Interview // Peter Zambrano - Mad Survivor
Leading front man of Mad Survivor, a Covina based Alt/Indie act, Peter Zambrano took the time and gave us an interesting dive into his bands history, his own influences, and his future EP.
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Welcome Peter! Glad to have you on The Collective! We first met maybe over a year ago when you guys played a couple shows in Whittier, sad to say I haven't caught up with your activity since, what's new? How's the band doing?
Peter Zambrano: Yeah we had a few shows here and there before that but those Whittier shows were actually some of our first. Since then we've changed bassists, and gotten a lot tighter in terms of a musical blend of tone as a band. We also began our first attempt into releasing an EP pretty soon! Sadly we only have one demo track up at the moment, but I'm excited to get something else finally out!
Yeah I noticed that you had one song out when I was doing a little research. I'm glad to hear that you're working on a full on EP. Do you have an idea of what you'll put in it? Old material or new material?
Peter Z: Yup this whole band kinda stemmed from me and our drummer Austin jamming that one song, just the two of us at the time. The EP will have songs we've written in this past year but what I am truly excited for is to get what we've been currently writing out. I've recently caught a pretty intense case of writing fever and it's the greatest thing! I think there's something in the air because a lot of artists I know have told me the same. Could possibly be in light of the current chaotic situation the country is dealing with? I've always heard artists thrive in times of chaos.
Yes! I think so as well. The current political dilemma has really stirred a lot of people. Everyone is flustered and musicians are starting to write about it more frequently, social conscience is definitely growing. Going back the band, you mentioned that you and the drummer do most of the writing, with the new members in the band, has that structure changed at all? Give us a little insight on how Mad Survivor writes its songs.
Peter Z: I find it harder all the time to keep from dipping my pen into the the ink of the political world. It's something I feel will inevitably find its way in there someway. So this band started off with a few things I had previously written from years before in high school and jammed with a few peeps here and there, but once I got to start jamming with Austin it became more serious. Once we got through the things I wanted to revive from before playing with Austin, we would try to keep the writing in a group setting with our first bassist. That worked for a bit and we got some interesting stuff out of it but we've since fluctuated between writing in a group setting, and me bringing something from my newly found boost of writing haha which I honestly like because I don't think I'd ever want to have a formula to go by when writing a Mad Survivor song, ya know? Another drastic change to our writing has been our current bassist Sam Smiley, this guy has definitely helped show me the light when it comes to the more technical side of the music world, and we couldn't be happier to have him be a part of all this with us
I've spoken to groups that have set formulas for their writing, and that has its perks but there's something fulfilling about keeping it all organic. So Peter, your music is labeled as indie and alt but it's a lot more than that, it's very different from what's around today, what're your influences?
Peter Z: That's a big question haha I could go on about the countless number of bands that have influenced my writing and playing but if I had to narrow it down it would be somewhere in the Modest Mouse, Arcade Fire, We Were Promised Jetpacks, and The Strokes kind of feel. I always keep an open mind to all forms of music all the way from The Black Dahlia Murder to Tupac, and everything in between haha I feel like it's important to explore all genres because when it comes to an art form like music, you never know what you might come to appreciate in another artists work and those things are what end up influencing you.
Never thought you were a big Tupac fan, then again with how easily accessible music is today, I shouldn't be surprised. You never know who likes what these days, the way someone dresses or acts is no longer a certain indicator. Mad Survivor, can you tell us the reason behind the name? I have a feeling there's an interesting story there.
Peter Z: I've loved Tupac since I was a kid haha and that's sorta the great thing about music, you never know who's going to like what. I think It gives us all a universal thing to relate to and when we find common interest we understand each other a little more. The name to me resembles something of a character's will to never give up, and the lengths they sometimes go to in order to achieve certain goals. I've always been very intrigued with characters in stories who have good intentions but sometimes do questionable things to achieve their goals. I feel like Walter White from Breaking Bad would be a good example of this. Just exploring the mindset of characters in these types of situations brings a pretty vast array of emotions to draw upon when writing as well. I like having the name be left open to interpretation as well though, if someone finds another meaning in the name, I wouldn't say that's wrong in any way.
Peter, I really appreciate your time. Thanks for talking to us about yourself and your band, we're excited to see what the EP will sound like. As a final goodbye, what band would you like to see do an interview with The Collective?
Peter Z: Thank you for allowing me to be a part of the conversation you've started at The Collective. I would love to see you talk with Tomber Lever from Pomona CA. They recently released their full album, Furniture Pedagogue, which has quickly found its way into a special place in my heart.
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Check out Mad Survivor on Bandcamp:
