Arm The Pit - The Little Bits

ATP

For the record, who's answering the interview, what is your band's name? How did you come up with that name?

THE LITTLE BITS

I'm Rio, and I am from The Little Bits. We wanted a friendly name that didn't sound tough at all, but kind of has an edge. It works quite well for our music and performance style.

ATP

So who's in the band and what's everyone's life story in 100 words more or less?

THE LITTLE BITS

Rio plays bass and sings, Bern plays drums and sings, Ralph plays guitar and sings, and Jesse plays guitar and backs up on vocals. We are all friends from years before, and come from bands that played many shows together in the bay area. The years of friendship and familiarity with each other's musical skills were natural formulas to get us together.

ATP

In a nutshell, please describe your sound.

THE LITTLE BITS

Our sound is a mix of punk rock pop, but no angry song content.

ATP

Why did you each of you start playing music and was there a turning point from becoming the dream child that every mother and father hopes their child will become before discovering music? Why did music become a career choice for you?

THE LITTLE BITS

We all started playing music simply because we love music, there is really no other reason to play but that. Music is not a career for us at all, we work day jobs and it's been that way all of our adult lives. But at the end of the day, we turn to music.

ATP

What instruments do you each play? How did you learn to play, self-taught or school?

THE LITTLE BITS

Bern is primarily a drummer but she also plays guitar and piano. Rio plays bass, but started out as a guitarist, though a long time before that she also did violin, piano and trumpet. Jesse and Ralph both play bass and guitar (in other bands as well).

ATP

What bands have influenced each of you?

THE LITTLE BITS

We all like so many different music styles. For The Little Bits, The Ramones is a huge influence in the music -- we believe in keeping the songs simple and straight to the point, and of course, as catchy as possible. But we each listen to so many other styles: blues, jazz, metal, punk, alternative

ATP

What makes your band unique?

THE LITTLE BITS

Well, I'm going to pull the race card on this and say we are one of the (or the only one) bands in this genre that are Filipino & Guam descent. So far, we have not met or found bands like us from the same background, but we would love to meet and know who they are. Mike Park also does a solo act for children's music now, and we would love to do a show or two with him!

ATP

Do you write your own music? If not, who writes the music?

THE LITTLE BITS

All of our songs are written by us.

ATP

What inspires the songs you write?

THE LITTLE BITS

We play music for children and their families, so they are the inspiration. Two of us in the band are parents, and we are also aunts and uncles, so writing content is second nature.

ATP

How long does it take you to write a song that�s ready to record?

THE LITTLE BITS

Unfortunately, we haven't done much recording. Our first recording happened within months of learning the 8th song in our library. We have since had a few more songs, but no recording has taken place.

ATP

How would you describe your local music scene? Likes, Dislikes. What would you change?

THE LITTLE BITS

The Bay Area music scene is still going strong. I do not get to attend as many shows as I used to, but I remain in contact with show updates so I know what's going on. There are still many venues that continue to support local music. However, The Little Bits aren't really involved with those venues as much as we are a part of the day time scene. We have played a show at the library, street events, birthday parties, and the awesome Plea For Peace Center in Stockton for its first ever children's show! I love that we get to play these different venues where families are commonly hanging out at. We would love to do more library and book shop shows of course. And schools too.

ATP

What is your favorite local venue? Why?

THE LITTLE BITS

We have been good friends with the SF event Sunday Streets that they include us on their program. Sunday Streets is an outdoor event along a route in planned San Francisco neighborhoods, and it happens once a month from April to October. This is our FAVORITE venue because we get to play on the streets of our hometown!

ATP

What's the biggest problem you find when working with other bands, booking agents, promoters and venues when settting up a show or a tour?

THE LITTLE BITS

So far, we have not really experienced any problems that no other band goes through. And usually, that's NEVER hearing back from someone you contact.

ATP

How experienced are you on the stage, a virgin or whore?

THE LITTLE BITS

We are quite experienced, thank you!