Last month, four siblings from Southern California made their major record label debut with Talking Dreams. The result was a culmination of two years in the practice room and studio for Echosmith, comprised of Sydney (vocalist), Jamie (guitarist), Noah (bass) and Graham (drums).
It had only been a year and a half earlier that Warner Bros. Records and producer Mike Elizondo approached the indie-pop group to sign to their label. Shocked, as most teenagers would be, the siblings agreed to a deal with the label and released their first single, “Tonight We’re Making History,” just in time for NBC to run as a promo for the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Since then, Echosmith has been making waves across the country, opening for Owl City on his The Midsummer Station 2013 North American Tour, releasing their first EP Summer Sampler in June and touring the country (again) on Vans Warped Tour, all the while writing and recording their debut album Talking Dreams.
We got the chance to chat with one-fourth of Echosmith, lead singer Sydney Sierota, to talk about the band’s first experience touring the country, the process of writing their debut album, their must-have snack foods while on the road and more!
Meet Echosmith!
How did you choose your band name?
Sydney: We got the idea of a blacksmith and how they shape metals, and thought we do the same with sound. I mean that’s kind of what a band does anyway. Also, it was the first name out of hundreds we all actually liked so we all just kind of went with it.
The band name was originally Ready, Set, Go. What made you change?
Sydney: We were already going through a current change when we changed the name, and it was also a musical transition too. We were just growing as people and growing as a band and it was just a good time to change the name just because we were maturing more in different ways.
What are some band’s that Echosmith is similar to?
Sydney: We really like 80’s new wave, but also love The Killers, Coldplay and U2. We love all sorts of stuff. Even Walk The Moon and Foster The People. Those are some of our favorite bands and I think you can hear some of the influences sometimes in there, but we really try to be original with the record, which I think is important.
How do you feel about not having the normal teenage experience?
Sydney: It’s been different, especially having all my friends from school figuring out college and just hanging out, so it is kind of crazy. But I don’t think about it when we’re on tour. I’m just having fun. I’m fine that I’m not getting to go to the mall every day and talking about boys every second. I got to have half the high school experience and I’m fine with that.
It’s a great way to grow up. It’s a great way to learn about yourself too, because I’m going to different cities every day, different states every day, and meeting hundreds of people at night and having these experiences that hardly anyone else gets to have. It’s something to learn on the road. It’s been a really cool way to grow up and I would not want it any other way.
What was it like to receive news that Warner Bros Records wanted to sign the band?
Sydney: It was just kind of crazy to be talking to these people who have the craziest resumes, who have worked with our favorite bands and artists, and some of our favorite movie soundtracks. They’re like “we’d be honored if you signed to our label” and we’re like “yeah, we’d be honored.” They’re such a good collaborator and partner for us because they’re really supportive and they understand artists. Warner Bros understands that artists need room to breathe sometimes and they need room to create, but also know when to step in and give ideas.
You were on tour with Owl City, and also played Warped Tour. What was the touring experience like?
Sydney: It was fun. It was a really great tour and just in general, touring was fun because you get to meet so many people and you get to connect with people in a different way. Concerts are just a good way to make friends with each other, and touring with Owl City was just crazy. It was so fun. He’s a great guy and his band and crew are all great people. His fans are really accepting. That was our first major tour and we didn’t know how it would go because none of those people knew who we were. I just remember not knowing what it would be like, and then the first show people were so into it. It only took two songs for them to love us and it was just crazy. It’s just a cool feeling to see people who have never heard of you quickly falling in love with what you’re doing.
Will you play Warped Tour again next year?
Sydney: We don’t know what next year holds, but we’ll see. We loved Warped Tour the first time. It was such a great experience. I think any band would love Warped Tour. It’s so fun and it’s such a community there with the fans and the bands, so yeah, we’ll see!
Do you plan on headlining your own tour?
Sydney: We’re gonna be touring a lot next year. Nothing’s been announced yet, but we’re hoping to have a headlining tour soon. But being an opening band has been working for us so far. It’s been going great. We’re gonna just keep doing that for a little bit until we can do our own headlining tour. We’ll see what happens.
For someone who has never been to one of your shows, what can they expect?
Sydney: We just like to have fun. We are having fun and I think you can tell that by the way that we perform. But also, I think we have a lot of random, unexpected things that’ll happen. Like, we have a drum solo at the end, and you never know what band member from another band will come up and play with us! But we just definitely like to have fun.
What are some must-have snacks or fast-food stops while on the road?
Sydney: Chipotle is definitely a big one. That’s my favorite place in the world to eat. Taco Bell is really good too, easy fast food, but I’m trying to eat healthier. It’s kind of hard because everything is about convenience, but yesterday I just bought a smoothie-maker so we’ll see how that goes. It’s so hard on the road, but they always have workout rooms at hotels, so we’re getting on that and we’re trying to be healthy as a band.
You just released your first album, Talking Dreams. What was it like to record your first album?
Sydney: It was so fun to record. The process was really natural. We worked with Mike Elizondo who is one of the guys who signed us, and he is really great because he’s a good collaborator. He knows when to give input. He was great and really easy. It was effortless. There was a lot of creating involved. We felt really open and free to create whatever. It was just a really great process and we had a lot of fun. We did it over the course of a couple of months.
How does it feel to have the album out now for fans to enjoy?
Sydney: Having the album out is just crazy cause’ we’ve been writing for two years now and then to finally have it out is like “finally.” So it feels kind of weird that it’s out and that people can hear all the songs. I’m not the only one who knows all the songs. Now people at our concerts sing along to all the songs, not just the three from the sampler that we had out in the summer. People seem to love the record, and it’s kind of fun to hear that.
What is your favorite song on the new album?
Sydney: I think one of my favorites is probably “Tell Her You Love Her.” I love that song because we’ve all been there. It’s basically just about when you love someone and care about them it’s really important to let them know that. Who knows what can happen? One of the things I learned is that you should never miss an opportunity to tell someone how great they are. And that song’s not even just about relationships. Friendships, family, whatever. I think it’s important to build other people up no matter who they are, and that’s why that song means a lot to me. It can relate to every person in my life. I think that’s my favorite on the record right now. My favorite song changes all the time, but that’s my favorite at the moment.
What was it like to shoot the videos for “Come Together” and “Cool Kids?
Sydney: It was so fun. “Come Together” was a lot of fun because there’s the eating scene, and we all love food a lot. That was the first video we did with Warner so that was really fun. “Cool Kids” was way, way fun. That one felt really effortless and natural and easy for us. The director Gus Black, he’s the coolest guy. He totally understood what we wanted with the video. That video is exactly what we wanted it to be, exactly. He totally just got our vision. That makes a video shoot so much easier and more fun when everybody is totally on the same page and connected to the song very well, which totally makes a difference.
Now that you’ve released the album, are you working on any new material?
Sydney: Now that we’ve put out the record, we’re mostly just promoting that. We actually did just finish a Christmas song that hopefully will be out soon, but that’s about it. We’re just really pushing the record and touring on that for right now.
Echosmith’s new record Talking Dreams is now available in stores and on iTunes. Head to echosmith.com to find out when the band is coming to a city near you!
Click here to download Echosmith’s debut album Talking Dreams!
