Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.

Sean Wouters - Guitar/Lead Vocals

Nico Espinosa - Drums/Vocals

For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to Deaf Poets? How long has the band been around?

Nico-Sean and I have been playing music together since we were 13 years old. We had many projects throughout high school, We had a band called Seed, which lasted about 2 years. We played 60s-70s rock and roll. A lot of Cream and Led Zeppelin  Last band we played together before Deaf Poets was The Bront. We were together for about a year and a half.  We were a five piece and we experimented a lot with our sound. Anywhere from At the Drive-in to The Band. 

What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?

Nico-We used to work at Urban Outfitters together and just spent a lot of hours folding t-shirts. One of them happened to be a "Dead Poets Society". We didn't like how Dead Poets sounded, so Deaf Poets was the second option. 

Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time?

Nico - We write the songs 50/50. Everything goes through the rewriting process if one of us brings an idea in.  Mostly write about personal experiences and things going on around us, this way we keep the topics relevant and changing.  

What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?

Nico - We've gone back and revisited the artist that got us into music to begin with. For example, Nirvana, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Little Richard. Also love The Black Angels, BRMC, Kendric Lamar and Run the Jewels

Sean - bands that I am currently really into besides the classics would have to be Pond, Kurt Vile, Unknown mortal Orchestra, and recently started listening to Goat. 

Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?

Nico - My father was a musician so I grew up with the interest of playing and I always gravitated towards drums. I would play on every pot and pan possible, annoying my family at all times of the day. I got my first drum set when I got to the States and never stopped from there.

Sean - When I was practically in diapers my dad would play Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan and random disco hits by the Bee Gees on repeat. Coincidentally Berry Gibb had a son named Travis who attended the same school as me and where my older brother and him became close friends. Berry Gibb and my parents would carpool bringing us to school. I was only 6 years old at that time but I remember sitting in the back of his car listening to him play rock hits on the radio. He was a pop star but in my eyes he was a rock star with long hair, always wearing sunglasses and driving me to school in his fancy tinted car. I'd walk around his house often after school and there would be guitars, and gold records hanging everywhere. I started listening to Led Zeppelin and Rolling Stones in the 4th grade where Jimmy Page and Keith Richards Became my real Rock n Roll heroes. I remember watching a documentary on the Rolling Stones and Chuck Berry so happen to be one of their biggest inspirations. I still love their cover of "around and around". It's always on my playlist and I can remember jamming to it with a CD player before I picked up a guitar. 

What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, ect …

Nico - I move way to much for my own good while drumming (which is something I can't help), therefore stretching and warming up is a must for me. 

What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?

Nico - The one that takes the price for me is having our song "Degenerate Mind" in Tony Hawk Pro Skater 5. I grew up playing those games and to hear your song in there was something I used to dream about. 

If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?

Nico - Current bands I would love to tour with would be BRMC and Eagles of Death Metal. Our music would be a great fit with them and it's probably an incredible time