It is unbelievable how far the band The Flusters has come in such a short amount time.
Last Saturday at noon, the members of the band crossed an item off their bucket lists when they stepped onto the Outdoor Stage at Coachella. Each year, a local band or two gets the coveted, albeit difficult slot. There’s usually not much of a crowd on hand at noon, but many locals—including Ian Cush of the Coachella Valley Art Scene, Matt Styler of the Hive Minds, Giselle Woo and some devout Flusters fans turned out—turned out to watch the band play, as did a handful of Coachella early birds who did not know The Flusters.
While the Flusters were playing, Goldenvoice founder Gary Tovar appeared onstage and took some photos and video of the band with his phone.
Shortly after the impressive show, frontman/guitarist Doug Van Sant, guitarist Danny White and new drummer Daniel Perry appeared in the press tent. Doug Van Sant mentioned Coachella was on their bucket list—but he had no idea it would happen this year.
“No, not at all,” Van Sant said. “It was a big fat no. We hoped for it. We tried to remain in sight and plain view of those who are connected with Coachella and selecting local acts. We did the best, and we did everything we could. When Brightener went on for last week, we said, ‘Well, that’s this year’s local band.’ If there was another local band we wanted to see do it, it was Brightener. Will (Sturgeon) has worked with us, so we thought it was good for them.”
Danny White said the experience of playing Coachella was highly rewarding.
“I think it was one of the greatest feelings I’ve ever had,” he said. “… The blood, sweat and tears—to have it pay off in the way that it has, and this is only the beginning—it’s only going to grow. There’s going to be a lot more hard work put in, and this is going to continue to get better.”
Van Sant mentioned when Independent readers voted for The Flusters as the Best Local Band in 2015.
“When CV Independent readers named us as the best band for 2015, the first thing I said to the guys is, ‘We won; what’s next?’ That’s the way we have to live our lives and go through our careers as artists. Same with this: Coachella is done; what’s next? How we can we use this experience to better our future and our music? That’s where my head is at right now. What is next?”
So, what is next?
“We’re focusing on recording an album, and we’re focused on getting some booking and representation,” Van Sant said. “We’re looking to poke our heads into SXSW next year. We’d like to open for some bigger acts in the greater Los Angeles area. We’d like to get our EP distributed in the widest way possible when that releases this summer—and have a kick-ass release party.”
The Flusters’ audience has grown subsantially since the group’s genesis a little more than a year ago. Many people have taken an interest in this indie-surf band from the desert, and the crowds get bigger each time it plays in local venues. During the “In-Betweener” on April 20 at The Hood Bar and Pizza, the place was packed with many familiar faces from previous Flusters shows—as well as many new people who came to check The Flusters out.
“It just shows we have the love of our fans, and they respect us as much as we respect them,” said Daniel Perry, the newest member. “It’s such an experience to see people love what you do as much as you love it yourself. It is one of the greatest feelings to know people are enjoying it.”
Perry explained how he joined the band after The Flusters parted ways with former drummer Chris O’Sullivan.
“About two or three months ago, Mario (Estrada), our bassist, had just sent me a text message asking me if I wanted to jam. I said yes one day, hung out, played some stuff and had some fun. We were just talking, and he told me The Flusters were looking for a new drummer. He asked me if I was interested in auditioning for it. For me, 2016 was the year for change. … I jammed with him and Danny once, and they gave Doug the final go. After that, we had a couple of practices, did a couple of shows, and it was great chemistry from the start. When I first started, I felt like I had been in the band the entire time.”
Van Sant said Perry has made needed adjustments in a short period of time.
“We didn’t know in the beginning,” Van Sant said. “He hadn’t found his sweet spot with us yet. We were rushing him, and he was scrambling, and I told him, ‘We need control; we need to hear what we’re doing, and we don’t need rushing tempos.’ I pulled him aside when he got it under control and I told him, ‘I want you to arrive now. I need you to arrive.’ A switch clicked on, and we got our set together for Coachella, and he’s been great.”
Van Sant said he’s touched by the love he and other local musicians have received.
“I have to say: Coming from Philadelphia, there’s a lot of hater mentality out there,” Van Sant said. “It’s not really hater mentality, but they’re out for themselves and their own projects. Coming out here and having this happen, I got personal texts from several local artists such as the guys from Monreaux, the guys from the Hive Minds, all the other guys from Brightener, and the guys from the Yip Yops. People were so happy for us and supportive. It’s also been coming from the Coachella Valley Art Scene, CV Independent, and all these wonderful people in the scene—it means a lot to us. I’m not used to that.”
Got a whole lot of love for you guys! Great article.