INTERVIEW with Sasha the Band

Molly Dinsmore: Cool. First off, what are your names and your ages?

Joe: Should we just go left or right? Okay. Yeah.

Chris: I’m Chris Holstein, I’m 20.

Joe: I’m Joe Woodley. I’m also 20. 

Sean: I’m Sean Atkins. I’m also 20.

Calvin: Calvin Fister, also 20

Joe: Hello. My name’s Benjamin and I’m 18 

Molly Dinsmore: So you guys are all from Boise?

Joe: Yes. Yes. Originally.

Molly Dinsmore: Cool. That’s awesome. Anyone sticking around?

Joe: Well, we’re all in college now. Yeah. We float around a little bit. Yeah. 

Chris: Yea we are all in college right now. I go to University of Montana in Missoula and Ben is my roommate, but he doesn’t go to school.

Ben: No, I’m going up Montana State University next to fall, but I’m not at right now.

Joe: Yeah. Yeah. I live in San Francisco right now. I love it there.

Calvin: I’m at Whitman in Walla Walla, Washington.

Sean: And then I’m in Bellingham, Washington, but we, we all come back as soon as we can and play

Calvin: Most of our spring breaks, but yeah. Yeah, he’s missing a test.

Joe:

Yeah. Molly Dinsmore:It’s worth it. Hopefully.

Joe: No, it’s, it’s, it’ll pass. It’s been worth it so far. Yeah. Everything will be okay, man.

Molly Dinsmore: Okay, good. So this next question is a little bit more of an icebreaker and one of my favorite questions, sometimes it can be controversial, but Spotify or Apple music? 

Joe: Spotify. 

Calvin: I had Apple Music and I will say Spotify.

Calvin: Joni Mitchell.

Sean: Yeah, you got Blue. But that also, thats on YouTube right there. But then when you wanna cue something on Apple Music and you cue it, it goes to the top. It’s this, the answer to this question is we’re right. You’re wrong. Alright man. Calvin Fisher, go listen to Blue. Go listen to On YouTube. On YouTube.

Calvin: Mess up your recommendations. Yeah. Have fun with those ads, man.

Sean: That’s fine.

Molly Dinsmore:: How has your experience performing been so far? I mean, you’re performing at a music festival. That’s cool. Have you ever done anything like this before?

Sean: I would say our winter break show is similar. Yeah.

Ben: We played a show through Duck Club, which is like the same people who put on Treeport over winter break this last, last winter. And it felt like a similar environment where it’s like a proper professional show and we pulled out a lot of people that we did know and a lot of people that we didn’t know.

 Joe: This. Yeah. This would be cool. It was pretty crazy so far. 

Calvin: It was still insane. Have Sound guys. Yeah. <laugh>.

Sean: It was our, it was like we, the drums were, we recorded like an EP and then all went off to school like right when our music was coming together and then didn’t get to play any shows. And then this winter break we got to like, yeah, it was just, it felt like a, and then this has been another like crazy imposter syndrome moment to grow up here. And then, oh my God, we’re playing the tree, like the festival that made us all wanna play music.

Joe: That’s crazy that, that hit me when we saw Doug in the Yeah. Yeah. The artist lounge. There’s this like, the band built the spills from here and this whole, the, the, the man himself, Doug was just eating some pizza and we were all like, we were sort of staring

Ben: Like the only other time I’ve seen him is just like hooping at the Y. Yeah. Like I’d get his rebound.

Sean: I used to bag his groceries and just be there like, oh my God, you made going against your mind. Like, that’s crazy.

Molly Dinsmore: So when did you guys start kind of creating music together and how long have you officially been a band?

Sean: Complicated question, we are the two founding members of

Joe: Sasha. Yeah. So us two with this. We agree technically, don’t we? Oh yeah. So <laugh>, no. Okay. Okay. It was us two and this other guy and we played two shows with him. Yeah. We just played like, yeah. Grateful. Yeah. And we were like grateful to cover band and that stopped and then we brought him in. Yeah. And then him was like, Benjamin, then they all came in. But he’s, then I trickled in. Yeah, he trickled in last.

Joe:  Although I had Roots playing

Sean: Yeah. He like played with us at the beginning and then, then I don’t know what happened like a year ago. We all really started two years ago.

Ben: Two years ago we got like us five were like, but it’s been a ban for cemented five.

Sean: So that’s, yeah. So it’s like Sasha’s been in there for like five years ish. Wow.

Molly Dinsmore: Long story.

Joe: Complicated story. 

Molly Dinsmore: Yeah. Have you done interviews like this similar before?

Sean: Never. No. That’s awesome. Number one.

Chris : No, first one interview.

 Molly Dinsmore: My next question is also kind of a fun one. Not really related to music, but what surprises people about you

Ben: As a group?

Molly Dinsmore: Could be as a group

Sean: Or you or just you. Just you.

Ben: I can’t even lie. We’ve got a lot of, everybody is tall. Yeah. That’s,

Joe: Yeah. There’s not a whole lot behind that except for you. Sprawl. Yeah. Not

Calvin: Me. I’m, I’m six feet tall and I like am so much shorter than everyone else is. Yeah. I feel small.

Ben: I think another thing is probably the fact that we’re not all in the same place throughout the year. Yeah.

Chris People get so thrown off of that. When I tell them that in college and they’re like, I just sort, ou’re in a band. I’m like, yeah.

Molly Dinsmore: So Tree has a really vibrant music and art scene. How does it feel to be one of the many creators a part of it?

Sean: So good. Really cool.

Calvin: So good because we got rejected last year. <laugh>,

Sean: We can’t tell how exclusive it’s because like I’m in another band and we got like the, they’re like, no, we got the no last year. Then we’ve talked to a few people, they’re like, yeah, we’ve been trying for like three years. They’re Way bigger And they’re huge bands. So it’s like, maybe because we’re from Boise, but I don’t know.

Calvin: I think the Duck Club show.

Sean: Yeah, we did do, I think someone saw that

Ben: Was there. Yeah. But yeah, it just feels so good. Yeah,

Sean: It’s really cool.  But I didn’t start going to like beginning of high school and it just blew my mind. So now it’s really, really just, oh my God.

Ben: Plus there there’s almost like a personality to Tree four. I don’t even know how to put it. Like it’s a very distinct sort of music festival and they’re taking care of us well and then it just feels good. Yeah.

Calvin: It feels less corporate than other Festivals

Sean: Yeah.The guy who started it, Eric Gilbert, I think he’s like quoted to saying like, once Tree Fort gets too big, he’s just gonna stop it. Which is like a crazy thought. Yeah. It’s crazy. Yeah. But then I kind of love that because then it’s ’cause the city comes alive and you feel so much community and if that went away, that would kind of stink. If it like then Lalapalooza, I dunno.

Molly Dinsmore: Yeah. If you guys, next questions related, but if you were an album, what would you be?

Sean: Interesting

Molly Dinsmore: It could be as a band. You can take your time.

Ben: I dunno if I wanna say Lenderman. I don’t think it’s though. I don’t know. Oh, I think it might be, I can see that because that’s kind of the first thing that comes to mind.

Sean: You, we got, we got a little more like Pep in our steps though. Whats a loud album

Joe: I feel like Spill. Pull out your Apple Music 20.

Chris: That’s a very tough question. Don’t, because we’re like, I don’t know, it’s like folk kind of indie, but like loud too. Sometimes. Sometimes. It’s a weird mix. It’s a weird mix. 

Sean: Oh no dude, it’s, it’s for me. I’m feeling the Flamingo ep. Dude. I think we’re doing MJ Letterman’s Self-titled Flamingo ep. Honorable mention chat gbt.

Molly Dinsmore: That’s my last question for you guys what are your expectations tomorrow and after?

Chris: We just finished going through our set and it’s gonna be fun. I feel so We were stoked about it. We were so stoked. Walking outta the garage. Just like, I feel so good. I think we’re gonna, I think we’re gonna kill it. 

Sean: It’s gonna be a great day in the park. It’s gonna be a walk. I think we’re just gonna have a day. As they say, we’re just gonna have a day. Have a day, and then have a night. Have a day. Have a night. I think we’re planning on having, yeah. We’re gonna consume some things and go see Built the spill and just have a night in Boise, Idaho.

Calvin: I would like to play true for it again. Yeah, that’d be awesome. Yeah. For again, maybe that’s the future plans.

Sean: Ya thats the next step. That’s the next step.