The Last Ambassadors - 4/30 @ Grant & Green

jake.brill ~ guitar, vocals

phil.garcia ~ bass, vocals

will.mccosker ~ drums, vocals

steve.flusberg ~ guitar, vocals


LittleBook: Why did you start a band??
PG: For the love of music.
JB: I was in a few bands in college, and I always found that I was most content when I had a musical outlet. When I settled in the Bay a few yrs ago, I knew that I wanted to start a band so that I could be creating music again.

LB: How did you find each other??
PG: Steve and Jake are old time friends from Boston. They hooked up with Will out here in SF when they decided to start a band. Eventually they found me off of Craigslist and things clicked.

LB: What's your most memorable moment as a band??
PG: One of our more recent shows was at the Black Cat up in Penngrove. We had a few random crazy things happen that night. That's all I have the liberty to say though.
JB: To me it was when we recorded our EP last summer. We spent an entire weekend at our ranch recording songs and spending more time together than we had ever done previously. I think we emerged from that weekend with a much clearer vision of where we wanted to go collectively.

LB: Favorite pre / post show; food, indulgence or ritual??
PG: We definitely have pre-show rituals/indulgences but I am not sure if all of the are legal... I guess we are rebels. Haha.
JB: Before every set, we meet up to discuss the setlist and highlight any areas that need focus. It helps us concentrate and get int he right mindset before we take stage.

LB: What do you drink at practice??
PG:Some of us do but not all of us. No one ever gets wasted though except our sound guy. (He likes to drink... a lot).
JB: Yea we're relatively benign when it comes to drinking. Though I guess if we were to narrow it down, our drinks of choice would be Heineken, Red Bull, Red Stripe, and Dr. Pepper.
PG: That said, if you ever want to buy me a beer, buy me a Pale or IPA. Lagunitas is always good.

LB: What's the hardest thing about being a Band in the bay Area??
PG:Getting word out about the band and playing in parts of the bay area we are not from. We play in SF and there will be 200 people at a show and then a night later we play somewhere like Concord and barely anyone is there. It's just a matter of time and getting out there though. We are confident that things will come around as long as we stick to making good music.
JB: Also finding other bands that are good matches for shows. there are a lot of bands with phenomenal musicians and genuinely awesome members, but that doesn't mean that their music is a good match with ours (and vice versa) in a live setting.


LB: What do you want people to know about your band, what are you doing next??
PG: We are recording a full length record this summer. We've been writing a lot of new songs that we are really excited about. The toughest thing will probably be choosing which songs make it on this record. We've been writing constantly.
JB: Also, we're about to embark on our first SoCal tour, so we're looking forward to playing our 1st shows in a new area.

LB: What's up with your CD where can I get it, where did you record it??
PG: For now we just have our EP out which is entitled "Slaves To Time". You can buy it at our shows or off of Amazon and iTunes. I highly encourage you to check it out!

LB: Favorite Local Band or a memorable show??
TLA: We have played quite a few shows with Interstellar Grains and they are cool guys. We played with Gun and Doll Show as well and look forward to playing with them again in the near future.

LB: Favorite venue to Play??
PG: Mojito. They treat us well.
JB: We also have had a great time playing at 111 Minna. That was the location of our CD Release.

LB: What do you like about Grant & Green, have you played there before?
PG: I like that it is small and intimate. Plus it's free so hopefully it will encourage people who have never got to see us before to come check us out.

LB: Do any of the members ever take their shirts off at a show or at practice??
PG: Thank God no. But Will has come close to taking off his pants during shows.
JB: Yea that's prob me. I tend to dance and jump around a lot during shows, so I end up a sweaty mess by the end.

LB: Who's the smelliest member after a sweaty gig??
PG: Jake? hahaha.
JB: Yea that's prob me. I tend to dance and jump around a lot during shows, so I end up a sweaty mess by the end.

LB: Where do you think live music is heading??
PG: There are some great bands out there so it is in good shape. DJ's are stil really popular but I think if you put up a really good band up against one of the world's best dj's the band would prevail. Live music has an energy that no other format can out do.
JB: Agreed, though I think there is a lot of room for electronic/live mixing in at a show. Daft Punk, for example, is one of the best shows I've ever seen.


LB: How do you feel about people downloading your songs for free , do you offer free downloads??
PG: If people download our music for free and dig us and start coming to shows because of it then it is absolutely great. Right now we just want to spread the word about The Last Ambassadors and get as many people out to shows as possible. Yes, we occasionally put some free downloads up on our site.
JB: In this age, it's pretty naive to think that people won't be trying to get your music for free. Like Phil said, the very fact that people are listening to the music is the most important thing.