Remaining dedicated to your strong roots, while also embracing new connections and inspirations, is a powerful, and often necessary, skill that allows vocalists and instrumentalists to naturally evolve as musicians. Up-and-coming heavy rock band BANDITS is one such group that features creative musicians who daringly blend their training and experiences with their passion of continuously building their connections with their fans and fellow artists.

BANDITS, which features Lulu Demintro on bass, keys and vocals; her brother, John Demintro, on guitar and vocals’ and Andrew Oakley on drums, recently debuted their latest singles. The first song, ‘Kill Tonight,’ premiered on Consequence of Sound on January 5, and its black-and-white video later debuted on Myspace on March 4. The release of their second single, ‘Wheels,’ quickly followed, when it debuted on Diffuser on February 1. ‘Kill Tonight’ serves as the lead single from, and ‘Wheels’ appears as the B-side on, the band’s ‘Kill Tonight’ 7″ vinyl, which was mastered by Grammy Award-winning engineer Brian Gardner.

After recently debuting their songs, the heavy rock band, which hails from Denver, performed at last week’s SXSW. The trio performed several showcases at such Austin-based locations as Thirsty Nickel, The Handlebar, 512 Bar, Blind Pig Rooftop and San Jac Saloon.

Lulu, John and Oakley generously took the time to participate in Big Picture Media’s SXSW press day on Wednesday, March 16 at The Rooftop Bar on E. 6th Street in Austin. The heavy rock band discussed their experiences as musicians, inluding how growing up in musical homes, and we learning how to play instruments when they were young, encouraged them to form BANDITS; and how such legendary rock bands as Queens of the Stone Age, Black Sabbath, The Beatles and Led Zeppelin have not only intrigued them as fans, but also influenced their musical style.

The trio began working together in large part because John and Lulu are siblings. Due to their familial relationship, the two “decided that we should be in a band together. We thought it would be easier that way,” Lulu revealed. “Then we crossed paths with Andrew. That came at the right time, because we needed a drummer, and he was looking for a band.”

Oakley explained that he before he became interested in the drums, he began playing the piano at a really young age. “But then when it came time to play in band class in middle school, I just wanted to play the drums for whatever reason. I think it was because there weren’t any other drummers, so it was an easy instrument to try out for,” the musician explained. “So once I became involved in it, I was totally hooked.”

“For John and I, our parents made us take piano lessons when we were really young,” Lulu revealed once she began discussing how her brother and she became involved in playing instruments. “So I have been playing piano my whole life. We all grew up in musical homes, and we learned to play instruments when we were very young. We all had bands as teenagers,” the vocalist revealed. “So it was a natural progression for us to keep going with it and record, so that we could make something out of it, and make it our career.”

John also chimed in on the attraction of being a musician, saying they realized that “It’s a lot of fun to write and play our own music.” He also chimed in on his instrumental experience, saying “I’ve always played the piano. I have also gravitated towards the cool band stuff. I wanted to learn how to do the drums, bass and guitar.”

The heavy rock band then began discussing which musicians have had the biggest influences on them, as listeners, vocalists and instrumentalists. John quickly noted that “Queens of the Stone Age has not only been a big influence on me, but on all of us as a band. A lot of the classic rock bands that we have grown up listening to have influenced us.”

Lulu also noted that they grew up listening to several other legendary bands, including Black Sabbath, The Beatles and Led Zeppelin. “They influenced the very beginning of our band,” which the trio wanted to focus on rock music. “Queens of the Stone Age really does influence our writing, as do The Kills, The Dead Weather and Black Rebel Motorcycle (Club).”

BANDITS is also influenced by a lot of different genres, including hip-hop, Oakley also noted. “We blend those styles with rock-n-roll, which is something I don’t think a lot of other modern bands do,” the drummer explained. “But that’s what rock-n-roll is all about, and how it started; it’s a blend of everything.” Performing rock-n-roll means “Doing whatever you want,” Lulu added.

The singer then discussed how the heavy rock band writes its music. “John and I usually come up with the seed or some idea for our songs. We’ll come up with a riff or a part of a lyric,” Lulu explained. “Then we’ll bring it into practice, and let it grow from there. We’ll all work on the music together.”

The songs go through an edit in practice, John further revealed. “We’ll cut what we think needs to be cut as a band. We’ll also add whatever we think needs to be added,” the bassist and key player said.

Lulu then delved into the process of crafting ‘Kill Tonight.’ “It was a really cool idea. John came up with the riff in that song, and brought it to practice. Andrew added this super-groovy hip-hop drum beat to it. I ended up just playing keyboard on it,” the musician noted. “It all started from that first rift on the keyboard, and the song grew from there.”

John then chimed in on BANDITS’ second single, saying that he feels ‘Wheels’ “is completely different from ‘Kill Tonight.’ “Lulu sang ‘Kill Tonight,’ and I sang ‘Wheels,’ so they have a different feel,” he noted.

Oakley described ‘Wheels’ as being “more straight-up, traditional rock-n-roll. But ‘Kill Tonight’ brings in elements of hip-hop, especially in the lyrics. We tried to keep it pretty simple, expect for a bridge that goes crazy.”

With music primarily being released digitally now, John stated that he feels that it’s “a lot easier to get your music out now. You don’t have to go play everywhere anymore, because people can find you online. They can listen to your music as soon as you release it.”

While listeners can now more easily obtain the music they want to listen to now, Lulu added that she finds it “kind of sad that downloading is the most popular and easy way to get music now. But that’s how it is now.” In addition to their music digitally, the singer emphasized that the band is planning to release ‘Kill Tonight’ “on vinyl, so that fans can have a physical copy. We all love vinyl, and having something physical to hand to people.”

Oakley also chimed in on the process of releasing music online, as he feels that it’s a good format for new bands to gain exposure. “Having your music on Spotify is really helpful. Someone can just type in your band’s name, and your music is right there. Then they can immediately decide whether they like your music or not,” the drummer explained. “It’s also crazy how people are listening to music on vinyl again. But who knows when it will change back again.”

The group then began discussing the process of collaborating with Garnder, who has also collaborated Queens of the Stone Age. John described the engineer, who mastered their ‘Kill Tonight’ 7″ vinyl, as “great. We’re happy to have worked with him on several projects.”

Oakley added that the heavy rock group “had a really solid team behind” the single. The drummer further explained that working with Garnder, as well as a production team they trust, made the production really easy.

“It’s also great to have a team who’s willing to do anything,” John also said. “They weren’t afraid to step outside of the box and try different things that aren’t traditional, which is important.”

In general, after the trio finishes recording their singles and albums with their production team, they enjoy bringing their music to the stage. When describing the band’s presence while performing for their fans, Oakley stated “I think our performances are all about energy, and trying to convey that super-high energy level to the fans. We try to engage them, and get them as stoked as possible. We want the crowd to let loose and have a good time.”

John also chimed in on BANDITS’ performance style, saying “I think it’s hard for us to go out on stage and not bring energy to our music. It’s so loud and aggressive that we need that high energy level.”

While discussing the experience of visiting, and playing their music during, SXSW, Lulu described the experience as being “crazy. This is our second year at South by, and this year (we were) super busy here-we (had) six showcases….It’s always a rowdy time here at South by. You never know quite what to expect,” she admitted. “But we have a great time here.” The singer also explained that the group likes the environment that the festival creates, as it fits their style of music.

John also mentioned that “another fun thing to do here is to just walk around. It’s also great to meet new people, and also see people you know, and you end up hanging out all night.” The guitarist added that they appreciate being able to interact with other bands at SXSW, “as you don’t get to do that too often when you’re touring on the road. You can play a show with somebody and really like them, but then the next day, you can go to a different part of the country and not have time to hang out with them. But when you’re down here, everyone interacts, which is really fun.”

While the band doesn’t have any official plans to write new music soon, John revealed that after BANDITS finished their duties at SXSW, they’re interested in returning to the studio to record the music they already have written. Lulu added that “We’re trying to figure out how we’re going to release it. Maybe we’ll do another 7″ vinyl with a few songs that we’re really happy with now. Or maybe we’ll put everything on an album.”

Oakley also mentioned that the heavy rock band will play some new music at their upcoming shows. “We have a lot of new songs that we’re excited to get out there, and see what kind of interest there is” from their fans, the drummer explained.

For more information on BANDITS, visit their official website, as well as their Facebook and Soundcloud pages. Listen to ‘Wheels’ and ‘Kill Tonight,’ and also watch the video for the later song, below.

Written by: Karen Benardello