Water District

There's a certain brand of 90s alternative rock that we don't hear much of anymore. Low-key, understatedly psychedelic guitar rock. There aren't very many bands these days that evoke everything we loved about Blind Melon...which is why we're so happy to discover LA alt-rockers Water District. 90s fans won't want to miss out.

We've got the exclusive premiere of Water District's latest music video for their new single, "Come Down." And it's the best of low key 90s acid rock with just a hint of early/mid 00s post-emo acts like Brand New. Water District combine vibrant and textured guitar work with subtle melancholy in the vocals to create a track that makes you want to lie down on the couch with some good friends and reminisce about better times, and who doesn't need a track like that in their lives these days? - Baeble

Indie-rock band, Water District, confirms a strong presence in the Los Angeles music scene with the release of their latest single and music video, “Come Down.” Packed with captivating vocals and powerful, yet precise guitar tempos, the single navigates influences of nineties alternative shades into a fresh contemporary sound. “Come Down” is now available for download on iTunes and streaming on Spotify. The music video can now be viewed on YouTube.

Opening with a clean and full guitar lick reminiscent of The Strokes, “Come Down” jumps straight into an up-tempo swing, balancing riveting rock textures with the anguish of fading love. Following the success of their debut release, “Dear California,” Water District continues to clear a path of mesmerizing sound in their latest release. With the effortless grit of Tice Griffin’s raw vocals and excellent guitar work, rich vibrations from Hunter Gurney on bass, Ajay Awasthi brings the entire sound together with a compelling boom on the drums. As the title suggests, “Come Down” depicts the phase of a relationship when the honeymoon phase is over and the writing is on the wall. “The lyrics range from the struggle of being young, heartbreak, social inequality and our favorite past times growing up,” the band says regarding their catalogue of work. Through the relatable lines, “she’s looking for a way out and I’m looking for a way to make her stay,” the song illustrates the painful frustration of an eclipsing relationship as the narrator struggles to accept its end. Though the content is somber, “Come Down” is anchored by the band’s anthemic and harmonious musicianship, softening the message of disappointment. Danny Balistocky, known for working with bands like Yellowcard, Ben Harper and Unwritten Law, was key in helping the band to enhance their own voice and direction. “Come Down” was recorded at Revolution 9 Recording Studios. Sage Griffin directed the music video, while Olivia Christiansen was at the helm of the visual effects editing.

Water District was formed in 2012 by a deep appreciation for indie rock and classic video games. With a common love for bands like Death Cab For Cutie and Silversun Pickups who would greatly influence and shape their work, it was a seamless transition from becoming acquaintances to band mates. It took little time for the band to be noticed by Normandie Records who subsequently signed the band. Before releasing their first official EP, Water District EP, the band had already independently produced two albums on their own.

Working simultaneously on music videos as well as new music, Water District works relentlessly, with an intense drive and passion to produce new material all the time. “Come Down” proves yet again that Water District has mastered the ability to seize attention with addicting rock hooks that resonate long after the first listen. Download “Come Down” and the rest of the Water District EP on iTunes and view the video on YouTube. To learn more about the band and future shows, visit www.WaterXDistrict.com. - Vents Magazine

Material: There’s an edginess to the indie and surf-rock sounds of Water District. Delayed guitar riffs, echoing over upbeat verses, emote with lyrics about love and solitude. The band’s song composition and Griffin’s whiny vocals fit the sound, and it is evident they’re heavily influenced by the Silversun Pickups. Their most notable and well-composed song, “Dear California,” has ambient Golden State vibes with a gritty, underground indie backbone that gives the song its girth. While the material is solid, Griffin should vary his vocal patterns and sound to distinguish himself from Brian Aubert.

Musicianship: Griffin is a passionate frontman and attacks his melodies with purpose. His rhythm guitar playing solidifies the tempo, and he should apply that same confidence to his piano playing. Gurney’s bass lines are subdued, which allow the guitar heavy material to shine. Awasthi’s drumming could be stronger—while some of the material demands hammered out beats, mild playing with absence of a heavy kick drum doesn’t bring the songs home. Mueller has perfected creating ethereal sounds that add a spacey, almost stony element to the material. His solos, however, are often lacking intention and fluidity.

Performance: The band aimed to please,
 but just missed the mark. The apex of the set happened in the middle during “Dear California” and “Comedown”—these would have hit harder toward the end. Unfortunately, Gurney’s bass sounded like it was blowing out the low wattage bass amp. Awasthi played timidly until “Dear California,” where he finally hit his stride.

Despite sound issues, Griffin was an entertaining ringleader, constantly engaging with band and audience. Showmanship is crucial, but he has to work harder to ensure his melodies don’t waver off pitch, which they often did. Mueller and Griffin had moments where they traded off licks and played harmonized parts, which captivated the audience. They should strive for more moments like that.

Summary: Water District has a unique sound, but needs to better translate the full-bodied, recorded material to live shows. Because 
the band has a desirable sound for indie rock enthusiasts, performances must elevate listeners and be on par with the talented songwriting.

The Players: Tice Griffin, guitar, piano, lead vocals; Zack Mueller, guitar, backing vocals; Hunter Gurney, bass; AJ Awasthi, drums.

Venue: Silverlake Lounge
City: Los Angeles, CA
Web: WaterXDistrict.com - Music Connection

Water District create hopeful, sunny indie music with hints of emotive rock present during their new single, Dear California. The track succeeds upon skillful guitar work, a chunky bass, and alluring vocals that will bury themselves deep into the minds and hearts of listeners.

An extended instrumental section allows the band to shine, as things become ever more chaotic. The cohesion of the drums, guitars, and bass provide considerable momentum to the second half of the track. A sizzling, narrative-dense guitar line concludes this effort. I’m excited to hear what else Water District will create in the months and years to come.

Rating: 8.7/10 - NEUFUTUR

In a few hours I’ll be watching Aaron Carter. No, this was not written by a 10-year-old me back in the late ‘90s. A friend wanted company and it was free. So before I step into a ridiculous situation, I’m cleansing myself writing about a local LA band that I was lucky enough to spread the word about just a week or so ago on another site I write for. Check out Coming Up, but before you do – make sure to continue reading what Water District’s Ticey had to say about the band’s first encounter with a label, how they attack the songwriting process and most importantly – which NFL team should call their city home.


Kendra: First off, as Angelenos – the big topic in the news is what NFL team will call LA home. What team do you hope will be in LA when the time comes?

Ticey: Sore subject. Zack’s a Bears fan and Ajay is a Packers fan. We settle our differences with NFL Blitz, but to answer the question, anyone but the Vikings.

Kendra: Okay, now onto the music. You have a wide range when it comes to lyrical content. When you write about something like solitude versus The Legend of Zelda, do you attack the songs in the same way, or slightly different?

Ticey: I generally just mumble and hum until words happen. I like to think that while I do that, what I subconsciously need to say ends up on paper. But even in the case of Skull Kid (the Zelda song) I’d say it’s inspired by the game, but it’s really more about isolation and big city anonymity, which isn’t too far away from the rest of our subject matter.

Kendra: Were you anywhere particular when you worked on “Dear California?”

Ticey: Not really, that one was a bedroom song. At the time I was struggling figuring out how to deal with getting away from a place that has everything you need, that everyone else sees as destination.


Kendra: You had two records before you signed to a label. What was the biggest difference working with a label for your latest?

Ticey: You might think working with a label would be constricting with other people putting their hands on your product, but Normandie Records ended up presenting us with more options and a fresh look at what was available to us. It was kind liberating in a way.

Kendra: You have more of an indie rock sound, but you worked with Danny Balistocky who’s worked with the likes of Metro Station and 3 Doors Down; two groups far from. What’d he bring to the table in your case?

Ticey: One of the options Normandie presented us with was working with Danny, and he was great for us. Before him we sometimes lacked direction with our sound and song structure, and though what we’re doing next might not be down that same path, we’re happy with the work we did with him and what we learned from him was invaluable.

Kendra: You played out in Silverlake in September. Will there be more dates this fall?

Ticey: We love playing the Echo Park and Silverlake spots and are working on putting some things together there for the near future. When it’s set in stone we’ll definitely let you know.

Kendra: If you had to make a mixtape for a drive up the California coast, what five songs would have to be on it?

Ticey: Only 5?? Toughest question by far. We actually have been on the road before and had Tame Impala’s Innerspeaker on loop, but if we had to mix five, they’d be:

“Blood” by The Middle East
“Awake” by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
“Juicebox” by The Strokes
“Lucidity” by Tame Impala
“Bodysnatchers” by Radiohead - Golden Mixtape

The boulevard that stretches from Los Feliz towards Downtown was buzzing as the Monday night crowd was looking for some action in the city known for good shows. At the Silverlake Lounge, the action was reserved for indie-rock stars, Water District, whohave been making waves with their latest single, “Dear California.” Thefanswere ready for that night’s showcase as the lineup included Will and the Wonts, Emily Gold and Pachuca.

Water District is headed by vocalist/guitarist Tice Griffin with Zack Mueller on guitar, Hunter Gurney on bass and AJ Awasthi on drums. The crowd gathered in front of the stage and could barely contain their anticipation for the band that has been compared to Silversun Pickups, Death Cab for Cutie and The National. The nostalgic and melancholic rock songs from these guys conjured up the 90s and the music that captured the hearts and minds of that generation. Songs like “Comedown” And “Wait for the Sound” are bittersweet and noteworthy songs that stood out during their set. Obviously, this band does a lot more than just croon melodies. They can also rock out with songs like “Try To Stay Here” and “Burger.”

As the band plugged in and checked their levels, the show got underway. Griffin towered over the keyboard and delicately played a few beautifully crafted notes as the guitar fizzled with an echoing reverb. The distortion mellowed but not before the rest of the band raced in to round out the sound of “Wait for the Sound.” The clever hook grabbed attention and coerced the crowd to nod along with the music. “This song is featured a lot in magazines, we don’t know why. They played on the radio so it must’ve been a good recording, because we’re going to butcher it right now,” Griffin commented as the band launched into their latest single, “Dear California.”

“I spent the whole day moving,” Griffin commented as the group checked their levels. “I literally took every piece of furniture I own and moved it all day. I’ll tell you, it sucks. But I’m glad to be here. And you know that there’s always that guy with a truck you call, to help you move. That’s me. I’ve got a van outside and everybody always calls me. Then the moment I need help, no one’s there. I’m starting to catch on to you people.” The crowd sympathizes with Griffin’s pain and collectively let out an ‘Aww’ expression at his tragic day before the show. But the band recovered and laughed it off as they continued with the show. The show was brought to a climactic end with the track, “Undo.”

The boys of Water District bring to their shows a collection of clever hooks and lyrics that are complemented by their indie-rock sound. They are not afraid of expressing all levels of emotions and retain their honest and genuine status as rock stars. Their music jives with audiences as they have become one of the up-and-coming artists to watch out for. No doubt this band will be in demand with their follow-up release.



Set List



Wait For The Sound

Burger

Point Blank

Build This Fire

Dear California

Comedown

Try To Stay Here

Supernova

Undo - ArtNois

by Kendra Beltran

The idea of moving out of California has always scared me for a number of reasons. For one, it’s the only climate I’ve ever known for almost 30 years but most importantly, I think – would my family just forget me? My mom continues to fail at remembering she ever spawned my older brother because he moved across the country so long ago. Out of sight, out of mind came into play today thanks to Water District’s “Dear California,” as it explores the same fear.

“Please don’t forget me, when I leave California” plays over and over in my head as it’s the most direct line of the latest from this indie rock foursome from Los Angeles. With a sound that may put them on the same stage as fellow locals Night Riots, as well as possibly turning things up a bit opening for the likes of Death Cab For Cutie. “Dear California” is just their most recent, but they’ve been making waves for some time, having won the LA Music Awards’ Rock Band of the Year, as well as being asked to appear on America’s Got Talent, which they noted in a recent interview, wouldn’t have been a good move for them.

Water District plays locally all the time, so keep an eye out and in the meantime check out “Dear California.” - Coming Up Mag

LA is definitely the place to go when looking for new music. But Water District is bringing a great sound to the scene. This multi-piece band is making waves (no pun intended) and we are so ready to see where they go. We got the opportunity to talk with them about their new music, feedback from fans, possible upcoming music, and more!

KRISTIN: You are a LA Based band. How did you all come together to form Water District?
WATER DISTRICT: I founded the band back in 2011, but no one was really set in stone. So I decided to throw an ad up on Craigslist to get some set in stone members. And trust me, we had some crazy auditions set up. One guy came in and didn’t even know how to tune a guitar. So I was just about to give up on my ad and Zack called me. So we did an impromptu acoustic jam session and things went really well so we played with some other guys. And eventually Ajay rolled into the room. And I think it was actually his first or second practice when we all wrote “Skull Kid” together, which was the first song we wrote from the ground up as a band. Then fast forward a few years; our bassist decided it was time to go back to school. So we got our hipster costumes on and went to an Urban Outfitters party because Zack was working there at the time. And we ended up meeting Hunter because it was his girlfriend’s birthday party and she was Zack’s coworker, so basically everything just fell into place.

KRISTIN: You have a great range of song topics. Who does the writing and where does the inspiration come from?
WATER DISTRICT: Well some songs I have written from way earlier, but all of the new songs we all write collectively. It used to be the case where I would have a riff or a melody and bring it to everyone and we would jam on it until something cool would happen. But now it’s pretty equal with who starts a song. A lot of songs have actually formed just from awful noise making and then a groove would fall into place and something fun would come out of it. Lyrically though we have tons of inspiration, we are young and living in the second biggest city in the country. The lyrics range from the struggle of being young, heartbreak, social inequality and our favorite past times growing up.

KRISTIN: You have brand new single “Dear California” you are promoting. What made you all decide this was a song you should release?
WATER DISTRICT: It really wasn’t a hard decision. We’ve been playing that song live forever and it usually goes over really well. And after we recorded it, we teased it to our friends and family and it was received even better than we expected.

KRISTIN: According to your bio, you signed with Normandie Records back in 2014 and released your debut record late 2014 titled Water District EP. What has been the feedback from fans on this EP?
WATER DISTRICT: I think people were pleasantly surprised. Everything we’ve done up until that point was DIY so it was all very lo-fi. People were always shocked and saying things like “wow, this sounds like it should be on the radio” and we actually got an insane amount of backing on KX93.5 in Laguna Beach, which is our hometown, we won King of the Beach like 7 days in a row and we are still spun regularly.

KRISTIN: You once self-funded a national tour. Should we be seeing some touring in the near future as well?
WATER DISTRICT: Yeah we had a massive national tour a couple summers ago and it was an incredible experience. We played with so many great bands and we are very much looking forward to hitting the road again. With that said, we are insanely busy at home in LA with writing what we feel is our strongest material yet, we are in the process of shooting a couple music videos and we have studio time set in the fall. But you can count on us being on the road again in the spring.

KRISTIN: With the new EP out for a little while now, should we be looking for another album in the near future? New singles?
WATER DISTRICT: Yes, we are actually just finishing up crossing t’s and dotting i’s with sound engineers and producers. I think everyone will be blown away with our next batch of recordings.

KRISTIN: To those who have never heard your music, how would you describe it? Is there anyone you can compare it to?
WATER DISTRICT: If Death Cab for Cutie had a baby with The Strokes and Silversun Pickups had a baby with Weezer, and by some Devine miracle those two babies met and had a baby, that baby would be us.

KRISTIN: It seems like it is hard for bands to stay together for the long run. What do you think will help your group stay together and beat the odds?
WATER DISTRICT: Honestly, we are relatively drama free. Everyone respects the band and the music as a job and for the most part pulls their own weight. I think the most important thing is that Water District and playing together is still fun. And when it’s fun, it’s easy and I hope it stays that way.

KRISTIN: Where can we keep up with you online?
WATER DISTRICT: We are actually very easy to keep up with. We are on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and we have our own website www.WaterXDistrict.com. We love when fans reach out so feel free to contact us.

Make sure to check out Water District online at their site and on all their social media platforms! They said they love fans talking to them, so hit them up! There is nothing better than when your favorite artists tweet you back! We look forward to so much more from Water District in the near future. Also make sure to check out their new single “Dear California” below and then pick up a copy on iTunes. - Nerd Probs

4. “Dear California” – Water District. It’s been almost twenty years since Bush and Incubus were cool (!!), so it’s time for their close-up. This chilled-out track calls up the best of those polished alt-rock slackers. - Independent Clauses

I'm listening quite a lot these last days to this song, Dear California, the new single from indie rock band Water District. I like the 90's alternative rock vibes and the warm guitar sound of the track: check it clicking on the image now.
A few notes about the band: Water District formed in 2012 with a shared love for indie rock (Death Cab For Cutie, The National) and Nintendo video games.
The Californian band released two albums independently before being signed to Normandie Records in 2014; for their debut record under the label, Water District worked with producer/engineer Danny Balistocky (Yellowcard, 3 Doors Down, Metro Station) at Revolution 9 Recording Studios in Hollywood, CA.
Water District EP was released on December 16th, 2014, and you can buy it on iTunes now. - weChameleon

Up and coming indie-rock band Water District has been making waves as of late with its modern take on 90’s alternative, which is characterized by a gritty, yet polished sound accented with remarkable guitar work. And that is exactly what the southern California rockers deliver with their latest single “Dear California.”

Taken from the band’s latest release, an EP simply titled Water District EP, “Dear California” has all the markings of a classic alt-rock track. It creates a full and rich ambience with a mix of distorted guitars, tight drums and a subtle bass line, through which clean melodic lines and honest lyrics emerge.


“Dear California”, as well as the rest of the band’s Water District EP are now available for download on iTunes and streaming on Spotify. Plus, the band is currently in the studio working on a new record, which is due out later this fall. So stay tuned for more! - Confront Magazine

Los Angeles has more bands than anyone can likely count, but here’s one you should check out if you’re into alt/indie rock. Water District recently released “Dear California” from their upcoming, self-titled EP. Check out the song below! - Hi Fi Noise

“Dream With Your Eyes Open” is a catchy song that’s designed to become the next summer anthem. - Vents Magazine

West Coast based newcomers, Water District, make the familiar very much theirs in "Dream With Your Eyes Open." - Baeble Music