Q&A with LA Rockers, Lost In Los Angeles

Combining impassioned melodies with lush, cinematic instrumentation, Lost in Los Angeles (LiLA) delivers dream-induced indie pop to those searching for something deeper. The Los Angeles based quartet – Danny Klein (vocals, piano, synth), Eddie Deering (guitar, synth), Clark Souter (bass, vocals), and Iajhi Hampden (drums), wear their hearts on their sleeves, using their music to bear all.

Their self-titled debut album drew their collective energy and experiences, allowing listeners to go on a journey of personal reflection and emerge more enlightened on the other side. Each track unfolds with fresh, sincere emotion, dispatching melodies and thoughts that remain with the listener long after first play.

After their videos for “Million Stars” and “All Roads Lead to You” gained rotation on MTV and vH1, LiLA went back to the studio to write their next chapter. With an array of inspirations spanning Air, Depeche Mode, Led Zeppelin, Moby, Boards of Canada, Deftones, Flock of Seagulls, Stevie Wonder, Goldfrapp, Elton John and Jeff Buckley, LiLA stretches musical boundaries on all fronts. Offering listeners personal musings about life and relationships, LiLA gives a voice to those looking to find their way.

In the Summer of 2013, LiLA independently released “The Hovering EP,” a collection of songs that set the pace for things to come.  That Fall, the L.A.-based trio re-mastered and rereleased “Because Of You” as a radio single. As “Because of You” gained national radio traction, LiLA performed a string of acoustic radio sets and showcases (WRFF, Philadelphia, PA; WJSE, North Cape, NJ; KCXX Riverside, CA; KXRN, Laguna Beach, CA), including an December East Coast Radio Tour to round out 2013.

LiLA again connected with fans and the press at SXSW 2014, following the release of their new single, “Cloud City”, the first advance single off of their upcoming album, “Love Is Fate,” due out Fall 2014. “Cloud City (Single & B-Sides)” offered two additional tracks to accompany the journey through Cloud City.

The band is currently in the studio working on “Love Is Fate” with producer Omer Avni, but singer, Danny Klein took some time out from the studio to chat with All Access Music Group writer, Nicole DeRosa. Read more here:

For some of our readers that have not had the pleasure of being familiar with Lost In Los Angeles yet, can you offer a brief journey of your musical career thus far?

Yeah! Lost In Los Angeles started with me (Danny Klein – vocals, piano, synth) and Eddie Deering (guitar, synth) back in around 2008. We went through a couple different line ups after signing to an indie label, but Eddie and I knew we were still finding the right mix for the band as well as the perfect home for our sound. We met Clark Souter (bass) and knew we had a good trio going. After breaking from the label last year we hopped on a 28-city US tour and started getting traction on the radio and PR front. We then added Iajhi Hampden (drums) to the group and knew we were complete. We’re now in the studio working on our first independent album, “Love is Fate” with producer Omer Avni.

 Where does the name Lost In Los Angeles come from? What’s the story behind it?

Eddie and I had a previous project before this band. We had an unreleased EP entitled “Lost In Los Angeles” — we knew it would find its way into our future somehow. It became the perfect name for our band.

 How did you guys meet and know you wanted to work together?

I met Eddie after moving back from New York City. His band was looking for a singer — there was a lot of good chemistry happening so I joined the band. We developed a really good writing relationship and friendship. We could tell there would be a really good future ahead of us. Both Clark and Iajhi joined Lost In Los Angeles through auditions. Each of them stood out as soon as we met them. Some things you just know, you know?

 What was the inspiration for your new single, “Cloud City”?

Eddie had written a really cool instrumental track before leaving for a trip to Asia. I was deeply inspired by it and started writing lyrics and melodies. It started stirring memories of a past relationship that hadn’t been quite resolved. The song became a sort of an emotional scrapbook of the incredible times this particular girl and I had and what could have been. I was alone downtown one night, just drifting around and writing. Looking up at all of the buildings I started to imagine all of the other people out there who might have been feeling the same way I was. “Every time I think of you nobody knows. Like hearts in the city. So many alone….” After the lyrics came to life Clark and I dove into producing the track further. Eddie came back and we all finished it together. A true collaboration.

How do you capture the inspiration when it comes?

All of us in this band seem to be in a constant state of reflecting and writing. For me, I’m always writing lyrics and recording scraps of piano ideas. I’ve got big sheets of paper are all over my walls so I’m always grabbing a sharpie and jotting things down. I know Eddie, Clark and Iajhi are the same way when it comes to instrumental ideas.

Do you have any upcoming appearances at any radio stations? How has radio been treating you guys? Any favorite stations and why?

This summer we are pretty much living in the studio working on this record with Omer, so we are trying to keep focused on that. Once the record is done we’ll hop back into the radio circuit. Radio treated us well on our single “Because of You” last year. We made some appearances at some stations back east in Philly and Jersey, as well as some stations back home in Cali.

One of our favorite stations is probably WRFF 104.5 Philadelphia, PA – they’re a Clear Channel station and their iHeart Radio live room was amazing. We had a cool meet & greet with some fans after our live session and they treated us really well. We also have to give a huge shout out to KX 93.5 Laguna Beach, CA. Mookie was the first DJ to play add our track and he had us come in for a live on-air. Definitely another one of our favorites.

How are you using new music technologies to record music?

We definitely have a good blend of analog and digital instrumentation and production happening in our music. Our drums are mainly beats and samples, but we’ll also end up adding some analog drums on some tracks. We are freaks when it comes to vintage synthesizers, so there’s a lot of that going on, but we’re also using some of the latest software and plugins as well. New music technologies really come into play on the production front – you can do a ton of sound design and shaping digitally. The trick is to keep it all sounding warm, thanks to our producer Omer.

What are your thoughts on satellite radio and streaming radio services like Pandora, iRadio, and Slacker, or on demand services like Spotify, Deezer, Beats, and others?

They are part of the landscape, so we embrace them. We’ve reached a lot more fans worldwide through those services and hope that the revenue shares for artists will start to come up. We think it will.

If you had the opportunity to work with any act/artist from the past, present or future, who would it be?

Wow that’s a tough one. If we had a time machine and could go back to when U2 was just coming on the scene it would probably be pretty amazing to do some touring and collaborations with them in Europe.

You are currently working on your full length EP, “Love Is Fate” How is that coming along?

This album is really shaping up and we couldn’t be happier. Working with Omer has been a great journey. He really pushes us to new heights and has gotten us totally out of our comfort zone. We’re at a place where we can really start to hear the “album” coming to life. We can’t wait to share it with the world.

What is your favorite song to perform live?

We’ve been having a lot of fun preforming “Blowing In the Wind” – it’s a track that will appear on “Love Is Fate”.

What’s on tap next for LiLA?

After finishing the album we’ll be dialing in a lot of shows and touring so the world can experience this record. We’ll also be diving into a radio campaign with All Access. Alternative Editor, Shawn Alexander has been a huge advocate for us, helping us pick the right singles and lending us his invaluable ear.

To learn more about Lost In Los Angeles, visit their website here

All photos by: Elaine Childress