Orlando, Florida’s 5-piece progressive post-hardcore outfit I Met A Yeti, has made waves in the genre with their EP titled Camp Yeti, a 5 track venture into the concepts of identity, relationships, and internal conflict.

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

Daisy Chamberlin – Vocals (+ occasional keyboards)

Lui Wancel – Bass Guitar

Devin Russ - Drums

Tony Gonzalez – Guitar

Rickie Rodriguez - Guitar

For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to I Met A Yeti? How long has the band been around?

My (Daisy) first venture into this style of music was in 2016 with my friend Mag.lo. We started up a small project called Momoji, put out a single, and then ran into a ton of scheduling/member issues. Lui asked me to join Yeti shortly after. Knowing Momoji was fading out, I took him up. Tony and I joined IMAY in 2016 and solidified the original lineup. 

We put out our debut EP in December 2016 titled “…I Can Still See You”. After the first EP, we went through some lineup changes, adding Rickie and parting with our original guitarist and harsh vocalist. We had known Rickie for a while because of their previous band, Nundayo. 

In 2019 Tony put out an EP with the Indie Rock band, Tidepools. Our current drummer Devin played drums for them live at the time. Shortly after, in October, we released EP 2, “Camp Yeti,” and began touring on it. Devin joined for our first west coast tour and has been with us since. Alongside being in IMAY, Devin is in a band called Deadweather.

Daisy – Momoji

Devin – Deadweather + Tidepools

Tony – Tidepools

Rickie – Nundayo + Fortuneswan

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

Our original harsh vocalist named the band, and it stuck around from the beginning. He pulled inspiration from a We are the Calvary (later known as I Set My Friends On Fire) song title, “I Met the Prettiest Yeti at the Shitiest Getti.”

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?

Our songwriting has become more and more collaborative with each album. In 2016, I (Daisy) joined the band with "…I Can Still See You" almost entirely written. Our original guitar Freddy (now of Magnolia Park), wrote that one almost entirely, including 90% of the lyrics. After he left, Tony wrote similarly for "Camp Yeti", writing out the structures first then bringing the songs to the band. We would iron them out through rehearsals in our original drummer's practice space. 

"Camp Yeti" was our first release where I wrote all of my own vocal parts. That EP's themes were inspired a bit by a quote from Adventure Time "That's right. M.M.S. Runs through all magic users. I hung out with scores of them, all displaying varying degrees of magic... madness... and sadness." The idea of this cynical balance really spoke to me. It felt like I could compartmentalize my recent experiences (at the time of writing) into those three categories. If I was cynical about them, I could perceive them as more chaos and trauma than relief or happiness. 

Since Camp Yeti, my writing process has evolved. I write many more things on real paper now and tend to watch David Lynch movies to intentionally stress myself out before writing. The new music has a lot of metaphors driving it, so I'm curious how quickly people will pick up on the intended meanings of the songs. On our 2019 single "Blue-Eyes White Yeti" I touched on fluidity of identity and struggling to reach self-actualization. Our most recent single, "Opulence," is a more cynical perspective on that, focusing on shame routed in identity. 

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

Tony: While writing guitars on the upcoming EP, I was heavily inspired by the album “No Place” by A Lot Like Birds, along with the soundtracks of Dragon Quest 11 and Final Fantasy 7. My core influences as a writer are the bands Teen Suicide, Pierce the Veil, and The Fall of Troy.

Daisy: Vocally I have been inspired by Andy Cizek (Makari), Tony Gregory (Space Weather), and Trevor Clark (What Haunts You) directly on this upcoming EP. I think the absurd amount of hours I have spent listening to the bands PM Today, Household, and A Lot Like Birds have shaped my writing and vocal style. 

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

Daisy: When I was in high school, the band HRVRD (Equal Vision Records) came to play at a local venue. I actually missed their set because of a curfew, haha, but I bought their CD. I played that album to death and started making music with some friends I met at local shows who also listened to HRVRD.

Tony: Nirvana, which is also the band that made me want to play guitar.

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

Daisy: I do about twenty to thirty minutes of vocal warmups before singing. I drink throat coat tea all the time, stay hydrated always, and if my voice feels a little weird, I’ll drink pineapple juice.  

Tony: I often stress out about the parts that I've messed up at previous shows. Sometimes I'll sit in the van and play them over and over again.

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

Daisy: I really love touring despite all the hassles of being on the road. There is just nothing like driving through the country and playing shows every night. Our tour in January 2020 was the longest stretch we have done, plus we got to support our good friends in Adventurer. 

Tony: Same here. The tour in January was a big highlight. Also, all the listenership and support we have received since the release of “Camp Yeti.” The release date for “Opulence” was our most-streamed date yet, and the sense of progression that gives us is very validating.

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

Daisy: My dream artists to tour with are Andrés, Happy Hour, and Adventurer. We’ve talked with all of them, so hopefully we will have the opportunity in 2022. 

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Please check out our new single “Opulence” off of the upcoming EP.

Listen here: https://withkoji.com/@imetayeti