A song that made you want to make music?
Alec Cavazos: I think it was less of a song, but more of a band for me. Blink 182 was and still is my favorite band, so growing up I dreamt of being in a band like them.
Destin Cavazos: For me it’s probably a bunch of different tracks off of Neil Finn’s first solo album. I remember cruising around listening to the song King Tide and thinking “wow this is really sweet I should be a rockstar someday.
Best rider you’ve had?
Destin: Well so far we haven’t done anything too crazy. As we’re just starting to grow I don’t think we want to piss anyone off or come off as crazy primadonnas. I do hope though that we get big enough to ask for something crazy though. Nothing too stupid or demeaning or stuff like that. But what about like a couple pairs of funky socks and some beef jerky for the road?
Alec: We haven’t had many shows with a rider, but I’ve heard of one recently that is going to be an exPorter staple from now onand that’s fresh baked local cookies.
Craziest moment you’ve had in the band?
Alec: We used to talk about this crazy jump that Destin once did that almost pulled the chord out of his bass and pulled down his amp. But Destin upped the crazy at a recent show actually.
Destin: Yeah, I didn’t initiate it but someone bought the socks off my feet for 20 bucks once. Right in the middle of our set, too. She was there with her friend and dancing around then came up to the stage and said she wanted my socks.
Alec: Then she came up a couple songs later and asked us to sign the socks. Another Destin moment that was crazy is EASILY him making strange eye contact with a smiling homeless man in the drive thru of a McDonalds after a show at Strummer’s in Fresno, CA.
Deepest lyric one of your songs features?
Alec: I think when we’re writing we’re really just writing what we’re thinking about and not trying to force anything into the songs. I mean I think we have some clever lyrics and all but you also have the listener kind of making it their own too so we can’t really say. Destin was an English major and probably reads more than any of us so I think he has some deeper stuff.
Destin: “Drown me in the holy water, when do you get back from La Cañada?” I like the rhyme scheme of this line a lot. I think it’s clever.
Easiest song you wrote?
Destin: I remember Carsick coming together pretty quickly. I think we played through it once or twice when Alec brought it to me and it just sort of clicked.
Alec: I would say Stick’n’poke came really fast for me. I think within a week I had finished it front to back. I made a few changes before we recorded it, but not much of it is differentfrom what I started out with.
Favourite song in your set?
Alec: Recently we’ve been doing Sugar Were Going Down by Fall Out Boy and that is such a blast to do, but I also really like playing Retrograde from the exPorter tunes.
Destin: Right now I really love to play Your Boyfriend. It’s a good high energy song, it’s got some funny lines, and overall it builds to some really cool stuff by the end. It’s been a fun way to close out a lot of our shows.
Guest you’d most like to feature on your record?
Destin: I think it would be great to get Demi Lovato in there. She’s done some good features over the years and I think she’s just got a killer voice.
Alec: Tom DeLonge is an easy no brainer for me.
Hardest thing about being in a band?
Alec: Being an independent band we have to do everything ourselves-booking shows, getting promotions, reaching out to managers and people in the business, etc– it can get overwhelming at times, but once you tackle the goal it’s so much more rewarding knowing we did it ourselves.
Interesting fact about one of your members?
Destin: Alec hates potatoes.
Alec: Destin is the leading sock sales by far in the exPorter merch category. Also, someone has webbed toes, not like all the toes but two toes on one foot are connected, we call embunny toes.
Jokes you have in the band?
Alec: We actually have a lot of fun together and we’re always coming up with funny stuff. It can be totally random or we like to quote It’s Always Sunny or I Think You Should Leave a lot.
Key to writing a song?
Destin: Just letting it happen. I know personally I can get caught up trying to write a specific type of song or wanting to recreate something from another song, but I feel like the best work comes from playing around with what comes up organically. So if I come up with a cool hook or interesting set of lines, I can run with that and see what works. I tend to develop the structure as I go along, rather than go into it with a set structure in mind.
Alec: Just committing to it. I find it easiest to just push through getting the structure and basic lyrics down, changing them is easier later.
Longest distance you’ve travelled to play a show?
Alec: We drove out for a one off show in Colorado last year, that was a pretty brutal but fun trip. I think it was like 12 hours each way.
Destin: Fruita, Colorado. It was an all day drive out and all daydrive back, one day in the middle to play the show. We’d had a little tour around the West and some great shows lined up but our drummer couldn’t do it last minute. The Fruita show was this fundraiser we’d been booked for and we didn’t want to leave them hanging. It was for teachers out there and our mom’s a teacher, I think everyone in the band would be a teacher if we weren’t doing this so we had to support that!
Most inspiring musician you’ve experienced?
Destin: I love Andrew McMahon so much. He’s a talented musician, but also a really inspiring guy, I think he tries harder than other artists to connect to his fan base and to use his platform to help the community.
Alec: Seeing Slaughter Beach Dog was inspiring because he is from one of my favorite pop punk bands now making like folky music and it’s just cool to see him in a different style still enjoying it!
New band you’d recommend?
Destin: I’ve been really into The Beaches lately, from Canada. Love their vibe. The singer plays bass, as is the case in all the greatest bands.
Alec: exPorter…duh
Opening for this band would be ideal?
Alec: Again Blink, would be my top pick but I would love to open up for Joyce Manor, they’re a SoCal pop punk band like us and one of our biggest band influences.
Destin: I would really love to open for Charly Bliss, because I love their music and stage presence, so I think it would be a fun show. We also just found out our dentist is Augustana’s dad so I think that would be a cool group to open for.
Place you’d most like to tour?
Destin: I would love to go to the East Coast! We’ve got a lot of family out there so it would be great to get some of them out to a show. Plus it’s just a whole different music scene, I think it would be fun to broaden our horizons a little like that.
Alec: Jinx! The East Coast is the next like big run I would like to make for sure.
Quote you’d like to pass on to our readers?
Destin: This question was asked along time ago and I don’t think I’ve come up with a better one yet – “Whatever the imagination seizes as Beauty must be truth -whether it existed before or not” – John Keats
Alec: “It’s all success if it’s what you need. Do what you like and do it honestly”-Angels and Airwaves
Reason for the title of your recent/forthcoming release?
Destin: “Grace and Forgiveness of the Idle of Venus” is the one we’re pushing right now. It was basically just an excuse to get a long Pete Wentz-y title on the album somewhere. It just represents that overindulgent energy of a lot of emo music, and I think the song plays to that idea as well.
See us live at?
Alec: We’re just setting up some Spring and Summer shows so stay tuned. We will play a lot around our hometown especially now to work out some of the new stuff so if you’re in Santa Barbara you might catch us on a random day. And we are playing a battle of the bands on January 31 down in LA but I don’t think this interview will be out in time to get there.
Destin: Vote exPorter though if you do….or send in your vote after the fact and demand that we win!
The old days of music were better than the current, do you agree?
Alec: Yes because we wouldn’t have to worry about having to be tik tokers too! I think back in the day it was more about music and performing but now you have all this social media stuff to deal with. And anyone can stream anywhere now.
Unusual merchandise?
Destin: We sell coloring books
Alec: It’s super random but some people love the randomness.And it’s some of the cheapest merch around! You can get your very own copy at www.exporter.band/shop
Variations you’d like to do on any of your songs?
Alec: A DJ at our local radio station KJEE told us to do country/western covers of our songs and call it TexPorter, I think we could pull it off.
What do your fans mean to you?
Alec: This is the classic cliché answer and I think you hear it from a lot of bands, but it’s only because it’s true for so many bands – our fans mean everything to us. It’s super humbling to think that there are people out there that just love the band or our songs or videos. When we see someone comment on a video it is a trip to think about someone caring that much to comment. Last year we had this girl DM us on insta asking if she could get the lyrics to “Lusitania”. I sent them and asked her why and where she heard the song. She said her local radio station played it all the time and it was her favorite song. She was learning to play it and wanted to get the words right. That was such an amazing day for the band.
Knowing that people enjoy our music is what helps motivate us to keep going.
X-rays or any treatments needed for band related injuries?
Destin: Not yet. Hoping to keep it that way.
You’re late for a show, whose fault is it?
Destin: Probably mine, I always take a while to get ready. The boys will just roll up to a show ready to play am I’m usually the one running around getting my outfit together.
Alec: Either me for forgetting some piece of equipment or Destin finishing up his makeup for the show, our drummer, Trevor, kinda just appears when it’s time for us to show up.
Zoo animal that next describes the personality of your band?
Destin: I would have to say monkeys, we’ve certainly been known to engage in some monkey business. We like to have fun and get people moving and dancing.
Alec: Destin’s answer is probably right, he did work at a zoo… much more of an expert than I hahah