It’s been almost a full year since Santa has hit a Champaign stage, and as you could imagine, a lot has changed. Returning after a semester abroad, the boys have a new lineup and EP, but the one thing that has remained constant is their ability to write catchy songs that appeal to almost any listener.
Though keyboardist Chad Warner and drummer Martin O’Donnell have been replaced by Tommy Trafton and Steve Plock, the former two performed on Santa’s newly recorded EP, My Bones, available at the EP release show at Canopy Club March 7. Their genre-bending rock has been a staple of the CU’s live music scene for the past year and a half, and it seems as if they intend to keep it that way, with their intense focus on getting their music out to a broader audience. buzz talked to the boys of Santa about the new members, music and humorous musings:
buzz: How did studying abroad last semester affect you as a band?
Santa: We chose to be apart and each fell in love with music all over again. The whole time the desire was pretty strong to reunite, so when we came back we knew exactly what we wanted to do.
buzz: Is the time off you guys have taken going to impact the live show in any way?
Santa: We’ve acquired two new members and so the live show will definitely be different, but it’s only going to get better from here.
buzz: What do Steve and Tommy bring to the band that will change the live performance?
Santa: Tommy will bring a new tone to the band. And he’ll bring in a glockenspiel. Steve will add an overall flair. Overall sass will be added by both of them.
buzz: You recorded this EP with two former members. How will the fact that there are two new members affect the promotion or performance of the songs on the disc?
Santa: The leading scientists in their field agree that Tommy Trafton and Steve Plock are the leading scientists in their field, and we agree.
buzz: If you could compare your live show to any historical event, what would it be?
Santa: The War of 1812. It’s been a little while since the Revolution, but sentiments are still strong and we need to prove our passion all over again.
buzz: Are you going to keep up where you left off last winter and play a million shows this semester or take it easy?
Santa: The shows will be less frequent in CU because we are either going to be running off to play or locking ourselves in to write. But when we come home, the shows will be ever so sweeter.
buzz: Does writing mean that you’re going to try and release another album in the near future?
Santa: Hopefully within the next year we’ll have recorded another album. We’ll record a little bit in the meantime, but we’re trying to think about this release coming up. We have enough material to start recording another album, but we’re going to wait until we have the time and money to get in the studio.
buzz: How much more do you guys ideally want to start playing out of Champaign?
Santa: A lot more. We’re already getting confirmed for a few more shows. We’re looking to play in Chicago, Indianapolis, Madison, and Austin.
buzz: Austin?
Santa: We’ll be trading off shows with this band called Spoon. They’re pretty good friends of ours.
Don’t forget to check out Santa with Butterfly Assassins and The Rikters March 7 at the Canopy Club. $5 in advance
