Few bands are more familiar to San Diego reggae lovers than STRANGER, and it doesn’t look like they’ll be leaving local stages or stereos anytime soon. The band originally formed in 2000 at “Harvard on the Hill,” otherwise known as Southwestern College. “We were just a group of community college kids who wanted to play music more than anything else. Some of the first conversations we held were with hand drums, percussion and guitars. The ultimate ice breaker...”
It took less than two weeks to get a band going. STRANGER started as a 4 piece: guitar, bass (Tilley), vocals (David) and djembe. “We were a house party band, playing anywhere we could. After about a month we were introduced to Nolan (drums) who was still in high school. We recorded our first demo, consisting of about 10-11 original songs, in a Metabolife office that doubled as a recording/rehearsal space at night. ’The Metabolife Sessions’ ha ha...
“We then met Daniel (guitar) ... He was like a juke box, always playing the classic rock hits.We showed him our demo and he learned all the songs in 2 days; he automatically found a place in the band without the other members even discussing.”
STRANGER spent the next several months building a name for themselves and after adding keyboardist Ian “we could really feel the momentum building...” In 2002 the band began their first official recording experience with the
Grammy Nominated recording techniques professor at Southwestern College.
With dreams of nationwide radio play, record deals and world tours, they went to a multimillion dollar studio in LA to record the basic tracks. This turned out to be a three year process that cost over $15,000. This album was suitably titled "Life Lessons" (now only available on iTunes).
The next album, 2007 release "Shelter from the Storm," was a rebuttal to the first album.
“It was about the vibe and a slight disregard for the guidelines of popular music. We took a bit more pride in this project and even released the album with a DVD. We recorded the whole album at
Golden Track Studios in Escondido; though this album was completed in less than half the time, it still cost us a pretty penny. During the "Shelter from the Storm" recording sessions our producer brought in a couple of horn players he knew could lay down some big parts. Don (trombone) and Aaron (sax) have now been playing with us for about 2 years.
"5 out of 7 members in STRANGER are San Diego natives. 4 out of 7 have lived here our whole lives."
The LIST: Who are some of your influences?
David: “Our biggest influence is each other. We listen to all types of music. And I mean ALL types. We're all products of our environment, and each one of us is from a different environment, soo... I can't speak for everybody. My personal influences I would say would be reggae, jazz, soul, folk, hip hop, oldies and classic rock. My dad grew up in Logan Heights and my mom in Lakeside, so I was able to experience both of their musical tastes. Also, Chula Vista and the South Bay in general is a very diverse community. I wouldn't say there is one predominant ethnicity in this part of the county, and it’s definitely not as segregated as some other parts of San Diego. Our band is proof.”
The LIST: What have you been up to recently?
David:“We've been playing up and down the coast as well as in Hawaii where we've been in radio rotation for about a year now. We plan on returning to the islands twice in 2009. Our latest focus has been on our next album. Sure we've been touring, but for the most part, the time frame between "Shelter from the Storm" and now has been spent honing our craft... so to speak. We've definitely matured: spiritually, musically, mentally etc. And I think it will show in the next recording. This next group of songs, we feel, has a lot of potential."
The LIST: Any funny shenanigans behind the scenes?
David: “This is what we do: Sing the melody of a STRANGER song, but change the lyrics completely. Usually the resulting lyrics are a bit more crude or comedic than the original version, but we have a good time making fun of ourselves.
“Every once in a while someone will sing their version on stage where only the band members can hear it. That's always funny... Distracting, but funny. I just hope it doesn't slip out on to the mic.”
The LIST: What's next for Stranger?
David: "We just released a new EP "Some Kind of Sign" on June 5Th at
Canes in Mission Beach so we’ll be promoting that hard, followed by a trip to Hawaii. New website, Videos and Music on the way. Get Ready."