I had the chance to sit down with one of my long-time favorite bands, Hippie Sabotage, at the Showbox SoDo on Friday the 9th to talk to them about their music, their passions and their tour. I did my best to keep my cool in front of these Sacramento natives, had some good laughs, and gained a newfound respect for these two brothers that make music together.
Image courtesy of the bands Instagram
Bridget Benevides: What inspires you to make music?
Jeff Saurer: We were first originally inspired by skateboarding. We skateboarded and used to make our own videos as kids; we used to love the beats in the back of skate videos, we used to want to make our own music for our videos than it led to use tinkering, especially Kev on the computer, then I started taking guitar lessons as a kid and we got hooked on it. We are really addictive with things we do, with skateboarding to now music, we’ve just been doing it every day since we were kids.
BB: How old were you when you started making music?
JS: I was 12.
Kevin Saurer: I was 14 and a half.
BB: Did you ever see yourself selling out big venues like this?
JS: Oh no, 100% no. We started as just making music for fun, then we thought we wanted to be producers for singers and rappers, then we started posting our own beats online and it just led to this where people wanted to see us…
KS: This massive craziness that it has evolved into… We never expected it but we’re crazy thankful that it worked out this way, we couldn’t have planned it any better.
BB: What about your music do you think fans respond so well to?
KS: We make beats all the time that we don’t necessarily put out, we make beats off of our different moods that were in, and as time passes it becomes more and more noticeable that people respond directly to the emotions and feelings that we’re putting into the beat, whether it’s a happy mood or a sad mood, or anything in between. I think people really respond to the emotional catharsis that we put into our music because I think it works the same for them too.
BB: What is the best part about being on tour?
JS: Seeing the fans, meeting them in person. The internet only goes so far.
KS: Every time we do a show it is a reminder that people listen to us every day and it just gives us that much more energy to focus on putting out new music and working on new ideas, because it makes us aware of the people that are in front of us.
BB: If you could describe the feeling of being on stage in front of hundreds of fans, how would you describe it?
JS: It feels like you’re giving a class presentation. I still get nervous, we both get nervous, even when it’s sold out like tonight, we still get jitters.
KS: For me, it’s stronger than any drugs I’ve ever experienced. The rush that I get on the stage every night is very strong. It affects your brain very strongly.
JS: We’ve gone skydiving a couple of times and it feels close to that, it’s such an adrenaline rush.
KS: It’s even more than that!
BB: Do you have a favorite city to visit when you’re on tour? Whether it be for the energy of the crowd or the city itself?
KS: We love playing our hometown in Sacramento. We’re planning something special for them in the summer/fall time, something like a summer bonanza, but it really changes every tour. Personally, I love going to D.C. because we get to go to all the museums, we get to go to the reflection pool, see the Lincoln Memorial and the Jefferson Memorial. I’m a big history buff so it’s a good excuse to go see some cool stuff.
BB: What do you hope fans remember from your shows?
JS: To let loose, have fun, not think so much, put your phones down, and know that anything is possible.
KS: That we like Hippie Sabotage as much as they do. Probably more. HS is our dad’s initials, our grandfather’s initials. It’s our birthright and we take it very seriously, artistically and in our shows. I think, and hope, people see that in our shows. That’s why we play a longer show, but when we play longer, it gives our dedicated fans a reward for standing by us for so long.
BB: How did you come up with the name Hippie Sabotage?
JS: HS is our dad’s initials and our grandfather’s initials. We always wanted to start this group to help define to our generation what it means to be a “hippie” in this generation. Were all about peace n’ love.
KS: We think you should tune-in instead of drop-out, we think you should stay informed. What is means to be a hippie in the 21st century is that you are not passive, you are participatory in our society, and I hope that we can carry that message as far as it can possibly go. Because that is what we need most in my opinion: participation in our society. Hippie Sabotage means that: subversive action.
BB: How do you guys get ready for a show?
JS: Um… We just sit in silence.
KS: We have kind of a motley crew antics to get us ready. We say “crazy, crazy, crazy” to each other before we go on stage. Jeff walks on first every time, for good luck I guess.
JS: Everybody says we have a pretty boring green room. Because we save all the energy for the show.
KS: Crazy show, boring green room!
Image courtesy of Jake Bzowski
Before I left, Kevin said, “I’m excited for everyone to see the new visuals in the show. We put a lot of new beats in the show, a lot of new guitar, it’s a revival to the show we’ve been doing.” A few hours later when I got to experience Hippie Sabotage live, I was blown away.
The beats got progressively louder as their set continued, to the point where my whole body was vibrating with the music. They played my favorite song, “Your Soul”, which was such a thrill to experience live. The visuals were unique, and often times trippy, with lots of colors and kaleidoscope-like patterns.
Image courtesy of the band’s Instagram
Image courtesy of the band’s Instagram
They had fans join them on stage when they played “Stay High”, and seeing the pure joy radiating off their faces made me smile. The people watching opportunities at these concerts are always entertaining, and somehow, I ended up getting squished between some very aggressively dancy couples, but it’s all part of the experience.
Seeing the show after getting to meet the band was such a unique experience for me, and I am so happy that I got to lose myself in the music for a couple of hours. This day holds a special place in my heart. Thank you, Hippie Sabotage.
BRIDGET BENEVIDES | I hope they remember me | KXSU Music Reporter
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