Despite nodding to a diverse spectrum of influences, young quartet Side Montero are acutely aware of their identity. The spine is rooted in rock, with both the driving urgency of alternative and the fuzzy allure of indie ebbing into the soundscape.

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

Jaren Robledo - Lead Gtr.

Levi Maes - Drums

Ben Work - Bass

Aaron Lee - Lead Vocals/Rhythm Gtr.

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

Jaren, Levi, and Aaron have been playing together since the 3rd grade. We picked up Ben in high school. After a handful of shows and rehearsals, we took a 2 year hiatus for college; but eventually continued performing and recording under the new moniker, Side Montero.

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

We performed under a different band name in high school (too cringey to reveal) and switched to our current name after a night of several hasty decisions. We found ourselves late night drifting Levi’s Mitsubishi Montero at our local high school hangout; each taking turns taking turns, and eventually overcorrecting ourselves one and a half times.

With the passenger side door upright and windshield wipers in full swing, we climbed out lucky to be alive, but aware of the forthcoming punishment. We spent that summer working off the Montero and reflecting on the incident.

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?

Jaren and Aaron are the primary songwriters, with Ben and Levi adding and refining the tracks. We each use our own individual music tastes and inspirations to create a sound that we can’t really put our finger on.

Our music covers themes of navigating adolescence and the Indigenous experience. As with any artist, we believe that our sound will change along with the new perspectives that life will inevitably bring.

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

Binki, Quarters of Change, Peach Pit, Queens of the Stone Age, Last Dinosaurs, Wallows Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band? I like to credit the Guitar Hero and Rock Band video game franchises to have expanded our musical vocabulary to the point where we just had to write our own music.

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

Pre-show huddle to go over what we worked on in rehearsal…. and a couple pints.

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

Our 2022 summer West Coast Tour. We learned a lot about the life of a touring band and realized how bad we want it, our new single “SandBox” is an homage to that.

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

Dominic Fike, Peach Pit, Arctic Monkeys, Led Zeppelin because they’re all they’re all guitar based “Rockstar” bands.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Our new single “SandBox” is out now. We hope you enjoy it!

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