Today we’d like to introduce you to Lexi Vega of the band Mini Trees.
Lexi, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was raised in the suburbs of LA by two really musical parents, so from a very young age I was banging on drums, singing songs, and dancing, (I no longer do the dancing). I was just super lucky to be exposed to a lot of great music and to be able to hang out with incredible musicians as a kid, so it really is no surprise that I felt the urge to play music too.
By the time I got to elementary school, I was playing electric guitar and drums, heavily influenced by bands like Blink-182, Jimmy Eat World, and eventually getting really into hardcore and screamo music, obsessing over 90% of the bands you’d find at Warped Tour. By 8th grade, I was playing drums in a few different hardcore bands, relying on my mom to drive me to gigs, and even bail me out when I was suckered into playing shows with 50 pre-sale tickets.
So over the years, my music tastes and preferences have changed a lot, but I’ve always had that same urge to play and write music, which has led me to my project Mini Trees.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
There have definitely been obstacles both big and small along the way but I think those are often the events that have given me something to write music about. Certainly, the biggest struggle has been coping with the loss of my father at a young age, something that even after all these years continues to be what I struggle with most. Despite the hardship, however, I’ve found that it’s bonded me with others who have gone through similar things and hope that my music can resonate and speak to others as well. I’m also incredibly lucky to have a supportive family and community, something that has been a consistent good force in my life even when the going gets tough.
Can you give our readers some background on your music?
I started writing and releasing music under the band name Mini Trees about a year ago after bringing some of my ideas into the studio to work with my producer and friend Jon Joseph. Between the two of us, we tracked all the instruments on my first series of singles and on my debut EP, Steady Me, which I released in May 2019, and the live band I’ve assembled from my group of talented friends has been keeping busy playing all over LA this year. While I’m really bad at describing what my own music sounds like, it’s often categorized as indie pop, contains some angsty lyrics, and is layered with lots of vocal harmonies.
Some exciting new things to share are that I just finished recording my second EP with Jon Joseph that I’m hoping to release in early 2020, and will be going on a small tour at the beginning of the year, (with hopefully a lot more touring and playing out to follow the EP release). It’s been an absolute blast getting this project going and I’m just super excited to see what the next year holds.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and music?
I don’t really think of events in my life as good luck or bad luck, but I do know that there are people in my life who have believed in me and given me opportunities to play and make music which has helped me get to this point… so I guess I consider myself lucky for that. 🙂
Contact Info:
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/minitreesband
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/minitreesband
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/minitreesband
Image Credit:
Jeremy Leasure, Kristen Lee, Josh Drew, Ron Yamasaki
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