Kimiko

S1: In November of 1969 , a small group of 20 San Diego State students joined together and formed KCR radio.

S2: From take two.

S3: Welcome to Basin beats. KCR Radio's deep dive into the San Diego sound. Each week we bring you live sets and raw conversations with local artists , pushing boundaries and turning up the volume on the city's underground music scene. This week we're joined by Kimiko , a four piece collective coming to share their indie rock sound. Now on to their performance. Hi.

S4: Hi. We're Kimiko. We have some songs for you today. This first one is called PCC and we hope you like it.

S5: I'll take you right down to the beginning , cause right now we need a little bit of healing. Let's just fight it out. Skip all the printing some I never would have done it. She asked me what I wanted. I hope you know. This , but. I don't. Get it? But let's just talk before I regret that I have loved you on and off and never said it to your face. I'm thinking all the words I used to say it. But it all sounds wrong. And every time I replayed it rose to. I mean , every letter is the most important point. To So that. Makes. Sense. No. No. No.

S6: No. No. I see it still.

S5: To be true , though. I don't want to be in love with you. I'm just a stupid fool for you. I'm thinking that it's gonna be no more. But I'll cover that until just another thing I'm hiding from you. stole my heart. She knew it from the start. I'll come when I want. I'm so good. I know my name says that you stole my innocence. I don't know. How.

S6: How. To do this , but I don't. I don't want to slow down. Your search to stand on the shoulders of. One. Might.

S5: Might. Think I'm standing tall. But my legs , they are shaken. I've been through somehow. I'm not that good to start with.

S4: That one was the first song I ever released. Um , it's called BK and this next one is called June Gloom.

S5: I'm ready. Those loans for something that you open up and everything on the menu. I started coming loose end of things. You find within the sense of belonging to the beginning and show of the bond with you. I know it's hard. I'm. Still scared. I.

S6: Love the.

S5: Still conversations. Place on the cards. All your favorite songs. And I suppose I can tell you're going.

S6: To love me.

S5: You love. States to license nothing. To do with you. Oh. 000 to me. Oh. Oh , oh I didn't know you would have kept inside them. All the times I've ever crossed your blood. It can't be true. So I love. This glow Who's in the ground? Oh. It's too cold for. I used to love the sound. Inside , you know. And I suppose I can't you? Guess. But I'd love to. Is you. Know what it is? You don't have to start. This for me? Someone starts and you never end. You. Want to end it?

S4: This next one is called hush and a warning sign. And it's the second song I ever released. And I love this one very much.

S5: Patience is a virtue , I don't know. Band-Aids only cover up the scars we already show. Never did I think I'd feel alone living in a stable , happy home. So I apologize for myself. I've got some problems that I know just can't be helped. But I've discovered somewhere that an empty shell. Won't you wait for me? And I'll make a. Dent in the fire. Inside. But do you love me? You. Know. People come with. People always go. And I could hold them back , but I'd be fighting for an empty soul. So if I stick around , please let me know when you think it's time. Cause I can't avoid the feeling that I love. And I can't afford to wait. Any cause for Nothing else to do but tell me something that you love and nothing you can miss when you're at work. And your voice. Trembling glory or a shadow in the sun. Don't tell the story for the men in the room. You deserve everything I stand by. And you love me. But you never. Deserve. Nothing but someone. You love. You may be pushing. Away for me. I desire. For you. To. Say I like you. When I wake up in the morning. When you were gone , gone , gone , gone. My sheets are dead on the dead. But hold each other close. I should get back to my now. And so I see someone. What I want when I have what I need. But it's all. And those who refer to. I think I need to get so sweet that what you said. Nobody can burn to get what you get. I know I'll regret it. And all my buddies sit with my head and stare at the screen until it goes right. And now I see there's something I can. Tell. Like you , when I wake up I say I like you I try cause I like it when you're gone I sleep at night. When you're gone I like it when you're done I like it when a stranger goes up. You know In your guns , asleep at your guns. I like it in the morning , but I can't watch your sleep at night. I keep my watch it , but not sleep at night I tell you till you better. Take a sleep at night. I want to sleep tonight I don't want to say nobody can give what you get I know I was ready. To sit with my head and stare at the screen and say forget. She's so good I. I like it in the morning. Cause I like.

S4: You when I try.

S5: You're going to say I like it when I wake up. You're gonna say I sleep at night.

S4: Thank you. I almost called it like me. I just realized I never introduced it.

S5: I'm like you so much , it almost makes it like I'll start making up. Like you're the prettiest , though I'd say the most dangerous animals were. You so much it makes you scream out. You are what you say. Most helpful soul I've ever heard. But I can't think of any. Idea of. They want you to love. You. You like you. I feel like the stone secret of life. I pray that I give you. How could I ever know not exist? So how can I know when no one else. What can I do when I'm alone? How can I leave you? Where is love? I'll be there. How can I? You. May be all dead to me. For the first time. For me. You hold. Your. Sweet love. I'm passing through. See? Maybe I'll get in now. How you feel? Thank you.

S4: We have one more song left. This song is called Lost Cause , and we joke that it's a song that doesn't exist because we never recorded it and never talked about recording it. Really? So this is Lost Cause , the song that doesn't exist.

S5: The first five seconds I respond to over and over realized. It's.

S4: It's.

S5: Too late to go back in time. To try to do any of them is too late. I can't get no peace. I got no rules. But instead of the devil , I feel like I'm in a fight for it. I only know that there is. Nothing at all to follow. That said , you gotta do it. All of my. Kids are grown tired and the doctor said I'm.

S4: A lost cause. But baby , I'm an. All.

S5: All. Star.

S4: Star. Stamping my feet like I'm 50 in a car. And I only go.

S5: Half the way. I want to do it. But I don't stop loving it. If I stop you. Know I'm never going. Did. You talk to your son to say , I want to try. And talk about something. I just forget it. I tell my. Baby , I should have said something. Maybe who got hurt and how to get out again. Mrs. Proctor said I lost my baby. Asked me if I should have said something to you. He's gonna tell you what I said. To him. Mrs..

S7: Thank you.

S4: We are. Kimiko. Thank you for listening.

S3: I am very blessed to have Kimiko with us today. How are you all doing? Good.

S8: Good. We're awesome. Awesome.

S3: All right. Fantastic. And before we get start , can I get a quick introduction to everybody here and what they do? Yeah.

S8: Yeah. Hi , I'm mia , I sing and I play the guitar. I'm Jamison and I play the drums. I'm John , I play the bass , I'm Ryan , I play the guitar. But lead guitar. Awesome.

S3: Awesome. Right on. And I was going to ask , so how did this line up come into fruition? How did you guys kind of all start coming together and jamming and playing the music that you guys are doing today?

S8: This team was assembled very carefully , very carefully hand-selected. We used to do school of Rock together. Me , Jamison and Ryan were in this like specific scripts , ranch , school of rock together and we like had been playing kind of in and out of different groups since 2019 , 1919. Yeah. And then we were in house band together , and then eventually I did All Stars , and that's how I met John.

S3: How would you how would you all describe your songwriting process?

S8: I usually write the songs like on an acoustic and then I. Previously I had so I recorded with Tristan Brooks at his home studio , and then I had my friend Rebecca come in and play the drums from those tracks , and it's not until Fine Line , I think , that we all came in and played on it , but it was really nice to do it that way and I would like to continue doing it going forward. But for other stuff , yeah , I'll just bring in a song that I have fully finished and then I'll kind of give it to the band and they'll , um , figure out how they want to form their parts around it. Exactly.

S3: Exactly. Everybody's working their own little magic and their little ingredients to it. You know? I get it , man. That's awesome. I think what.

S9: What me was saying was very accurate because we as a band , we Mia has most of the stuff figured out , like structure wise , but we , we kind of like it's like making a , like a soup. We pour like little , like garlic powder in the soup and we pour like pepper in the soup , and we make it like , a little spicy.

S3: Yeah , I got you.

S8: That would be what's. But we don't have to get into it. Actually. no. Spices. Who's the spice?

S9: I'm oregano. Oregano?

S8: Oregano? That was quick. I would , I would love to be garlic powder. I'm not sure if that's selected already.

S3: Give me very.

S8: Not strong cinnamon.

S9: Like very. Simple.

S3: Simple. Okay.

S8: Okay. You know , like when. You.

S3: You.

S10: When you , when you kind of take a bite , like on a cookie or something you don't really taste into , like the aftertaste. Yeah. I'll take pepper.

S3: It's like pepper.

S10: Can make.

S3: Or break. I gotcha , I.

S10: Gotta break the dish. Just like the drummer can make or break the band.

S3: You know they trust me. I'm salt like. Trust me , I get it. It's all. Good.

S8: Good.

S3: All of so. I mean , all in all , I mean , it's of course , with , you know , music and everything. I mean , how would you describe your sound?

S8: I would say , like indie pop , indie , alt rock. Sometimes we we dabble.

S3: Okay , I gotcha , gotcha. And what are some of , uh , some of y'all's influences , like , you know , what got you into playing and of course , you know , making to making it to where y'all are here today.

S8: I never know what influences my music , but I always , like , hear it after or I'll figure it out later. But like , people I love that I would probably do have an influence or like Dominic Fike and then like Adrian Linker. Um , or Chloe , that sort gotcha type of thing.

S10: For me , in terms of drumming , I'm mostly influenced by like , Stewart Copeland. Oh , yeah. Um , Lorna Lewis is a big one for me. He's really good. Um , and then just other jazz drummers , buddy Rich and Joe Jones stuff. Yeah. Um , for me , rage against the machine. Um , my dad grew me up on , like , hair metal. Oh , yeah.

S3: Classic rock.

S10: And I'm very metal based , for sure. And then from there , I just discovered funk and soul and then , like , all types of stuff. So.

S3: Yeah , kind of like the Nile Rodgers stuff , man. Yeah , yeah , yeah.

S9: For me , I had a teacher who played , uh , Beatles songs in class. I think it was seventh grade biology stuff from the 60s , stuff my dad played all the time. And as I joined the school of Rock there , there was more variety. There was , um , going into the 80s , like 80s metal , that sort of thing. Um , and like grunge music , um , more modern music. Uh , like death metal. I've kind of been listening to a little bit like Gojira and , uh , Mastodon. Um , but I think everything is kind of. I'm taking a little bit from everything and then trying to put it into the band.

S3: Uh , I mean , in terms of , I guess , of playing live and , like , doing live shows. I mean , what are some of your favorite places that you all have played together so far?

S8: The templates fun , Humble Hearts always feels like home.

S3: And , uh , what are some of your favorite songs to play live?

S8: I like playing Fine Line. I also like playing Lost Cause a lot.

S10: Um , I like playing hush and a warning sign because I get to use the mallets. Mhm. Uh. It's fun. And then also handed because I can chop it up towards the end. You know I can go crazy. Yeah. Um , I like June Gloom because of the basslines. Like , uh , doom doom doom. I was hearing.

S3: That drums and the fills were killer.

S9: Um , for me , I really like the ones where I could do backing vocals , so , like me , and I really like , uh. How should a warning sign? And then the ones where I take solos , I like those.

S3: Is there anybody that you'd like to shout out or shout out? CEO.

S10: CEO. School of Rock. Real.

S3: Real. Okay.

S8: Okay. Thank you for having us here.

S3: Very , very grateful. Thank you so much for coming and doing the show.

S11: KCR with another heavy hit.

S3: That's a wrap on this week's Basement Beats I'm your host Conor O'Toole. Sami Thomas is our producer. Ruchi Shroff and Nolan Conrad are recording , mixing and mastering engineers. Kayla Parra is our audio editor and sound designer. The theme is created by Mouton. Special thanks to Jalen Vega and Leah Izola on our production team. If you like what you heard , find the full session interview on our website , KCRW , or follow us on our socials at Bassman Beats. See you next week with more local music and fresh voices.