The Fire Department
Santa Barbara, California, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2012 | SELF
Music
Press
VIVA LA CANTINA: The close of July means one thing and one thing only to Santa Barbarians: the dawn of Fiesta season. Yes, starting this Wednesday, July 31, the annual celebration of all things Spanish and tequila-flavored officially kicks off at De la Guerra Plaza. Along with the tacos, cerveza, and an endless sea of confetti, 2013’s Fiesta is boasting an impressive lineup of live music performances, all slated to shake down at Casa de la Guerra’s Casa Cantina. Organized and curated by S.B. music-scene stalwarts New Noise Santa Barbara, the Viva La Music Stage will be lit up on Wednesday night with back-to-back performances by veritable Fiesta institution Spencer the Gardner and The Roosters. On Thursday, August 1, L.A.’s favorite Johnny Cash cover band, Cash’d Out, hits the stage. On Friday, you can catch sets from DJ Sparx and Rico DeLargo, as well as a set from Santa Barbara’s own Victor Vega & The Bomb. And on Saturday, August 3, Isla Vista party boys The Fire Department heat things up as the opening act for San Fran funksters Afrolicious. All performances start at 8 p.m. and are strictly 21+. For more info about the acts, or the Casa, visit newnoisesb.org. In case you missed it, you can also catch Spencer the Gardner at Red’s on Friday, August 2, at 8:30 p.m. for Fiesta in the Funk Zone. He’ll also reclaim his spot atop the De la Guerra Plaza main stage on Saturday, August 3, at 8:30 p.m. Elsewhere around town, S.B. roots staple Cornerstone plays a late-night Fiesta set at SOhO Restaurant & Music Club (1221 State St.) with Rian Basilio and The Roosters on Saturday, August 3, at 9 p.m. Doors open at 7 p.m. At Velvet Jones (423 State St.), Fiesta fun starts Thursday, August 1, with a kickoff party hosted by DJ Johnny Blaze. And the mixes keep coming on Saturday, August 3, when Velvet will host English dubstep artist Jakwob. An electronic force in his own right, Jakwob occupies that super jammy divide between James Blake and Alt-J, whose remix work has been honored by BBC1’s music guru, Zane Lowe. In other words, bring your dancing shoes. The show starts at 9 p.m. Doors open at 7 p.m. Call (805) 965-8676 or visit velvet-jones.com for info. THE PRE-PARTY: And speaking of dancing — and Velvet — this Thursday, August 1, brings Scottish electronica artist, producer, deejay, and boy wonder Hudson Mohawke to the Jones alongside opening act Travi$ Scott. Since signing to Warp Records in 2009 (at the age of 22!), Mohawke’s gone on to collaborate with everyone from Luince to, most recently, Kanye West. His Santa Barbara set kicks off 8 p.m. and is open to all ages. - The Santa Barbara Independent
Als ik aan vrolijke indierock met een poppy inslag denk, kom ik al gauw terecht bij groepen zoals Air Traffic en Maroon 5. Gezien deze eerste Britten er enkele jaren geleden mee kapten en die tweeden mij vaak net té melig zijn, moet ik mijn fix ergens anders zoeken. Zo kwam ik onlangs de, naar eigen zeggen, party rockers van The Fire Department uit Santa Barbara tegen …
De tweede EP van dit kwintet heet Underwater en bevat vier nummers waarvan één buitenbeentje. Openingstrack So High klinkt wat mij betreft zoals vele zwoele zomeravonden mogen klinken. Een heerlijk gitaarspel, sensuele lyrics en vrolijke synths om het geheel af te ronden, een erg fijn lied dit.
Het gelijknamige nummer Underwater, met bijhorende video, zet, evenwel op een rustiger tempo, de gestarte sfeer verder. Ik heb hier verder weinig commentaar aan toe te voegen, behalve dan dat de clip met de over desolate routes cruisende wagen en de feestende Amerikanen het plaatje echt perfect vat.
Ook In My Head past perfect bij de twee vorige liedjes, zonder te beginnen vervelen. Dit nummer heeft geheid het hoogste oorwurm-gehalte van de EP. Het is door de band genomen vrij rustig maar weet zeker op de juiste momenten de vaart erin te steken. Ook klinkt het initieel meer pop dan indierock maar dit brengt The Fire Department naar het einde toe in balans.
Jammer maar helaas is het vierde en laatste nummer What I’ll Be voor mij een afknapper. Doorgaans koester ik veel liefde voor de saxofoon maar in dit nummer klinkt ze wel érg cheesy. Ook mist dit het nocturnale geluid dat de andere tracks net typeert. Dit is helemaal niet mijn ding.
The Fire Department is er al met al in geslaagd om een fijne EP uit te brengen, die wat mij betreft wel net het verkeerde nummer teveel bevat. Verder is het muziek die ik graag beluister en het is niet de laatste keer geweest dat Underwater hier speelde, ik denk alvast aan relaxte zomerse avonden …facebook.com/thefiredepartment. - Twee Huizen Verder
Once upon a time, the only music coming out of Isla Vista was a vibeless crossbreed of reggae and dude rock. Sped up or slowed down, aggressive or mellow, it was the kind of stuff that you had to be high to stomach. Nowadays, though, a Friday night in I.V. offers music fans a little bit more, at least as far as variety goes. In recent months, we’ve seen UCSB’s mean streets spit out some serious synth jams courtesy of FMLYBND, blissfully layered surf rock, thanks to Sun Daes, and at least one delightfully out-there electronic act. (Psychojohn, we’re looking at you.) And now, we can add The Fire Department to the growing list of UCSB-adjacent acts that have graduated out of the kegger scene. For Underwater, the I.V.-born band relocated to sunny Ojai, built a studio, and got to work on the four jams that would become their new EP. Like their live set, Underwater is dripping with a not-so-subtle sex appeal. (Lead track “So High” starts with the line, “Girl, I want to be between those jeans.”) But it’s the Fire Department’s cheeky blending of R&B, funk, and yacht rock tropes that makes the band so gosh darn loveable. Their songs are nods to time-tested, feel-good favorites like Steely Dan and Hall & Oates, and they’re delivered with the strong hooks and conviction that not only turns heads, but demands you dance along. The Fire Department celebrates the release of the Underwater EP on Thursday, April 3 at Velvet Jones (423 State St.) at 8 p.m. Visit velvet-jones.com for tickets and info. To purchase the record, visit facebook.com/thefiredepartment. - The Santa Barbara Independent
For such a small community, Isla Vista is replete with musical talent, and has been the breeding grounds for some of today’s most successful artists. Bands like Rebelution and Iration and artist Jack Johnson all got their start rocking local house parties and Santa Barbara’s bars and clubs. Today, I.V. is home to a variety of rock, punk, and reggae bands, including the Olés, Alpha Funk, Sloppy Job, Andy Dick and the Dicks, and the Adventure Dogs. One band making a most distinctive sound is The Fire Department. It originated in Oakland, Calif., where three of its members (lead vocalist/guitarist Zeal Levin, bassist Thomas Semow, and drummer Evan Monroe) began playing together as teenagers, before bringing their talents to Santa Barbara. Upon arriving at UCSB, The Fire Department expanded at one point to 11 members. The band now stands strong with five members, including guitarist Kevin Harvey and saxophone/keyboard player Joe Farey. The Fire Department combines funk, rock, and soul to create music that is uptempo and eclectic, while staying true to its northern California roots. “We have really been influenced by where we come from,” Semow said. “Bands like Tower of Power and the whole Afro-beat style have inspired a lot of our songs.” The band pays homage to some of the Bay Area’s most respected artists, exemplified by their own rendition of rapper Mac Dre’s “The Thizzle Dance.” But Monroe’s dynamic chops, combined with Semow’s melodic bass lines and Farey’s tenor sax, produce a funky rhythm sure to get any crowd on its feet. “We like that our music has universal appeal,” said Levin. “It’s something that our parents can relate to or something kids younger than us can enjoy as well.” The Fire Department has certainly had success in making sure the name gets out in the Santa Barbara area. On any given weekend, when the band is not entertaining oceanside crowds of Isla Vista, it’s in downtown S.B. at the Savoy, Eureka! Burger, Sandbar, or SOhO. After winning Battle of the Bands last year, the band also got to perform at UCSB’s annual Extravaganza Festival, opening for the likes of Snoop Dog, Iration, and electro-house star Wolfgang Gartner. Over winter break, The Fire Department spent time in the studio of Farey’s dad, John Farey, who plays in a jazz group known as Bluestone and has played alongside such musical legends as Van Morrison and Sly and the Family Stone. The Fire Department hopes to complete a six-song album this year along with a music video for the group’s original, “A Few Things.” Once the five members are handed their diplomas, they plan to hit the road and display their talents for the rest of California... - The Santa Barbara Independent
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
Performing in front of large crowds has never been an issue for The Fire Department. Dubbed as “party rockers” by The Santa Barbara Independent, the musicians first gained notoriety in the Isla Vista, CA party scene
while the members attended the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Following in the footsteps of other Isla Vista standouts, such as Rebelution and Jack Johnson, the artists grew to be the talk of the town by hosting wild house party concerts that were routinely attended by thousands of fans.
“We started performing on the ground, playing danceable music that made folks groove” says lead singer and guitarist Zeal Levin. “There was an immediate response from the community, and our shows started growing
fast. Soon, there were too many fans coming out for us to play on the dirt, so we spent weeks building a custom stage complete with full speaker and light systems. By the time we graduated, our events were so
packed that folks had to start climbing the roofs of the neighboring houses just to see us play.”
The massive parties soon attractedattention from members of the local press as well as people immersed in
the Santa Barbara music scene. The band began touring around California, performing at venues such as the New Parish and Milk Bar in the Bay Area, Hotel Café and House of Blues on the Sunset Strip, and
everywhere else in-between. The Fire Department also appeared at festivals around Santa Barbara, including Earth Day, Fiesta, as well as sharing the stage with Snoop Dogg at UCSB’s Extravaganza.
“Ever since I was a kid, I dreamed about playing music for a living” says drummer Evan Monroe. “The most difficult part about doing anything you love to its full extent is surrounding yourself with likeminded people.
There was no doubt in any of our minds about becoming professional musicians right out of college. We knew we were ready.”
After graduating, the group moved to a solar-powered orange orchard together in Ojai, CA to explore new music and write their first work to be shared worldwide. The band, once again, came together on a project to convert
their garage into a functioning music studio. “It was a lot of hard work,” recalls bassist Thomas Semow, “but building that studio allowed us to grow together more than anything we had done before. We came out
of that process more unified than ever, and that’s when things just clicked with us musically.”
As The Fire Department began jamming in the refurbished space, a clear new style emerged for the youthful
musicians. To fully capture this new sound, the band made arrangements to record the tracks at Santa Barbara’s
renowned Playback Studios with the same talented staff that contributed to Katy Perry’s smash hits “Teenage Dream” and “Prism.” The result was magical. The Underwater – EP showcases a more mature sound from the
artists that can be described as a blend between the incendiary energy of modern rock and the fiery emotion of old school R&B.
On April 2nd 2014, The Fire Department released their debut music video for the titular single off of their new EP, “Underwater”, and celebratedwith a SOLD OUT concert at Velvet Jones in Santa Barbara, CA. “Underwater has been a hit amongst our fans since we started playing it,” remarked lead guitarist Kevin Harvey, “and we knew that it was the right song for our first video. We were all really nervous on the night of the shoot because we had planned a stunt that involved our crowd waving hundreds of blue glow sticks back and forth while we played. Dozens of things could have gone wrong, but our band’s media director made sure we got the shots.”
The band is currently touring up and down the West Coast to promote the EP. Tour dates are to include venues such as The Mint and Hotel Café in Los Angeles, SOhO and Velvet Jones in Santa Barbara, the Art & Soul music festival in Oakland, Bottom of the Hill, and the Fort Mason Center in San Francisco. But no
matter where their travels take them, they will always be closest with the people that first helped them get off the ground.
“As The Fire Department continues to get gain traction,” says keyboardist and saxophonist Joe Farey, “it becomes humbling to see fans in the crowd whohave been there since it all started. You realize how your dreams are
linked to the fans that support you, and that makes you respect everyone that has helped you out along the way. I am incredibly thankful that I get to brighten people’s lives with music, because without them I
wouldn’t be able to do what I love to do.”
The future is bright for The Fire Department, and expectations are high. The “party rockers” have grown into a new sonic complexity, and they are ready to take the world by storm.
Band Members
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