"Seafoam Walls is jazz. Seafoam Walls is shoegaze. Seafoam Walls is rock. Seafoam Walls is indie. Seafoam Walls is hip-hop," according to the band's Facebook page.
Seafoam Walls started as Jayan Bertrand's (guitar/vox) solo project and evolved into a four-piece that now includes Trevor Bazile on sax, Gabe Norwood on drums, and new bassist Alec Kreisberg. Bertrand tells New Times: "The band is probably going to expand."
This band is no stranger to the Miami music scene.
Cousins Norwood and Bertrand played in Kazoots. Bertrand also played with their former bassist, Alex, in the Bearings (who now plays in Mo'Booty) and Pariuh. "I appreciate versatility in musicians, any artist really, people in general," Bertrand says. "I like versatility, people who can do more than one thing."
New Times caught up with Bertrand, Kreisberg, and Bazile ahead of tonight's show at Bardot to talk about the upcoming album, concepts, and III Points.
New Times: Tell us about the concept that the band is creating around the color sea-foam green.
Bertrand: Sea-foam green has grown to become my favorite color. I don't leave home much and I like to make music, so I end up in my room a lot. That's how Seafoam Walls started, with the collection of songs that I wrote in my bedroom. Every other project that came out of Seafoam Walls has been recorded in my room. Anything that gets done from now on is probably going to be in a studio. It was just the concept of being in my room in the most comfortable place, sea-foam green being a comforting color for me, surrounding myself in those colors and surrounding myself in that idea of comfort. The live music doesn't exactly portray that, or I'm not sure that it does or if anyone else sees it that way. I feel that the live music is a lot more loud and quiet as opposed to being generally mellow like the recordings.
It seems like Seafoam Walls have a busy year coming up. You guys are working on a new album and will play III Points. What can you tell us about the upcoming album?
Bertrand: The album started off as a being a theme about communication. I just wanted to work with songs that were familiar to us and that really got positive feedback. It’s a combination of old and new songs that we've been working on. There wasn't much to it. It’s really the later stuff that’s coming that will be more thought-out. Right now we're working with very few resources and have to make the best with what we have. This album is going to sound like the best possible version of what we can make in this amount of time. The album will probably be out sometime in the fall around III Points.
Who are you all excited to see at III Points?
Bertrand: I’m going to have to bring out the actual poster cause there's so many people I want to see there. Oh, wait, BadBadNotGood, definitely. They're like the closest-sounding band to us on the lineup. That’s how I could describe it. And that's why I really want to see them.
Bazile: Lil B is exciting!
Kreisberg and Bertrand [in agreement]: Ohhhh, what?!
Bazile: I'm mostly excited just to hang out with friends and see everyone that comes out to the different shows.
What are you guys cooking up for the show at Bardot?
Bertrand: We added Danielle Steele and DJ Woozles. DJ Woozles has been around Miami for a while. He used to DJ at Lester’s in Wynwood (that doesn't exist anymore), and his sets are always fun because his music is all over the place. He has a wide range of tastes.
Will Seafoam Walls play any new music at the show?
Bertrand: We’ll be playing maybe one or two songs that we haven't played a lot. This will be somewhat new stuff.
Seafoam Walls
With Danielle Steele and DJ Woozles. 10 p.m. Wednesday, May 24, at Bardot, 3456 N. Miami Ave., Miami; 305-576-5570; bardotmiami.com. Admission is free.
