This indie band centered around the Provo area have been together for the past 8 months, but are already making waves in the local scene. Lining up multiple shows at music festivals the next few months ,The Solarists have the perfect blend of good vibes music with a flare of rock, making it the perfect road trip tunes that you actually want to listen to during those sweltering summer days.
After meeting up with the guys at a local restaurant, the Sushi Burrito, their favorite hang out spot, I sat down with Nate, Clint, Justin and Kaua to ask them a few questions...
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TDIP: The Sushi Burrito. You guys were saying it's your tradition to come here?
Clint: We love Sushi Burrito! We always come here after a recording session.
Kaua: Yeah, and if they were to sponsor us in any way, shape or form, we wouldn't be opposed to that (laughs)
TDIP: (laughs) Very nice! So tell me a little bit about yourselves. How did you guys first get started in music? Growing up, were you mostly self taught or was there any professional training?
Nate: My cousin gave me a Led Zeppelin CD and I was about 11 years old when I got my first guitar. After that, the rest is history really.
Clint: I was always in band in high school and that's actually how I met Justin and Nate. I played the saxophone and we were in jazz band together. When I was younger I played a lot of jazz music. A while later, I started up a hip hop group with some friends and realized I really enjoyed making music.
TDIP: That's cool! What was the name of your group?
Clint: Prime Time Real Estate
Justin: (laughs) We should do a reunion show for that!
Clint: (laughs) Later I started going to shows at Velour, seeing these dope bands perform and it just made me feel so good. I really enjoyed the way it made me feel so I started learning how to play the bass. I approached Nate and Justin and said, "Hey, you guys need a bassist" and that's how I got started with the band.
Justin: My Dad was a drummer, so I've always had a drum set in my house. When I was really young, I would go down and play on it sometimes. When I was 10, I started playing it all the time and I've been playing ever since.
Kaua: I grew up in Hawaii, and my entire family was in band in high school. The music program was basically the only good thing at my high school. My teacher was really awesome. By the time I got there, he had already listened to three of my older siblings and I played in jazz band and played in guitar and that's how I got my start. It was a lot of fun!
TDIP: How did you guys meet and come together then?
Nate: Justin and I played in a band in middle school. Overtime we dropped a few members and then around the end of our junior year, Clint came in as our bassist. It was only Justin and I for a while just playing shows together. The Black Keys were cool back then so we thought we could do something like that. Later, Kaua came in during January.
Clint: Kaua and I knew each other from college. After a few years we came back together and I realized that I still wanted to make music. After getting the other guys on board one-by-one, that's when we started playing shows.
TDIP: So, where does the name 'The Solarists' come from?
Nate: Everyone asks that question and we honestly just liked it.
Clint: It just sounded cool! We like sunlight, sun, space, solar, solarists
TDIP: It's simple and clear, I like it! When you guys are up on the stage, what's your favorite part about performing?
Nate: I love the energy that our fans and the audience brings. I love when everyone gets into it. It's the best feeling to have when everyone is connected and on that same wave length. Plus, I like weird compulsive faces on stage.
Clint: I also like the energy and feeling after a really good performance. It's a pretty spiritual experience. It's fun and exciting when everyone's jumping with us and singing a long.
TDIP: That must be a pretty wild feeling to have people singing along to lyrics that you wrote!
Clint: Yeah, it's a rush! IT's fun because the crowds we have know our songs really well. They'll jump and clap along, it's so crazy. It's such a blast.
Justin: Seeing your favorite bands always brings about a spiritual experience. I always aim to try and leave people with something until the next show so that they expect more the next time or expect the same feeling to maintain that consistency. Plus, putting on a good show is just! Music is what we love to do!
Kaua: For me, it's kind of the state of mind that I'm in when I'm performing. Who I am normally is different. When I start to sing, people will say "Oh wow. I didn't expect that to come out of your mouth" (laughs) I just get into this mood or state of mind that I don't really think about anything except for what I'm playing!
Clint: Yeah, it's total zen!
TDIP: That sounds amazing. You guys have been together for awhile then and have really gained a lot of experience. What would you say is the biggest obstacle you guys have to overcome as a band?
Clint: I think we've really learned how to let people know who we are. Provo has a lot of bands which creates a lot of competition. Every has a friend that's in a band. They go to one of their shows and end up not enjoying themselves, because that band stinks. So, already people assume that we are going to suck.
Kaua: Yeah, I've had friends just give me 'that face' of not really wanting to go to one of our shows.
Nate: That's another thing that makes it worth it performing is trying to not suck. (laughs) I want to give people a good experience and instead of leaving thinking "Oh, this could be better."
Clint: It's the best feeling when those friends that come up to us after a whole and think we're awesome! They say things like "Why didn't I come sooner?" That has been a hard thing to overcome, because you want to explain to people that we're not "bad," but you can't really say that. They've just gotta come and see!
TDIP: That's cool! What was the name of your group?
Clint: Prime Time Real Estate
Justin: (laughs) We should do a reunion show for that!
Clint: (laughs) Later I started going to shows at Velour, seeing these dope bands perform and it just made me feel so good. I really enjoyed the way it made me feel so I started learning how to play the bass. I approached Nate and Justin and said, "Hey, you guys need a bassist" and that's how I got started with the band.
Justin: My Dad was a drummer, so I've always had a drum set in my house. When I was really young, I would go down and play on it sometimes. When I was 10, I started playing it all the time and I've been playing ever since.
Kaua: I grew up in Hawaii, and my entire family was in band in high school. The music program was basically the only good thing at my high school. My teacher was really awesome. By the time I got there, he had already listened to three of my older siblings and I played in jazz band and played in guitar and that's how I got my start. It was a lot of fun!
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| SOURCE |
Nate: Justin and I played in a band in middle school. Overtime we dropped a few members and then around the end of our junior year, Clint came in as our bassist. It was only Justin and I for a while just playing shows together. The Black Keys were cool back then so we thought we could do something like that. Later, Kaua came in during January.
Clint: Kaua and I knew each other from college. After a few years we came back together and I realized that I still wanted to make music. After getting the other guys on board one-by-one, that's when we started playing shows.
TDIP: So, where does the name 'The Solarists' come from?
Nate: Everyone asks that question and we honestly just liked it.
Clint: It just sounded cool! We like sunlight, sun, space, solar, solarists
TDIP: It's simple and clear, I like it! When you guys are up on the stage, what's your favorite part about performing?
Nate: I love the energy that our fans and the audience brings. I love when everyone gets into it. It's the best feeling to have when everyone is connected and on that same wave length. Plus, I like weird compulsive faces on stage.
Clint: I also like the energy and feeling after a really good performance. It's a pretty spiritual experience. It's fun and exciting when everyone's jumping with us and singing a long.
TDIP: That must be a pretty wild feeling to have people singing along to lyrics that you wrote!
Clint: Yeah, it's a rush! IT's fun because the crowds we have know our songs really well. They'll jump and clap along, it's so crazy. It's such a blast.
Justin: Seeing your favorite bands always brings about a spiritual experience. I always aim to try and leave people with something until the next show so that they expect more the next time or expect the same feeling to maintain that consistency. Plus, putting on a good show is just! Music is what we love to do!
Kaua: For me, it's kind of the state of mind that I'm in when I'm performing. Who I am normally is different. When I start to sing, people will say "Oh wow. I didn't expect that to come out of your mouth" (laughs) I just get into this mood or state of mind that I don't really think about anything except for what I'm playing!
Clint: Yeah, it's total zen!
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| SOURCE |
Clint: I think we've really learned how to let people know who we are. Provo has a lot of bands which creates a lot of competition. Every has a friend that's in a band. They go to one of their shows and end up not enjoying themselves, because that band stinks. So, already people assume that we are going to suck.
Kaua: Yeah, I've had friends just give me 'that face' of not really wanting to go to one of our shows.
Nate: That's another thing that makes it worth it performing is trying to not suck. (laughs) I want to give people a good experience and instead of leaving thinking "Oh, this could be better."
Clint: It's the best feeling when those friends that come up to us after a whole and think we're awesome! They say things like "Why didn't I come sooner?" That has been a hard thing to overcome, because you want to explain to people that we're not "bad," but you can't really say that. They've just gotta come and see!
Discover more about The Solarists! Check them out on social media!
Go see The Solarists live this Summer!
June 20th - 26th --- Battle of the Bands @ Velour Live
Jun 10th & 11th ---Bonanza Campout
Aug 20th --- Gooseneck Musi Festival
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