Rituals

This LA-based synth pop outfit might describe its sound as dark, but that doesn’t mean the guys don’t enjoy a good Katy Perry or Britney Spears remix (hear the band’s reworking of “E.T.’’ and “Hold It Against Me’’ on www.ritualsla.com). Rituals perform live alongside resident DJs Ken & Michael V at the Pill tomorrow night. June 3, 10 p.m. Tickets: $5. 21+. Great Scott. 617-566-9014, www.thepillboston.com - Boston Globe

1. How did your band come to be?

Rituals came about when Julian sent me some demos he had been working on that were missing vocals. When I heard the tracks I asked him if I could lay some down and it kinda just went from there. We were only a two piece for a couple shows or a couple months. We knew we wanted to add a drummer pretty soon after to give us more of an edge, live feel, etc. We somehow managed to convince my good friend Pablo to come back from Australia to play drums in Rituals. Julian and Pablo were then acquainted at a seedy Japanese sake bar in Little Tokyo called "Bar C." It's where we like to go when we have business to discuss. They have a drink there called "The Galvatron." It's 1/3 Tequila, 1/3 Whisky and 1/3 Hate - it tastes like pure gasoline. I made both Julian and Pablo each do a shot with me and at that moment Rituals was born.

2. What was the first time getting the band together like?

Very Drunk. Also very exciting. You could feel the energy at the table.

3. What was the moment that made you think "this is it right here", the defining moment that convinced you this was for real?

The first time we used our signature light show at Club Moscow in LA, when we hit the down beat of "Red Moon" and I turned on the giant fluorescent triangle light around me. It gave me goosebumps.

4. What's your end goal for music? As in, what do you envision yourself getting out of music when all is said and done?

I personally see myself becoming a music producer and or manger in the future, although I don't ever see myself NOT creating music. I've been playing in bands since I was five years old. Music has always been the one and only thing that makes sense to me. As far as Rituals goes, I think we have a very bright future and have only begun to scratch the surface of our creativity. Our best work is ahead of us. The goal at the moment is to open people’s minds and break ground for a new direction in dance/pop music. We'd also like to be the first band that openly admits to hating indie rock... Hahaha

5. Dream tour: who would you love to share a stage with?

Depeche Mode, no doubt. But we also really want to play Live Earth too.

6. What are your 3 main influences on your sound?

Trench coats, blacked out sunglasses, and Gimps.

7. What does the future hold for your band?

Lots and lots of touring... extensively on the international side of things. We don't want to stay in America for too long. Our music will have it's time in the US soon enough but right now we need to be playing in Germany or the UK. It's a matter of time hopefully. Until then we will be in the lab creating the darkest, danciest music to the best of our ability. All the while continuing to explore other textures and sonic fibers that we can stitch into our sound. We are a young band, but all three of us are very creative and talented people. We won't stop until our music is as three-dimensional as our personalities.


8. Word association: when I say [insert word here], you think....

MTV - real world
File-sharing - napster
Radio - death
Touring - booze
Twitter - lady gaga
Fans - Gimps
Special thanks to Neil from RITUALS. check them out http://ritualsla.com/ - Baselines and Screams

Los Angeles-based Rituals is less than a year old, but the electronic trio is already dedicating themselves full time to their craft. In addition to gigging heavily in the Southern California scene, Rituals is touring, writing, and recording until they overhaul the music world with their dark, synth-driven sounds and catchy hooks.

“We plan on taking the band to the bitter end,” said the group’s front man Neil Popkin, who also fronts popular post-punk band War Tapes. “We’ll sleep on people’s floors, sleep in the van with our shoes on, or even blow all our money on plane tickets at the drop of a dime. We don’t really care. We just want to go for it.”

Founded in the fall of 2010, Rituals combines advanced dark wave beats with catchy pop lyrics. The band, which also consists of producer Julian Denis and drummer “Pablo,” has already released a three-song demo via their Soundcloud page and is set to do a small tour of the northeastern part of the country in early June. See a full list of Rituals’ tour dates on their website.

Rituals started as a duo, with Popkin and Denis recording and performing as a vocalist-producer team, but after the act’s first gig, the pair decided to add live drums to their set. So they contacted Australian-based Pablo, formerly of the dance-punk group Suicide Club, and within weeks, the 25-year-old moved to Los Angeles to join the band. After successful live sets as a three-piece, Rituals decided to expand Pablo’s live drumming to their recordings, giving the trio a consistent sound from the stage to the studio.

“When Pablo came aboard it brought our live show to the next level,” said Popkin. “We’ve found a way to incorporate both the electronic drums and the live drums, which for us is the best of both worlds. Once Pablo really stepped into his role and added his own stylistic drum parts onto the previously written songs we knew we needed to have him play on the recordings.”

Rituals is currently in the studio with producer Billy Mohler, finishing an EP that will incorporate the live drums. Popkin said the band is excited for the world to hear the new songs, as he feels the pre-Pablo demo does not represent the sound the band is currently developing.

After the EP release and Northeast tour, Rituals plans on taking their music to all ends of the earth. The band is currently pursuing a connection that would allow them to perform at Prince of Indonesia’s palace, and long-term plans to play in the UK, Australia, Japan, and other major US cities are in the works as the group continues to rapidly develop their fan base. The lofty ambitions stem from the band members’ confidence in one another.

“It’s amazing to be in a band where all three members are literally all on the same exact page,” said Popkin. “We all love the music we’re creating and we all really vibe well together.

“We have no back up plan,” continued Popkin. “This is our lives and the path we have chosen. We want it and we’re going to hustle to make it happen one way or another.”

Visit Rituals on Facebook at Facebook.com/RitualsLa or on their official website, RitualsLa.com. - Horgan Entertainment