Share:

“We are not a Birthday Party cover band,” guitarist Jose Box said, shooting down a common misconception about his band BIRTHDAYGIRL.

BIRTHDAYGIRL was originally formed by PCC students Angel Cabral and Jose Box, who were later joined by fellow students Ryan Montez and Cole Hoover and a friend, Thomas Jefferson, who is also in the band Gorgon Zoloft.

Box met Montez on campus and the two instantly bonded over similar music interests. Montez knew he wanted to be in the band and he soon took on the roles of bassist and vocalist.  Hoover later joined the band after meeting Montez.

“I met Ryan at a show and he told me he was in this band so I went to go see them and they asked me to play second guitar,” Hoover said. “But I felt that the band needed a synth player so I switched to that.”

Jefferson, who plays saxophone, joined the band last December. The band describes him not only as a band mate but also as a father-type figure and manager because he is a few years older than the rest of them and keeps them in check.

BIRTHDAYGIRL is not only made of its five core members but all their friends that support them.

“We have an awesome fan base through our friends they always go to our shows and support us,” Hoover said. “We’re like an entity or collective.”

Overall the band describes their sound as noisy but BIRTHDAYGIRL has developed a unique sound of there own, something that they themselves cannot define.

“Basically I’d say we are a post-punk band but at the same time we’re not,” Hoover said. “We don’t have that one Joy Division beat.”

“There is a definitive sound we’re going for but we don’t even know what it is,” Montez added. “We just play whatever we feel like.”

From jazz to dub to black metal, BIRTHDAYGIRL draws influence from various places like movies, philosophers, personal experiences and the writings of Aleister Crowley.

“We are influenced by the Birthday Party but we’re not trying to be like them,” Box said.

“We’ll never cover them live because people just think we’re trying to be Birthday Party,” Hoover added.

BIRTHDAYGIRL has played shows at local venues and around the LA area at venues such as the Smell and Pehrspace.

“Our music is about seeing us live and feeling this pure sort of tribal energy that comes from our music,” Montez said.

“We like to improvise when we play live,” Cabral added. “ If we were to play two shows in one night they would be the same songs but sound completely different.”

They also host and play shows at the their house and a practice space known as the “Industrial Estate.”

“We created the ‘Industrial Estate’ to give other people like us a place to see cool band that aren’t the typical Burger Records bands that play around here,” Cabral said. “It’s kind of like a secret haven.”

“On a small scale we’re trying to take over the music scene in LA,” Montez added.

The band is in the process of recording a six to seven track tape but do not have a definite release date.

BIRTHDAYGIRL does not have any upcoming shows scheduled but often play impromptu shows at the “Industrial Estate.”

“If you got to our show with any preconceived notions of what our music is or could be you’re bound to be disappointed, which people have been,” Cabral said.

Follow: