An Interview With The Houston Band, POLAROID SUMMER, On New Music, Biggest Inspirations and More!

Polaroid Summer is the combined talents of two well known Houston bands, Lost Element and VerseCity. Polaroid Summer is comprised of lead vocalist Micaicah Walker (formerly of VerseCity) and former Lost Element members drummer Brian Barrett, guitarist Trace Sisson, and bassist Kenneth Conlon. After years of touring, writing, and tirelessly supporting their previous projects, both bands decided it was time to for a fresh start.

With their brand new video for “Tides,” Polaroid Summer are hoping to further the conversation about substance abuse – an ever-growing problem that affects people of all ages, races and economic backgrounds. “Tides” cuts between shots of the band members and clips of young women with various animal masks covering their faces, wrestling their demons in moodily lit rooms and dark hallways. Nothing is held back in their portrayal of substance abuse, and while the clip shows a very stark reality, it’s also a reminder that no one has to struggle alone.

Walker says of the song: “TIDES is a song that represents the struggles of addiction, depression, anxiety and other trials that drastically affect our young community today more than ever. Although the track portrays struggles, it’s also a song about healing and how important it is to make a change for yourself. The chorus line ‘Tides turning for the inside’ portrays just that. Our hope is that this song will help others through their internal struggles making them aware that they not alone and to encourage them to open up and talk to someone.”

Polaroid Summer Online:

Website: www.polaroidsummer.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/PolaroidSummerband

Twitter: www.twitter.com/PolaroidSumBand

Instagram: www.instagram.com/PolaroidSummerBand

Learn more about Polaroid Summer in the following All Access interview:

(Questions Answered by Micaiah Walker)

 So what is one song that you are all loving right now?

A: I think we all love the new imagine Dragons song, “I’ll Make it Up To You”

 What is a song that you all disagree about loving right now?

A: “RockStar” by Post Malone…

How has 2018 been treating you all so far?

A: ”Been a great year so far, things have really been moving!

What is one musical goal that you have for this year?

A: We had a goal to double our Spotify Followers & Monthly Listeners as well as to release our first EP this year. We are only in March and our Spotify Monthly listeners have already tripled and still growing each day! We are still working toward the 1^st EP, which should be out this Summer (2018) but now we have bumped up the Spotify Monthly Listeners goal to 1k. Keep in mind, we started with 0 just a year ago so some stuff may seems small but you have to start somewhere! Ultimately we want to gain real relationships with real fans but those numbers are a good way to see that things are going in the right direction.

Can you recall the moment when you all thought you could be in a band together?

A: Yeah, late 2016, I (Micaiah Walker//Vocals) was part of a band called VerseCity that was sort of falling apart when Brain Barrett (Drummer) of a band called Lost Element hit me up about filling in for them as the vocalist for the last few dates of their tour because their singer had left. The timing was right for me to accept. Probably somewhere between the first rehearsal and first show I think we all knew it could turn into a real thing and when we talked about it we decided to start Fresh in 2017 under the name Polaroid Summer.

Was it hard to come up with a name that you all thought fit your sound and who you are? How did you pick this one?

A: YES! After we decided we wanted to start Fresh in October of 2016 it took us two months to decide on a name. We polled a lot of people on a bunch of names. And then after narrowing it down to two or three names, out of nowhere our guitarist Trace wanted to add a last minute addition to the final group of potential names… Polaroid Summer. I HATED it!! but thankfully I got out voted in the end because now I absolutely LOVE it. The word Polaroid gives a since of nostalgia and the word Summer gives off free flowing fun vibes.. The combination really fits us as people and our musical style. I don’t even want to tell you the dumb names I liked lol.

What has the growth been like for this band since first forming?

A: It’s been a year and I finally feel like all the reps are starting to pay off. Every member in Polaroid Summer has been in the industry for several years as we all started as teenagers, So with all our experience we’ve been able to make smart decision to expedite early growth and skip growing pains most new bands might face. Still the music is the most important part and getting our songs tight has been the hardest part because everything is new. But like I said, I feel like all the Reps are paying off and we are in a good place right now. Definitely ready for the next level.

How do you think being from your hometown has influenced this group and the kind of music that you create?

A: We love Houston. It’s our City. But ultimately I wouldn’t say it influences us much at all. We write/create for people everywhere. We definitely write about personal experiences most of which happened here but ultimately Houston is just the place we call home and the City that will have our back through these early days.

Can you tell me about the inspiration behind your newest single, “TIDES”?

A: ‘TIDES’ is about struggles of anxiety, addiction, depression, etc… Our Drummer (Brian Barrett) and Guitarist (Trace Sisson) sent me this new piece of music they had been working on and from the first time I heard it I felt a strong feeling of Self-conflict and I started writing immediately. For me personally its just dealing with the stress related pressure of trying to make it in a nearly impossible industry and feeling like I had gotten away from giving it my all. Getting a little older each year, being broke, and not just financially, my spirit was broken… that’s depressing. That’s where I was. Depressed. The band (VerseCity) which I had poured my teenage years & early twenties into was falling apart. I had this brand new opportunity with this new group of guys as we were starting Polaroid Summer (14 months ago). I knew if I was going to do this I had to “Get it back”.  I left the lyrics vague enough to be relatable to anyone’s struggles and the Video portrays a few things we fell like people struggle with the most in our society. We want this song to inspire inward change; just as writing it did for me.

How do you think that it is different or similar to anything else that you have released before?

A: It has an edgier and darker vibe than anything else we’ve released.

Generally speaking, how do you all go about putting songs together? Do you all take turns writing or do you really do it all together? 

A: We write mostly in-group sessions as a band and some including our producer Bryce Bordone. Typically we like to find a chord progression & beat that feels good and then the melodies start flowing over it, once I (we) get a general concept for a song then I (we) start pulling from personal experience or something I saw on a TV show to get down lyrics. I’ll never tell what exactly but I often write about stuff I see on some of the great TV Shows that everyone knows and watches.

Do you hope to put out a full album of new songs sometime this year?

A: YES, 8 song EP this Summer (2018).

Where can our readers see you perform next?  Do you have tour dates already lined for the year?

A: We have a few things lined-up but we are currently working on a bunch of dates that are not finalized yet so I would say just to follow us on Socials. We always post what we have coming up and that’s the best way to keep up with what we have going on!

What do you think makes for an ideal show for this group? 

A: good sound + good lights + good crowd = good time

How important do you think social media has been to this band?

A: Extremely important, it’s the main way we reach our fans as well as a big part of gaining new fans! Connection is so crucial in today’s society.

Do all you help to maintain all your sites or is one of you more into it all?

A: Generally one or two of us, but we all pitch in from time to time.

Or do you rely on your PR/management team to handle it all?

A: Nope, We are very reachable. For now it’s all us.

Who would you love to work with in the future?

A: Honestly just anyone who loves what we do and believes in us as a band. This is a tough industry and we don’t want to get caught up chasing after people who don’t really care about us. We want a team of hard working people who truly care.

Who are some of your favorite artists right now?

A: Imagine Dragons, Lil Uzi Vert, The Rocket Summer, Kendrick Lamar, Great Good Okay Fine, and One Republic.

What do you think would be a dream collaboration for this group?

A: that’s a pretty tough question. Maybe Kendrick Lamar would be a good cross-genre plus he is super talented.

We are living in a trying time right now so I am curious how you think being in this band gives you the most joy in life today?

A: We love creating music and we love performing. Doing those two things as often as we do brings a lot of joy!

Do you think that music being created today is going to reflect this challenging time?

A: I’m sure some of it will. Most people write about personal experience so its hard not to write about the world that surrounds us.

What do you hope is the message of your music? What do you hope people continue to take away from your songs?

A: Fun, feel good, nostalgic, & inspiring. We have songs about all kinds of different topics and situations. Is it typical for a band to say we have something for everyone?? lol

What do you hope they take away from one of your shows? 

A: We want our live show to feel like a experience with a ton of great moments. We want people walking away saying “Remember when they kicked out the beach balls or when the Singer played the drums along with the mash-up of Rap songs”. We really set the bar high for ourselves when it comes to putting on a live show and this is really where we capture most of our new fans.

Would you like to share anything else about yourselves or this band?

A: Polaroid Summer is still so fresh being that we started just 14 months ago. Right now we are all about building & we are very reachable. If you like what we do leave us a comment somewhere and theres a great chance you’ll get a direct response from someone in the band! We also have a lot of room for people who want to help out and be a part of our growth, just reach out to us! PolaroidSummerBand@gmail.com