“We’re all in our early 30s. I can’t look away from this stuff going on.”
Keyboardist-vocalist Kelcey Ayer has been with L.A. indie rockers Local Natives for almost a decade now. He’s gone from wide-eyed college kid to a guy in his third decade searching for ways to push Local Natives forward as they roll out their third studio album. For one, they got political, playing a benefit concert for Bernie Sanders on the campaign trail this summer.
“That was a big decision on this record, in this stage of our careers,” Ayer says. “Are we going to be involved or not? It dawned on us that we have a megaphone people don’t have so we might as well use it for something we believe in. Bernie was a long shot, but we were all huge supporters and fans and it meant a lot to play that show.”
Now that Hillary Clinton is the nominee, how do he and drummer Matt Frazier feel about the Democrats’ choice? They stopped by Billboard’s New York office to discuss that and a whole lot more on the latest Alt In Our Stars podcast.
Past Episodes: Shamir | Mitski | Courtney Barnett | Pup | 2016 Music Festivals | Peter Bjorn and John | BØRNS | CHVRCHES | The Strumbellas
Sunlit Youth is due Sept. 9 on Loma Vista Records, and Ayer and Frazier shook up the Local Natives formula — sometimes eschewing guitars altogether — on the new record. From festivals to soundtracking films, they’ve found a lot to keep them motivated as they push from buzz band to established act.
To keep up with the podcast (a new episode comes out every Friday) and to stream old episodes, subscribe to The Alt In Our Stars podcast on iTunes. Let us know what you think on Twitter (@cpayneonaplane) and by rating the podcast on iTunes.