MADUS @ The Viper Room

Normally, when I interview bands, all they want to talk about is the next upcoming cool thing that they are doing. Even though I asked about all the cool stuff, MADUS got pretty insightful about who they were and what they plan on doing as musicians. And I really respect these guys for being so candid. They are normal guys that just happen to be talented musicians and run a sick band.

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BOSTON:   First off, how long have you guys been together, and how did you meet?
DUGAN:   Sam and I have been playing together for five years. Kirby, not that long after that. And pretty much, Lenny is only a year old, little over a year. It’s been good! Sam and I met online. It was a goofy thing; we met on a website called BandMix which is eHarmony for musicians. Weird because I subscribed to it because I was really itching to be in a band, Sam had his profile deleted, but before, he got a message from me. I had a stupid profile, but I brought all my gear to his house and we jammed in his bedroom, and it was love at first note. For Kirby, we were all hired guns for a singer/songwriter. We were jamming on some songs, and Kirby asked to be in our band and we wanted him in. And Lenny we found on Craigslist.
LENNY:   I was in a band before, and we just broke up because the singer and guitarist both moved to Austin. I wasn’t in a band for three or four months, and I really missed it. So I thought, ‘Why not try Craigslist. I’m sure there are people on there looking for a bass player.’ After cycling through all the whatever bands, I found these guys and they had a few great tracks up. I asked if I could audition, and they liked me.
DUGAN:   I’ve never heard you tell that story. That’s so awesome!
SAM:   So it’s been all four of us for a year now.

BOSTON:   Cool, how do you guys describe your style?
KIRBY:   I think, as a basic name for it, it’s definitely alternative rock. We have a lot of eclectic sounds in there. It’s all stuff you can sing to and dance to, yet at the same time, kind of get angry to.
SAM:   Not only are we all different in our musical tastes; we all listen to all different kinds of music. All of us can listen to a Bruno Mars song and a Children of Bodom song after. That being said, it can be hard sometime to fit that all into a band. But we somehow are trying to somehow do a good job of it. That goes back to what Kirby was saying about it being a little eclectic and fitting different musical styles into our band.

BOSTON:   Talking about your guy’s tastes and styles, what’s your favorite band?
SAM:   RX Bandits
KIRBY:   That’s hard. I will say, right now as far as what’s out there and my tastes: Winery Dogs.
DUGAN:   Probably, Led Zeppelin.
SAM:   Over Muse?
DUGAN:   Yeah, I just saw Robert Plant. That was fucking insane.
LENNY:   It’s a two way tie between Red Hot Chili Peppers and Foo Fighters.

BOSTON:  Anything you want to tell your fans and our readers?
KIRBY:   Honestly, we are just four dudes that have their day jobs, who have their separate lives that go on. We are just regular people, but everyone has that in them to want to do something more. We find that in each other. I think Lenny, Dugan and Sam compel me to play music even more. I think it’s really important that you let your heart speak its mind. Work your day job, but if you really want to be a Kung Fu Master, then do that too. Seriously, make time for what you want to do. It’s not easy, but try to surround yourself with good people in the process.

BOSTON:   Anything coming up that we should keep an eye out for? I know you guys have your EP…
SAM:   We will be doing a few out of town dates throughout summer. You can find all of our tour dates on our website, by the way. In November, we will be opening for The Winery Dogs at the Saban Theater in LA. We are really excited about that show. It’s a beautiful big venue, and we are really excited to play there. Everything else is still in the works, but we hope everyone loves our new EP!

Members:
Dugan Cruz – Vocals, Guitar, Piano
Kirby Shaw – Guitar, Vocals
Lenny Barahona – Bass
Sam Sobo – Drums
madusmusic.com