{"id":2534,"date":"2014-09-01T18:44:09","date_gmt":"2014-09-01T18:44:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/amusednow.com\/blog\/?p=2534"},"modified":"2014-09-05T16:57:29","modified_gmt":"2014-09-05T16:57:29","slug":"pixley-california-country","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/amusednow.com\/blog\/pixley-california-country\/","title":{"rendered":"Pixley ~ California Country"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Liz

Liz Rohrs and Josh Todd<\/p><\/div>\n

Josh Todd and Liz Rohrs from the indie country band Pixley are going places. Pixley arrived on the scene two years ago, and they\u2019ve already played the House of Blues in Los Angeles. When the band launched a Kickstarter to finance their first 4 singles, they met their goal within a week. Wow!<\/p>\n

I love their hit Summer Nights<\/em>, along with Underneath the Roses<\/em> and Harken<\/em>. I can\u2019t pick a favorite. To me, their music has a country feel with pop influences.<\/p>\n

Liz describes their music: \u201cThe cool thing about music is that you can look at what\u2019s come before you and, if you know the rules, you can bend them. We wrote our first few songs in the traditional rules for folk and country. For the ballad Underneath the Roses<\/em>, we added a layering effect beyond the melody in production. We added a folk edge to the song Harken<\/em>. I would describe our music as varied and unique. We are able to write in a variety of different styles.\u201d<\/p>\n

Josh adds: \u201cWe made this rule. We didn\u2019t want to be rudimentary. If the song is \u2018yeah, I\u2019ve heard that,\u2019 then Boom! Add a new instrument. Disrupt that whole sound. At our first live show, we had 12 players.\u201d<\/p>\n

Liz Rohrs is classically trained on the violin. She plays in symphonies throughout Los Angeles and Orange County, CA. Liz grew up in the 90\u2019s loving Ska and pop music. She always wanted to try something new and fun, to break out of the serious world of classical music. Liz met Josh Todd online through Craigslist (a hidden gem to connect with musicians). Josh was interested in starting a country music project. The two joined forces and Pixley Band was born.<\/p>\n

Liz explains, \u201cAs a violinist, fiddling is something we joke about in the classical world. To me, it\u2019s fun and old school and something I\u2019ve always wanted to get into.\u201d<\/p>\n

Josh Todd started touring in college. \u201cWhen I went to college, my roommates were all in bands. I played with a musician name Chad Douglas. He was a little more established, and he asked me to go on a mini tour with him. I got an early high on playing live. I thought this was the coolest thing ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since college, Josh played guitar in several different bands. \u201cI thought it would be really fun to take a crack at a different version of country. We started this \u2018California Country\u2019 music project called Pixley. I had the idea years ago and never acted on it. This was good timing. We both were in the same mindset.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"PixleyJosh Todd is a big fan of classic country singer George Strait. \u201cIt\u2019s funny I say that, because you won\u2019t really hear his influence in our music, but we definitely use some simple, old-fashioned George Strait chord progressions. Liz and I are so different in our backgrounds. She\u2019ll say things like, \u2018How about a Bruno Mars affect in this song or a John Legend affect?\u2019 I never thought of bringing R&B into country.\u201d<\/p>\n

Josh is Pixley Band\u2019s social media mascot: \u201cI\u2019m on every major social media site. ReverbNation is a big one. I found you through ReverbNation. I pull tactics on LinkedIn too, so I can meet promoters and producers and get instant feedback. Instagram and Twitter are great too, especially on show days. It\u2019s nice to have all these big, glowing sites out there that do well for lesser known artists.\u201d<\/p>\n

Josh advises other artists: \u201cDon\u2019t be afraid to reach out. All the success we\u2019ve had, like the House of Blues invite, happened because I just reach out and ask. It\u2019s amazing what people have given us, the shots we\u2019ve had so far. At the end of the day, what do you have to lose? They can always say \u2018No,\u2019\u00a0 and you can always go back. That\u2019s the cool thing about going online, it fades away and you can come back with another email or tweet. Don\u2019t be afraid to go after it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Liz added, \u201cIn music, it takes a lot of work and a lot of dedication. Many bands give up after a year or two, because they realize how much time and how much work and how much patience it takes. I would stress perseverance, stick with it and do something you love. Don\u2019t give up. Maybe it\u2019s really about the joy of playing music at the end of the day.\u201d Sage advice, Liz Rohrs.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s up next for Pixley? More writing. Josh and Liz get together a couple times a week to write. The band recently brought on a new writer, who adds a rock-and-roll feel to their new music. They have five songs in the works, which should be produced by the end of this year.<\/p>\n

Excellent, I can\u2019t wait to hear their new music.<\/p>\n

Watch the complete video interview on the Amused Now YouTube channel:\u00a0http:\/\/youtu.be\/g8NHAsWdvTs<\/a><\/p>\n