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 have motel bed sheets in the basement , tossing raw garage rock grit into the mix. Join us as they perform a live set from our studio into your radio , and stick around for a 1 to 1 interview with the band. Now on to their performance.
S4: We're going we're going into this new one. It's one of our favorites. Um , it's called tide. So.
S5: So. You. So you do the less. Like you pursue your life. Do you mind? I shall be the two of you days away. To let you be the one to stay. Then you must do the same. But it just wouldn't be right. No. You go for the hours just like this. I. Enjoy. What? You. Are about to get close to what you always you. Wish you were never. You're always playing the same game show stuff. I just get your act of love. I shall be so for you to tell you that Sunlight. Likes UV blue was his. Say goodbye. I love. You to the stake. But it's just what you see , right? Oh , no. You for yourself? For me. And it's just in time. It is true. Love. Yeah.
S4: Thank you. Okay. Next is chimes for everyone. Um , this is a pretty new one. This is probably one of my news.
S5: Jesus feel that you can have this. It's you before you since you deserve. You. But you can't be sure. I'm not going anywhere tonight. You said you planned to Ya ya ya ya ya ya ya. But she got on like you look like. You like to be you in the eye. Ya ya ya ya ya. That's over. Never set you. Free to keep her. And shoot you. She. Didn't show up. And I suppose you could say. Is that the day. Yeah , yeah yeah , yeah. This is long. And I can't lose my. Life. Two days you say. Yeah , yeah yeah yeah yeah. And it's over. And you say you. You said you could do. You die , die , die , die , die , die alone. And I can't lose my. Life for you. It's a. Little over these two. Devastating. You know , so often I worry with everything I do on Apple issues. You say I'm frustrated you , but I will see you for Christmas. I bet what I even do. That. I'm so problematic. Don't be so apathetic. Cause I've got issues too. And it's true. Stories about you. And now you frustrated and frustrated. Wait , I knew it. But I do. Know that if. You do that , you deserve. You deserve. That you can do. Good granny on the bad. Guy. That's what I deserve. Do they deserve? What I deserve? What I deserve. That isn't just. Overdone. Brothers and sisters and. I would like to ask. You to sleep. That night. Is it possible? To. Maximize your time in the sun. Is. Just as he lies in the dark. To. Break my soul. That too. Was necessary for my son to. Choose. The night is enough for. Me. What do. I know you call me. I recognize the door. You know I love you more than you love me now. These days. What did I say?
S4: Thank you guys.
S5: No secrets all about Joe Walsh. I Me say I'm sorry. I've never been to. The stage. Do you see? That girl. This is nice. You want. To talk? I'm not sure. This is. The first time that we get down there. Seems really to me. I'm not sure that these. Moves. Shook my life. So for such teaching , I still love you. And do you know you do. She. Says me. That this is my. Show me. Your door. I'm not. You dare. To put down there when you set foot down there. Baby girl. You push me through. The night to the back door. I love. That he keeps pushing me. This is Night Crusade. You know , I watch you anyway. The only downside here. Tell me. I never did enough. To just meet up. If I have to leave to die , I keep from seeing.
S4: Thank you for the votes of your Keiko , a big sweets.
S3: Hey , what's up everybody , this is Connor O'Toole with KCRW's Basement Beats. Today I am here with the motel bedsheets. Hey. That rhymes. How y'all doing today?
S6: It's going on. Good. Pretty good. All right. Fantastic. Hey , guys. All right , first.
S3: Before we get started , can I get an introduction to everybody here in the band and what.
S6: They do? For sure. So my name is Davis. Um , guitar player.
S4: I'm Hudson , um , the singer and other guitar player.
S6: I'm Nick , I'm the bass player , I'm Ben. I play the drums. All right. Fantastic. Solid stuff.
S3: Uh , so first off , like , what's the story behind the name? I gotta know. And also , one thing I've been recently asking a lot of the guests is what are some of the vetoed band names you guys originally kind of started.
S6: Out with , oh , yeah.
S3: I got to hear. This.
S6: This. Okay.
S4: So how the band started. Um , we were in , like , uh , this music industry class in high school as a freshman year , and we were like , all were , like , told to group together and make band names. And I was like , what can I get away with? That's like , only like , gross. If you make it gross because , like , it's it's a motel. Bedsheets , like , they're not they're only gross if you're make them gross. Very true. Um , so that and I mean , it worked clearly. So , uh , but some of the vetoed band names , um , there's really only one. And it was kind of the stains.
S6: The stains. Yeah , yeah. So it's only it's only.
S3: Gross if you make it gross.
S6: I think. Yeah.
S4: No , the stains are pretty gross. I don't want stains , but yeah , I guess that was the only vetoed one because it was just like , yeah , I think there's already stains. There's a song called The Motel Bed Sheets , though. Oh.
S6: Oh.
S3: Uh , so , I mean , how did the band come together , though? Like , how did the motel bedsheets become what they are today?
S4: Like I said , we were in a , like , music class , and I think I first got Davis , but it was like a music class. Like , you kind of were just like , put with whoever was in your period. Yeah , but like , I was like , I wanted a real band. I don't want just people I don't really know. So I got I got Nick and Ben into.
S3: All right. And do you guys mind describing to me your song writing process , like , who does like a lot of the songwriting? Is it like a main guy or is it kind of just more collaborative?
S6: I'd say it's pretty collaborative. Um , we usually just we have all of all of us have written different riffs for all of the different songs. So like , even though me and Nick are , he's bass , I'm drummer , but we both written guitar parts for the songs. And then , you know , Hudson's our lyricist. He's , you know , he's incredible with his lyrics. And then , yeah , we , we kind of just come up with something simple , and then everyone throws their own little flare and like , their own little twist on it.
S3: There's no process. Um , wow.
S6: We just , you know , it just happens. Uh , if you look at song names , for the most part , it's it's pretty inspired by maybe real life events. Who knows? I don't know. It might be a song soon , but , um. Yeah , if you have an idea , it's just like , hey , this would be kind of cool. And then it just kind of grows from there.
S3: And , um , I'm going to take it actually back to your guys's , uh , first song that you released , uh , Night Party. Uh , that was one of the songs released back in 2022. I get that right.
S6: I don't remember. Yeah.
S3: Um , and , I mean , so how much do you think that you guys have grown after kind of writing a writing your first song? Like , how much of a sound change? Exponentially.
S6: Exponentially. Oh , yeah. We are nowhere near where we.
S4: Did you write that one? Yeah.
S6: Yeah. That was bad.
S4: Was that bad?
S6: So you might.
S3: You might.
S6: You might.
S3: Tell me.
S6: About that one. With the new songs. But. Oh , there we go. Yeah. So I wrote the , uh , the chords for.
S4: You , like , look up jazz chords. Yeah.
S6: Yeah. Nice. I was , like , kind of getting into some , like , more jazz type artists at the time , and I wanted to learn some jazz chords to maybe incorporate into the band. And this was when we were in our sophomore year of music industry , and I , uh , I showed it to my teacher and he ended up like laying it out on the piano and like kind of changing it and tweaking it a little bit towards something I really liked. And then , um , Nick wrote a bass part to it that same day , and then after that it just , it snowballed , um , and became like our first actual song that I had ever. Like , it was the first song I had ever even , like it was my first time , like , writing. And so gotcha. It was it was pretty cool. It's not the best.
S3: You know , Rome wasn't built in the day. You know , I understand , you know. Exactly.
S6: Exactly. But , uh , yeah , it was definitely a major stepping stone towards , like , becoming like what we are now. Exactly.
S3: Exactly. Gotcha. It's just like the phrase we all start somewhere. Yeah.
S4: Yeah. Everyone has that first song that , like , didn't turn out exactly how they wanted it to , but it happens.
S3: Happens to the best of us , but still still on the soft music. What is your what is your guys's like for each individual member? What is your favorite song to play live and why? Oh for me , I think favorite songs got to be cheese Taco , cheese taco. Okay , so it's a solid one. And then I have to say , I think tide is also my two favorites. One of them.
S7: Is the new one. I really like Cheese Taco. I get to just yell belligerently like an idiot. Oh yeah. Fun. Um , and then I really like playing stuck up. Stuck up always has a pretty good energy. Whenever we have a couple people at the show who know what it's about , so it's kind of funny.
S4: Shout out a couple people. Yeah.
S7: Yeah.
S6: Personally , my favorite is Better Off. Nice. My favorite groove to get into. It's my favorite drum part that I think I've ever written. And then like definitely tide is just it's it's an incredible , incredible song.
S3: So gotcha wrote. Yeah.
S4: Yeah. Tide's a fun one. Um , I don't really know what my favorite would be to play , because I'm kind of like , I don't know , like my favorite record was probably cheese Taco.
S3: Cheese taco.
S4: Oh , gotcha. Cause I was like , I pushed myself the most for vocal recording. I gotcha. Um , but I guess , like , another one I really love playing is , uh , Liquid Heart. Nice.
S3: That's actually one of my personal favorites off the record. Yeah.
S4: You Um , I guess it's just because that one. I don't know that one. It's just a really good melody , I guess.
S6: And like , for Liquid Heart , it. There's a lot of emotion in that song. And I think that that really comes through , especially even , like , just in the recording , it's like , yeah , you really feel that.
S3: Song because.
S4: It's it's very therapeutic , I guess.
S3: It is. I personally enjoyed it. Yeah. Yeah.
S4: Yeah. Therapeutic. Yeah. Yeah.
S3: Yeah. Yeah.
S8: Got BCR with another heavy hit.
S3: That's a wrap on this week's Basement Beats. I'm your host , Connor O'Toole. Sammy Thomas is our producer. Rudy Shroff and Nolan Conrad are recording , mixing and mastering engineers. Kayla Parra is our audio editor and sound designer. The theme is created by Muthoni. Special thanks to Leah Isola on our production team. If you like what you heard , find the full session interview on our website KCRW Edu or follow us on our socials at Bassman Beats. See you next week with more local music and fresh voices.
