Music
Press
"The Northwest is a 4-piece indie/alternative rock band in the same vein as Interpol, The Killers, Coldplay, and other similar bands that draw their influence from 80s post-punk/new wave bands like Joy Division, The Smiths, and U2. Their guitarist (Dylan Buckley) is incredibly animated onstage, which provides a stark contrast to lead singer/bassist Derek Luna's stoic-but-powerful stage presence. Like Natural Blend, their set consisted of mostly originals with a couple covers (including an impressive rendition of Billy Idol's "White Wedding"). They put on a fantastic show with very solid original material." - Tim Cronin
"drop by on a Saturday night for live music by The Northwest (a group of prodigious teens that blow away crowds with their original tunes and Coldplay covers)." - Abby Weingarten
"drop by on a Saturday night for live music by The Northwest (a group of prodigious teens that blow away crowds with their original tunes and Coldplay covers)." - Abby Weingarten
Discography
4-Song Demo
Not From Here Single
Photos
Bio
Formation:
The band was formed by Derek Luna and Dylan Buckley in August 2008. In their mid-teenage years, Luna and Buckley had become interested in learning how to play instruments. The two had met at a bus stop while attending Manatee School for the Arts in Florida. One faithful bus ride home had sparked their interest in learning how to play guitar. Of course it was not the bus alone that inspired them; Luna had his iPod and shared his headphones with Buckley. After listening to the band Interpol, Buckley finally said, "Man, it would be cool if we could be in a band like this. Why don't we start a band?" Luna had been thinking the same thing at that moment. He agreed right away. Guitars were purchased and the rest became history.
Since the band could not find any bassists in the area, Derek Luna dropped the guitar and switched to become the bass player. After a month of practicing, the bass became Luna's preferred instrument.
2011
The band had gone through several name changes throughout the early years (we will not list these). On the date of September 10, 2011, The Northwest became the last and final name change. Luna came up with the name from another band's song lyrics. In the song "Take Over The World" by The Courteeners, Liam Fray's lyrics: "I'm only a paperboy from the northwest."
2012
By 2012, The Northwest's lineup was finalized. Cameron Luna (Derek's younger sibling) had been in the band since 2008. He was supposed to perform as the bass player originally, but his interests had shifted towards the drums. In 2008, he was only 11 years old and his arms could barely reach the far end of the bass neck.
Pete Bell had been good friends with the band since November 2011. He first met Derek, Dylan, and Cameron after school one afternoon, randomly. He needed a ride home and Luna was generous enough to provide it. During the ride, Luna and Buckley were talking about performing at a local bar called "The White Horse Pub". Bell had plans to go home and meet with his friends. But this event led him to change his mind and attend the band's show. From that point, Bell started showing up regularly to The Northwest's shows at The White Horse Pub. After the second show, he became the band's roadie and sound tech. One month later, he learned how to play the keyboards and began performing with the band. On February 28, 2012, he became the official keyboardist of The Northwest.
Current Status (2013)
The Northwest are currently writing more songs and searching for music festivals to perform. They also hope to obtain a record deal and tour the world with their music. As of now, their current music release is a 4 song demo.
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