Stereofix Are In
Casting nets of effects-laden guitar, modern-rock gloss and radio-ready appeal, Fountain Valley quartet Stereofix seem poised for major-label courtship. Brothers Ray and Kamren Alexander (vocals and lead guitar, respectively), bassist Mark Allan, and drummer Anthony Hainsworth have chops, marketing skills and an impressive rNsumN. TheyNve opened for Everclear at the House of Blues, built a sprawling SoCal fan base and supplied melodramatic pop songs to MTV reality shows. Winning over enthusiasts one catchy chorus at a time, Sterofix hope for another sound conquest during their current Detroit Bar residency.
OC Weekly: You guys have had some pretty exciting gigs in the past year, do you ever feel pressure opening up for big national acts?
Ray Alexander: Not really. WeNre very structured; we have a very consistent practice and routine. In fact, weNre just so excited to play those shows it doesnNt really hit us in an intimidating way. ItNs more about adrenalin than anything.
Kamren Alexander: WeNre always trying to prove ourselves and show everyone else what weNre all about, so itNs just another opportunity.
Mark Allan: ItNs kinda fun just to play with someone who has been around for so long, like Everclear—itNs just really cool.
Where do you guys feel you fit in the OC music scene? What venues around here have supported you the most?
Ray Alexander: I think we were received in Los Angeles a lot better when we first started out. We were spending so much time there playing shows up and down the [Sunset] Strip. Then we just took a step back and said, “Hey, thereNs plenty of exciting venues to play right in our own back yard in OC. Why not play here a little bit more and see what happens?” So we started doing that, and we played the House of Blues, Detroit Bar and the Coach House, and all of a sudden, it started clicking that we had a really strong fan base in LA and Orange County.
You guys have recently signed licensing agreements with MTV to use your songs on shows such as The Real World and The City. Is that surreal for you?
Kamren Alexander: Yeah, because they donNt tell us when theyNre gonna air them and we donNt watch that much TV, so we get fans in the middle of the night texting us, “Dude, your songNs on MTV!” I get them recorded on my voice mail. And just randomly my mom will be flipping through the channels, and sheNll hear our stuff. ItNs so random, but itNs cool.
Does your music generate a lot of comparisons from your fans? Which ones do you agree with?
Ray Alexander: Keen, Coldplay, Muse, U2, the Killers . . .
Kamren Alexander: We have a pretty diverse age group of fans, from 14-year-olds to ages 40 and up. Each generation kinda perceives us differently. TheyNll be like, “That riff you were doing was so Jimmy Page” or, “Your vocals remind me of Bryan Ferry.” ItNs random, and itNs all different from generation to generation.
What are some things you plan to bring to your residency at Detroit Bar that you hope will keep fans interested?
Ray Alexander: We plan on playing a traditional A-set the first night because thatNs what really gets people excited, and then the second night, I think weNre gonna strip down a little bit and play some of the songs people donNt really hear us play because of time constraints. And then the last show, weNre just going to mix up a bunch of those songs and do them acoustically.
Anthony Hainsworth: ThereNs going to be some songs in there that a lot of our fans havenNt heard in a long time and some that weNve never played for anyone.
Stereofix at Detroit Bar, 843 W. 19th St., Costa Mesa, (949) 642-0600; detroitbar.com. Every Mon., 8 p.m. Through Dec. 28. Free. 21+.
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