Artist Spotlight is a segment that we started to introduce our listeners to some deserving up and coming artists/ bands. They have made an impact on us for all of the right reasons. We think they kick-ass and we hope you do too! Today, we’d like to shine the spotlight on Bluedive!
Emo, Pop-Punk newcomers Bluedive came together in mid-2020 amid the Covid-19 Pandemic. It began with three teens who found themselves stuck at home with time on their hands and looking for a way to channel their boredom into creativity. Based in Santa Clarita, California, the band delivers energetic pop-punk while straddling alternative indie rock with an emo edge. They have self-produced and self-released one EP and two single songs that have already garnered airplay on Little Steven’s Underground Garage & “Coolest Songs in The World” on SiriusXM and The New Music Food Truck and played sold out rooms at LA’s venue The Smell and Santa Clarita’s Impulse Music’s Stage Door.
Bluedive is – 17-year-old Aidan Dixon (vocals, guitar), 17-year-old Riff Gordon (drums), and 18-year-old Sebastian Landa (bass). They introduced their debut Bittersweet EP in the summer of 2021 with the “F-you” anthem “2020” where galloping guitars and a bombastic drum groove underscore a hummable gang vocal hook. Meanwhile, “Hurt Me” seesaws between hard-hitting riffs and hypnotic melodies. “So basically, writing “2020” was like letting out a bunch of repressed frustration about the whole Covid thing, which is completely different from “Hurt Me” which I wrote a year before Covid. It is kind of like my take on the 2000s emo scene,” explains singer/guitarist Aidan Dixon.
On the other end of the spectrum, “Andie” moves like a sunny and upbeat bop but cuts deeper. They end the short but sweet song set with the acoustic ballad “Peaches & Cream.” “Andie” is a tough song for me sometimes, partly because it’s my oldest, so I feel like it doesn’t match me now. Peaches & Cream” is an Indie-Pop ballad, not our usual sound, but I am proud of how catchy the song is,” says Aidan.
Bluedive kicked off 2022 with their bittersweet brand of emo-punk-rock and their song “Rejection” followed by the recently released harder-edged & “Kario Mart.” “Rejection” delivers winding guitar leads and heartfelt vocals with a doo-wop vibe that blends perfectly with the pounding drums and intricate bass work. It’s honest and relatable music that is both catchy and emotional. “Rejection is about moving on. I wrote it about moving on from someone, but the main idea is self-growth and change for the better,” Aidan explains. Kario Mart is proof that pop punk has been getting people through their teenage angst since the 1990s and continues to do so with upbeat pounding drums, blaring guitars and moody vocals. “Kario Mart is about a lifestyle. As a teen, you realize you only have so much time until you’re an adult working a soul- sucking corporate job, so you gotta live it up and have fun while you can. Hence the anagram for one of our favorite childhood games,” says Aidan.
When asked about how Bluedive formed Riff explains, “Sebastian and I originally played together in our high school jazz band. When we were on the Covid lockdown and doing school remotely from home, he reached out and asked if I wanted to get together and jam with him and Aidan. I was happy to have a musical outlet after months of stay-at-home orders. Once things started to open up again, we played our first official show at a local music shop called Impulse Music, since then we have played loads of parties and a capacity show at LA’s The Smell”. Sebastian adds, “Getting into the local scene and playing shows has been so much fun for us as a band. We have met and played with a very supportive group of artists, and we are so grateful for the way they have embraced and welcomed us.”
Bluedive’s songs are filled with banging rhythms, intense riffs, catchy choruses, and lyrics that will tug at your heart but are also fun and upbeat. Nodding to influences such as Mom Jeans, and bands that formed before they were even born, like Nirvana, Green Day, The Cure, and The Smiths. Bluedive is three young musicians with a desire to have fun and unite people through powerful, pop-infused rock & roll. Look for more new music coming throughout 2022.
Below is a fun Q&A that we had with the band!
Every superhero and villain have an origin and a band is not different. Well, minus the radioactive spiders and secret government experiment. What’s the origin of Bluedive?
Aidan – Bluedive started when Sebastian, Riff, and I found ourselves bored out of our minds mid pandemic and itching for a way to express our creativity.
Sebastian – The villain origin of Bluedive started when I got into college for music. I had to rethink my entire life because I didn’t like it, but instead I luckily met Aidan and I was able to convince Riff to start a band with us.
Riff – Our band was born out of teen angst in the middle of 2020 amid the first global pandemic in 100 years. Bluedive was our kryptonite for social distancing.
What’s in a name? Sometimes a band’s name has a story behind it; sometimes it’s something that sounded cool. What about Bluedive?
Aidan – The song “Dive” by Nirvana was the inspiration for our band name, and something about the “Blue” just sounded right.
Sebastian – I liked the song “Dive” as well, the way Kurt screams “Dive” in the chorus is bone chilling. However, I like to think that ‘Bluedive’ can be whatever mental or emotional zone you dive into when you listen to music.
Riff – When things are dark, we find a way to dive into something positive, that’s a Bluedive.
Some artists cite when they heard a specific album or saw a band live as when they knew music was going to be their life. When were you bitten by the music bug?
Aidan – The first time I listened to Nirvana, was when I knew I wanted to make rock music. I remember discovering their music in a parking lot by Lake Tahoe, and I was beyond captivated.
Sebastian – I started pretty young around 6 years old. The first thing that captivated me was Flea in the early albums of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Primus. It wasn’t until 2020 though when I fell deep into the obsession of music and that’s all thanks to Alice in Chains, specifically Layne Staley.
Riff – I started going to see bands live with my mom when I was in grade school, and she would play music in the car and quiz me on who the band was since kindergarten. My name is Riff Marley after the Ramones and Bob Marley and The Dollyrots gave me my first percussion set for my first birthday, so music was just an always for me.
We’ve lost quite too many music icons over the last few years. If you could pick one or two to jam with, who would you pick?
Aidan – Kurt Cobain, Prince, Jeff Buckley
Sebastian – Layne Staley, Jimi Hendrix, Joey Jordison
Riff – Kurt Cobain, John Bonham, Taylor Hawkins, Joey Ramone
You’re booking a tour that you’re on & you can bring along any four bands (even if they are no longer with us or just broken up). Who would you choose?
Aidan – Nirvana, Blink 182, The Smiths, Radiohead
Sebastian – Alice in Chains, Limp Bizkit, Rage Against the Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers
Riff – Nirvana, Green Day, Mom Jeans and Foo Fighters
If your music were a burrito, what would be in it?
Aidan – A lot of meat and potatoes
Sebastian – What Aidan and Riff said plus some lime
Riff – Secret Sauce and extra cheese
Who was your favorite cartoon character as a kid?
Aidan – Mordecai from Regular Show
Sebastian – Spongebob and Patrick easy
Riff – I think for obvious reasons it’s a three-way tie between Batman, Speed Racer, and Lightening McQueen.
Follow Bluedive Online:
IG – https://www.instagram.com/bluediveband/
Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/artist/6fF4KRb3B1EfhFm3casXRi?si=20PUjC4EQCWUjOHTjjnLUA
