This is the first-ever article for It’s a Riot magazine, and full disclosure, I was nervous as hell to conduct this interview. I haven’t done a legit, sit-down interview with a band in a hot minute, and I was oddly intimidated by Thank You Come Again before meeting them.
However, as soon as we all sat down in the makeshift greenroom at the Rickshaw Stop, I quickly realized that their energy was high enough to power a full city block. They haven’t been a band for long, but they joke around like friends who have known each other their entire lives.
Join me in conversation with Izzie Clark (vocals and guitar), Danny Lomeli (guitar), Julian Paz (bass), and Cole Bailey (drums) of Thank You Come Again while we talk about the music scene in San Francisco, secret concert venues in frat-houses-turned-compounds, and how the need for a lighter at a concert led to the birth of a band.
Introduce yourselves, please!
Danny: Hi, my name is Danny and I play guitar in Thank You Come Again
Izzie: Hi, my name’s Izzie Clark and I sing and also play guitar
Julian: This is Julian Paz, I play bass in Thank You Come Again
Cole: I’m Cole and I’m the drummer in Thank You Come Again
You recently released your first EP in June (its great, by the way). How does it feel to have your very first EP out in the world?
Izzie: Um, yeah, it felt good. Because it was the first project I've ever released where I didn’t feel like I sounded like a baby. I released an EP a couple of years ago under the name Ego Sunshine and upon listening back to it, it just sounds like pop bullshit. So it was really nice to just buckle down and create, like, a serious rock record with some of my best friends.
Julian: It’s cool, ‘cause I feel like we went and recorded and we put a lot of work into, like, recording while doing shows which was kind of a lot. But it’s nice to have it done and out in the world and kind of, like, [be able to] celebrate it with each show. I don't know, it’s just nice to have it out. It’s a cool feeling.
Danny: Two thumbs up!
Walk me through your songwriting and recording process.
Izzie: Me? Okay… so, actually, Danny wrote the entire instrumentals for Taking it Off and Creature and then when I met him in the Castro one beautiful fall night, he sent me these demos...
Danny: It was really nice weather.
Izzie: ...And I was just in my room, singing to them, and then we ended up meeting up in the Tenderloin with our old drummer Steven and I was just singing and kind of like screaming and going crazy. That’s kind of how we got a feel for each other.
Danny: I would say now, like, it happens, like, it can be anything. Um, one song, for example, we were just kind of having a quick rehearsal/jam session and, um, Izzie likes to kind of, like, go off into her little riffs every now and then, like, you know, she starts just going for it. And I'm like, “wait! Do that again. Repeat it.” and like I just will add a guitar harmony and you know, we can write a song kind of on the spot. But yeah, like she mentioned, the way we actually started was a three-song demo that I recorded with the help of a friend at my house, so I kind of recorded everything instrumentally and then when I met Izzie I showed her the songs and she plugged her contribution of lyrics and vocals onto it. And, I don’t know, it was kind of, like, a perfect blend and, um, I was like, “yo, let’s do more songs…”
Izzie: And what’s badass is that Danny also, like, will give me notes for vocals, and I really respect everybody’s opinion in the band because everyone’s a really fucking great musician, but I also, like, he’s also had really great ideas for vocals where usually, like everyone does their own thing and has their little pocket that they fit into in the band, but I feel like Danny and I definitely, like, work very well together in just creating some serious fucking riffage! And drinking beers and just generally being bros.
You guys are based out of San Francisco. How has the city influenced your music?
Danny: For me, personally, um, two of us are from San Francisco. Julian and I were born here. Uh, when I was in high school, our parents moved us away to Sacramento, which isn’t far. We kept some ties here.
Julian: We’re brothers, by the way.
Danny: Yeah, we’re brothers. One of the coolest things about being able to have this band and be based out of San Francisco is, for me, that we get to represent the city. I think a lot of places, you know, it has pros and cons, and I think it’s really easy to talk about the negative things that are happening in San Francisco but there's a lot of positive things that are happening. Izzie, for example, has a compound. She and her friends have a fucking compound out in the Sunset.
They're single handedly holding it together. They’re doing house shows, they’re bringing bands together, artists together. So yeah, I think San Francisco has a huge part for me to do with this band. I have a lot of love for this city and I want to voice that.
Izzie: Yeah, I feel like the San Francisco music scene isn't dead, it's just been transformed into a different state where artists are kind of retreating into more intimate settings like house shows. I've been seeing a lot of house shows. I know that there used to be cave shows. It’s just all super DIY now, which I love.
Danny: Yeah, I will say that maybe like ten years ago there was a lot of house shows and then maybe five years ago, if I heard of a house show in San Francisco it was more rare and I was like “I have to be there.” and most of the time it would be sick. And then I think it's coming around full circle now. I think people are kind of, you know, hungry for it. It's definitely a new scene, a new wave of people coming in. and I think all good things are gonna come from that.
Izzie, do you mind going a bit more in-depth as to what your compound is and does?
Izzie: Oh, yeah! Well, I just moved into this house in June with some of my good friends. Ever since then, I hope my landlord doesn't see this, we’ve been throwing shows, like every month. we’ve been raising money for Border Crisis Aid. so far, we’ve only had three shows. But we’re really trying to create a space where everyone is welcome and everyone can get together and share ideas and share their art and ultimately, their money is going towards a good cause, and, like, we know it is. And then we also make sure that all of the artists and bands are also getting their fair share and having a good time. It's really messy; it’s a frat house, but everything else, I think, people have said that they enjoy the shows.
Julian: It’s lit, dude.
Danny: A lot of respect, too. A lot of the people that live there or go there I think, um, respect what's going on and respect the people that live there.
Julian: I feel like it’s a legit project going on; it's not just a house party/music jam, but it’s like you walk in...we did a show there. They got an actual sound guy there.
Danny: There might be a sound and a light guy in the garage and there might be a bar set up. We really don’t know until we get there.
Julian: But it’s sick! It's a legit thing they’ve got going on over there.
Danny: I think the liquor program needs a little bit of help, but you know, things happen.
Izzie: Yeah, Danny gets mad because we only buy Jose Cuervo.
Danny: Well, I don't get mad, I get wasted. So, we’re gonna have to change the liquor around there. You're gonna have to upgrade to at least Casa Robles or something.
Julian: Five-star venue, three-star bar.
Back to inspirations; who are your guys’ biggest musical inspirations?
Danny: Okay so I have to answer first because it just came to mind and I'm trying to do this thing where when someone asks a question, I just answer with the first thing that pops into my mind. So currently, absolutely not, but overall in my history as a person, Blink-182 is just the band that I just listened to nonstop. I knew every song, every lyric, all the guitar riffs. Whether it’s relevant to now, it could be in some weird, layered way, but, yeah. That band was kind of like my Bible growing up, especially in junior high.
Izzie: I really fuck with Ty Segall and the Oh Sees. I've always really liked their music. Ty was what really got me into making music because his music just sounded so fun and so easy to play. And within the last couple of years, I'd like to think my taste has progressed a little bit. I've really been digging Max Roach recently. He’s not really an influence in our music because we play rock and he’s more jazz but bands like Shame, Ice Age…
Danny: Those bands are great. I will add, ‘cause I know that Blink’s an interesting answer, but now that I've thought about it, a second for influences to Thank You Come Again….
Izzie: Nirvana!
Danny: Well, absolutely, like Nirvana, and Smashing Pumpkins, like hands-down. Thankfully I was around when MTV was still showing music videos. It was like right at the end, but I remember watching smells like teen spirit and I just remember being glued to the TV. I didn’t know what it was at the time, but I was totally sucked in and mesmerized. I was like “whatever they're doing, I like this.” So, more relevant to our band than Blink-182 is definitely Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, and…
Izzie: Even Dream Wife.
Danny: Dream Wife has a modern band, which is actually the show that Izzie and I met at. I went by myself, just because I wanted some fresh energy. I just thought “this band DreamWife, they rip. And this other band, Russo, they played pretty good, too.”
Izzie: They're super good. She’s like Brandy Melville model that like started this sick-ass band. But Dream Wife, honestly, I feel like her vocals really inspire me. I feel like I draw a lot of inspiration from her vocals.
Julian: As far as the band is concerned, some of the old school bands for sure. Black Sabbath, for me. Every time I listen to our music, it’s a little more of a rock-and-roll/thrashy sort of thing and it makes me just want to, like, skate. So then I'll put on my skate playlist, and that’s where Black Sabbath comes in and even more modern bands like Fuzz, which is a huge inspiration, as far as this band is concerned. But honestly, my taste kind of goes all over the place. I've been kind of on a jazz kick recently and listening to all of the greats. But that influences my playing. Listening to some of those records as well as my other influences definitely have a hold on what I bring to Thank You Come Again and how I perform on the stage. But I mean there’s nothing like a good fuckin’ Black Sabbath song to get you in the mood to play a good show. I love all of that stuff.
Cole: I grew up on a lot of classic rock, you know. Just like the usual suspects like The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and I used to have a total intolerance to hip hop and modern music. But now I'm kind of expanding my interests. Lately, the rock scene has been getting better and better because I feel like it was kind of in a standstill for a little bit. Like Izzie said, I'm really into the Oh Sees, I'm into King Gizzard the Lizard Wizard. The Idles are great. just, I don't know, I feel like music is in a good, diverse spot right now and I like taking a little bit of every genre and just soaking it all in.
On your website, you describe your band as being “conceived in a lit cigarette and birthed out of wedlock in Dec. 2018;” do you mind explaining what exactly that means to you? What made you want to describe your band like that?
Izzie: So I wrote that. The “conceived in a lit cigarette” part is because when I met Danny I had a cigarette but no lighter and I was really feigning for a cigarette. So I was like being a crackhead asking people for a lighter. And I walk up to Danny’s friend, nick, and was like “yo, you got a lighter?” and he said yeah and we all just started talking. This was at the Dream Wife show and basically that was how Danny and I met. We just started talking about music and that's sort of how this whole shebang started. The “out of wedlock” part, I don't know. I guess that was just me trying to be goth about it.
Danny: I just want to like put emphasis on it [Izzie and Danny meeting]. Like, I had no idea Izzie even existed. When she asked about the lit cigarette thing, like, dude I didn’t fucking know anybody at that show. So I kid you not, the fact that I invited my friend out, I mean, he didn't even like the band, he was just having a bad day so I invited him out. And fuckin’ Izzie over here needed her fuckin’ tabbacy, you know. And yeah, so we're out there and she came up and asked us for a lighter and I think he was like “you gotta tell me a joke first”
Izzie: Oh, yeah! And then I said “are you Mulan? ‘Cause I’ll make a man out of you.” That’s my shitty pickup line that I made myself. So, fucking patent that.
Danny: So birthed out of a lit cigarette basically means, like, “yo, can a borrow a lighter?” “sure, what are you doing at this show?” “Oh, blah blah blah, I wrote a demo” “Oh, that's crazy I do this and I'm looking for a band” “well, now here we are” it was all just so crazy. I'm very happy that we all met.
Julian: So I was gonna say, like, after that, I feel like it’s such, almost like a casual meet-up after a show, so after they met up we just met up at our thanksgiving dinner. And Danny was just casually like, while we were hanging out, just asked “hey dude, wanna join my band?” and it was literally just that casual. And then we just went on with our conversation. After that, that was the only exchange. as far as me hopping in, it was really just like a sentence or two to get me to join.
Danny: And at this point, Cole is actually our most recent drummer. This is gonna be his second show. It's been pretty tricky.
Izzie: It's been nine months with three drummers.
Danny: Its been a little tricky having to do it this way, but Cole’s here now and I'm fucking pumped about that….am I allowed to swear? Do we have to do this whole interview over?
Julian: We ask after, like, dropping twelve f-bombs .
When should we lookout for new music or projects?
Izzie: We're gonna record an album as soon as we have more than six songs. Do you wanna take it away?
Julian: Yeah, we’re gonna be writing three albums within the next month is the plan.
Danny: I will say, I think after this show, we’re probably gonna regroup and get a better idea of what we wanna do. Personally, I'm trying to put out albums, I'm trying to tour. I’d like to go out there and see the world. I actually haven't taken a vacation in a couple of years, ‘cause I don't really deserve one.
Izzie: Dude, you totally deserve one.
Danny: Thank you, I'm thinking I should probably take a small one. But I'm kind of waiting until an opportunity comes where we can like book a week of shows. Obviously it's gonna be work on that end. I used to travel in bands and all that stuff. Other than, you know, having to be somewhere at a certain time and having to be up late and performing, it's a lot of freedom.
What do you love most about music?
Danny: Beer. Oh, shit, no.
Izzie: I would say just the genuine, raw human connections that it brings and just the visceral expression of emotion that you don't really get from anything else. Like, at least for me, there’s nothing else that you can share that just gets you fuckin’ pumped like music does.
Julian: Yeah, there's universal love and language and connection to it. It's amazing.
Izzie: And its one of the things that truly sets humans apart from animals, I think. Because we're able to express ourselves in such a unique and interesting way and like kind of familiarize ourselves with these elements like instruments and drums and bass and just be familiar with sound frequencies and i think that's so cool.
Cole: I think music is something that no one can exactly fathom, but it just feels so good. I don't know, it’s the biggest accomplishment in human culture, I think. It’s freedom of expression and I think it's something that needs to be expressed day-to-day. I think everyone needs a little music in their lives.
Julian: The free beers are nice, though, too
Danny: oh yeah, that was a bad answer. Actually, my least favorite part about music is that it comes along with the distraction of partying. For me, my favorite thing is a live performance. Just being out there and having it sound decent and the crowd’s decent, I mean, it’s a rush. For sure. But lately I've been missing that feeling of collaborating and making new music so maybe it’s time that we do that,
Julian: Yeah, that's a cool part of music that I don't think people talk about. Its always like the universal language and expression, but from a band perspective, just collaborating and its also getting to know these guys a little more, but in a unique way. If we weren’t doing music together I don't think id be as close with them in that sense.
Izzie: We’re a little family now.
Cole: It's an unspeakable bond, which is super cool.
Any closing thoughts?
Izzie: Fuck Trump, fuck ICE, fuck climate change. Climate change is happening. We need to eat less beef, we need to drive our cars less. We need to upgrade to better systems of electricity, like solar power and geothermal energy. If we don’t change soon, we’re all fucked. So let’s just be a little more conscious of our impact on this planet. And there are concentration camps at the southern border right now. So if people wanna fucking storm Area 51, let’s just all band together and storm the ICE camps, instead.
While plans for a debut album are still up in the air for the band, don’t forget to check out their self-titled EP on Spotify, BandCamp, and iTunes. For updates on all things Thank You Come Again, follow the band on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.
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