photo by Grant Blakeman, used from the band's myspaceband web site buy their album here
I interviewed The Heyday the week their home base Denver hosted the Democratic National Convention. A few cringeworthy DNC promotions egged on the old clichés about Denver--riding horses everywhere, old guys wearing ten-gallon hats, etc. I'm sure the out-of-staters were surprised to find, then, that Denver is a mining town no more, but rather, a forward-thinking urban goldmine of ideas. But the truth is, even among that, there are still a few big hats in the city.
There's a similar sentiment that comes from The Heyday, whose warm, nostalgic sound epitomizes the new west. While a few tunes are whipped with that irresistible twang, their singalong pop is certainly more fit soundtracking drives down the highway, reminiscing on your own loves lost and found. And as a band that began the summer after graduation, their songs are crisp with the sound of transitions, of endings and beginnings, of journeys and frontiers. The Heyday's vocalist and rhythm guitarist Randy Ramirez speaks with The Overcast.
The Overcast: How did you guys all meet and start The Heyday?
Randy: I knew Brian Martin [guitar/vocals] and Jeff Appareti [piano/organ] from high school and I was actually playing in a band with Jeff right around the time we were graduating. As we were graduating, that band was about to go our separate ways, but we really wanted to continue and pursue something with music. We just wanted to start a band. I knew Sean [Bennett, drums] from just the Denver scene and some other bands, and Sean knew Peter [Wynn, bass] from high school. And then we basically spent the whole summer after graduation just writing songs and just trying to put this together and get tight.
Two years ago, some great things were already happening to you guys really early on in the game. How did you respond to that attention and how did that affect you?
Randy: I remember just a few weeks after we were recording we hadn't even given the recordings to really anyone, and I remember getting on my computer and instantly Jeff had sent me a link to the Denver Westword review site, and the editor had written a really awesome review of the demo that we had made. That was the first moment of really realizing that what we were doing was already getting noticed, and it was really flattering. It was definitely surreal because I never really experienced that with any other bands I played in and it was exciting to know that was happening really early. It definitely put us all in the perspective that people were paying attention to what we were doing, made us tinker it into something a little more professional. I guess it really whipped us into shape.
You guys have a really down-to-earth sound and lyrics, definitely a lot of things people can relate to. Where does the inspiration come from for your songs, and what's the songwriting process like for you?
Randy: Well basically, I think that's kind of the point when we're sitting down writing songs is to make music pretty much everyone can connect to, especially within our age group. We want people just to hear it and relate to it. Generally I'll come up with a chord progression or just part of a song and the rest of us kind of elaborate and just write our parts. After that's all done typically we write the lyrics, harmonies, things like that.
So who are some of your influences?
Randy: I listen to a lot of people like Ryan Adams and Wilco and Ben Kweller. Those are some of my biggest influences. The five of us listen to a lot of music collectively. I think we all listen to different things but I think that's part of how our sound stands out, with the way Sean plays drums and all of that. I think that's cool that sometimes we don't all really listen to the same music, even though that's not really convenient when we're doing long trips in the van.
What's been happening since your record dropped last fall?
Randy: We've pretty much been touring as much as possible. We've gone on three or four short little midwest trips and even up through Boise and Montana. Pretty much just playing as much as possible, getting the CDs in as many hands as possible.
When can we expect to hear new material?
Randy: We have a lot of stuff written but we're not really ready to get it all recorded and release it yet. We still want to push this last record a lot. We still really like it, and we really want to keep supporting that. We've got a few demos and some songs that we just listen to for reference. Other than that I think we're going to be recording some acoustic stuff (some old songs) at the end of the next month or two.
What made you decide to do those acoustic songs?
Randy: We just decided it'd be good to have around for people who want something new and just to keep interest. And then people can hear a new version of a song, to keep it fresh for the people who've been listening since the record came out last year.
You're about to go out on the road for awhile, yes?
Randy: We're actually leaving Friday night for a show in Peoria, Illinois, and then we'll be back in Boulder and then we'll pretty much be right back out for the first two weeks of September.
What's it been like being out on the road so much?
Randy: It's a lot of fun to hang out with the rest of these guys and just meet a ton of new people. Sometimes it's kind of hard when we can't find a place to stay... It's still always an adventure and there's never really a dull moment. There's so much to explore. So it's been so far, so good. We've had good experiences, pretty good response.
If you had to sum up what it is that motivates you and what it means to you to play music, what would you say that is?
Randy: I've always just kind of felt that music in general, any type of music, is more a human need than a hobby or just something that you like to do and listen to. To me it's just an honor to be able to do it and for a lot of people just to listen. Music for music's sake is pretty much why I do it. I know and I hope people will appreciate it as much as I do. It's just enjoyment because like I said, it's a human need and it's pretty much essential.
What have been some of your best experiences being in this band?
Randy: I think all of us can agree that one of the best experiences is going to a show in another state where we're not really expecting people to know our music and hearing people singing along. For instance, our latest show in Montana was at some brewery, and we had a good turn-out and it was a good show and everything, but when we heard people singing along, that was it. The thought that we're just spreading that fast and people are getting into the music, we're hungry for it.
What's coming up for The Heyday?
Randy: Well we've got the next midwest tour, we're going out again I think in late October. We're gonna be headlining our first hometown Denver show October 11th, which is nice because it's been kind of a while. KBCO is going to get behind that, and we're going to get on there for Studio C October 1st or 2nd. So we're just rehearsing a lot and we're still writing, kinda still taking our time right now, and just as much touring as we can do.