Check out this interview we did recently with Nick Fotinakes, guitarist of San Luis Obispo, CA-based Night Riots!
For those reading at home, what is your name and position in the band?
Hello those at home, this is Nick and I play guitar in Night Riots. I just ate a big bowl of Pho and am in the van driving through Washington.
What made you guys decide to change your name from PK to Night Riots? (I apologize if you get this question a lot btw)
No worries. It was actually a trademark/copyright issue. You'd be surprised at how many companies and organizations are called PK.
Where does the name Night Riots originate from?
We wanted something that really represented us and the music we wanted to make while also being legally open. Night Riots just fit with the mood of our music and atmosphere of our live show.
What was the process like writing and recording the Young Lore EP as opposed to any other release you’ve worked on in the past?
It seemed a lot more natural and organic than past work. It finally felt a lot closer to the way we wanted songs to come out and sound sonically. We didn't have any boundaries on the songs or style of stuff we wrote and just let it all pour out We were just writing and recording songs for us and I think that shows in the music.
Where would you say that, as a band, your musical tastes come from? What kind of genres and artists have inspired the Night Riots sound?
We are weird and get inspiration from everything not just music. We love old 80s stuff like Billy Idol, the Cure, Joy Division to new artists like X Ambassadors, Mona and Mikky Ekko. We listen to a lot of different genres as well...like Death Grips. You should check that crazy dude out. Even authors like Hemingway, books, travel, friends and movies all inspire us. We like to capture somewhat of an idea of nostalgia in our music while still being fresh and different.
Can you tell me a little bit about the album artwork on Young Lore? Was it a photo taken specifically for the release, or did you come across the photo and decide, “This is awesome, let’s use it!”?
We took that photo specifically for the cover. We had a few ideas of wanting to capture the idea of youth while keeping things mysterious and toy with light and dark. We ended up on backroads in the middle of nowhere at about 3 am with big lights and a fog machine. That particular shot was just really moody and we liked it a lot.
These next two questions I ask to every artist that I interview. What kind of message would you like fans to walk away with after listening to your music?
To live life to the fullest and do what makes you happy.
What does music mean to you?
Music has saved and helped me through some tough times as well as been a great release and way to connect with and meet new people.
Last question, what are the future plans for Night Riots at this moment? Anything you would like to let your fans know about new music, videos, tour dates, go for it!
We will be touring throughout the US starting in September to support the release of Young Lore. A new video for our song Remedy will be coming out soon as well. Check out www.nightriots.com for more info.
You can keep up to date on all of the latest music and news from Night Riots at www.nightriots.com. The Young Lore EP is available now!