Psychedelic Wasteland

Written and Photographed By Rick Perez

Reckless Magazine founder Rick Perez hung out with mosh makers The Dead Novas during a DIY show they played in Los Angeles. The band talked with Rick about their love for underground rock scene in the Inland Empire, opening up about the joys and difficulties of playing DIY shows, a scene with no judgement, and growing into the next step.

Los Angeles, USA

On an abnormally humid Saturday during the hottest weeks of 2022, I was on my way to a DIY show that was put on by Gravity Bookings. A band that I had been following was on the bill and were finally playing on a day that I had off so I had to see them live.

It was still daylight when I walked to the door of an unmarked white building on La Brea Avenue, a main street in central Los Angeles, California. Seeing a few posters hung on the outer white walls and people milled about on the sidewalk, I knew I was at the right place.

“I’m here for The Dead Novas,” I told the doorman.

“Oh ya, come right in,” he responded.

The venue was a narrow room with all black walls and had an outside area in the back, all very DIY and very much what I wanted that night. Some merch was being sold on one side of the room and beer boxers were stacked toward the back. I immediately regretted not grabbing alcohol before I came, since it was BYOB (Bring Your Own Booze). I didn’t know how much time I had before The Dead Novas played so I didn’t want to risk the expedition to find something to drink.

I stood out front to get some air and came across a guy who made a skateboard out of a guitar, which was wild to see. Everyone was taking turns riding it.

Just then, The Dead Novas pulled right up and began unloading all their gear. I followed them back inside and they set up all their gear and sound checked in a matter of minutes, seemingly having an organized system in place. This wasn’t their first rodeo.

Once they started their set, heavy psych rhythms began to fill the room, making everyone dance around, sweat dripping from all corners. I had only seen them through videos on Instagram, and the in-person experience was psych rock heaven. The Dead Novas were loud, lively, and put a huge smile on my face (sweat and all).

After an encore, everyone went outside for some air. I met Goethe, who drove from Humboldt in Northern California, and Bingo, who drove from the Inland Empire. Both were dedicated fans, having come to Los Angeles solely to see The Dead Novas for the weekend (they played in L.A. the night before as well). We talked about art and music and their fantastic weekend with The Dead Novas.

When the band finally loaded their gear back into their car, we went off to take photos and shoot the shit. Coming from an area called the Inland Empire in Southern California, The Dead Novas are a psych rock band made up of members Justus Vacchione, Miguel Martinez, and Jeremy Torres. They describe themselves as, “Your Friendly Neighborhood DIY Mosh Makers Making Music About Growing Up and Living In So Cal’s Bewitching Yet Psychedelic Wasteland.”

The band is very well known in the Inland Empire underground rock scene, having played countless backyard gigs and can be seen on flyers all over the area. I asked them more about the scene in the Inland Empire and how it influenced them as musicians.

“DIY shows are the most fun in our opinion,” they said, gleefully, ”The crowds are usually swelling and the kids are just there to get down. It’s where a lot of us started going to shows and where we really fell in love with music.”

The fun of playing DIY shows doesn’t come without its difficulties, however. “DIY shows definitely test you,” the band explains, “You gotta know how to use the generator (we usually need two) because there has to be enough power. Usually the PA situation is terrible so we just bring our own. You need to know how to do everything and work with a lot of technical difficulties”

These difficulties are all worth the trouble because of the community and freedom this music scene cultivates. “The underground really helped us get our start,” The Dead Novas continued, “We’ve met tons of awesome people who are able to express themselves with no judgement. It’s truly a special thing.”

The Dead Novas played their first show in 2020, a show they put on themselves. The band reflects back on their early days and how they have progressed since. “Our first shows were rough,” they said, laughing, “lots of vomiting and lots of beer. The nerves were real in the beginning but we definitely found the thrill in it and kept going. We got through our early days pretty smoothly. Not saying we still don’t make mistakes today but we are way more dialed in now and we barely get too nervous anymore. We know the drill.”

Their progress can also be found in their music, which can be heard in their latest EP, “Dysphoria”. A four song journey, “Dysphoria” is the perfect soundtrack to youthful rebellion and keeps true to the band’s DIY roots. “We're basically just sharpening our blades and really trying to dial in our sound as a band,” they explained. “We were going for a bigger tone and also attempting to get a lot of our live energy feeling into the recordings as much as possible. We also tried some new experiments with vocals that worked out pretty well. We hope to always keep evolving and push ourselves for the next step as a band. “

What is the next step for The Dead Novas? A bigger city and a bigger scene seems to be on the horizon. “We're moving to LA because it's where we are almost every other weekend,” the guys revealed. “We play shows there constantly and all of our favorite live venues are there. We’d save a lot of money and we all really like the city…wish us luck!”

With their dedication to their art and passion to put on a good show, I have no doubt that The Dead Novas will thrive in the Los Angeles rock scene. I look forward to seeing them at more shows around here, I’ll just remember to bring beer next time.