Artist Selects: Faetooth

All photography by Jon Del Real

I had the absolute honor and pleasure of working with LA-based band, Faetooth, for a Sleezehog show way back in January. The band consists of Ashla Razz (guitar), Ari May (guitar), Jenna Garcia (bass), and Sarah Kanan (drums). They are some of the hardest working, most badass women I know. The members play in several projects and even run a zine.

I invited them to help curate our first “Artist Selects” series playlist wherein we ask our favorite artists to share what they’re listening to with us. I also caught up with the band about what they’ve been up to during quarantine and some other fun Qs!

Listen to “Faetooth Selects” below while you read the Q&A:

How would you define your sound?

Experimental Doom or Doomgaze

The first post on the band’s Instagram was on August 23rd, 2019. I take it that the band formed around this time. How has this first year of being a band together been?

We formed around March or April of 2019. We had initially announced ourselves by posting a few garage recorded demos on our Instagram. They are now archived since our EP, “... An Invocation” has been released. Our first year together has been wildly productive—minus COVID since we took a break for safety. We’ve made a lot of great connections, memories and met a lot of cool people.

What has been your most memorable experience together as a band?

Recording! It wasn’t only super fun, but we bonded over the learning experience. 

Do y’all have any fun rituals or traditions as a band?

We’ve spoken about pre-show rituals amongst ourselves but have yet to put one together. I believe we do our own little practices alone before we all meet up. We stretch all together before a set though.

How has quarantine affected the band’s ability to communicate and/or practice? How have y’all been adjusting?

Ari: I took a long few months break to stay with my family in another city and just came back recently. We skipped out on meeting up together from March–July. It was super difficult to leave especially because we were in the middle of writing new material. We feel more productive practicing in a studio and our preferred one understandably had to close during the pandemic. We’ve been on hold since they reopened last week. 

Jenna: I do this annoying thing where after a couple of months, I will hate a song I had started writing. When we returned to practicing recently, we returned to the songs we had previously started on pre-quarantine. I felt kind of disconnected from those songs in a way because it had been so long. We definitely took a long pause, but now that we’re practicing together again I’m hoping to reconnect with those songs.

Razz: Because we’re all such good friends outside of the band, I’ve felt that communication has been very easy in spite of the physical distance between us all. Having the 6 month break did throw us off a bit, but our first practice together proved that we maintained our chemistry together. It felt so solid! I’m very excited to start writing again with fresh ears and a lot of motivation.

What are some hobbies or practices that y’all have picked up during quarantine?

Ari: I’ve been working on my hand sewing skills, embroidery, and tie-dyeing!

Sarah: I’ve been surfing and skating a ton. Yoga and meditation are also something I’ve been doing. I did all of these before, but quarantine really let me dive in deeper.

Razz: I’ve been a lot more active. Surfing (often with Sarah!) and rollerskating have been very grounding for me. I do oil painting and visual art, too, so working on my technique has been great. Also, I’ve been gardening on my patio and taking care of my bunny who I rescued early in quarantine.

What are some of your favorite pieces of gear and some on your wishlist?

Ari: My favorite pedals right now are the FU2 by Fuzzlord and the Volt Thrower by Magic Pedals. I’ve been looking to buy the Rainbow Machine by Earthquaker Devices and a Synth pedal to add layering. 

Jenna: I splurged on an Ampeg bass cab and a matching head over quarantine. I can’t use it at home because it’s gigantic and too loud, but it’s definitely something I’m very proud to own. 

Razz: I’ve been thinking about getting a new amp recently. Ideally, a Fender Tweed type because I love the way it compliments my pedals.

What are your favorite venues to play at?

Ari: Church of Fun is such a sick venue and has an extremely welcoming vibe. 

Sarah: Church of Fun or The Smell!

Razz: I loved playing at the Honeymoon Galleria in DTLA, though unfortunately they are no longer in that location :-(

What about favorite venues to attend a show?

Ari: Totally The Smell!

Jenna: Time Warp, but they don’t throw shows anymore. RIP.

Sarah: The Smell!!!

Razz: 1720 is always a great time. The Rec Center holds untold adventures and groove soaked memories.

What words of advice would you give other girls who want to form bands?

Ari: I hesitated to start a band for years. No one held me back but myself from doing so. Throw the idea out there to your friends to have a “jam sesh” and see how things flow naturally!  They may want to join or even know some folks who’d be interested too. 

Jenna: Your lyrics don’t have to make sense and no one cares if you’re only playing root notes! Play and write how you feel. 

Razz: You are just as capable as any male musician, and your voice will move people in ways you can’t imagine. Don’t be afraid to skreeeaammm! You’ll be happy you did.

Do you have any dream collaborators that you’d love to work with?

Ari: I’d love to work with a BIPOC/Femme/LGBTQ+ record company who produces any sort of Doom genre. 

When live music comes back, what would be a dream lineup to play with?

We actually don’t have one. Anyone who wants to play with us is good enough! (As long as you aren’t an ass.)

What are some goals and aspirations for the band?

Ari: We hope to work with more non-cis male bands/inclusive collectives when shows are resumed, exploring our sound and experimenting with new songs. In the coming year we’d really love to start working on a full length album too.

Jenna: Hopefully when shows return in the distant future, we can tour. I’ve always wanted to do that! 

What is the band working towards now?

We have new material coming to fruition! The riffs we came up with in quarantine are being introduced and some tunes prior to that are being re-worked. 

Can you explain some of the picks that you’ve chosen for this playlist?

Ari: My selections include tracks off of my “non-cis men in doom” playlist on Spotify. These are some of the tunes I listen to on repeat. 

Jenna: One of the tracks I contributed to the playlist is “Black is Beautiful” by Divide and Dissolve. They’re an amazing BIPOC two piece drone/neo-classical band based out of Melbourne. Their sound is massive and super cathartic. It’s also great to see a band of the drone metal genre that isn’t comprised of just cis white men!!

Sarah: I’ve been really into the Aussie Heavy Psych scene, so I chose a song by Stonefield (a band composed of sisters) and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. I also chose a song by a Japanese Math Rock band, Toe. I’m really into the drums on that song and eventually with enough practice, I want to be able to play like that.

Razz: “13 Angels Gathered ‘Round the Side of Your Bed” by Silver Mt. Zion is one of the most beautiful ambient tracks I’ve encountered in the last few months. I included it because I think the gradual layering of instruments and melodies is incredible and is something I hope to showcase in Faetooth, even if it’s a lot sludgier. “Madonna” by CocoRosie is a song I’ve grown up with since it dropped when I was 3 years old. CocoRosie has an amazing mix of unique lyrics and poetic themes, and both classical and modern instrumentation.

Finally, let’s end this Q&A with a little game of THIS OR THAT!

Stream “… An Invocation” by Faetooth and follow them on Instagram!