Today we’d like to introduce you to Archer Oh.
Archer, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
Archer Oh started off as an acoustic/folky solo project that I started because I moved to Moreno Valley, away from a band I previously had in Ventura County. I needed help performing these acoustic songs, so I asked my friend Pedro, who I knew played percussion in High School. We both learned how to play drums in my garage and played at an art gallery every so often. We felt that the sound needed more, so we asked our friend Juan to play guitar with us. After being flaked on by him too many times we quietly replaced him with our friend Diego hahaha. We then brought Juan back on as our bassist once he quit his time-consuming job.
Once people started paying more attention to us they referred to Archer Oh as a band and not a solo project, and we felt that was more accurate so we went with it We played in backyards all over the IE all of 2017 and 2018, having to get the ball rolling ourselves by throwing a show at my house since nobody would give us one.
We put out a couple of singles that have done very well, and we then started getting better and better shows playing for Vertigo Volumes, playing with bands such as Kicked Off the Streets and Daikaiju, playing at the Glasshouse with Vundabar and The Red Pears and exploring the OC and San Diego. We could not be more excited for what the future holds for us!!!
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
We play surfy/indie/garage that we think sounds pretty neat. We’re influenced by 60’s and 70’s psych/garage bands as well as more contemporary indie bands.
The music we make is important to us, it’s incredibly important to me [Archer] because the experiences and people I sing about will always affect me on some level. I write music that is true to me. I want to be as honest as possible in the songs I write.
Honestly, above all else we just want people to feel something. Whether it’s happiness from the music itself, sadness from relating to the lyrics, disgust from hating the music, or anything in between. As long as you’re feeling something, I think that’s enough for us.
Artists rarely, if ever pursue art for the money. Nonetheless, we all have bills and responsibilities, and many aspiring artists are discouraged from pursuing art due to financial reasons. Any advice or thoughts you’d like to share with prospective artists?
We definitely know all about financial struggle! None of us are wealthy in any regard, and constantly playing backyard shows takes a toll on our gear; we are always breaking our stuff, and replacing it is not cheap. There is also the challenge of coming up with quality recordings when your recording budget is exactly $0.
Our advice is to save up where you can, buy secondhand, and don’t be afraid to ask for payment for your art. We record ourselves on gear that has been gifted, bought secondhand, or found. We save every dollar we earn playing that isn’t going towards gas or new gear.
What we’ve learned from various bands and artists is to not sell yourself short: you worked hard on your art and should be fairly compensated for it. Support each other, and you’ll find support!!!
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
People can find us on Instagram, Twitter, Bandcamp, Spotify, apple music, iTunes, etc.
They can support us by coming to our shows, dancing and singing along to our songs, and just spreading the word. We love how much support we’ve gotten over these past two years, and we will always be grateful for each and every person who has ever supported us. <3
Contact Info:
- Website: archeroh.bandcamp.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: instagram.com/archer.oh
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/archer.oh1/
- Twitter: twitter.com/archer_oh
Image Credit:
Isabel Aguirre
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition, please let us know here.
