Today we’d like to introduce you to Black Leather Couch: Alex Nguyen, Michael Purugganan, Aaron Ding, Brennen Howell, Evan Vergara, and Ben Roberson.
We’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
It started as an idea for a music house. There were four of us, and we thought it’d be cool to move in together and immerse ourselves in music. Our first day was moving in, we noticed that we had each brought in a Black Leather Couch. We weren’t quite a committed band yet, just more of friends working with each other’s projects.
Several months after living and jamming together, we decided the time was right. After cycling through numerous names, Black Leather Couch came up, and it just stuck from there. We have since evolved with more members to now being a total of 6.
Alex Nguyen: Lead Vocals, Keys
Aaron Ding: Vocals, Sub/Keys
Ben Roberson: Bass, Sub/Vocals
Brennen Howell: Drums
Evan Vergara: Lead Guitar, Sub/Keys, Vocals
Michael Purugganan: Vocals, Rhythm Guitar, Sub/Drums
Past Members: Tony Palkovic, James Parks
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
In short, we’re an original music band. Everyone always asks the question: What type of music do you make? And the best answer we can give is Pop. Our pop isn’t necessarily what today sounds like though. When we say pop, we are talking about what Pop was in the 60s, the 70s, the 80s, the 90s, the 00s, the nows, etc. What is our take on Rnb? What is our take on a ballad? We take the essence of what pop is/was and use it to inspire what we want to write next. Infused with our own experiences, we strive to create a very signature sound that people won’t forget.
Black Leather Couch wants to be the band people listen to and can experience a wave of various emotions. Most of the stuff we write lean towards the positive, feel-good vibe. We are not shy about writing about some of the heavier topics: e.g., Loneliness, depression.
One of the coolest things about being in this band is that we all contribute lyrically and musically to our songs. We sum our relevant experiences and cultivate it into a voice that transcends all of us.
Do current events, local or global, affect your work and what you are focused on?
I firmly believe the role of artists is to charge their audience emotionally. Art can hold so much value – from pure entertainment to being an emotional outlet – therefore, those that create art wield a very potent power to sway and influence. Though it’s not always used correctly, I think a lot of artists do try to use this power for positive social changes when they obtain it.
We haven’t gotten to that stage in our writing yet. In my opinion, we are a pretty well-informed group of people so I wouldn’t be surprised if our writing takes us in a direction where we are actively speaking out about some sort of injustice or important event.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
We will be releasing our debut single, SUNRISE, on all major platforms mid/late November. Following that, we plan to release music every few months leading up to something bigger! We have been in the studio a lot and practicing at the house to perfect our craft. As of now, though, we don’t have any music online, but you can support us by following our Instagram @BlackLeatherCouch. We will keep everyone posted on our upcoming shows and releases there! 2019 is going to be a big year for us. We have a lot of things planned and are working to execute each step diligently.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.blackleathercouchmusic.com
- Email: booking.blackleathercouch@gmail.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/blackleathercouch
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/blcband
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/blc_Band
Image Credit:
Brian Fontaine
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