Members: Isaiah Dominguez – Vocals/Guitar
Genre: Pop/Rock
Location: Seattle, WA
Recent Release: The Evergreen State (2.5.16)
The music scene can be intimidating for some musicians. For Isaiah Dominguez, clearly that is not the case. At only 14, Dominguez was playing shows in pop punk bands on and off for a few years. Now in his mid-20s, Dominguez has gone the solo route, working with producers Geoff Ott (3 Doors Down, Something Corporate) and Eric Lilavois (Saint Motel, My Chemical Romance). He now self-books tours, writes, records, and is about to release his first full band album, The Evergreen State this February. Get to know more about Isaiah Dominguez below!
How did you get your start and get to where you are today?
I started playing in a few pop/punk bands in Olympia, WA when I was in high school. The scene there was so new and alive to us back then. We didn’t really know how to go about doing thing the “right way” so we just played shows anywhere and everywhere we could! I’m talking from nasty/dank basements and public parks to actual music venues and festival events. We didn’t discriminate about who we played with either. We shared the stage with The Story So Far when they were splitting members with another band (I think it was called second to last). We shared the stage with bands that broke up a week later. If you brought friends and played music, it didn’t matter who you were. I think that was the spark that eventually ignited a fire when we discovered “hey, people are digging this!” Ever since then, I’ve been trying to take advantage of every opportunity I can to make music.
Who are some of your musical influences?
Oh boy… I have a smaller list of music that didn’t influence me! I guess a LOT of the music I listened to was all the pop/punk that was being released 2000-2004. Relient K, Brand New, Jimmy Eat World, Yellowcard, The Academy is…, Cartel, Taking Back Sunday, This Providence… the list is seriously huge. I also found a lot of inspiration in bands that were extremely local like Goodnight Sunrise, Turned Up Missing, and Bidwell. I think I identified with their journey because I was going through it at the time too.
What do you enjoy most about playing shows?
It depends on what type of show I’m playing. The intimate, acoustic ones I really enjoy because the connection with the audience is intense. You can win over or lose fans so quickly in those settings. The larger, full-band stuff I like because I get to interact with other musicians. I love hearing extremely talented musicians put their stamp on my music.
What do you do when you’re not playing music?
Work… but seriously! No, I love to go hiking and I’ve recently started really getting into photography. I know it sounds super Pacific Northwest-y, but I really do love doing both of those things. Other than that, I try to run as often as I can. I think that’s cause I think I have to, not really because I like it.
thisislucyoutloud.wordpress.com 