Interview by Jennifer Moglia
Photo by Skipp Zhang
In an unpredictable year, music was a solace to fall back on for many, whether it be artists putting out new material or fans falling in love with it. One of the bands that I fell in love with in 2020 was Initiate, who put out an EP called "Lavender" back in February.
With the end of the year quickly approaching and end-of-year lists making their way to Twitter feeds, we lucky enough to get to talk to Crystal and Alec of Initiate about their newest EP, which became one of my favorites of 2020. We also chatted about favorite bands, live music, and how to stay well in these tumultuous times.
Introduce yourself to the readers!
Crystal Pak: I'm Crystal, I'm from Hemet, California, and I do vocals.
Alec Riley: I'm Alec, I'm from Sacramento, California, and I play guitar.
I (along with many others) have been listening to "Lavender" a ton since it was released earlier this year, but you also put out "Before Long..." back in 2018. I think the growth/improvement between the two is evident, do you guys see that too?
AR: We definitely see the improvement and growth between the two records. I think that just comes from spending more time with a specific group of people and really dialing in the eclectic relationship between everyone. The biggest difference between the two was that we had a more specific idea and product in mind for “Lavender”, whereas “Before Long...” was really our first attempt at writing anything longer than a demo.
Along those same lines, was there anything you would've done differently on "Before Long..." after the experience of writing/recording "Lavender?" Were there any big differences in the creative processes between the two projects?
AR: Personally I probably would’ve wanted to wait to write an LP and write an EP first. I think we were set on making a statement in releasing nine songs after just having the demo so we just wrote stuff that sounded cool and didn’t really think about consistency or how we wanted to “sound”.
The difference with “Lavender” was that there was an instrumentally consistent idea throughout as to what we wanted to write and convey. I think that organization and attention to detail could’ve helped in writing the previous LP.
What was the inspiration for the title of the EP, "Lavender?" I was initially drawn to it because of the cover art, and got my mom to listen to it because lavender is her favorite color!
CP: The title comes from Alice Walker’s book, In Search of our Mothers’ Gardens, where she discusses the power that lies in Black Feminism. I don’t want to make an entire book report out of this question, but I highly suggest reading the works of Black and Brown women to deepen one's spiritual ties to feminism, womanism, and society.
Since the EP came out in February, you really only had a month or so of it being out before the world/industry shut down due to COVID-19. Do you think the reaction to/reception of the EP has been impacted by the pandemic (negatively or positively)?
CP: I personally go into everything we do without expectations. The fact that we were able to squeeze out 3 successful shows right before everything shut down is something I’m grateful for.
I thought we’d for sure go off the radar with the pandemic but somehow our Spotify numbers and Instagram interactions have remained constant. The one major bummer that goes hand in hand with our EP and the pandemic is that we had plans to tour Europe for the first time in the fall, and so out there I think we were impacted negatively (although I do want to acknowledge that everyone in the industry is going through struggles that have negatively affected them).
The first time I had heard of Initiate was on the bill at Chain Reaction with Movements, Dare, Drain, and Absence of Mine last December. I obviously wasn't able to go to that show (one of the few downsides of being on the east coast, haha), but I heard great things about it from those who were there; Absence of Mine is one of my favorites right now so I'd love to see you guys with them. Would you want to play with any of those bands again? Are there any other artists that come to mind when you think of a "dream lineup" to play on?
CP: The best part about that show is that we’re all actually friends with one another. Thanks to Movements, our musical worlds were able to collide in one night and it was unforgettable; I’d play a show with any of them again in a heartbeat.
Currently, I’d really love to play with Magnitude because I’m obsessed with their latest release "To Whatever Fateful End" and I missed them when they came through California. My dream lineup would be to play with Paramore or John Mayer.
Speaking of Chain Reaction, I'm really glad that this scene has come together in a sense to help them out and keep their doors open recently. Besides them, do you have any favorite venues, either to play or attend a show?
CP: Favorites include Programme Skate & Sound in Fullerton, California, The Che Cafe in La Jolla, CA, The Ventura Library in Ventura, CA, and The Underground in Salt Lake City, Utah, to name just a few.
What have you been doing to keep busy during the pandemic (besides signing to Triple B Records obviously, congrats on that!!)? Any plans for new music?
CP: Thank you! We’re working on a new album that’ll be released on Triple B sometime next year.
What's your favorite song on the EP, and why? Mine is "Myopia", but I also really love "Beverly" as a bit of a transition/break before the final track!
CP: Honestly, I LOVE "Intro II." I’m such a fangirl for my bandmates.
Because it’s an instrumental, I can just sit back and soak in the song and get goosebumps all over again because the guys sound so good. Listening to it live is a gift every time.
If there's anything you want to plug/promote or anything you want to say to anyone reading this, here's your chance to do it (merch, vinyl, new music, potential shows, all that stuff)!
CP: I love promoting health and wellness! There are so many things going on, it’s completely fucked.
Allow yourself a moment of peace. If you’re gonna travel, travel smart, and do your research to be safe.
Deepen your allyship and read the works of Black and Brown authors. Social justice work is a lifetime commitment, so take it steady.
SOSBooking is holding down the live shows, so support them where you can because they really are carrying the scene on their backs. Lay in some grass with your headphones in and look up at the sky sometimes.
Huge thank you to Crystal and Alec from Initiate for doing this interview with us and to the rest of the band for putting out such amazing music in such an uncertain year. You can follow Crystal on Twitter @MixedXSignals, Alec @AlecXTRiley, and the whole band @InitiateHC.
Initiate's entire discography is available to stream wherever you listen to music, and you can support the band by picking up a shirt or record from their store on the Triple B Records website. If you enjoyed this interview or have any other bands you'd like to see us talk to, let us know by tweeting us @lgndsoftmrw!
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