Like every other band on the planet, The Shivas were railroaded by the pandemic, which hit just as they were about to tour behind 2019’s, Dark Thoughts. Dark Thoughts was a defining sonic achievement for the band and lauded by NPR Music, Flaunt, KEXP, and Rolling Stone, who dubbed the music, “When pop colors mingle with the dampness of a garage.”
Transformed by the experience, The Shivas utilized their time off from touring to record Feels So Good // Feels So Bad with Cameron Spies, who also produced Dark Thoughts. Feels So Good // Feels So Bad wasn’t written or recorded with a particular theme in mind, but one seemed to have emerged: where Dark Thoughts was about confronting your demons with fearless self-examination, much of Feels So Good // Feels So Bad is about what happens once you find that peace and how being honest with yourself, changes your relationships and priorities. “I do think it’s about acceptance,” says drummer/singer Kristin Leonard. “There’s a weird relaxation that comes with being at peace with things you can’t control or have regrets about.”
Tell us about the genesis of your project. How did you get to where you are now?
We all went to junior high and high school together at a public art school in Vancouver, Washington. 13/14 year old Jared and Eric had a group project where they were going to record a cover song. It turned into a 6 song EP with several originals thrown in, and Kristin sang on many of them (helping us out as she was not part of the”group” for the project – she was not in that class with us). We had such a good time that once the project was over we didn’t want to stop. And we never did. Writing, recording, and playing music together was some of the most fun we had ever had and so we kept at it, and started putting together a line-up for live shows.
How would you describe the highs and lows of being an artist?
High points – being on stage. I always liked the cliche of you’re on-stage in front of an adoring crowd who is singing along to your songs and loving every minute, and then an hour or two later you are at a truckstop in the middle of nowhere eating the worst food you’ve ever had, getting stared down by some locals and feeling very lonely.
Tour can be one of the most extreme experiences where the highs and lows meet. In moments of tour burnout you can want nothing more than to be alone and relax in privacy. At the same time you could be a couple hours away from the next city where some of your best friends are ready with hugs and plans for post show happenings.
What’s a musical guilty pleasure of yours?
All of them. We indulge.
But the stuff we’re actually into and take pleasure in, we don’t have guilt about. No shame.
What are some sources of inspiration for you?
We find inspiration from anything and everything! New music, old music, movies, philosophical ideas, artistic movements, books, social issues, history, the future, the present, friends, food, the trees, the city.
Who is an artist that you look up to more than others today?
Shana Cleveland
Favorite activity to blow off some steam?
This is different for all of us. Going on walks is a big one. Walking around the neighborhood, smelling flowers, watching the crows and squirrels. Also gardening and going to the river. Horror themed board games, true crime podcasts, science, space, and ufo documentaries. Rage scrolling twitter.
Tell us about your latest release and how it came about
I’d call it a coping mechanism for a global pandemic. Writing songs and demoing them followed by going into the studio and producing the album was how we dealt with being quarantined.
What are some things you do to deal with anxiety and creative blocks?
Meditation and mindfulness are big ones. Bringing ourselves back to the present moment and practising gratitude for all we have. States of anxiety coupled with pressure to produce more art are extremely unhelpful to actually creating. Freeing ourselves from that pressure is often what causes that creative block to give way. Take your focus away from creating something new if it isn’t coming naturally. Learn a song that already exists.
What’s the future looking like for you?
With the recent rise of the delta variant ‘bleak’ is a word that we have been passing around, but the last year has been a myriad of uncertainties, and we have become accustomed to that. In any case we honestly don’t know how to do anything other than being in The Shivas and so that’s what we’re gonna do whether that means touring, playing shows, recording albums or just creating and existing as a community and with our community
What inspires your visuals, videos, looks etc?
There are several people we have worked with quite a bit over the last several years, who have been essential in helping us shape and define what you might call thegroup’s “visual aesthetic”. Claude Cardenas (Yr First Crush) and Omar Cervantes (FTF) are both making multiple videos for this album, and they did the same for thealbum prior. Another good friend of ours, Eirinn Lou Riggs shot many of the photos around this album (including the album cover) and shot many of the photos around the last album as well. Abigael Tripp has worked with us on layout and design on our recent albums as well as with tour posters etc. Mostly everything visual that comes from this group is the result of a collaboration – usually with a close friend – and this is the dynamic that has shaped so much of our visual output.
What is the most embarrassing memory and most proud moment of your career so far ?
There have been plenty of embarrassing moments. One that stands out was when we were on tour in Europe. We were scheduled to play two shows in one day, one around noon in Pamplona, Spain, and then one a few hours later in Sopelana, Spain. We were already hurting from playing the night before and were mustering all theenergy we could to put on good shows and travel. We finished our show in Pamplona, it went great. We see old friends, make new ones, sell records, the whole bit. Then we cruise on over to the next city on our route for that day.
Now, the venue in Sopelana is one we’ve already played at. We get to the venue and start loading all of our stuff in. We’re hustling because we’re running late. We have a lot of stuff of course and loading heavy gear is one of the more exhausting parts of tour. The venue is also a bar/restaurant that is full of patrons that are all looking at us in confusion. As we’re loading in the staff aren’t really acknowledging us or anything, they were just kind of business as usual.
So we’re in there, setting up our instruments, meanwhile Jared is texting the promoter being like “hey, we’re here.” Then the promoter is texting us back “Really? Where are you guys? I don’t see you.” And we double check our tour book and it says we’re at the right venue. So we called our booking agent and then the promoter and realized that the show had been moved to a different location and the tour book had not been updated. So we’re all like “FUCK” and start breaking our gear back down, and loading up the van. To load all of our stuff in, set it all up, and immediately break it down, load up the van and leave must have been a strange sight for the patrons at the bar, and sure as hell was embarrassing for us.
We rolled up to the correct venue which is this gorgeous restaurant overlooking the ocean. The promoter, an incredibly kind and welcoming friend, greets us with smiles and no shoes. We took a deep breath and knew we didn’t have to stress. We load in, drink some beverages, play a fun and laid back show, then eat the most delicious meal. And that sums up the dynamic of touring. One moment you’re stressed, under a time crunch, confused and exhausted, then within minutes everything changes and you have one of the most beautiful and memorable experiences of your life. But yeah, we loaded in 3 times that day.
For proudest moments, there are luckily also a lot to choose from. When we (recently) hit the point where we had been doing the band for over half our lives was a very proud moment, and to still be growing at that point feels very good. Our first time touring (a 2 week west-coaster that Jared booked as a Junior in high school) was a proud moment. The first time touring the whole USA was a couple years later.
Then after that, touring Europe for the first time, and Mexico and parts of South America not long after that. There are also the moments setting foot on famous stages – having our parents in the crowd seeing us play at the Fillmore in San Francisco was a big moment, also playing 1st Avenue in Minneapolis (known for being the venue featured in Prince’s Purple Rain). Aside from all that, doing KEXP live sessions and playing a festival with Jesus and Mary Chain in Spain were all very cool moments too.
What is the best advice you’ve ever gotten?
Little things here and there. But we’d rather give advice than take it. Our advice is to always be kind. Be kind to everyone at the venue. Everyone. Be kind to everyone you meet. But also don’t take any shit. Look out for your well being and safety. Set boundaries and stick to them.
Also, don’t stop. Persistence and continuing to grow is key. The show must go on (unless it is unsafe due to a global pandemic, in which case the show can go on in other ways, off stage).
