Boycott Radio sound like a punk band, but don’t let the label fool you. These twenty-somethings are making harmonic ripples in the Coachella Valley. With Chris Long on guitar and vocals, Dan Wheat on bass and vocals and Sonny McEachran on drums, Boycott Radio are looking to continue their infiltration of the desert music scene by performing memorable sets like the one at The Date Shed that I was lucky enough to witness one month ago. “We were the first band of the night. It’s a blast because you get to set the tone of the excitement. It’s definitely different from what we have done,” Long shared. They are performing next, along with Joe Kid & the Gash, at The Hood Bar & Pizza on Saturday 4/6/13 in support of desert rock cohorts Blasting Echo and their new album release. Blasting Echo will also be performing.
As McEachran describes it, “The name Boycott Radio came from working in jobs at a young age and being forced to listen to terrible radio, Top 40 and then the ads that followed. Just pulsating and pumping this music and terrible ads down your throat.” Boycott Radio is more of an alternative than exclusion. McEachran continues, “I like the idea of internet radio. It’s commercial free and above all it’s giving music to everybody. That’s what Boycott Radio is all about.”
Long and McEachran began as a two-piece playing open mic night at The Hood Bar & Pizza in January 2012. Wheat, also a member of the melodic metal band Remnants of Man, joined Boycott Radio in August 2012 after Long’s father found Wheat on Craig’s List. Long had seen Remnants of Man perform before and now admits that it is surreal to be performing alongside him. Their very first show as a trio was at The Hood Bar & Pizza. They’ve performed at the Fireside Lounge, Bar and the Roadhouse in Palm Springs. Long describes how they have earned their musical stripes in the local scene, “We’re usually the band that goes on at midnight after the prime spot. We’re playing as everyone is leaving. It’s what you make of it. The stage performance is as much of what you put out there. You’re gonna get that back from the audience.”
McEachran was born and raised in southeastern Michigan until he moved to the desert when he was 17. Long was born in Whittier, California and now resides in Palm Desert. Wheat went to high school in Anza and subsequently relocated to the Coachella Valley. Boycott Radio will be recording in the next month in order to dispense two or three songs at shows. This calculated move will surely bode well with admirers of their live shows.
Boycott Radio has been nominated in the best punk band category for the Best of the CV 2013 Awards Show & 1 Year Anniversary Party to be held Saturday April 6, 2013 from 2:30-10:00 p.m. at the Emerald Desert RV Resort in Palm Desert. In jest, Wheat accepts the nomination with some apprehension. “We’re not a punk band but vote for us! Our sound is very unique. Punk is my background. I hate being put in a category. We are anthemic-pop-punk-esque rock!” Long elaborates on Wheat’s point, “We play rock and roll music that is appropriate in a bar type setting. It’s that intimate rock that’s aggressive. We just have a blast on stage and I think that translates to people having a good time watching us.” Wheat reconsiders, “If anyone had to ask what genre we are, we’re fun.”
The Boycott Radio members are not lost on the idea that we live in the smallest world ever. They can go as far as they are willing. “The unifying factors of music transcend. It doesn’t matter where it’s from, it can connect with people anywhere. In that regard, I hope somebody in South Africa hears us and says they like it,” Long theorizes. McEachran shares his take on his current state, “I take what I like and mimic it. Everything does come from something else. If nobody ever copied anyone else we’d all be running around naked.” Wheat is more pragmatic about the band’s destiny, “Really, the future plans haven’t even actually been discussed. We’re having a lot of fun doing what we’re doing right now. It’d be really cool to see where it goes.” These young bucks are serious about having fun. They are energetic, they taunt each other and they are mocking. These aren’t necessarily negative traits. I like them. This new genre of ‘fun’ they’ve established will return you to your youth as it has for me. I guarantee you will enjoy their performance at The Hood Bar & Pizza on Saturday 4/6/13.
For more information on Boycott Radio, look for them on Facebook and YouTube – search: Kendall Pro
