Davis duo Regular Pleasure describes itself as an alt-pop, brainrot rock, queer heavy metal band, though even that collection of genres doesn’t quite explain what Nathan and Max Vanilla are doing. With a sound that moves from pop to heavy metal, an unconventional approach to songwriting and a self-proclaimed reputation as the “Craziest band in Davis,” they’re comfortable doing things their own way.
Their debut double album, Kink Shaman, contains 17 songs recorded over two years. The band celebrated its release with a live painting competition at Armadillo Music and is now preparing for a show at Sudwerk Brewing Company on Friday, October 23. The evening will include DJ sets from DJ Mourning Glory and DJ Wheelhaus, a goth dance party and a performance that promises everything from synchronized dancing to a rock auction.
We spoke with Regular Pleasure about their songwriting process, the Davis music community, their new album and what they have planned next.
You’ve called yourselves the “Craziest band in Davis.” How did Regular Pleasure come together, and what makes you deserving of that title?
Sadly, our manager Zap had us sign an NDA about our origin. Sorry. But no one would believe it anyway.
As for why we’re the craziest in Davis… Nathan. He’s totally bonkers. I mean, he’s a genius lyricist for sure, but reality is a madman and he’s its interpreter.
Not to mention his stage presence is just so unpredictable.
What’s it been like developing Regular Pleasure in Davis?
It’s been interesting to say the least. Davis has a robust house show scene with very few dedicated professional venues (especially for unorthodox music), so we’ve mostly been operating underground.
That being said, shout out to Delta Venus, 3rd Space and KDVS for holding up our young weirdo community. In terms of bands, our main local influence is Exotic Cringe Club. Those guys are crazy.
How do you approach songwriting with so many different styles of music?
Our process is called “cotton candy factory.” Max is in charge of all the instruments and Nathan writes the lyrics.
We start with a couple drum and bass loops made in 5 minutes on a computer, then we freestyle guitar and vocals over it. Once we settle on parts we like, we record them and export. We call these songs “cotton candy.” They’re usually between 30 seconds and 1:30, and the whole process takes 30 minutes.
Once we have a handful of cotton candy tracks, we start combining them and fleshing them out.
The process really determines what the song sounds like. We just nudge the boat in a general direction by chasing the fun.
Your debut double album, Kink Shaman, has 17 songs. How did it come together?
It took about 2 years to make. We actually wanted to do a quintuple album, but Zap said that was too many songs. We had to scrap 50+ tracks. There were a lot of tears involved. But I guess you have to kill your darlings.
How does recording fit into your songwriting process?
We have our own studio in a secret location. Our writing process is completely integrated into our recording process.
Nathan does bring random phrases and lyric snippets to the sessions that he picks up wandering around, but other than that, the songs are being written while they’re being recorded. It’s a fast and fluid writing style.
You held a live painting competition at Armadillo Music to celebrate the album. How did that go?
Ah yes, the painting competition. Zap got the idea from a local competition called “Art Mania,” created by Secret Spot and hosted at Sudwerk. That seemed to work well, so we stole it.
Despite Nathan’s history with paint, it went extremely well. Lots of fans came out. Lots of new faces. We signed and sold a lot of CDs. It was a blast.
And we actually tied, so we’re splitting the pay raise.
What can people expect at your October 23 show at Sudwerk, and what’s next for the band?
People can expect an elaborate choreographed light show, synchronized dancing, insane shredding, a rock auction, costume changes, wacky props and chaotic rock and roll.
There’ll also be 2 awesome DJs (DJ Mourning Glory and DJ Wheelhaus) putting on a goth dance party before and after the set. Costumes are also encouraged.
Next we’re getting ready to shoot a music video with a local roller derby team, and then we’ll be getting ready to tour.
Where can people find out more about Regular Pleasure?
Regularpleasure.com. Zap forced Max to learn HTML, CSS and JavaScript, but they’re not really any good at it, so the site looks like it’s straight out of 2003.
We do have an active 24-hour hotline you can call and a confidential page for the dedicated fans.
