“It all related to music. We weren’t like a family band, but there was always access to music,” says Samantha Ronson, multi-instrumentalist, seasoned DJ, and member of Los Angeles-based electro-pop trio Ocean Park Standoff, of her upbringing with her famous musical family members. “I didn’t even really start playing until I was older. My stepfather was on the road a lot, and my brother Mark was the one who kind of made music his thing, so I thought I had to make something different my thing.”
“I started DJ’ing and it took off; it was something I could do by myself. I’d always been a gear nerd, I loved old synths and old drum machines, anything that was hard to get. I’m obsessed with things I can’t have in life in general,” she says with a laugh. One day, Ronson’s manager set up a session for her to work with self-taught producer Pete Nappi. “We got along so well and we really bonded musically,” she recalls. “We kept getting together to work; he suggested we bring in Ethan [Thompson], who he knew from school. We started meeting and working on things for other people, and I thought, ‘Why don’t we make our own band?’, kind of half-seriously, but then it became a reality.” With the addition of the Thompson, a golden-voiced and classically-trained vocalist who has penned hits for major artists and performed at singer/songwriter hotspots around Los Angeles, the three became Ocean Park Standoff, makers of anthemic, upbeat, beat-heavy electro-pop.
“It’s a very collaborative effort, the songwriting is generally Ethan and me, and Pete handles most of the production. It’s a group effort in crafting the sound and the sonic palette, but Pete fields all our insane ideas and makes everything sound good. Ethan and I will take turns and lay down a bunch of shit, and Pete will filter through it,” laughs Ronson. “It’s a mix of all of our influences; Ethan’s more into the singer/songwriter vibe, my years of DJ’ing has exposed me to so many kinds of music. We don’t have a fear of any genre, or worry about what it’s supposed to be. It’s a free-for-all.”
That free-for-all has resulted in the release of two remarkable singles via Hollywood Records, the trance-like “Photos & Liquor,” and the infectious and timely “Good News.” The three, who have an EP release on the horizon, are a match made in pop heaven, a fact which has earned the band a spot on upcoming and extensive tours with LOLO, Silversun Pickups, and Third Eye Blind. “Obviously we’re excited to go to Nashville, It’s such a musical town. I’ve been to most cities as a DJ, but I don’t think I’ve ever DJ’ed there,” says Ronson of their February 7th show at 12th & Porter in the Music City. “When you come to our show, you’ll get to hear the songs, we’ll let it be a surprise,” she teases about the band’s unreleased music. “Come to our show and find out! It’s going to be really good. We’re so excited to get out there and play our songs for people. It’s so surreal, you sit in the studio for all those hours and work on these songs,” she adds. “I can’t wait to see how people respond.”
For show information and tickets: http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=7079765
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