Members: John Demitro, Lulu Demitro, Andrew Oakley
Genre: Hard Rock
Location: Boulder, Colorado
Recent Release: “Kill Tonight”
The first sentence I ever read that mentioned BANDITS said, “BANDITS
are a red-hot bowling ball, shot out of a homemade cannon into the side panel
of mid 80’s Ford Bronco.” A truer statement has never been written about the
band. This psychedelic, hard rock trio is practically melting faces with their
music. Their latest single, “Kill Today,” is a hard-hitting, groovy, kaleidoscopic masterpiece that encompasses all that BANDITS is: a badass band that you need
to have on your radar. Want to get to know the band? Keep on reading!
How did BANDITS form and come to be what it is today?
John: I was in a high school band called Bassline. Towards the end of the band I invited Lulu to come play keyboard with us to fill things out. We realized how easy it was to write and collaborate as a sibling band and decided to make a new heavy rock band. That’s how it all started. We’ve played a ton of shows as BANDITS over the years and were introduced to new bands and sounds along the way that influenced us to experiment with new writing techniques and sounds.
Who are some of your musical influences – both as a band and individually?
As a band, we have a lot. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Mountain, Rose Hill Drive, Queens of the Stone Age, Dead Weather, The Sword, The Kills, EODM, Black Sabbath.
Individually,
John: Queens of the Stone Age, Dead Weather, The Sword, The Beatles, Black Sabbath, Rose Hill Drive.
LuLu: QOTSA, The Kills, Arctic Monkeys, The Beatles , I’ve always loved Dr.Dog. Pretty much the same as John, because we grew up in the same house we shared a lot of the same influences.
Andrew: I pull influence from older artists like Dr. John, Funkadelic, James Brown, The Meters, Art Blakey, Thelonious Monk, Robert Johnson, Howlin Wolf, Hank Williams, and Bob Dylan. I also listen to a lot of modern groups such as Unknown Mortal Orchestra, D’Angelo, Kendrick Lamar, The Roots, Sturgill Simpson, The Arcs, Tame Impala, Pond, Earthless, Black Angels, and Wilco. The list goes on forever, whatever sounds fresh and original!
What do you enjoy most about playing shows?
John: Getting onstage and just letting loose. Also playing the music you’ve written with ideas or emotions that you want to express. It’s cool to see how that gets interpreted at live shows. It’s an adrenaline rush.
LuLu: Playing all of our songs and performing out is the most exciting part of being in a band. Being able to see how people react to what you’ve been working on and practicing is the best part, getting a crowd going and playing off their energy.
Andrew: I enjoy the chemistry and interaction between performers on stage and the exchange of energy with the crowd. I also appreciate the meditative aspect and focus that performing requires.
What do you do when you’re not playing music?
John: Work. Buy and sell stuff I find at garage sales, thrift stores. There’s lot’s of cool stuff to be found. I find a lot of vintage musical gear.
LuLu: I try to keep busy, we live in a beautiful place where its easy to be outside and find things to do. Love going to shows and seeing other local bands. I spend a good amount of time with my vinyl and adding to my collection!
Andrew: I am usually playing music, working as a drummer for other projects on the side. When I’m not doing that, I try to spend as much time outside in the wilderness as possible, wether its skiing, rock climbing, hiking, or just sitting in the woods.
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