A/J and Sharp's initial encounter had very little to do with music. The duo met in film school and developed a bond due to a shared interest in cinema. Although both came from musical upbringings, forming a band together would ultimately become a happy accident. Sharp comes from a long line of classical guitarists and was conditioned to be a concert guitarist from the time his fingers were strong enough to press a string to the fret board. He was taught to play Flamenco by a Gypsy man in a cave near Barcelona. He really had no intention of playing rock music until he met A/J. A/J started playing piano at the age of five and began writing his own songs in the 2nd grade. He later taught himself to play bass, saxophone, and guitar. Singing was just something he always did (though in his opinion it took about ten years…until he was about 15 to sound somewhat decent) When the two decided to make music they were heavily influenced by the films they were studying and their love of Beethovens seventh symphony. As they describe, “Sometimes we approach songs in a visual sense, much like a film. There's an intro, which establishes what’s at stake while the body of the song fleshes out the story. There’s often a plot twist 3/4 of the way through the song which takes the form of a bridge. Then, of course, the conclusion which settles everything back to normal… or does it? Hahaha.” The two met Dak while they were eating at a sushi restaurant in Los Angeles where Dak was a sushi chef. They were discussing music when Dak overheard them. It turned out that the trio shared an impressive musical common ground. A/J said that if Dak played bass anything like he made sushi he must be incredible…and he was. G.S. Erwin was a national motorcycle champion from northern California. He initially learned to play drums to curb his Tourettes syndrome, a syndrome that deals with severe muscle spasms. Relentlessly beating away at the drums turned out to be the best way for G.S. to control and subdue his Turrets. With his addition to the group, a band was formed. All of the band members listen to and write a variety of music individually, but when together, they can’t help but play spine cracking, ferociously manic music which defines their spectacular live shows. They describe their lives shows: “Playing live is an extremely therapeutic and cathartic experience. It lets us vent our anger, frustration, sexuality and this usually comes in the form of jumping into things, rolling around, and generally destroying our bodies...but that's all part of the fun!” Saint Motel are currently finishing up their debut E.P. and hope to play in a town near you soon! Visit Saint Motel's Myspace Talk to Saint Motel Here Back to Home Page
