Today we’d like to introduce you to Leslie Bumgarner.
So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
For me, it has been all about time and place. When I was in College in Texas, I wrote songs, never thinking I would play them anywhere. You could say I was a closeted musician in a way. Since moving to California, I have met a new group of creative people. It starts with jamming at home, you meet people who play, and you jam with them. You write. You post a pic with a guitar on social media one time, and now everyone knows you play. So you jam with more people and write more. And low and behold, you find yourself in a band 15 years later. How did I get started? I’d be nowhere without the support of my bandmates. They give me the courage to want to get out there.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
BAND DRAMA! Ha. Any creative endeavor takes blood, sweat, and tears. Right? You bleed when you cut yourself making a pedalboard. You sweat along with everyone in the garage on hot August evenings. And you cry sometimes, cause you care, and you care about your buddies in the band. It’s a very personal thing, writing, playing, and singing. You have to open yourself up, and that takes work. You have to be critical while giving support, and that is a delicate balance.
Can you give our readers some background on your music?
We are THE COOLERS cause we love music. So that makes us just like all musicians. What makes us different is that we have a classic rock sound, even though we have heard rock and roll gradually take over less and less radio time. We are out there for the rock fans who want to keep rock alive. When current radio rock and roll is considered to be Maroon5, we are here to actually melt some f*cking faces. We like to say we sound like 60s rock meets 90s grunge. We have a strong back beat and blues roots, so we rock hard. We live in a gradual ghost town between pop rock and heavy metal. Is there anyone out there? Yes, The Coolers.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
First, I want to thank the god of YouYube, JustinGuitar. I would be nowhere without his FREE videos. He is my guitar teacher. Thanks, Justin. I also had a buddy in high school who first encouraged me to sing. Zilpha, you know who you are. The Coolers also got their first gig opening for Sayed Sabrina, who gave us a chance. Just recently, the great LA band Speed of Light had us open for them. No one does it alone, and we hope we can help our band buddies just like they have helped us. The unsung heroes are the super pro Los Angeles bookers who hit us up, hit us back, schedule everything, and make sh*t happen.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://soundcloud.com/thecoolersband
- Email: contact.the.coolers@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_coolers_is_a_band/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecoolersband/
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/32iJU96aLcJ58bPPFdCXUW
Image Credit:
Aashish Gandhi, Leslie Bumgarner, J.D. Ramage
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Check out the VoyageLA Podcast:
Episode 1 with Content Partner Lisa Taitelman, Founder of Hiking & Wellness company Find Your Trail.
