Sparkly pop-rock is the term Diva Bleach uses to describe their sound. Hailing from Phoenix, the band consists of vocalist/bassist Sydney Roten and guitarist Brie Ritter. Being in a band with your best friend is probably an incredible experience, especially when you get to embark on the coolest tour.
Sad Summer Fest, a touring music fest with headliners Mayday Parade and The Maine, kicked off July 13th in Santa Ana, California. The girls of Diva Bleach are joining the tour on July 20th in Chicago. I caught up with the girls before they set off to talk with them about their new single ‘Hate Me’, and the excitement of the tour.
I first wanted to talk about ‘Hate Me’. What was the process of making that song like?
Roten: We actually got to write that song with a producer we work with, Mike Pepe, along with our songwriter friend Brooke Day. We wrote it, like, a year ago, actually.
Ritter: Yeah, that was our first time doing a collaborative write in person, with other people, which was really cool.
Roten: It was so much fun. We kinda came in with some lyrics ideas beforehand and Brooke came up with this really cool chorus line and we just, kinda, went from there.
Ritter: Yeah it just kinda came together.
Interesting. With that being your first time collaborating, did you learn anything new with the process of that?
Roten: Working with new people you always learn something new and just getting to pick other people’s brains.
Ritter: It’s cool to see when you’re writing a song and everyone’s kind of- you get on the same wavelength and everyone has the same goal of what we want it to sound like. And then you get there conceptually, too. It’s almost like a social bonding exercise – working with other people and just being honest, saying what you want to say and not being afraid to throw out a stupid idea.
Okay, really want to talk about Sad Summer Fest. The concept is so cool and the lineup is insane. How do you guys feel playing with some of the legends on the lineup?
Roten: Uhhh-
Ritter: It’s shocking! *Laughs*
Roten: I’m gonna shit my pants.
Ritter: Literally!
Roten: We’ve been listening to these bands since we were little children. Some of these bands are the gateway into alternative music, for us.
Ritter: I went and saw Real Friends and Knuckle Puck so many times in high school. If they were here, you go- that’s just what you did. It’s such a dream to be on the same lineup as them. Even before I was in a band, it’s always bands you listen to where you’re like ‘It’d be cool to play a show with them!’ But how insane is it that we actually get to do that?
Roten: I’m just excited to get to watch all these bands every night, let alone getting to play it is super cool.
What has the preparation for this been like?
Roten: This is like a bigger tour so we’ve had to-
Ritter: We’ve been talking about it for months. A lot of planning. Right now we’re finishing up getting all our crash spots in place. We typically just stay with friends on the road so whoever will let us sleep on their floor, we’ll do it. So we’re just hitting everybody up and locking those in right now. *Laughs*.
Roten: Logistically, we’re locking everything in. I’ve been buying a lot of new outfits!
Ritter: And you’re running!
Roten: Oh my gosh, yeah. I started running and singing our set because we played “[California] Is for Lovers” fest last year just once and it was hot, it was during the summer, and I thought I was going to pass out. So to train, I’ve been running and singing our set that way that doesn’t happen.
For any tour, how do you prepare mentally and emotionally for the demands of touring?
Ritter: Having a friend there. It’s so nice that we actually get along and enjoy each other’s company. We’re in together, no matter what. And that’s such a nice thing to know going into anything uncertain. So that’s always a comfort, at least for me!
Roten: 100%. It’s very helpful that we’re actually best friends and we like being aorund each other, that’s very important. But yeah, emotions are always pretty high, there’s so many highs and lows. Just having your friends there is helpful. You just have to have thick skin.
Ritter: I do feel like I have to get shredded before every tour, though cause we have to carry our gear around. The last tour I didn’t- I told myself I was going to get really in shape and then I was like ‘Oh god, my amp’.
I know you guys already have really big fans. But with such a big tour, you’re absolutely going to come home with some new listeners. How do you think fans play into shaping your music and your performances?
Ritter: Performance-wise, we always try to keep up a good energy whether we expect people to have seen us before or not just cause when you’re playing a show you wanna have a good time. But I think its really cool knowing when we are going to new places, like, ‘Okay, we’re gonna amp it up a little bit because these people have no idea who we are’. So I think knowing we’re going into a new market – a place we haven’t been before – it’s exciting.
Roten: It’s reassuring too, getting comments because you never know. When you’re a band at our level, you don’t know what to expect. You’re like ‘Is anyone gonna know who we are?’ But getting those comments from people like ‘I’m coming here just to see you!’ it’s really cool. Knowing there’s a least one person that’s maybe gonna know the words it’s super cool.
How does it feel when you go somewhere where you don’t know if people are going to know you and you hear people in the crowd singing along?
Ritter: It makes me giddy! *Laughs* It’s like when you see someone wearing a shirt … it’s absolutely insane.
Roten: It doesn’t feel real. I get imposter syndrome, ya know, you psych yourself out, like, ‘Am I supposed to be here?’ And then you get those fans that are like that, it makes it very rewarding.
How do you find inspiration and motivation while you’re on tour?
Roten: For me, it’s just the show itself. I love performing and that’s just the best part.
Ritter: It’s an energy outlet. It’s definitely addictive, in a way, to be on stage; the rush, the adrenaline, all of it.
Roten: Yeah, we’re really lucky that we get to even share our art with people. Even if people don’t know who we are, getting to do that… You just have to remind yourself how lucky you are and be grateful.
What do you want to get out of this touring experience?
Roten: I’m just excited for the whole experience. We’ve been on tours before but this is our first pretty big one. I’m just ready to soak it all up and live in the moment.
Ritter: I’m going to just absorb and probably going to be so annoying on the tour and try to talk to everyone. Even though I’m so, like, shy and I probably will actually stand there and stare at everyone. But right now I’d love to get to know these other artists who have created music that we respect and love so much. And they’ve obviously had longevity through their careers as well so seeing how they perform and operate.
Roten: I’ll definitely be studying- I want to learn how to be a better musician, performer, touring artist. I hope that we can learn a lot.
How do you stay present during experiences like this?
Ritter: We’re working on it. *Laughs*
Roten: I try to write things down that I want to remember or I take a lot of pictures – videos, photos. It’s hard-
Ritter: The coolest thing is when you’re in these situations and don’t even think about reaching for your phone. It’s nice to be like ‘Oh, this is happening right now. This is real life.’
We then rambled on about the subjectivity of success and future goals for the band. I gushed over how fun their shows are live and how amazing it is to see them play and interact with their fans. Sydney told me “With some of the new songs we’re writing, we’re writing it with the purpose of performing, so it’ll just keep building.”
To end the interview, I had to ask them what they’re favorite place to eat in Phoenix is and their answers did not dissapoint.
Roten: There’s a vegan placed called Green- They have a thing called a ‘Big Wack’, and it’s like a Big Mac but its vegan!
Ritter: I love Ziggy’s Pizza, next to the Van Buren!
Roten: Los Favoritos.
Ritter: And Tacos Chiwas in Mesa, so good!
Make sure to listen to their new song ‘Hate Me’ and catch them on the Sad Summer Fest tour July 20th – August 9th. Tickets are available here!
