Some Kind Of Muffin

In the interest of full disclosure I did once play bass with Ed and Eric of Uniform Victor, but it was a long time ago and I can’t remember the name of the band…..
Anyway, Eric, Ed, Paul and Lia….Lia?….hmmm I think I’ve seen her on Some Kind Of Muffin before…

Where was I? Oh yes, Uniform Victor. Great band with an amazing sound; so many layers and they work great together. They recently finished recording three new songs with Drew B. Mountain

Also, don’t tell anyone, but there’s a video after the interview. Shhhh

How did UV form and how long have you been together?

Ed Loza: We formed because Eric blew The Horn of Change from a misty mountain top. The great sound summoned us together. Uniform Victor’s first show was in 2010 sometime, I’m not sure. Eric and I have always played music together even when we were not in a band. Lia and I have been playing music together for a few years now. We all knew Paul from the band Monsters from Mars. Lia had played with Monsters from Mars so we also had that connection.

Eric Blocker: UV formed at the end November of 2010. We’ve been together since 1822.
Ed and I have been playing in bands together since high school. We got a band together in early 2010 or late 2009 with a different bass player and drummer. The drummer and bass player moved out of town and Lia had been jamming with Ed and I casually at parties etc. So we asked Lia to play bass. I had been stalking Paul for a long time. He was a drummer for a surf rock band. I thought, “That’s the guy I want! He’s my drummer!” Much to my surprise, when we asked him to play, he said yes right away.

Paul Naylor: I have been friends with Lia for years and she played cello a few times in my other band Monsters from Mars on a cover we did. She asked if I would like to jam with her other band in the beginning of 2011 and we really clicked during the first practice, I loved the music. It was pretty easy to become a part of the band, we really clicked.

Lia Dearborn: Edward and Eric had already been in a few bands together, so when their bass player Matthew Concha moved to San Francisco, I stepped up to the plate. We also got a new drummer, so we decided to start fresh with a whole new name.

What does your name mean?

Ed Loza

EL: Lia and Eric came up with the name. The general idea seemed to be that we should have a name that does not get in the way of the music. A little mystery is always good for the kidneys.

PN: I like to think that Uniform Victor is a little man out there that wears different outfits everyday.

LD: Eric and I were looking at a book for Semaphore and we thought we could find a cool name by mixing some of the symbols. Uniform Victor was our favorite combination, so we went with it.

EB: Our name is taken from international ship signal flags-semaphore and is an abbreviation for UV or Ultra Violet.

How has the band been received?

LD: Very well.

EB: I think we have been received quite well. I think we still have a lot to show people. The word is still getting around. There are some bands that catch fire right away and there are some that get ignored. I think we are right in the middle. We don’t have any gimmicks or just one sound. Our songs are eclectic so I think it will take people time to get their heads around what we are all about.

PN: I’ve been really pleased and happy with how well it has been received, we’ve played some really cool shows and gotten some radio play. Eric has been great at getting our name out there. I think the band is very motivated and has some great potential.

EL: We are mostly a top but if you get us drunk enough we are playful receivers. We are too much for some but most are very satisfied.

Eric Blocker

What is your song writing process?

EL: The bulk of songs we currently play are formed out of ideas and full songs Eric brings to practice. Paul, Lia and I start with those ideas and find our parts as we go along in practice. The newer music we have been working on has come more from full band ideas. Our practice sessions are all about new music these days.

EB: So far, I’ll start with a song idea and show it to the band. Everyone adds their parts. Then the song belongs to the band. We all take part in the changes from there.

PN: I just have been laying down the beats once Eric shows me the riff(s) he has in mind. We like to discuss ideas for what kind of drum part would sound best, and I always like playing it through a lot, taking a break, and then coming back to it. That fresh set of ears helps you come up with the most appropriate part. I’ve also been writing some songs on guitar and bass, all of us have, so we might try to expand on the song-writing process.

What has been your favorite live show?

LD: Our show at the Tin Can Ale House with The New Kinetics and 21^st Century. The crowd was crazy that night.

EL: Our last show at the Tin Can Ale house was my favorite. One of the first times we played there we played with a fellow San Diego band the New Kinetics. We fell in love with their music instantly! Sharing the stage with the New Kinetics again was pure synergy. That night was also special because we also played with the 21st Century who were on tour out of San Francisco. That was a just a particularly fun show.

EB: So far, I think it was the House of Blues. It was packed to the front of the stage. Although, there have been one or two where the energy in the room was electric. People were flying through the air!

PN: I really had a great time playing at the beer festival they had at the House of Blues. We played on one of the side stages to a great crowd, and only a few songs. I also always love playing the Tin Can Alehouse.

What are your plans for the future?

Lia Dearborn

EL: We are finishing the recording of the songs we have for our first album. Once the recording is done we can start trying the new songs out live. Live shows are a good place to see if a song is working before recording.

EB: We are set to record a new EP in about two weeks. Then we’ll just see what happens. It would be nice to have management and some support in other ways. We just have to prove we are not going away.

PN: We really want to get more into a sort of group song-writing process, and spend more time jamming and not focusing on specific songs. Just get loose, I guess. Recording is definitely high on all our lists, too.

LD: Just keep playing shows and learning new songs.

Can you tell me a little about the recording process and if you plan to release a CD?

PN: We would really love to, we have recorded at Black Box studio in South Park and it has been amazing, Mario is the best. I’m up for recording as much as we can.

EL: We recorded at Black Box Studios in San Diego with Mario Quintero at the helm. So far we have 3 songs done and they are online now. The process was pretty quick; we did those 3 songs in one marathon day. Then I think there were 2 shorter days of mix downs after that. For me recording was very different from what I would do live. At times I had 3 different guitars and 2 amps in one song. Parts were recorded out of order sometimes. It was all fun but a little disorienting.

EB: So far we have been recording songs as they are ready. We record what sounds best. We can do that since everything is digital now. We are totally independent so we can do what we want. The next EP will have about five songs. Maybe more.

LD: We’re planning on recording 3 more this month with Electric Orange Studio.

Paul Naylor

If you could only eat one type of food for the rest of your life what would it be?

EL: Sushi.

EB: Japanese/Mexican. My wife and I found a place that serves a mix of Japanese and Mexican food. I thought I had died and gone to heaven!

PN: Nachos are always my standby, and I think that would work well for this because you have a variety of food groups represented. You would also only live for about 6 months with that diet, so eat up!

LD: Definitely Mexican. No wait, Japanese. Can’t I have both?

Photos courtesy of Dominick Valentic

Keep up with all your Uniform Victor needs:

https://www.facebook.com/uniformvictor

http://uniformvictor.bandcamp.com/

Read Full Post »