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AM Magic is an up and coming band from the San Francisco area. One of the members, Mike Alexis, grew up in Rowayton. Give them some love and learn about a really talented group of guys. AM Magic in their own words:

1. FC Beats: How did where you guys grew up (Mike in Rowayton) influence the music you make now? (social scenes, friends, musical influences)

Karma: I grew up in Visalia, CA. Skateboarding and punk rock were the top two social and musical influences for me when I was younger. I didn’t have a lot of parental boundaries so I pretty much just did what I wanted — and what I wanted to do was skate – all the time — and punk rock music was really big in the skate scene.

Mike: I got into playing music pretty late. It wasn’t until I almost graduated from college that I picked up guitar. I loved growing up in Rowayton, but it I’m way more influenced by what I’ve seen and heard since I left.

2. FC Beats: How did your band get started, how long have you been together?

Karma: Too long. Doug Saenz and I played at my house in Rockridge in ’94-‘95. We used to drive to the Consolidated skateboard warehouse in Santa Cruz to jam music and skate the ramp. In ‘95 we did a two month skate tour with the whole Consolidated team: Andy Roy, Richard and Jesse Paez, Alan Petersen, and Doug and myself. I brought an acoustic guitar and Doug brought a snare drum and brushes. We played on streets all over America. The name AM Magic spawned out of those early Rockridge days. Then in ‘97 Mike and I were forming a new band and Doug stumbled back into our lives. The rest is herstory.

3. FC Beats: How does living in a culturally diverse city like San Francisco help now with what you create?

Karma: It’s a hodge-podge of styles and soul. It keeps you open to the fact that we have to all coexist.

Mike: There is a sense of community, but the high cost of living in San Francisco makes it a tough city create music. We get by.

4. FC Beats: What has been your favorite venue to play?

Karma: Café Du Nord, Bottom of the Hill, The Knockout

Mike: What Karma said plus the Make-Out Room and Li-Po Lounge

5. FC Beats: Possible tours coming soon? Any plans on playing on the east coast in NYC or Boston?

Karma: In a heartbeat, I’m down!

Mike: Yeah, we should get on that.

6. FC Beats: What do you want people to get out of listening to your music?

Karma: I want the people closest to me to hear it.

Mike: The ultimate would be to inspire people to make their own music. That’s what my favorite bands did for me. I’m not sure we’ve accomplished that yet.

7. FC Beats: Congrats on Thrasher, how does skateboarding play a roll in your music if any at all?

Karma: Skateboarding gave me a place to belong and evolve as a person. It turned me onto art, all kinds of music, motion, cool people, cool books. It played a huge roll…

Mike: Skateboarding and music go hand-in-hand. When I started playing guitar I would compare learning chords to learning tricks and think about how difficult some were. Skateboarding seeps into our songs both intentionally and subconsciously.

8. FC Beats: What separates you guys from a lot of other bands out there?

Karma: Probably not much. We have all grown up together, learned how to play our instruments together, how to write songs, all that stuff. I hold Mike and Doug’s devotion in the highest regard.

Mike: We place a high regard on lyrics and it seems like a lot of other bands don’t. I couldn’t imagine writing a song, recording it, and playing it live over and over when the lyrics are half-assed, made up nonsense. A lot of other bands seem OK with that.

9. FC Beats: Where do you guys see your music going from here on out?

Karma: From here on out sounds pretty good to me.

Mike: We’ll probably expand the palette a little, add new textures and keep growing as songwriters and musicians. We’ve progressed a lot and have gained the confidence to explore.

10. FC Beats: Shout outs?

Karma: Thrasher Mag and Jake Phelps, Consolidated SK8’s, C.R. Smith, Julie and Parker, Visalia SK8 Locs, S.FS.A., all skaters around the globe, and to all the girls I loved before.
Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo.

Mike: Rebecca and Spencer, Slow Trucks, Sons of Eden, Manzanita, the Suicides, the Bassturd, El Capitan, the Dazzling Strangers, Nik Freitas, the Thralls and all the bands we’ve shared good times with.

http://www.myspace.com/ammagic

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