Photo Credit: Allison Kawecki
Play The Ace is an all female pop-punk band hailing from Dallas, TX. Today, the girls released their EP All My Friends Are Ghosts . This is a group of fun, young girls making catchy tunes about their experiences in their lives as teenagers in a way that can transcend age barriers, making a positive experience for a vast array of listeners. Play The Ace well known for their YouTube covers of hundreds of popular songs and are starting to get something good going for themselves! Below, we caught up with them for our Unsigned Spotlight segment to showcase their talents. Check out what they had to say!
Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.
Iris Chang - (vocals / guitar / confused teen)
Molly Lammes - (bass / mom friend)
Dena Asaad - (drums / backup vocals / chicken fanatic)
For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to Play The Ace? How long has the band been around?
None of us have been in any bands prior to this one. We started jamming out together in 2015 just for fun. This evolved into posting covers online here and there. When these covers started getting more popular, we decided to get more serious with the band until it became what it is now.
What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?
The origin of our band name is a little fuzzy, but honestly, we think it came from a Taylor Swift song somewhere (please revoke our Cool Pop Punk Band™ card). Before that, we were called Saving April, but some other band in the area was already called that, so we made a name change.
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?
Mostly Iris and Dena. Molly tries from time to time. We usually write about experiences that we face in our personal lives or in music. For example, some of our songs include topics such as broken friendships, unkept promises, and/or unfulfilled dreams. The topics we write about are pretty universal, so we don’t think the topics themselves will change that much, but the way we execute them will probably get more mature as we get older. Right now, some of our lyrics are kind of petty and teenage angst-y.
What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?
We really love bands such as All Time Low, State Champs, Neck Deep, Brand New, and so many more that it would just be impossible to list them all.
Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?
All Time Low. We were all really into their music at the time (and still are). Fun fact: our first official band practice was on the same day of the Future Hearts release, so kudos to them.
What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, etc …
We show up at Dena’s house, cry in a corner, sing really loudly in the car, annoy Dena’s parents, and cry some more. All joking aside, we always run through the songs and mark our movements in the car as a last minute practice just to calm down any pre-show nerves.
What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?
Recording this EP was definitely a highlight for us. We used a studio for the first time, and we got to use professional equipment that we’ve never been able to use before. Also, just being able to sit in a dark room, hang out with each other, and do what we love for 9 hours a day was just straight up fun.
If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?
State Champs for sure. They put on a killer live set, and being around that environment every night would be so sick.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Shameless self promo: check out our new EP “All My Friends Are Ghosts” at playtheace.bandcamp.com! Also, support your local music!!
Check out "You Took My Life (So I Took Your Identity)" below!