getting ready for the campaign?

We spent a lot of time and energy on the video. We knew that the video had to communicate our intentions for the campaign - why we wanted to raise the money, why people should want to donate, etc. We brainstormed for months on an idea for the video until we landed on something we were happy with, then within a few days we borrowed our friend’s camera and sound gear and shot all of the interviews and footage of us practicing. Our friend who is a professional editor cut the whole thing together. We also had to choose the rewards for the different donation tiers, and do the other prep work that Kickstarter requires, like a budget breakdown and more detailed information about the project.

How did you go about estimating the budget, and looking back do you feel that you accounting for all of the expenses?

We tried to keep it concise. Limited our budget to things that just had to do with getting the album made. We ignored merch related to the album, and a publicist, and instead focused on recording, mixing, mastering, and distribution. We accounted for ten percent of our money going to credit card fees and Kickstarter’s fee, and then another ten percent for shipping out the Kickstarter benefits, though looking back, we probably should’ve made it closer to twenty percent.

On average, during the campaign, how much time a day did you spend posting updates, checking your pledges, etc?

The first two weeks we didn’t take it as seriously as we should’ve, and that’s where a lot of the anxiety came from. Are we posting enough content? Are we getting enough daily pledges? The next two weeks we really hunkered down. Andy stopped taking on work for those two weeks and turned the Kickstarter campaign into his full time job. That’s something to anticipate if you’re interested in running a crowdfunding campaign: make sure you have the time to do it right. Post once midday, and again early evening. Be sure to post something different on Instagram and Facebook. Work on promotions, make graphics, and edit video clips in your downtime. Send personalized texts to everyone you know.

Your campaign featured some very unique promotions, including the opportunity to have Ramonda Hammer reenact a scene from your favorite 90s movie or cover your favorite song, a chance to decide the fate of bassist Andy Hengl’s beard, a chance to win a date with frontwoman Devin Davis, and an invitation to a private ‘Netflix and Chill’ party hosted by the band. What was the most successful?

Hands down the most successful promotion was the the chance to win a date with Devin...for obvious reasons.

Was there ever any anxiety that you wouldn’t meet your goal?

Every single day. So we put aside probably $1500 to pledge to ourselves in the instance that we were shy of our goal. Then we were anxious that we weren’t going to meet that goal either. Everything sucked. Times were hard for Ramonda Hammer.

I calculated your average contribution to be around $62.36 ($5550 with 89 donors). Were there any trends that you noticed as far as who were the biggest donors--fans, friends, family, etc? Were there any surprises?

The whole thing was a surprise, really. Even though all the backers were family or friends in some way of some member of the band; some of them were people we hadn’t talked to in a long time and some of those people donated hundreds of dollars. Friends who we thought would donate five bucks were throwing in fifty. Even Devin’s mom, who donated the most, we really didn’t expect her to give us over a thousand dollars. We feel overwhelmingly grateful.

What do you feel you did well?

Kooky promotions, professional looking content, and CONSTANT social media updates and Kickstarter email updates. Our interactive promotions were a big hit and led to our most successful pledge days. Our content was professional enough to make it look like we had our shit together. Also, reminding people they had three days left or two days left was instrumental to us reaching our goal in the last few days. People really did want to help, but as long as they knew that they had a few weeks before the deadline, they put it off until the last minute.

What would you have done differently?

Taken more time off from work and created a more thorough schedule beforehand.

Overall, what would you say was far the most rewarding part of the experience?

Honestly, making the video was really rewarding. Getting to have so many conversations with amazing friends and artists about how music has and continues to inspire them was priceless. It will always remind us of why we keep making music. And also, the day we hit our goal was incredibly emotional.

What would be your advice to other bands considering crowdfunding?

Expect to spend all of your time on it leading up to and during the campaign. And even afterwards in organizing and sending out your rewards. Really, set aside several months for the Kickstarter. If you’re not taking it seriously, people won’t take you seriously and it’s most likely not going to get funded. Make sure all of your content looks really good. Reach out to any filmmaker friends to see if they can help you make a professional and powerful video.

Was there anything I forgot to ask about that you think people might be interested to know?

Yeah!! We raised almost a thousand dollars over our goal! That allowed us to record two more songs than we had initially planned, which turned our EP into a full length album! Ramonda Hammer’s debut album Whatever That Means comes out in early 2016! Weeee! If you like grunge-pop music, follow us on social media! - Sugarbomb DIY

"This new group was different. Their sound was something I had not really heard yet. When I asked them " what would you call your kind of music?" Their reply was "grunge pop". I will say that they had every single person drawn in and everyone's eyes were on the stage. That was the first time I had ever seen anything like that at the House of Blues. If you get a chance to see them perform, it is well worth it. Personally, I thought the lead singer Devin Davis reminded me of a female Kurt Cobain."
- Jannetta Brown - TweakRadio Orange County

"This Thursday, October 2nd on SuicideGirls Radio, hosts Moxi and Chloe Suicide will be joined by the bastard future love children of Alanis Morissette and Weezer aka LA indie-alt-pop-rock band Ramonda Hammer."
-Blogbot (http://sgradio.info/blog/suicidegirls-radio-feat-ramonda-hammer/) - SGRadio

When I think about the nineties I get this feeling of relaxation and comfort. A feeling of strength, excitement, like everything is going to be all right and that’s what I love about Ramonda Hammer. Devin Davis’s paint brush strokes are impeccable in recreating that emotion, that feeling of comfort the nineties provided. Devin the front woman of Ramonda Hammer has three great musicians backing her that all have this great carefree youthful strength about them.

Though most of their songs deal with heartbreak Devin’s voice resonates a strength that is just contagious. Devin’s voice has a way to absorb all your pain and relaxes the tension of life. The whole tone the band brings together is like a “champagne supernova” right to your fucking dome piece! It feels like a warm hemp sweater in fall or Empire Records.

Ramonda Hammer is from some warehouse in the urban sprawl of Los Angeles. You will find them roving around L.A playing everywhere from an art Gallery to the House of Blues as they try to raise money for
their first album “Whatever That Means“. The irony I find is that a band that resonates of a time where it seemed record contracts grew on tree’s Ramonda Hammer is a band of today using Kickstarter instead of a fractured record label system to get their music heard.

Ramonda is raising money currently to record in the illustrious Sunset Sound Studios in the heart of Hollywood where the likes of Zeppelin, The Pumpkins and Tom Jones all made it happen. And just like Tom Jones says “Help yourself” the band is busting their ass to make the album happen.

Besides being great musicians all members are jacks of all trades Danny Louangxay on Drums kicking it like Bruce Lee, Justin Geter getting her done on the Hammer of the Gods and Andy Hengl hitting the heartbeat on Bass. The band has one Music video out that was Directed by Andy called “Chaotic” (seen above) and shows just a glimpse of the bands underlying talent.

Their Kickstarter video (see link below) is also a thing of beauty full of other bands that play with Ramonda and some of their fans. The video gives a great sense of the band and is put together very well.
Look for Ramonda Hammer’s first album soon on Itunes or donate to their kickstarter to pre-order the album or get other cool swag from the band themselves.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ramondahammer/ramonda-hammers-first-professional-ep - Sofakingnews.com

If you're familiar with L.A's Ramonda Hammer, you know that they have a knack for being creative. The band's name alone comes from a reality TV character and their successful Kickstarter campaign allowed them to record their debut album at the legendary Sunset Sound in Hollywood. Thus, it should come as no surprise that the band's latest video, which we're premiering today, for "Goddamn Idiot" is as smart as anything the band has done. The clip, which is a spoof of the '90s TV show Cheaters and showcase their big alternative sound.

Ramonda Hammer's debut album will be out this year. - PureVolume

This Women Fuck Shit Up Fest at the Smell had a provocative name and conceived to empower women, so it was expectedly attended by a lot of females as any successful girl-power event would be. Nevertheless, there were bands which included guys, and we were fine with that as long as they had a frontwoman! This was the case for Ramonda Hammer, an LA quartet who played an explosive set around 10:30 pm. The fest had already showcased multiple talents since 6 pm but many people had stayed to see the band rock their tunes out.

I said rock out, but in fact Ramonda Hammer had a poppy heart hiding behind a raging and grunge-y energy, that clearly burst on stage with a ballet of guitars and bass, and the right amount of chaos. They played their relatively short set – about 12 bands had to squeeze their respective sets the same evening – but it was enough time to conquer the crowd, which was acclaiming them at the end of their set. Singer-guitarist Devin Davis was front stage, singing with her almost plaintive voice and a sort of Alanis Morissette’s angst, getting more and more passionate as the songs were escalading into a muscular wall of sound, thanks to bandmates Andy Hengl, Justin Geter and Danny Louangxay. They call themselves grunge-pop, and their sound was expansive and loud, hitting hard with punching-aggressive drums and fiery distorted guitars, carrying the music with a bass-guitar dialogue layered à la early U2,… and this is when you realize you have mostly 90’s bands in your mind? But don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t a 90’s throwback, their sound was fresh, starting like quiet pop songs, then getting into tempo changes and interesting chord progressions, while blending the familiar and the unconventional.

And in case you would be wondering, their moniker comes from a reality TV character, and the video for their first 2016 single ‘Goddamn idiot’ (a song they played on Saturday night) is a spoof off of a 90’s familiar TV show (Cheaters). Could I envision drama during their set? Certainly, and this could explain why Devin Davis’ vocals were poignant at times, maintaining a raucous tone while being at the verge of breaking apart, during songs dealing with heartbreaks and self-destruction.

There were still a few bands left to play after them, and the crowd was nevertheless asking for more of Ramonda Hammer’s explosive rawness… but I guess we will have to wait for their summer tour and an album set to be released sometimes in 2016. - Rock NYC

What happens when you combine an up and coming grunge-pop band and a seedy realty tv show? LA based Ramonda Hammer’s music video for their new single “Goddamn Idiot.” The band’s raw sound is reminiscent of No Doubt and Garbage. This video is a creatively smart introduction to Ramonda Hammer as it allows their new audience to see that they aren’t afraid to have fun while offering a nice taste of their upcoming album, Whatever That Means, which is set to release later this year. “Goddamn Idiot” definitely offers a spark of curiosity for more music and I can’t wait to hear what more they have to offer in 2016.

If you want to get to know more about the band, check out my interview with the band’s front woman, Devin Davis here! - Lemonade Magazine

Ramonda Hammer is an up and coming grunge-pop band based out of LA. Lead singer and songwriter, Devin Davis was gracious enough to help us get to know the band and what we can expect from them in 2016. Davis’s lyrics are angsty and honest while her band mates, Andy Hengl (bass), Justin Geter (guitar), and Danny Louangxay (drums) back her with energetic, boisterous riffs and beats.

Lemonade Magazine: Hey! Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with us! Let’s start with the basics – how did Ramonda Hammer get its start?

Devin: In the Summer of 2014, I got fired from a pretty lame office job in Orange County because they didn’t sense my “dedication to the team.” They weren’t wrong, they were just assholes. Anyway, I had been writing a lot of songs about a break-up and my overwhelming depression in the time leading up to that and I just wanted to start a band that could be as loud as my feelings. I decided to move to Los Angeles and I immediately met Andy, as we both moved into the same art compound on the same day. He’s definitely the best musician I’ve ever worked with. He just gets me and what I want out of a song. When Danny and Justin joined last summer, we quickly became this eclectic little family who feel lots of feelings and perform the shit out of them.

LM: Happy coincidences are the best! It sounds like you guys have a blast together. For our readers who don’t know, the name Ramonda Hammer is one of the participants from the reality show, Cheaters. Your upcoming video for “Goddamn Idiot” is based on the same show. (You can check out my review of their video for “Goddamn Idiot” here!) What is it about the show that has inspired so much about your band?

Devin: The show is kind of ridiculous and extremely fascinating. I’m really into analyzing human behavior, so the show itself, as well as the fact that people were so drawn to watch the show, makes for a good case study. “Ramonda Hammer” also just rolls of the tongue well, and it’s a perfectly unique and memorable band name with an amusing story behind it.

With the “Goddamn Idiot” video, I kind of wanted to do something more serious because the Paris attacks had just happened and I was so fucking angry, but when Andy and I were throwing ideas around, he mentioned reality TV and then we both were like “DUDE, CHEATERS!” It’s a comedic way to make a greater point, and it’s a clever introduction to the band. Plus, we have a much more serious music video coming out for our second single “If, Then” later this year.

LM: Humans really are fascinating aren’t they? I can’t wait to see and hear what more you have in store! What other things – musically or otherwise – inspire the band and the band’s grunge-pop sound?

Devin: Although I know we share similar music tastes, everyone comes from very different backgrounds so I can really only speak for myself. I was a young girl in the 90s so I listened to a lot of pop music at first, but then I got really into alternative rock and grunge, but of course you can never un-hear pop music. Plus, the grittier music I listen to is still borderline pop anyways – Nirvana, the Pixies, Pavement, Modest Mouse, etc. Good lyrics are what get me and I love the sound of the human voice when it’s breaking. I’m also inspired by stories; a good film will often make me go home and write a new song.

LM: Speaking of new music, you guys recently wrapped up a Kickstarter campaign for you first studio album, Whatever That Means. How was that experience for you guys?

Devin: It was a LOT of work. It turned out to be very rewarding for us, but it was so stressful during the actual campaign. I’m so grateful for everyone who supported us, but I definitely don’t want to relive that ever again.

LM: I can only imagine! I’m sure it will all be worth it once Whatever That MeanGoddamn Idiots is released. What can we expect to hear on this new album?

Devin: The album is full of angsty anthems, and with the order of the songs, it’s definitely an emotional rollercoaster. Since this is our first album, I can’t really compare it to anything we’ve done previously. We’re just super excited to finally share these recordings and get people feeling some feelings away from our live sets.

LM: From what I’ve heard on “Goddamn Idiot,” I can’t wait to go on that rollercoaster with you. Can we expect to see Ramonda Hammer on tour any time soon?

Devin: Yes! In June we will go up and down the west coast. Tour dates should be announced soon on our website www.RamondaHammer.com.

LM: How exciting! I hope to see you up in Seattle! Where are your dream tour destinations and who would you love to tour with?

Devin: I think I speak for the whole band when I say a European tour would be amazing! For me personally, it would be awesome to tour with Bully; they are one of my favorite new bands.

LM: Fingers crossed for Europe! To wrap things up, what advice would you give to aspiring musicians?

Devin: This is so cliché but so true – DON’T GIVE UP! Seriously, musicians often fail because they quit when things get hard or when there’s some sort of lull. Your relationship with the music industry is like any other relationship, it needs your constant time, attention, and compromise. Keep reinventing if something isn’t working, but never give up.

LM: Great advice, not only for musicians but for anyone passionate about something! Thank you again for chatting with us! - Lemonade Magazine

Los Angeles, CA – Grunge-pop band Ramonda Hammer dropped the music video to their anthemic debut single, “Goddamn Idiot”. The video follows a bereaved woman on a reality TV show looking to catch her boyfriend, whom she believes to be unfaithful. Having acquired their name from the reality TV show Cheaters, Ramonda Hammer cleverly plays off this inspiration.
To make the video for “Goddamn Idiot”, the band teamed up with director Ariel Gardner of Dan Harmon’s comedy site, Channel 101. Front-woman, Devin Davis portrays the scorned lover seeking revenge on her unfaithful boyfriend, played by lead guitarist, Justin Geter, and his mistress, performed by bass player, Andy Hengl. Turning to a reality show to expose her cheating boyfriend, the suspecting girlfriend seeks the help of a trashy TV show hosted by drummer, Danny Louangxay. Catching her boyfriend in the act of cheating, Davis’ performance is larger than life as she satirizes the melodrama of reality TV. The show concludes with an unexpected twist of modern romance that is both hilarious and heartwarming.
“Goddamn Idiot” is an angst-ridden rock ballad that Davis explains is “about those moments when people are too afraid to do the right thing, stand up for others, take risks, or just think for themselves. Everyone’s a “goddamn idiot” sometimes, myself included.” Packed with guitar hooks drenched in reverb supporting Davis’ raw vocals, “Goddamn Idiot” is reminiscent of the best nineties alternative rock. The song is the first single off their upcoming album, Whatever That Means, due out later this year. The music video is now streaming on YouTube and the track is available for download on iTunes.
Davis formed Ramonda Hammer in the summer of 2014, but had come up with the band name as a joke years prior, after binge-watching Cheaters. When she finally decided to start the project, she met Andy Hangl who became the band’s bass player, and soon after, recruited Danny Louangxay on drums and Justin Geter on lead guitar. As a quartet, Ramonda Hammer realized their true potential, creating a sound that is familiar yet unique. Finding inspiration in acts such as Nirvana, The Pixies, and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Ramonda Hammer is an eclectic group that combines the raw lyrics and guitar riffs of grunge with the captivating melodies of pop. Though the band’s music is rooted in nineties style, their interpretation of alternative rock is truly fresh and contemporary. Ramonda Hammer has played at legendary venues such as The Echo, The Satellite, The Viper Room, and The Smell, and they toured the west coast in the spring of 2015. For future updates on shows and new releases, you can follow the band at RamondaHammer.com. - Viral Music World

About a week ago I was approached to review Ramonda Hammer’s set at the Women Fuck Shit Up fest at The Smell in LA. Somehow I was unaware of the festival, which is organized by Kate Nash’s Girl Gang, Good Grrrl Bad Grrrl, and ODD Records three awesome outlets that empower women in music and raise awareness to various women’s issues. The festival featured sets from Colleen Green, Allsion Weiss, Upset, Wasi and many other badass acts.
Unfortunatley, I was unable to go to the fest, which took place this past weekend, on February 27th and 28th, but Devin, the singer and guitarist of Ramonda Hammer wrote about her time at the show. Huge thanks to Devin for the review. Hopefully next year I can go, cause by the looks of it, I missed out!

WOMEN FUCK SHIT UP FEST- A SHOW DIARY BY DEVIN DAVIS OF RAMONDA HAMMER

I definitely still have makeup on from Saturday. It's Monday. The entire weekend was well spent down at The Smell with all of my awesome sweaty girlfriends and a bunch of new faces and amazing bands. What's cool is that Ramonda Hammer actually practices at The Smell all the time because Danny's been volunteering there for years, so what it felt like was a giant two-day party at our own house with a ton of people fucking shit up and no one was upset about it. We helped set up early on Saturday, then Justin and I ran back to my house to get ready. Come back, walk in, and there's Danny - he somehow got wrangled in to work the door but he gives no fucks, he's the nicest. Andy met us later because he's on the work grind right now making money for my expensive macaroni and cheese habit.

One of my personal fav performances from Saturday was The Derolinas, for a few reasons. 1) It was their first show ever and they totally killed it. 2) One of my best friends, Jessie Meehan from the band WASI, plays bass in this new punk trio. Jessie not only played twice this weekend in two different bands, but helped set up, break down, and run sound throughout the entire festival. PROPS, JESS! 3) The singer/guitarist Charlie is a mega hot Australian babe.

Shit was crazy all night on Saturday with bands playing non stop back to back on two stages. Leading up to our performance, it was getting steamy in the deep, windowless abyss of The Smell. As our friends Storeetellers left the stage, we had to set up quick! All of the stress gave our poor Justin a bit of a Panic Attack (too many crazy bitches around!), but we brought him back to reality and I think the strong, supportive friendship in our band really showed in this particularly angst-fueled performance. The huge crowd was moving and going nuts during our set with many faces singing along. We received many compliments after the show saying that this was "the best Ramonda Hammer performance to date." That sent us home with warm fuzzy feelings.

I went down for day two of the fest with my pop-up restaurant, PACK-A-BOWL. Since The Smell is known for being vegan-friendly, last night's menu featured all vegan cuisine. It was a challenge to not cook with my best friend BUTTER, but everything turned out great and I made an unexpectedly high profit in donations! Selling gourmet food at rock shows is gonna be my new thing I think. Anyways, I abandoned my post a few times to go be front and center for my friends' amazing bands NEW EViL, No Girlfriends, and WASI.

WASI was definitely a highlight! I don't really like to dance at shows and I'm not exactly a happy person generally, but every fucking time I see WASI they make me smile so hard and get me to dance non-stop throughout their set. Last night was exactly like that! And at one point, Merilou Salazar who is their lead singer and one of my bfffffffs, got on my shoulders and we waded through the crowd. I had absolutely no idea I was that strong.

WASI was definitely a highlight! I don't really like to dance at shows and I'm not exactly a happy person generally, but every fucking time I see WASI they make me smile so hard and get me to dance non-stop throughout their set. Last night was exactly like that! And at one point, Merilou Salazar who is their lead singer and one of my bfffffffs, got on my shoulders and we waded through the crowd. I had absolutely no idea I was that strong.

Ramonda Hammer is dreamy, 90’s reminiscent rock n roll. If it were still the 90’s I would expect to see them playing for Buffy & friends at The Bronze, but alas, it is 2016, and if you’re in the LA/Orange County area make sure to catch them on the following dates:

03/05 Santa Ana, CA- The Beatnik Bandito Music Emporium
03/25- Los Angeles, CA- HM157
04/06- Los Angeles, CA- Harvard & Stone - I'm Just The Bass Player

The multi-faceted man. We all have various interests in life. It's rare that someone has such a narrow focus that they obsess about one thing and one thing only. And yet our society time and time again tells us that we must find that narrow focus, specialize, and essentially become a cog in the wheel. The people, places, activities, whatever that we love make us who we are. That amalgamation of things makes us a society. Where this becomes difficult is when people want to know what we do for purposes like hiring, dating, etc. Let's forget all the things that I love to do and focus in on the one reason we are all here: photography. I am a photographer. That seems like a specialty. I spent years studying image making. I take photos every day. But what kind of photographer am I? There are all kinds of photographers. Fashion, fine art, street art, event, portrait, wedding, engagement, newborn, and the list goes on. I suppose I could check a few of those boxes but what if I see a beautiful landscape? How many photos qualify me as a landscape photographer? Unfortunately I don't fit in a box and I generally do what makes me happy.

I rarely photograph bands but I have several times photographed my friend Devin's band Ramonda Hammer. On this particular occasion though I wasn't shooting the band live, I was invited late last year to the recording of Ramonda Hammer's new album at the legendary Sunset Studios in Hollywood. I sat on the studio photos for a while until the right occasion and today is such a day. The experience was really cool and reminded me a lot of shooting street artists working. My argument for the multi-faceted individual is that my experience shooting other artists helped informed my photos of Ramonda Hammer and in turn I'm sure my photos in the studio will inform my other work. I think you'll enjoy this inside look in to the process of Ramonda Hammer.

Click the photo below to see the entire in studio visit with Ramonda Hammer and scroll further down to watch their new music video for "Goddamn Idiot" - Kung Fu Breakfast

It was an early morning call in Los Feliz and I was meeting Ramonda Hammer at their east side home on our way to a photo shoot at the Salton Sea, near Coachella, CA. I begin to recall my last experience with the Salton Sea during a brief photo shoot and the smell was all I could remember. I prayed this time that the makers of Fabreze had figured out how to mask the dead fish smell that lingered the air all year round. Walking up to the house, a car pulled into the driveway and Danny Louangxay (drummer) met me and walked me in to meet Devin Davis (singer) and Andy Hengl (bassist) in their dog friendly pad. In the kitchen was Justin Geter (guitar) monitoring the bagels that were too large for the toaster.

Devin comments on her home and her neighbor Jesse Hughes (Eagles of Death Metal, Boots Electric) and roommates, “Yeah, our roommates are in different bands.” Ramonda Hammer was schedule to play a show the following Saturday with their roommate’s band, New Evil, in downtown. “They’re all so cool,” Devin says in a proud big-sister sort of way. The band was excited about the road trip and photo shoot planned for the day. “Our friend Jason Burton is shooting us and his friend Mike Chance, who directed our music video, will be there to assist,” Devin says as we make our way through the 10 Freeway. Andy, who works as a freelance production designer in town, brought with him the perfect outfits for their shoot: bright orange astronaut space suits. Although their costumes did not show up in the mail in time, they managed to rent the costumes from a local prop house. The jumpsuits suited the adventure perfectly as Ramonda Hammer encouraged gawks from the locals as if they had just arrived to this planet.

I tagged along with Andy and Devin while Danny and Justin drove together in Danny’s car and met us there. We chatted about each other’s taste in music and the upcoming album (Whatever That Means) and my favorite song of theirs found at their SoundCloud site titled, “If, Then.” Devin surprised me and had a final mix version of that song on her mobile phone. She asked if I wanted to hear it. “Yes, play it,” I said as I was trying to contain my giddiness over an incredible rock song. The final version showed off each of the four musician’s raw talent and knowledge of 90’s grunge-era music. “That’s going to be the second single off that album,” Devin said as the mission turned into a hunt for a Starbucks somewhere in the badlands known as Fontucky (Fontana, CA). We exited the freeway and drove around until a phone was needed to find the nearest Starbucks. “There’s gotta be one around. They’re every,” Andy said. We found one, naturally, a few blocks from where we exited and walked in for a pit stop.

As we get back on the freeway, they allow me to hear another song off the upcoming album, “Amends Were Made”. The song brings to mind a heavier version of Rilo Kiley’s album The Execution of All Things but with grungier effects pedals and vicious guitar distortion that causes the spine to spasm at the twisted feedback. The guitar work sounds like something Stephen Malkmus (Pavement) would be envious of. “Who would you most want to meet,” I asked as we past the mile marker that led to Bombay Beach. “Stephen Malkmus. I’d love for him to produce our next album,” Devin says as the tinkle in her eye sparkles just a tiny bit. “Hey, it can happen. You have to ask the universe,” I reply. “Yeah, we just have to work our asses off,” Andy adds. We pass a billboard sign offering a Hawaiian vacation getaway. “I got paid $200 to play the ukulele and sing Elvis’ “Hawaiian Wedding” song at a wedding once,” Devin laughs. “I had to learn all these weird chords on the ukulele. It was actually kind of cool. Elvis did a version of it and that’s the most notable version of the song.” Andy, quick on the phone, plays the Elvis version for us. Elvis croons ‘Blue skies of Hawaii’s smile, on this our wedding day,’ as Devin adds, “It was so weird because I sang ‘Blue skies of Hawaii’s smile’ and the wedding was in Palos Verdes.” We chuckle as the radio segues into Pavement’s “Rattled by the Rush.”

We talk about their upcoming music video as we get closer and closer to the Salton Sea. “We have so many videos to release.” Devin says as Andy backs it up with, “We’re just like sitting on a goldmine of videos.” The video for their latest single, “Goddamn Idiot” portrays the band as characters in a mock version of a Cheaters episode. The person being cheated on is Devin’s character by Justin’s character who is caught with Andy, dressed in drag. Danny plays the Joey Greco character as he seems to be having too much fun as the ringleader of the mock episode. The band Bully comes on and the song “Trying” rips through the speakers. “I want to sing like her,” Devin comments as she sings the song’s chorus and imitates Bully’s lead singer. “I was reading a bunch of interviews with Alicia Bognanno and she writes, produces and records all of their music. I can’t wait to meet her. We saw her at the Echo when they were on tour. But, I want to open for them so bad,” Devin gushes as she admits her crush for this band.

We arrived to Bombay Beach and found the photographer, director and two new friends to assist with the shoot. Danny and Justin arrived shortly where they jumped into their suits ready for what the photographer’s direction. Danny was the first to become stung by the putrid smell and forced him to wear a scarf around his nose. Justin quickly followed and wrapped himself up with a handkerchief. Being an fascinating location for photographs, several photographers that happened to be at Bombay Beach quickly became acquainted with Ramonda Hammer in their bright space suits and asked to get a quick shot of the band. A local drone pilot even snapped a few video clips of the band’s shoot near the water making the shoot look expensive. After the shoot at Bombay Beach, everyone loaded themselves into their cars for the next adventure in Salvation Mountain. The adobe, straw and lead-free painted structure had great locations for the band to get lost at. More local and random photographers snuck in a few shots of the band behind next to several written messages praising God painted on the walls of the monument. A second drone pilot in the area made the day seem like it was all planned. The crew then drove to an abandoned warehouse where they shot a few more pictures just before the sun was going down. The location came back to Bombay Beach where the sunset over the horizon produced a majestic glow capturing each of the rockers’ radiating auras. The final location was at a nearby abandon house that was home to a flock of pigeons upset at the disturbance of their natural habitat. The band finally headed into Coachella for dinner and an interview at a local Denny’s Restaurant. It was a long day and fun day in the desert and the pictures are just a reminder of how awesome this band really is. All hail Ramonda Hammer!

Artnois: Your name comes from a person featured on the show Cheaters. What is your guilty pleasure on TV you wouldn’t want anyone to know about.

Devin: Um, you guys go. You guys watch TV.

Danny: I like the cartoon Totally Spies. I thought it was really cool but then I thought it was too girly for me because they look like Powerpuff Girls but it wasn’t quite Transformers either.

[laughs]

Danny: But I watched it anyway.

Devin: But you grew up with a sister, right?

Danny: Two sisters.

Justin: I don’t think I really have any guilty pleasure TV shows. I got no shame, I don’t give a fuck.

[laughs]

Devin: What’s a favorite that might be considered like some to be a guilty pleasure.

Danny: I like The L Word.

Devin: I fucking love The L Word. I was gonna say that but nah, that’s not guilty at all.

Justin: I grew up watching Powerpuff Girls. I don’t give a fuck. That show was dope as hell. What was her name, the green one?

Danny: Buttercup.

Justin: Buttercup, she whooped ass.

Andy: I have impeccable taste. I don’t have any guilty pleasures. Only pleasures.

[laughs]

Artnois: If there were a film soundtrack you wish you’d done, what would it be?

Andy: High Fidelity. That’s mine.

Devin: Mike’s upcoming feature.

[everyone turns to Mike Chance]

Devin: I guess he now has to hire me.

[laughs]

Justin: Ohh, lets make this awkward now.

Mike: Yeah, Brokeback Mountain 2: Nacho Jizz.

[laughs]

Justin: I’m just going to go against it now and say I wish I had worked on one of my favorite games of all time, Final Fantasy VII. Musically, the music behind that game, the whole score was probably one of the most amazing soundtracks I’ve ever heard in my entire life. If you haven’t heard it, do yourself a favor and experience the wonder that is Final Fantasy VII. It’ll make you cry.

Danny: I never really thought about that. I feel like if I were to work on any movie I’d ruin it.

[laughs]

Devin: What? Danny, you’re great. Danny has a side project called Earth is a Death Star.

Justin: They sound like a movie soundtrack.

Devin: Yeah, they’re really cool. It’s all electronic and Danny plays like, every instrument.

Andy: He can play all of our parts better than we can.

[laughs]

Danny: I’m going to go out on a limb and say I’d loved to have worked on The Empire Strikes Back.

Andy: Also addendum. I’m going to have to say Dead Man.

Artnois: With Johnny Depp?

Andy: Yeah, that was just Neil Young and he watched the movie once and thought it was cool. Then he watched it again and he just sat there with his guitar and noodled. That was how he did the soundtrack for that. That sounds really fun.

Devin: I’ll just say I’d love to do work on some upcoming projects. I hope to do a score for an upcoming film in the near future. I think that’d be awesome. But I’d love to go back and music supervise would be the entire Buffy the Vampire Slayer series. Like, picked the bands that played in the show and picked all the music.

Artnois: The song “Goddamn Idiot” is tough and great rock anthem. What or who is this song about?

[laughs]

Devin: So, I wrote the song, let’s just say in general. It’s about people who are too afraid to stand up for themselves or too afraid to take risks or too afraid to do the right thing, whether that’s for themselves or other people. It’s kind of just like, get out there, don’t be a goddamn idiot. The line in the song is, ‘you’re not a bad person, just a goddamn idiot.’ At the end, these are just my thoughts, but yeah, it’s kind of about that. I think it’s cool because the upcoming music video will be a lighthearted introduction into who Ramonda Hammer is. That music video comes out February and we’re super excited because it’s kind of heavy material, lyrically, but we’re showing it in a funny light where it’s an episode of Cheaters. It’s all of us in the video and we’re all just idiots at some point.

Justin: Some point? More like always.

[laughs]

Devin: Everybody can be and we’re reflecting on that and getting a wakeup call as well and hope that people listen to the song and maybe do something good that day.

Artnois: What is the worst job you’ve ever had?

Devin: I’ve had like over 30 jobs and I’m only 27. I know, it’s crazy. I started working when I was 15. I’ve done so many random things. The worst job I’ve ever had, let’s just say there was a job where I had to make a minimum of 90 phone calls a day and wear a stupid headset. I can’t stand jobs like that. It was a telemarketing job where I was hired as an admissions counselor. So I’ll just leave it at that.

Andy: I work in film and I do freelance art department and production design and I got wrangled into this feature. It was my first feature so I was very excited. This is why I joined the film industry. I was brought on as a second hand art department and we were shooting up in the desert and it was the middle of the night and they didn’t have any lights and everything we were putting on film was completely useless because they couldn’t see anything. My job was to climb up this cliff base and set this zip line up and the scene required that I send this dummy flying down on the zip line and I was totally unprepared to actually do the stunt because on one hand I was holding on this rope and that was my life support and the other hand I was holding on to the dummy. When they called action I had to let go of one of those and all of my concentration was on remember on which hand to let go of. The scene that these mercenaries were shooting up at this dummy and of course, they were mimicking but then at some point they changed it and they were actually firing actual weapons. So I’m up there and they yell action and I let go of the dummy and I’m like yeah, I let go of the right one but all of a sudden, there’s explosions around me. They’re firing their weapons up at me. It wasn’t like real bullets but it could have definitely hurt me or knocked me down. So that was the worst job I’ve ever had.

Justin: Every job I’ve had because it’s not what I want to do. I don’t want to work at a restaurant. I don’t want to work retail. Doing this, this is it right here. If this could be my job, it wouldn’t be the worst job.

Danny: I agree.

Devin: But when you’re a kid—I worked at a movie theater. My very first job I worked at a movie theater and got fired for being high at work. I was fucking 16 and it was like of course I wanted to be a rock star. I worked at this place called Rasta Taco.

Andy: Did you get a promotion for getting high at work?

[laughs]

Devin: I’ve had some funny job experiences.

Danny: I used to work retail at this place called women’s clothing retail store and I had to work in the back because I can’t fold clothes at all. And it was weird because I’d get a schedule and the five days I’d work, it would say call. So I had to call before my shift started to see if they actually needed me. I left that place.

Artnois: You had a Kickstarter project with this album. How was your experience and would you use that for your next release?

Justin: I don’t think so.

Devin: Yeah, I don’t think we’d ever do it again. It depends if our fan base keep growing, it might be easier to do.

Andy: I had a job for the first two weeks and couldn’t take on more work and took the Kickstarter project and turned that into a full-time job. But every day and every night we were stressing out because halfway through, we didn’t have even a grand raised.

Devin: But you know, everybody said that you’re going to make it because you have a spike in the beginning and then you’ll have a huge lull and then a spike in the end because everybody will want to help you see your goal. Luckily I was taking this class that was entrepreneurship for the indie artist at UCLA and the professor was very cool and hooked me up with this music manager who let me talk to somebody at the management company where he works at and this guy does social media and stuff like that. He’d say, ‘Start doing promotions’ and we did ‘Win a Date with Devin’.

Justin: That helped us get over our goal. It was scandalous. We’d say if you donated today, you may win a date with Devin.

Artnois: Yeah, I saw that video.

Devin: I still have to go on that date with Danny’s girlfriend. Danny’s girlfriend won that prize.

Andy: Yeah, everybody thought that was rigged.

Devin: I wanted my mom to win.

[laughs]

Devin: To answer your question, I don’t think we’ll do that again. Would you guys want to do a Kickstarter again?

Justin: If we end up building a fan base, there’s a lot of bands that have done the Kickstarter because they just don’t want to deal with the record label. If we had a much larger fan base, then the stress wouldn’t be so bad.

Devin: Maybe we’d do a Pledge Music campaign where it’s just pre-orders and not dealing with all of the extra incentives.

Andy: Also, that’s not like all of nothing. We did Kickstarter where it’s all or nothing and if we didn’t meet our goal, it’d go back.

Artnois: You worked with Morgan Stratton on your last album. Did you get any tips from him with regards to putting out an album?

Devin: Correction, Morgan is kind of a newer guy in the game. We had production consulting from my friend and former professor at UCLA, Adam Moseley, and he’s a legendary producer. He definitely gave us a lot of tips on recording. I was in a production class with him leading up to the album and it was really cool to like take his class and work with him one-on-one. He would come to our band practices and work with us in preparing for the album. That was awesome because he’s worked with so many big artists. But Morgan is amazing too. He was just a fun, awesome guy. I had known him from a family friend for a while. I think we can all agree that we had a lot of fun and a lot of laughs with Morgan. All the dad jokes being thrown around.

Justin: I’ve been in studios and have recorded a bunch of times and it’s the first time recording with an engineer that wasn’t a complete dick.

[laughs]

Justin: Because they’re always assholes.

Devin: Yeah, Morgan wasn’t a dick at all. He was super fun.

Justin: He’s more like, ‘If that’s what you want to do, then do it.’ But it was more for our benefit. It wasn’t because he thought we didn’t know what we were doing.

Artnois: What is the best part of touring? What is the worst part of touring?

Devin: We’re about to go on tour this summer with this current lineup. Right before we met Justin and Danny, we just got back from a short tour and actually went down to Tijuana (Baja California). Best part is just getting to see so many things and just experiencing random shit with local people. It’s obviously an adventure and I live for that. I cannot stay at one place for more than—that’s why I’ve had like 30 jobs. But the worst part, is the money that it costs. Just because I wish we didn’t’ have to deal with that. But it’s all part of it; to struggle and then reap the sweet rewards of all this energy and time and money spent in planning it. just being responsible on tour is probably the worst part because you’re like, ‘I just wanna have fun.’ Now I feel like such an adult.

Andy: I don’t disagree with anything Devin said but the best part of our last Ramonda Hammer tour with our previous lineup was one of our first shows in Tacoma, Washington. We played our show in a giant teapot. This giant teapot was called Bob’s Java Jive and it was named for two monkeys that used to be in cages inside the establishment. It was this big thing in the 60’s and there was this big mall nearby and it had a gorilla that lived in the mall. Anyway, it was this rad place and it was so weird.

Devin: It was this last minute show and it was so fun.

Andy: It was so fun. The bands were great and there was an all Filipino Hall & Oats cover band called Little Donuts.

Devin: Everyone was so nice there.

Andy: One of the worst things about touring, we were on our way back and had one more show in Berkeley and we were driving on the freeway and driving in the city in the van and the front wheel of the van fell off.

Devin: It did not fall off, it bent outwards and we thought it was a flat tire but it was a giant thud on the ground and skidding into the center divider of the freeway. We had to wait in the middle of the freeway for an hour and we decided to eat sandwiches and play cards. And the police officer who came by said, ‘Do not leave your vehicle.’ So we there for about an hour waiting for the tow truck.

Danny: I just like driving long distances. I like being out on the road.

Justin: I’ve never been on tour and as far as travelling, the furthest show I’ve been to was down in Mexico. The best part about it, just meeting random people, going to different places and being shown around different cities.

Artnois: Is there any advice you have for new bands just starting out?

Devin: Can we advise ourselves?

[laughs]

Danny: Be excellent to each other and party on.

Justin: I’ve been playing in bands for 13-14 years and I’m going to go off of a recent video where Dave Grohl said about bands starting out, just don’t worry about being the next big band. Just play shows and keep playing. If you’re playing some crappy equipment, then you play as loud and as hard as you possibly can. If your drum set sucks, then you beat the crap out of it. If your amp sucks, then you blow the crap out of that drum set. If your singer sucks, then that singer better be singing his or her fucking heart out. Make people hear you. One of my favorite bands is Nirvana and Kurt Cobain was a terrible singer but nobody cares because he went up there and did what he had to do.

Devin: He’s not a terrible singer.

Justin: By the traditional sense, he is a terrible singer but it does not matter because he did what he had to do.

Devin: Just know that we’re not trying to be the next big thing. This is a natural production and just keep playing amazing shows. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Work on your social media and try to build something different. Don’t do something that’s trendy. Be unique. Find what you’re about and be about that.

Andy: I won’t name names but that band we were listening to in the car, I’m noticing a trend of bands that are relying on their talent alone. But now, you can’t just do that. You have to have good social media presence and have to work hard to get people to hear you. Yeah, just work hard. Just really work hard.

Artnois: What is next for Ramonda Hammer?

Devin: Coming up in the next few weeks, our music video for “Goddamn Idiot” released and on the 26th. It’s super awesome. The album will come out in a couple months and we’re still waiting on the final date for that. We’ve got a tour in June and yeah, one step at a time. In the next six months, we’re going to have new video content out for everybody, going on tour, breaking into new markets and writing new music.

Andy: I think the following six months we’ve going to become millionaires.

[laughs]

Devin: Yeah, but probably not. If I ever acquire a million dollars, I don’t need that money. It’d probably go somewhere else.

Justin: I think we’re playing a North Korean tour. That’s still in talks.

[laughs]

Justin: I mean, Dennis Rodman is pretty popular so I might be. I can play basketball.



***



A week later, Ramonda Hammer kicked so much ass at their Redwood Bar show in Downtown Los Angeles that paramedics were a phone call away just in case anyone in the crowd was overwhelmed by the ferocious sounds seeping out of the amps. Their set was short but sweet with great rock songs that pushed the crowd to their limits with their latest single “Goddamn Idiot” closing out the night. Ramonda Hammer will be touring in support of their upcoming debut album, Whatever That Means, this spring. Their next upcoming show will be at Vega’s Meat Market in Echo Park on March 25th.



Set List



Amends Were Made

Strangers Love You

The Man Who Sold the World (David Bowie cover)

If, Then

Out of Style

Chaotic

Goddamn Idiot - Artnois

Engaging in indie rock melodies with grungy guitars, Ramonda Hammer are the latest to bring back a nineties alternative rock aesthetic with its clean riffs and antipodal dynamics. Fronted by the soft, though passionate vocal delivery of Devin Davis, the four-piece somehow keep things grounded with a honeyed melody that never becomes either too scruffy or drenched in an excess of reverb. The band has just released a video for “Goddamn Idiot”, which takes a comical slant by taking cues from defunct trash reality TV show Cheaters. The satirical nature of the video is more on the lighthearted side, though it doesn’t in any way limit their songwriting smarts; instead, we get a band so confident in their abilities that any major contrast to their sound only helps to enhance their still-nascent careers with a lively shot of personality.

Make sure to catch Ramonda Hammer at the Hi Hat on March 14. - The Deli Magazine

L.A. rockers Ramonda Hammer derived their band name from a character on the reality TV show “Cheaters,” and the video for their single “Goddamn Idiot” — which they released right as the clock struck 12 on New Year’s Eve — riffs on the program. They’re the stars of the show here: That’s Ramonda Hammer drummer Danny Louangxay as the show’s host, frontwoman Devin Davis as the aggrieved girlfriend, guitarist Justin Geter as the cheater and, hilariously, bassist Andy Hengl as the mistress. Come for the melodrama, stay for the wigs. It’s winkingly funny, if a little bit counter to Ramonda Hammer’s whole aesthetic — crunchy, grungey, no-B.S. ’90s-style alt-rock, with Davis’ gritty vocals wailing through the quartet’s muscular hooks and rhythms. Their debut album, “Whatever That Means,” made at Sunset Sound with engineer Morgan Stratton, will be out later this year. - Buzzbands.la