Mike Sandoz
I’m really excited that our first Amused Now ReverbNation contest was so successful that they asked us to host a second one. About 4,000 musicians submitted their music. The first band we selected this time around is Dead Day Revolution or DDR for short. Mike Sandoz is the lead singer/songwriter, lead vocals and guitar player. Mike is joined by Skeeter Joplin on drums and Cristian Sturba on bass.
We selected Dead Day Revolution because we love their rocking sound and the variety within their music. This band is super talented. Of all their songs, I agree with fans that Bury My Soul is my personal favorite. I also really like Wait and On Our Own.
When I asked Mike Sandoz to describe the band’s music, he told me: “We’re pretty much straight up rock-n-roll. Some people describe us as punk, but I think it’s more in the attitude than the music. I don’t really listen to punk music. I would say rock-n-roll or alternative rock, because we do have a varied range of styles.”
This is Mike Sandoz’s first band. Mike was just looking for the right musicians: “I never really lived around people who are like-minded. I moved to Los Angeles in 2009; and the first week, I met Zoey Taylor, our original bass player. She’s a tattoo artist. I got a three-quarter sleeve over two days, and we became best friends. She introduced me to her brother Skeeter. They grew up playing music. They heard my songs; and when I asked them if they wanted to start a band, they said ‘Yeah.’ I’m a little late in the game, but whatever works. I’m still here.”
Zoey left the band after a year and a half, and the band went through a few temporary bass players. “I always had my eye on Cristian, because he’s in the scene here. He and Skeeter used to be in a band called the Vicious Licks. I finally got him to come and play with the band about a year ago. Things have really taken off, since he joined the band.”
Mike Sandoz is a self-taught guitarist and singer; he started playing at around 14 years old. “I begged for a guitar for three Christmases. I finally got one and started picking out notes. Skeeter is self-taught too. “I think Cristian has the most theory background. He grew up playing music.”
As for music influences, Mike grew up listening to The Smashing Pumpkins and Nine Inch Nails and Iron Maiden. He also went through a country phase. However, “In the last five years, I started listening to Roy Orbison and a lot of older country and singers, like The Platters, The Andrew Sisters and Mahalia Jackson, an amazing gospel singer. A lot of these influences come from Skeeter and Zoey, because they have such a huge musical background.”
Skeeter is heavily into the 70’s New York punk scene. He played a lot of rockabilly growing up. According to Mike, “I think his favorite band is Deep Purple. Buddy Rich is his favorite drummer. We listen to a wide range of artists.”
No wonder Dead Day Revolution’s music is so varied!
When it comes to social media, Mike Sandoz has done a lot of Facebook and Twitter research. “I’ve run a bunch of Facebook ad campaigns to get the word out. We haven’t actually released our album yet. If you want anybody to listen to you, you have to tell them that you exist. I think a lot of bands forget to do that.”
Mike Sandoz advises, “Don’t spread yourself too thin. I know a lot of people who are artists that play in like five different bands here in LA. Everyone is afraid to commit to one thing. This is my first band. It will probably be my last band. You have to decide to commit to one thing that you really believe in, and I think you’ll be good to go.”
What’s coming up next for Dead Day Revolution? “We’re making an official video for Vampyre Blues, coming out in the next month or so. We’re trying to get it released for October 31, but there’s so many moving parts, I’m not sure we can get it out by then, but that’s our goal.”
If you’ve been waiting for the first Dead Day Revolution album release, Mike revealed that it’s coming up in early 2015. “In February, we’re going to officially be releasing our first album called On Our Own. We’ve been sitting on it, because I’ve been waiting to get the budget together to hire a publicist. We hired Leslie Zimmerman of Leslie Z Media here in LA. She’s going to be doing our album release campaign. We’re really excited about that.”
I’m excited too! I can’t wait for the release of their album, because I’m a big fan.
Watch the complete video interview on the Amused Now YouTube channel: http://youtu.be/lRPWQNKE5EA
ReverbNation Contest Winners
Mike Sandoz, Dead Day Revolution
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Cynthia Kahn, Founder of Amused Now
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