March 28, 2024

Southern California’s Indie Rock Foursome the 131ers stopped by TMI to talk about their new album and their mischievous shenanigans. The 131ers are Kaleb Davies (vocals/guitar), Ryan Dawson (drums), Chris Graue (bass), and Greg Wilmot (guitar).  The band recently released their new album, Nothing’s As It Should Be and have been touring and creating a buzz with their unique genre-bending sound.

TMI – When and why did you start playing music?

Kaleb- I’m a big admirer of Drake Bell.

Ryan- I wanted to ruin my life.

Chris- Mission accomplished, really.

TMI – Which instruments do you play?

Kaleb- Guitar and vocals

Ryan- Drums

Chris- Bass and trumpet mostly, but I’ll try anything

Greg- Guitar…but not the same one as Kaleb. That would be difficult

TMI – What was the first song you learned?

Kaleb- First was “All My Lovin’” by the Beatles, but then immediately after I learned “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz.

TMI – Sorry, we know you have probably been asked this a million times but what made you call the band the 131ers?

Kaleb- It’s the error code for having a missing genre in an MP3.

Chris – A lot of early indie bands ended up tagged this way because they didn’t know how to classify themselves.

TMI – Your new album “Nothing’s As It Should Be,” is so infectious and really has a little something for everybody, can you tell us how/why you came up with the title?

Kaleb- I saw it on a milk carton.

Ryan- We came up with it while we were driving home from San Luis Obispo on a tour. Kaleb said it as a general description of how he felt about his life, and then we just kind of said “that’s it.”

TMI – Do you have a favorite song from the album and if so which one?

Chris- Leave This Man Behind has been a favorite lately, particularly the remix that’s coming out November 13 (cough shameless plug cough cough)

Kaleb – “Nothing’s As It Should Be” is mine, because we never play it live.

TMI – If you weren’t playing music what other career choice would you make?

Chris- I keep trying to quit and it keeps not working out! I think at this point, this IS my fallback.

Kaleb- I’d probably end up running for president. Seems like anyone can do that.

TMI – What other musicians/bands do you admire? Why?

Ryan- Arctic Monkeys

Kaleb – Ooh, yeah, I really love them.

Chris- If you play ska, I’ve got love for you.

Greg- Conan O’Brien.

TMI – What was the first instrument you ever owned and where’d you get it?

Chris – This is our drummer, Ryan. 

TMI – What is your favorite musical memory?

Kaleb- Playing with Sir Paul McCartney on his 64th birthday.

Chris- Is that true?

Kaleb- [sips drink]

TMI – What inspires your songwriting?

Kaleb- My mom’s cooking.

TMI – What’s your favorite part of being in a band?

Kaleb- Ryan.

Ryan- The van, trust me, it’s awesome.

Chris- The group chat. It gets really weird.

TMI – How do you handle mistakes during a live performance?

Ryan- It’s usually a laugh or a quick glance, though a few times it’s been obvious enough to stop and start over.

Chris- I look over at whoever did it and laugh at them because I DON’T MAKE ANY MISTAKES.

Kaleb- I look over at Ryan because it’s always Ryan.

TMI – Do you have any pre-show rituals you can share with us?

Kaleb- I always tie a red bandana to my mic stand. I don’t know why, I just do. One time I didn’t, and it was awful.

TMI – What advice would you give to a new musician/artist/songwriter?

Ryan- Don’t. Stop. Even when you feel awful and you think you’ll never make it, keep going.

TMI – What’s your most memorable tour experience?

Kaleb- A show we played at a Fjallraven store in Portland. It should have been weird, but it was really great. I think if you can make a show like that amazing, then you can probably do anything.

Chris- One time, with a different band, I had to drive overnight in a blizzard through the Cascade mountains. I couldn’t see the road at all and was navigating just by listening for the bumps on the lane lines. It was the scariest drive of my life and somehow, we survived.

TMI – If you could only eat 1 food for the rest of your life what would it be?

Ryan- Whenever I’m in a bad mood, I always stop at a gas station and grab a Kit Kat. Always puts you in a good mood. YO KIT KAT SPONSOR ME

TMI – Where can our readers find and follow you?

https://open.spotify.com/artist/3IodzTynQDG9jnv1fZFM6Q

http://instagram.com/the131ers

http://facebook.com/the131ers

http://youtube.com/the131ers

http://twitter.com/the131ers

Check Out Their Latest Singles Here:

“Crazy” – https://youtu.be/Oy4EgX0gS1c
“Rome” – https://youtu.be/HoCnxW482hw
“Face On” – https://youtu.be/15X-l48zwo8

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