Exclusive Interview: Part II and the Electric Boogaloos Buzzing for More
Updated: Sep 19, 2021
Clear Vision had the chance to catch an exclusive backstage interview with Las Vegas teen band Part II and the Electric Boogaloos, here's what these three Nevada natives had to say about the music scene and their recent journey to Sacramento.
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Photo by: @d2r98
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Diego: "Hi, Diego here from Clear Vision Collective with an interview with Part II and the Electric Boogaloos. So first off, I just wanted to ask you guys, what's your guys's band name and your members and each of your guys's roles?"
Jeffery: We are Part II and the Electric Boogaloos. I am Jeffrey Gill, I play lead guitar and vocals.
Ben: I'm Ben I play bass and occasionally drums and backup vocals.
Cameron: Hi, I'm Cameron. I am mainly the drummer, but I also play guitar vocals and bass sometimes.
Diego: Cool. So, where are you guys from and where do you guys draw your inspiration from?
Jeffery: We are from Las Vegas, Nevada. And I take inspiration from many people, specifically Frank Zappa.
Ben: I think my biggest inspiration, as a bassist would be Mike Kerr, Royal Blood. Overall, Tim Armstrong from Operation Ivy and Rancid.
Cameron: As a drummer, I'd have to say my biggest influence is Buddy Rich, the big band jazz drummer and then my overall I'd have to say my biggest influence is the metal-core band Of Mice and Men.
Diego: For sure, pretty solid choices, guys. So as a collective, how long have you guys been playing together? Have you guys been a part of the underground scene?
Jeffery: We've been playing for just about a year, a little bit over.
Ben: I mean really it's hard to get shows in Vegas, because it's such an 18 and up city. So in that aspect, it's really just a terrible place to be as a kid but it's a really supportive scene overall. There are a lot of up and coming artists out there and that's really fun.
Cameron: Yeah, like Jeffrey said, we've been together over a year. And honestly, we couldn't be happier to be a part of a such a supportive scene that has people all the way over here in Sacramento, asking us to play shows for them. And it just goes to show that punk as a genre is definitely not dead, and that it's very much alive. And it's so supportive. And we couldn't ask for a better scene to be a part of.
Diego: Hell yeah, pretty solid, guys. And how did you guys like the venue today?
Jeffery: The venue was very cool. It was very big, which is definitely different from what we're used to be playing, which is garages.
Ben: Venue's awesome. I mean, this is the first show we played where people had to buy tickets for it, all the other ones we play for free, and mostly outdoors. So this is just awesome.
Cameron: Yeah, like what Ben said, our first two shows were Instagram lives from our garages so it was just more for fun. Then we also played at a local amphitheater back in Las Vegas. But um, yeah, this is our first indoor show and it's way better than what we could have ever expected. We'd like to thank Blue Goose for allowing us to play here. It's beautiful.
Jorge: Alright, I have some questions for you guys as well. What are some of the challenges you guys have faced setting up your own shows this year, surrounding COVID and the pandemic?
Jeffery: A big challenge was finding, you know, actual venues because most the time you have to pay a very large amount if you want to play anywhere.
Jorge: Have you guys like ran into any venues that are like, wanting you to wear masks or wanting the crowd to wear masks has already been like any challenges like that and the Nevada scene at all?
Cameron: Well, in Nevada, like Jeffrey said, we don't really have the money to pay for a venue in Las Vegas because it's expensive. So we don't really have to wear masks because most of them are outdoors. We actually took this time during the quarantine to actually focus more on the music and being able to play well together. So that's why we're kind of blessed to be at the start our band in the middle of a pandemic.
Jorge: That's great to hear! How has the DIY underground scene impacted your music specifically?
Ben: Well, I mean, it gives you a lot of freedom because if you go into a studio, obviously, it's a little harder to get that exact sound you want. I'm the audio engineer for all our music, but obviously I'm not amazing, yet I can get it done to an extent. DIY scenes give you a lot more creativity and you can really do more of what you want with that kind of say.
You have a lot more creative control than you would if you were to get into studios. Jorge: All right! What would you guys like others to know about this scene and your specific role in it.
Jeffery: Don't expect a certain genre, just be prepared for whatever we have.
Ben: Yeah, Las Vegas has a tendency to be a very eclectic combination of musicians, we got a bunch of indie bands, a bunch of punk bands, we got metal bands. And really it's so supportive because they all play shows together. It doesn't matter what genre you do you support your other bands.
Jorge: Awesome! If you guys had a message for others who are looking to start setting up their own DIY scene and events, what would it be?
Cameron: I'd say the first thing is don't go into shows right away. Because yeah, shows may be fun but if you don't play well, then it's not not worth it. What you have to be able to do is to be able to play well, especially with the people in the band. I'm lucky to have these guys because they put their nose to the grindstone and actually work hard to learn their instruments, the songs and also be reasonable. Like don't expect like 1000 people to show up to your show for the first time. You're still doing a show, like that's what it's all about. It's mainly about the music, not the showmanship. So yeah my biggest message to them is just learn your music, learn how to play your instrument well, and learn how to play with others and deal with other people.
Jorge: Alright, and last but not least, what are some of your guys's plans for the future with underground DIY shows? Do you guys plan on partaking in a lot more maybe around the Sacramento area, if they end up coming your guys's way again, or are you guys looking to maybe try and start your own scene in the Las Vegas area?
Jeffery: We would love to play more shows in the Sacramento area. Just gotta make sure it's not on a school night.
Ben: Yeah, there's actually a fairly good scene in Las Vegas. It's just not for kids. It's 18 and older, no matter where you go. But we'd love to come back out to Sacramento. It's a long drive, but this is well worth it.
Cameron: Yeah, like I said before, Sacramento has such a supportive scene here. What we expect for the future is honestly, whatever, wherever it takes us, we don't try to plan too far into the future because well, shit happens and, you know, make plans but don't fall in love with them because something like the butterfly effect, something small can happen, it can change your entire future. So we try not to expect too much, but we try to go one step at a time. And as far as it goes for building our own scene in Las Vegas. It's on. Just continue making and playing music. And hopefully people say hey, those Part II guys aren't too bad, you know? But yeah, we'd love to come to Sacramento again. We'd love to just grow as people and grow as musicians and just grow as a band in general.
Jorge: Is there anything you guys would like anybody to check out specifically? And where can they find you guys?
Cameron: We just had a single drop called "Martha Stewart's Prison Shank". You can find it pretty much anywhere. We were even played on a Pakistani radio, that's our one claim to fame. We got on Pakistani streaming services, so you can literally find us anywhere. Just look us up at part two and the electric boogaloos the two is Roman numerals, so it's two I's. You can't find us China, were banned in China. Yeah, we're not allowed to be played in China. Thanks Mao Zedong.
Um, yeah, just follow follow us on Instagram, Part ii.eb on Instagram. You can also find us on Tiktok, I know gross, Partii.lv on tik tok. Yeah, just stream any of our songs. It doesn't matter which song as long as you give us a listen. You don't have to like it. Just listen to it. See if you like it, please continue to listen to it. If not, that's fine. I'm glad you gave us a shot. Thank you.
The buzz can be felt around these guys from miles away, and Sacramento can't wait to welcome them back with open arms. Be sure to check in with Part II and the Electric Boogaloos for more of their unique and diverse perspective.
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Photo by: @d2r98
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