Entertainment
THROWBACK HARMONY
Summers in Seattle are basically paradise. There’s a long list of cool, clean rivers and lakes to swim in, local food is ripe for the eating and there’s live music pretty much every night of the week. Life is full and exciting during this season. So, make sure the soundtrack to your life matches the action! If you’re looking for something fun and fresh to listen to this Seattle summer, Boyfriends won’t let you down. With instrumentation calling back to the late ’70s and ’80s, and vocals that make use of upbeat melodies and rich, unique harmonies, you’ll be grooving all summer long. Think The Clash plus The Cure with a modern indie rock twist. But to really describe Boyfriends’ sound is basically impossible because the band is so original. If that sounds like something you want to hear, you’re in luck! You can catch them this month at Capitol Hill Block Party.
Boyfriends consists of drummer Ian Dugas, guitarist Sergio Mirazo, bassist Shawn Randles and vocalist Michael McKinney. CULTURE had the pleasure of speaking with Shawn about Boyfriends, Seattle’s cannabis scene and more.
When did Boyfriends from?
We’ve been a band about a year, almost exactly. We started last summer, after Michael and Sergio had met. They knew each other through our mutual friend Emilia, but had never officially met before. Michael just showed up at Sergio’s work where he was a bartender, and Sergio was sitting at the bar, putting on lipstick in a compact. So Michael sat down and was like “What’s up?” and pretty much that day they decided to start a band. I met up with them a couple months later. I live with Bree from Tacocat, and we had shown up to Michael’s birthday and were having a dance party, and we just decided to start a band! And we played our first show two weeks later.
“With instrumentation calling back to the late ’70s and ’80s, and vocals that make use of upbeat melodies and rich, unique harmonies, you’ll be grooving all summer long.”
Where are you all from?
I grew up in Kitsap County. I actually grew up on a boat on Bainbridge Island. Ian is from Kelso, Michael is from Seattle, and Sergio’s the only one not from the Northwest. He is from California, just North of Los Angeles.
What music influenced your sound?
Late ’70s New York punk is probably the most commonly referred to sound for us. Kind of like Television, but I don’t know. We’re kind of all over the place I can’t really pinpoint that. Our biggest tour jams were Sinead O’Conner and Madonna.
“Late ’70s New York punk is probably the most commonly referred to sound for us.”
What’s your favorite music to listen to when you’re under the influence of cannabis?
I like to listen to stuff to dance to, like B-52s. Sometimes I like the more psychedelic stuff, like King Crimson, something a little more trippy to jam out to. I’m a big The Flaming Lips fan too, I really like their album Embryonic from the late 2000s.
When your scheduling your summer fun, don’t forget to invite Boyfriends! They’ll help you groove, dance and get the party started right.
Capitol Hill Block Party, July 22-24.
