Early Morning Rebel have been christened the ‘darlings of the fashion world’, which for a three piece indie-electro band who have been together for little over two years, is a pretty admirable accolade.
Touring the fashion circuit, LA-based Dustin, Josh and Nathan are regular attendees of the catwalk calendar, whether they be providing the soundtracks or seated for the shows, they could give most editors a run for their money with the number of invites they clock up. Despite relatively rapid success, you couldn’t imagine a more approachable group of guys – friendly, witty, intelligent and savvy as hell, they’ve got all six feet firmly on the ground, which is handy because I predict that this year will see them soar.
On their recent trip to London I caught up with lead vocalist Nathan about their close-relationship with the fashion industry, their favourite designers who showed at LCM, and what 2014 has in store for the band.
How did the three of you meet, and how did the idea of starting Early Morning Rebel come about? Dustin and I have been friends since we were very young and have played music together ever since. A few years ago we were feeling like we needed a fresh start and wanted to start a new project. We had mutual friends with Josh and knew he was a great drummer/musician and asked him to join the band. It was a great fit.
You have performed at multiple shows at LA, London and Paris Fashion Weeks, and now you’re here for LCM – why have you aligned yourself so closely with the fashion industry? We have a lot of friends in fashion and have worked in and around fashion on different projects. We are fans of fashion in general and are inspired by great designers. We always like to surround ourselves with other artists and things/people that inspire us.
How does the menswear fashion scene in LA differ from London? Men’s fashion is very different in LA. The beach and culture has a heavy influence. Fashion seems more important in London. I think London is a better dressed city overall.
Do you have a favourite British menswear designer/ show you’re most excited about seeing whilst here? We loved the Ada + Nik show, YMC and Topman Design.
Designers have created their collections around your music – how does this kind of collaboration work? Do you create bespoke music for them or do they choose from an existing catalogue of your songs? We have done it both ways. We love collaboration. Whether it be with a designer, film director, artist or brand. It always leads to a more elevated outcome.
With such strong ties to the fashion industry, do you have any plans to create a label of your own? If so, what would it look like? Absolutely! We are actually starting to have those talks now. We have always wanted to have our own label. We will probably start with the shirts that you see on our site and imagery that we made specifically for those shoots. There will definitely be an edge and hopefully a classic feel.
It’s not just fashion you affiliate yourselves with, you’ve also been featured in TV shows such as Grey’s Anatomy. If you could have your music featured in any current TV programme what would it be? There are so many great shows, especially in the states. We are big fans of great TV shows. Love the music on Suits, Girls, Shameless, Grey’s, Parenthood, Low Winter Sun, EastBound and Down, Walking Dead…
Is it true you shoot, edit and direct your own music videos? It’s quite rare for a band to have that much control over their material – why the decision to do so? We really love the video making process. We have backgrounds in directing and producing. The video is an extension of the song making process for us. From inception of a song to the video and visual representation of that song, we love every part of the process. It also gives us the opportunity to present the song the way we see it, visually.
What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced launching EMR? The biggest challenges are the day-to-day organization and sometimes overwhelmingness of doing everything on our own. From business to creative, it’s a labor of love..
Any tips for aspiring musicians? Believe in what you are doing and surround yourself with people you trust.
If you weren’t in a band what would you be doing? Josh would be a politician, Dustin would be a Photographer/Director, I would be an actor/writer.
What does 2014 have in store for Early Morning Rebel? We will be releasing a lot of music and video for each song. We have our line/collection, touring the States and Europe, and we will be back for LC:M in the summer and LFW in the fall.
Listen to Early Morning Rebel’s single Life Boat:
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