Two days before Christmas, and what better way to spend the evening than listening to rock ‘n’ roll classics played well by one of the area’s better cover bands, at a beloved Culver City institution. Santa’s coming early this year in the form of Roqgasm, so we spoke to singer Jessica Tilton about what we can expect…
CULVER CITY NEWS: WHEN DID YOU START PLAYING AND WRITING MUSIC, AND WHEN DID YOU START TAKING IT SERIOUSLY?
Jessica Tilton: We have five members of the band so I can only speak for me, but I would say I was 14 years old.
WHO ARE YOUR MAIN INFLUENCES?
This is one I can answer for the whole band: Janis Joplin, the Allman Brothers Band, the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Black Sabbath, and Bonnie Raitt.
DESCRIBE YOUR OWN STYLE…
My personal style is southern-y, bluesy rock ’n’ roll with a touch of funk.
WHERE ARE YOU BASED? WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE LOCAL SCENE?
We are an LA based band. It’s truly hit and miss — a ‘right place right time’ thing. I’ve run across some really great music and some really bad, but it’s all relative. It’s art right and opinions are like…..
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BEST GIG TO DATE? AND WORST?
We have had a couple of really fun nights at the Cinema Bar and we had a few at the Rainbow that I really enjoyed. The worst is easy: we played at a club Downtown called The Lexington and the deal was just ridiculous. I just had to think about it like a rehearsal. You definitely have to love playing to deal with bad gigs.
DO YOU HAVE ANY ALBUMS / SINGLES AVAILABLE?
Well, we are a cover band so we have only recorded a sample of songs to use to get gigs.
HAVE YOU PLAYED CINEMA BAR BEFORE? HOW DID THAT CONNECTION HAPPEN?
We were in the area at Timewarp Records setting up a gig there and our other singer said he knew the owner at The Cinema Bar so we swung by there and booked a gig. Now, the owner of Timewarp Records is our bass player.
WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM THE SET?
Some seriously good ol’ rock ’n’ roll, with a little blues and some hard rock as well. We are definitely a fun band with lots of variety. We also encourage our friend musicians to sit in and play with us, so we are quite spontaneous.
WHAT DO YOU HAVE PLANNED GOING FORWARD, AFTER THIS SHOW?
I’d like us to start playing outside of LA like the OC and Simi Valley, Santa Clarita and Riverside. Also, I would like to do festivals and fairs. We are available to hire for parties, weddings, business events, etc.
Roqgasm plays at 9 p.m. on Saturday, December 23 at the Cinema Bar; 3987 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City; 310-390-1328.