Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Levenhagen.
Laura, please share your story with us.
Twin Ritual started in San Diego in late 2016 by Anthony Ramirez (bassist), I as Vocalist/Synth, Nathan Leutzinger (guitar), and Lionel Hernandez. We all knew each wother from other bands we were in (Laura: Le Chateau. Anthony: Glass Spells. Nate: Astral Touch. Lionel: Sound Lupus, which is no longer active) we had all played shows together in the past. In fact, Nathan, Anthony, and I had all been on the same bill with our respective bands at the Merrow, back in 2015. We quickly wrote the first six songs – enough for a short set, and decided within a few months that we were ready to start playing out. We had our first show in February 2017 at Blonde Bar in San Diego, and have been playing one or two shows a month since then. We have played two shows in LA area so far (Slidebar in Fullerton and Silverlake Lounge in LA), and just recently played our first show in Mexico at a bar called Taberna Laberon, in Mexicali. Our combined experience and connections from our other, previously mentioned bands has helped us book shows with Twin Ritual. We released our first single, “Angry”, in October 2017, followed closely by the music video, and our second single, “Hand Through the Mist” in November 2017. Our first EP, four tracks including the already released singles, will be out in early February, followed by a music video for “Hand Through the Mist”.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
So far, our only problem has been our ‘real lives’ getting in the way – Just like any other band, getting four peoples’ schedules to line up can be difficult, but we all just try to remain as serious about the band as possible and treat it like a job (that we also happen to love). If we have to fit in two hours of practice in the two and a half hours between one person’s job and someone else’s, we make it happen.
Please tell us about Twin Ritual.
We play post punk/alternative indie sounds, and our goal is to get people dancing, or at least bobbing around a bit! The vibe we’re going for could be described as contemplative dance. In explanation- I find that I personally feel the best walking out of a show with my heart pumping and my mind racing. I try to write lyrics simultaneously abstract and specific enough to get people thinking hard about whatever theme weighed most heavily on their mind when they entered. The hope is that I might be able to provide some level of catharsis while also giving a good time. We are most proud of the fact that we were able to record our first EP with Dave Trumfio, a producer out of LA who has also produced bands like Ok Go, Earlimart, Mates of State, Built to Spill, Wilco, and many more impressive bands that we love. We’ve also received a good number of favorable write-ups in blogs, as well as a place on BIRP.fm’s ‘Best of 2017’ playlist. Lastly, we’ve played a lot of shows we’re proud of, including a performance on ‘Tonight in San Diego’ as well as some great sets at the Casbah, and both the Halloween and New Year’s edition of the local ‘Disco Goth’ series of shows (both held at Space Bar). As for what sets us apart from other bands – there are a ton of talented and entertaining bands in Southern California, many we’ve played with and many we look forward to meeting! I am told that we do put on a great live show, so hopefully that sets us apart a bit!
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
We would have gotten together earlier! There is a kind of electricity and connection with the audience at each show that really fills me with purpose and drives me to write and create more, and to try to connect more. This band has helped me come out of my shell and feel that I’m really part of the music community.
Pricing:
- Singles, “Angry” and “Hand Through the Mist” : $0.99 on all platforms
- EP – “Hand Through the Mist” : $5.00 on all platforms, once released in early February
- Twin Ritual T-shirts, available at shows: $12
Contact Info:
- Website: https://twinritual.bandcamp.com/
- Email: TwinRitual@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/twinritual/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TwinRitual/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TwinRitual
Image Credit:
Will Lefevre, Erina Furukawa, Mitch Wilson
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