by Lorie Lewis Ham
On July 6th, four boys from Santa Barbara played the Starline Club in Fresno to an audience ranging from eight to early 50s. Lead vocalist, Will Loomis, said they made a special trip because their Fresno fans had been asking them to return — they first came through Fresno on tour in October of 2009.
While most new bands I’ve heard over the past two years have fallen under the category of metal and its subgenres, Loomis and the Lust was a pleasant change. With a sound that’s very much old school rock mixed with some California fun, these California boys really can sing and put on a great show. Their charisma on stage was electric and it was obvious they were having fun, and that fun transmitted itself to the audience. You can tell that they love what they do.
Their concert was a mix of songs from their brand new EP, Space Camp, which will be released August 11th — along with a new video of their single “A.D.D.” (at press time, the exact date of the video release was not definite) — and some older songs from their first EP, Nagasha, that came out in 2009, which you can download for free at MySpace.
Founding members Will, who also writes all of their songs, and bassist Noah Babcock, have known each other for four years. They formed Loomis and the Lust in 2007 but went through a few other drummers and guitarists before ending up with the group they have now. “The lineup we have now is pretty solid,” said Will. They released their first EP album as Loomis and the Lust in 2009. When they lost their last drummer, Will found Anthony Sonetti after posting an ad on the Musician’s Institute website. “I tried out a bunch of people and just really hit it off with him.”
Anthony attended the Musician’s Institute in Los Angeles and graduated with honors, though he missed his graduation ceremony to play at the West Beach Music Festival with Loomis and The Lust. “Instead, he played on this giant stadium stage which is kind of cool, it’s a graduation in itself,” continued Will. After losing guitarist Casey Hooper to Katy Perry earlier this year, Anthony’s friend lead guitarist Mike Dapra from Pittsburg joined the group just in time for their tour. (Read about that and their tour at MTV Iggy.) Taking the idea of living their work to the extreme, the band even lives together in Santa Barbara where they have an in-home studio.
Will says that a live show for them is like a relationship. “We’re always working on it, but we remember one crucial thing, it’s about a good time for us and for you.”
Left to Right: Will, Anthony, Mike and Noah at Starline
The past year has been a good one for the band as their name has continued to spread across the country. They were featured in Billboard, were lauded by MTV Iggy as one of the top 25 best new bands in the world, won an MTVU Freshman video award for “Bright Red Chords” and the “Artist on the Verge” award at the New Music Seminar, and garnered a $25,000 price via OurStage.com. Other achievements from this young band include Runner-up in the Converse “Get out of the Garage” Contest (top 5 out of over 6,000 bands) and featured artist in Subway’s online promotion called “What’s Fresh.”
I definitely see a bright future ahead for these California boys — they have everything it takes to make it. The music is fun, the songs catchy, they appeal to all ages, they have a presence on stage and on video, they have a look fans will go crazy for, and they honestly do seem to be having fun when they sing which rubs off on everyone who listens. I heartily recommend them. We here at KRL will be keeping an eye on this young group and keeping our readers up to date on what’s happening with them. Watch here for a heads up on their next visit to Fresno, as they will be back!
“Fresno, we really like you and we came all the way out here because — out of the fall tour, all the cities we went to — Fresno fans stuck with us so we’re back here now and will also see them next time around as well,” promised Will. Since their AC broke on their way here, they even braved the Fresno heat just to come play for us.
Early next month, we will be sharing more of our interview with Loomis and the Lust; taking you behind the scenes for how this band came together, how they got their name, what they are like off-stage, the secrets of their success and what it’s really like being together all the time on and off the road. One of our teen correspondents, Jesus Ibarra, will also be reviewing their second EP, Space Camp.
You can keep up with Loomis and the Lust via Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and their website. For booking information, call 310-734-6527 or email jimmy[at]JPC3management[dot]com. You can also email the band directly: loomisandthelust[at]gmail[dot]com.
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